Lesson Plan

Our lesson plan seems to have gone well. We did have some obstacles to overcome during the creation of it. We were a bit unsure about all of the elements we were supposed to have, at first. We didn't know how we were required to incorporate technology into our lesson plan. So, at first, we toyed around with a lot of stuff. However, we decided on something and from then on, stuck to it.

We broke up our stuff and I think we will be able to teach it next week. It is a simple topic. The presentation is the part to worry about. But, I think it will go well.

The class in general has been an interesting one. I was thinking this class would be a lot more mundane when I first looked at the title of it. However, once we got into the classroom, I saw how hands on it was and was greatly surprised.

I love how I have learned about a lot of different programs that I either didn't know existed (like Wiki and Inspiration) and those that I didn't know how to use (like Publisher).

I don't know if there is anything I would have wanted to do differently except that sometimes, I would like to have done some projects alone. Since I don't live in Commerce, it can be hard and stressful to have to finish a project in a program I don't have at home and that I have to coordinate with another person who lives no where near me.

I think that it is crucial for teachers to know how to incorporate and use technology in the classroom since it has become such a large part of all of our lives. The world is becoming more and more immersed into the technological world and to thrive in it, we must participate in it. Otherwise, we will be left by the wayside with no job or a bad job, or will be constantly unsure of how to get our jobs done on time and done well.

Voice Thread

I can see how Voice Thread would be very helpful in learning. I think at first, it was a bit intimidating, but once you look at it and give it time, it explains how easy it can be. You don't have to respond to things in every way mentioned (i.e. webcam, mic chat, etc.). You can merely type to add comments just on any other website. And, then, once you are more used to it, you can maybe try the more intricate ways of navigating the site. This seems like a fun and interactive way to spend time learning and talking about a myriad of subjects and seems like it would draw students in.

Powerpoint Project

I think that it really depends on a person's personality on whether they work better in a group or by themselves. It also can depend on the subject and/or kind of work. For this project, I think as long as you make it clear up front whose responsibilities are whose and what the goal is, it can be productive.

Usually, however, I like to work alone just for the mere fact that my personality warrants it. I tend to be a follower sometimes if I'm in a group even though I desire to be a leader. My anxiety keeps me from taking as much initiative as I would like.

However, my partner is very productive and helpful. It is a relief since sometimes it is easy to get put in a situation where your partner doesn't do a thing and can't be trusted. That is definately not the case in my situation.

Our topic is Educational Websites. We are going to compile a good amount of websites that we think would be helpful when incorporated into the classroom as well as for solitary study.

Chapter 7 Blog

I think that educators could succeed in going quite far with incorporating technology in classrooms as long as they continue to keep an eye on students actions throughout. If there is nobody checking up on students, the technology may become counterproductive. Just like students being in a classroom discussing face to face, teachers need to be aware of misbehavior and off-topic banter.

When talking about the discussion forums, it would be interesting to see how people communicate when there are no cultural biases (from appearances) in the way. However, when involving a classroom of students who already know eachother, there wouldn't be much difference from in class. The one difference that it might make is that students have more time to formulate their ideas before responding to a thread/topic, instead of having to think while others are talking and in a limited time amount. I think that these can add to student learning if the students are given interesting topics and are taking the discussion board seriously. If they don't care, they aren't going to learn much. Asynchronous, text-based communication may create an inability to understand other students if the student has not explained their thoughts clearly. Then, another student will either ignore the post or ask for it to be explained differently. And, the latter option takes time and who knows what will happen once the time has elapsed.

It is possible that chat rooms would distract from learning. However, if you limit the number of people who are in the chat or monitor the chat to make sure people stay on topic, it may be beneficial. It may be especially beneficial if students need to talk outside of class. That way, just like 3 way calling or conference calling, students can communicate in a group rather than having to relay conversations to every person in the group. Another positive attribute to discussion boards is that if they are used frequently, students may be able to clear up questions before class even reconvenes. It can make it easier to devote classtime to more things.

I think podcasting can be very helpful, once again, if monitored. It is just like the discussion board in that you can formulate ideas beforehand and make multiple corrections to your ideas. And, the major plus about this, is that you aren't limited to words. You can also incorporate tone of voice and other sounds that can further convey your thoughts.

I think that videogames can be good learning tools as long as they seriously use the information in a challenging and entertaining way. Students will be more engaged in learning when it's in the form of a game. Instead of moning and whining about doing homework, students may even look forward to it. And, like the article says, the computer can be used like a teacher because it can aid a student by telling which answers are wrong/right and why. This repetition from the program will help students a lot more than a worksheet would. It will show the student immediately what they are doing wrong, instead of letting wrong answers marinate in their head. They will remember it quicker when shown immediately rather than having to wait until the next class or longer. And, students can repeat games and will be more likely to do so. They probably aren't going to be willing to repeat the same worksheet over and over. That's not fun. So, in conclusion, games can be educational and fun; learning just got better.

Personality Types

My personality type is INFJ. I think the fact that we are being told to look up our personality styles and the fact that there are so many tests out there about personality styles somewhat answers this question already. It is very important to understand yours as well as others personality styles. You may feel like everyone should want to talk in a group and feed off of eachother. But, another person may not feel this way at all. I know, personally, I like to get an assignment, go home and mull over it in the comfort of my own home/office and then come back to school and be prepared with my thoughts before any discussion takes place. But, other people may need that initial stimulis to get ideas flowing and have no idea where to start. Because of these obvious differences, there can be disputes that arise because of those differences. It is important to realize that people all operate in disctinctly different ways and that is okay. And, we must respect those differences and learn to work together. If we don't, nothing will come out of working together. And, since our world is primarily based on working with other people, where would that leave us?

So, in conclusion, students definately have different learning styles because of these personality types. I have had personal experience with a friend who is much more interested in starting discussion immediately, while like I've stated above, I find makes me uncomfortable with a sense of unpreparedness.

I think if teachers could explain the value of knowing your own and others personality types, it can quicken adapatation in classrooms. If students learn early about these differences and learn how to combat them, they are able to get further in studies as well as social relationships. These are all imperative to the development of a classroom.

Spreadsheet Blog

I love spreadsheets. I use them for work right now. I use them for lists and to calculate my wages and for bills as well. I'm such an organized person, I would probably use spreadsheets for anything that I could. I love the boxes that organize our words and all the rest.

We use spreadsheets to store information, calculate information, and present information. Numbers are probably the most obvious way to use spreadsheets. Like I said before, you can calculate bills, like expenses, grades for students, and more. Almost anything can be turned into a spreadsheet. It quickly organizes any and all things in your life.

Calculators can only deal with one problem at a time. But, a spreadsheet stores multiple figures in an organized layout so that you don't have to deal with extra papers. Papers can be such a nuisance, especially when you deal with so many in a day. If you put things into spreadsheets it can completely minimize your papers or take them away altogether.

Week 3 Posting

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According to the video, you can a visual brainstorming sheet. You can put the main idea in the middle, and then add ideas to the outer area. They all should connect to the main idea. And, you can do more with your brainstorming than just words. You can add an image to one of your bubbles to better illustrate the idea you are trying to convey. This can also make it more interesting and can make things much clearer. You can show how certain items stem from others. They all don't have to connect primarily with the main idea. You can connect a further thought to one of the surrounding bubbles to further your thoughts and ideas.





Once you place a bubble in one place, it does not have to permanently stay there. You can easily rearrange bubbles if you want to change the look of it.





Another great feature of this program is that you can create notes that can include details, definitions, and more. And, it won't clutter up your screen because you can minimize it when you are not needing to read it. You can also link your bubbles to outlines that illustrate your idea in an alternate manner. This outline is easily changed with just a click and a drag (if you put something in the wrong spot). You can move things to the right or left, etc. with just a click of a button. You can minimize the sections under each heading to see the overall idea of the outline, without the details. You can also change the colors of different headings and other sections in your outline to create a visual association). There are many different reasons to use different colors. The main reason is for organizational purposes; you don't want to get confused when looking at an outline. It's supposed to help.





When you go back to your diagram, you can change the way the bubbles are arranged to a system that suits you best. You can change colors of the bubbles as well.





Another great feature is that you can select some bubbles and add a link to them. That way, you can immediately reach a source with more details. You can also add videos to your bubbles as well, which creates a whole new dimension for your page.





In a quick step, you can transfer all or parts of your outline to a word processor and other programs. You can also link other brainstorming sheets together easily. That way, if the topics are related, you can immediately see information on the other sheet and vice versa.





This program would definately help in the classroom, especially with students who are more apt to learning and creating with visual objects. Instead of just words, the pictures and bubbles can make for a more interesting brainstorming session. It makes everything so organized so that students don't get overwhelmed with information. They can customize their thoughts/facts to their tastes and get an overall understanding of a subject that may have been a bit tricky before. Now, it would be visualized and organized right in front of them for current and later use.





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You can use technology in the classroom to help students create outlines, make a presentation with writing, visual concept maps, and posting writing online. Concept maps can be used to create a visual set of ideas. You identify important concepts and then connect them together to create links. While students can obviously create these maps on paper, they aren't nearly as helpful and easy to do as they are on the computer. Changes can be made so easily and pictures from other sources can be pasted directly on the map. This makes the map both clear and consice, and very informative.



A powerpoint can be made to make a presentation. This makes writing a lot more fun. Students can use special effects to create a more interesting presentation while also learning the material. This activity helps students learn how to divide up ideas, sequence them, and present them. Powerpoints also provide an outline when you're filling out your information. You can go into further details of certain ideas by creating bullets and sub-bullets. You can also put in links from the internet to support your ideas and provide additional information. Notes can be created that go with the slides so that the slides aren't too cluttered. The speaker can talk about the information on the slide in detail by referring to the notes. Or students can go back through the slides and read the notes to understand the ideas better.

I think the best technology you can use in the classroom is subjective depending on the activity. But, I think that Inspiration is a great place to start in order to get students going and promotes them to actually brainstorm. I know from going through school that many kids just wing it the day before and put little thought into an assignment. Maybe if they see how easy and fun Inspiration can be, it will motivate them to use it and their papers/projects will be so much better.

I think that using blogs can be helpful if people take them seriously. I think many things are like that. If there is a group of people in a study group, for example, and they are all connected on a blog site, they can learn from eachother by reading eachother's postings. They can comment on their posting and start a conversation with that person as a way to expand ideas and learn more things.

Like I said, however, it might be considered a "waste of time", if the people involved don't participate. It's like playing a sport. Let's use baseball as an example. If the pitcher doesn't throw the ball, how will the batter be able to hit? He can't. If one person is blogging alone, it may cause the same effect. While it can be useful for certain types of people to talk themselves through their thoughts and reread them, some people may not work this way. So, it may be better for some people to read someone else's thoughts to plant ideas in their heads and get THEM thinking. Then, they can communicate and learn from eachother.

Teacher-Created Blogs can be useful because a teacher can present information on the blog in order to expands on topics covered in class. Also, they can present new ideas for students who want to learn further details about things that won't even be covered on a test. This blog can also be helpful because it can show the teacher's willingness to engage students in the class who wouldn't normally speak up in class. This gives students a chance to talk to the teacher outside of the classroom where time constraints are an issue.

Teachers may chose to put links to outside sources that wouldn't be in the student's textbook or to show a real life event that reinforces an idea that may be seen as a written idea. That way, a student can see how the information in their textbooks and notes actually matter when they are outside of the classroom.

Student-Created Blogs can be useful if the teacher uses them right. If students get the chance to write what they think about certain ideas, it will show their viewpoint of a subject. One student may have one point of view and another student may have another way of looking at it. They may also find a person who thinks the same way as them, which can be both comforting and enlightening. When students look at other students blogs, they begin to see things a bit differently. It may help them understand a topic that they weren't understanding to begin with, or it may further expand their knoweledge, thereof.

And, as it states in the book, teachers must be aware of internet safety. If they make those things clear and even proofread students posts, they can protect their students from posting information that is too personal.

Writing blogs can also create a sense of pride when you find people who care about what you say.

In conclusion, as long as teachers pay attention to internet safety and use blogs in a constructive way, like the ways listed above, blogs can become a valuable tool in learning.

Amy Hale

My name is Amy Hale. I am 22 years old. I live in Rockwall, TX, which is 45 minutes away from Commerce. I am coming back to school after being away for two years. I am majoring in English with an emphasis on Secondary Education. I am taking five classes right now. I have been married for 2 years and have no kids. I do have two pets, one dog named Lucy and a cat named Otto. My husband and I just bought our first house. I love reading (It's good that I'm an English major), jewelry making, singing and playing guitar, writing music and stories.