Reflection

Over the course of this Learning With Technology course, there were several course learning objectives that we were to accomplish. As I look back upon the last 7 weeks, I believe that each of those objectives has been fulfilled.

• explain why technology integration into curriculum is essential for 21st century classrooms

There is no doubt that we live in a technological world, so why shouldn't our students? Not only are there standards put in place to ensure technological advancements in the classroom, there are several benefits that are associated with the modern teaching method. Using technology encourages students to become more engaged in the learning process; they are more apt to become interested in their school work because there is a sense of familiarity in how they are learning.

• describe the NH ICT standards,  Common Core standards, and NETS standards
• NH ICT- The Minimum Standards for School Approval, Ed 306.42, contain the minimum requirements districts must use in order to establish an ICT Literacy program for all students in grades K through 12
• Common Core standards- clear, consistent guidelines as to what students are expected to learn at all grade levels
• NETS standards-  learning, teaching and leading in the digital age and are widely recognized and adopted worldwide. 

Over the past 8 weeks I have learned a lot on technology integration. When I first began this class I was stubborn on my views of technology integration; I believed that the amount of technology that we use should be minimal. Although I do still believe that we live in a world which relies too heavily on technology,  I am more aware of the benefits that technology has within education. The hardest part for me over the course of this term was the ability to open up and be open to learning new technological tools. Now, as I have learned many new resources, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this class and will use the knowledge that I have gained within my future classes and even into my classroom in the future. I think that the most interesting part about technology is the opportunity to be creative and express your thoughts in an original manner. Rather than making a boring poster board just like everyone else in the class, knowing how to use technological tools allows you to create a presentation that will entice your audience and make them interested in the information that you're sharing. 

Lesson Planning Review

The lesson that I chose to move forward with in my fictitious classroom is titled "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative". This lesson plan includes students viewing a photograph and brainstorming a story based off of the photo and the characters within the story. In their story, the students can chose to write from one of the characters point of view, or through a narrator; they also have the choice of creating a story including the events that led up to what is going on in the photo, or the events that will occur afterward.

During this lesson, students could use the tool Storybird. Through Storybird, students are able to create page by page stories based off of pictures, which are narrated through text. The students could choose individual scenes within the photo and tell a story based off of each section. This tool could be used by students second grade and up, requiring more in-depth narratives as grade level rises.

Another online tool that could be used to present the created story is VoiceThread. VoiceThread is similar to Storybird in the sense that you are telling a story based off of pictures. Rather than the viewer reading the story in text, the story is read aloud while the viewer is looking at the pictures. This allows the creator to incorporate what they imagine the characters voices to sound like, and to set the pace for the story.

The following NETS Standards for teachers correspond with this lesson plan:

1.c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes 

2. c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources" 

The following Common Core Standards correspond with this lesson plan:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1d Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

Digital Citizenship

http://prezi.com/p3ht52rhtkdf/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

As I was researching information on digital citizenship, I was surprised at how many factors are involved. Not only does digital citizenship involve being safe and cautious, but also included proper social etiquette. The "rules" for the online community are very similar to the societal rules in our physical life; we are expected to treat others with kindness, be cautious to those who also live in the community, and realize that our actions will follow us for years to come. I myself have always been cautious as to what I put on the internet, but more in terms of photo's or personal information. I never really considered what an impact my online discussions can have, and will definitely be more cautious on the future.

Developing and Using Web-Based Learning Activities

"Web-based activities have great potential to enhance learning, but they are often time-consuming to develop and implement, and difficult to design in ways that have substantial, positive impacts on student learning." (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, pg. 238). Although there are difficulties within developing web-based learning activities, I think that it is worth the risk. Implementing these activities within the classroom takes time and dedication, as do most good things in life.

 As I was reading this week's chapter, I was relating a lot of the examples of web-based activities to my own life. The idea of electronic publishing scared me previous to this course; I have always liked my work to be between the teacher and I. Although I was hesitant, I was open to the idea and now see the benefits. Sharing your work with others encourages you to push yourself, as there now is a larger audience to impress.

 One thing that really stood out to me within this chapter were the strategies and resources for integrating the internet into curriculum. A great thing about the internet is having the ability to interact with those in different locations, and I think that this is extremely beneficial within a classroom setting (or any setting for that matter). One of the presented resources was Journey North, which allows students to share observations across the country on wildlife migration and seasonal change. Throughout these observations, students are able to track when spring is coming. Another resource I found interesting was Digital Storytelling: An ePals Project. Through this website students have the ability to share their customs and cultural norms through storytelling. Rather than learning about other cultures from a textbook, students can learn from another student who lives with those customs everyday. The other resource that stood out to me was Global Grocery List Project, which allows students to compare prices of groceries in different locations. This allows students to compare the cost of living in other regions versus their own and opens up a gateway for exploring costs for other necessities. Including web-based activities in the classroom not only allows growth for students, but for teachers as well. All of the resources that I discussed above are things that I would explore on my own time, without having to be in a classroom setting. Although I wasn't in elementary school too long ago, we did not participate in activities that came even close to these. Rather than observing migration and working collaboratively with those across the country, we simply learned what migration was and when it happened. The ability to relate learning with the physical changes that are occurring around us encourages students to become more involved.

 Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Podcast

listen to ‘Global Education 2’ on Audioboo

http://www.globalteacher.org.uk/global_ed.htm

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/nscentre/GE/GE-Guidelines/GEgs-chap1.pdf

http://plpnetwork.com/2012/05/29/our-skype-adventures-creating-connected-learners-in-the-global-classroom/

Hypermedia Tools For 21st Century Teaching

What does the term "hypermedia" mean? Honestly, this was a concept that I had a hard time grasping and had to look to further resources to help my understanding. What I gathered from the many sources I looked to was that hypermedia is software that allows information stored in various media to be connected. For example, when watching a Youtube video, there are "suggested videos" that are given which relate to the topic of the video that is playing. When a video is uploaded to Youtube, you are asked to provide a few keywords describing what is in the video. This is so that people can search within a related topic rather than only being able to find a video by its exact name. Techopedia describes hypermedia as "Hypermedia allows links to be embedded in multimedia elements like images and videos. You can tell if something is hypermedia by hovering the mouse cursor over the image or video - if the element is hypermedia, the cursor changes, usually into a small hand.

Although the Internet is the best example of the use of hypermedia, there is a lot of software that makes use of both hypermedia and hypertext. A lot of word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software like Microsoft Office allow hypermedia and hypertext to be embedded into the documents created. For example, in Microsoft Word, users can add hyperlinks to any word and even add links to pictures. Microsoft PowerPoint has the same feature for hypermedia."
How is this useful within the classroom? Hypermedia can be used within the classroom by both student and teacher. Teachers can use hypermedia tools and programs to facilitate instruction; using software, such as educational games, to present information is a fun way to catch the student's interest. Students can also use hypermedia programs for creating projects and as a means for research in a technological manner. Research has found that students are more enthused about completing a project or paper when hypermedia is involved. Hypermedia programs also benefit students with different intelligences by providing students with the opportunity to learn using diverse tools. When there is the opportunity to learn using different methods, students are more apt to be interested in the assignment because the choice is in their hands. The creation of hypermedia products also allows students to apply higher order thinking skills in their work by challenging them to constantly make decisions and evaluate their progress.

Picture Location

A fun way for teachers to integrate hypermedia into the classroom is through game-based reviews. In middle school, my teacher would use the game Jeopardy to review for an upcoming test. He would hook the game up to a projector and the class would play it as a whole, but it would also be fun to do in groups using one computer per couple of children. Another way to incorporate hypermedia in the classroom is through interactive storybooks. The creation of these storybooks allows children to expand  on literature that they have read or create their own story. Others may read their storybook by clicking on different parts of the page to hear or view parts of the story.

Allie


Hypermedia. 2013. In Techopedia.com. Retrieved November 29th, 2013, from http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3105/hypermedia


Roberson, M. (2010, February 28). Examples of Hypermedia. Retrieved from 
http://roberson.wikispaces.com/Examples of Hypermedia

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Reflection on Articles

As I was reading over the article "Being Comfortable Being A Beginner", I couldn't help but reflect on my own outlook on being a beginner. I tend to stray away from things which challenge me to start a new learning process, mostly out of fear of failure. One major area in my life which I have a fear of starting over is in relation to jobs. I worry that I will not be able to adjust to the new circumstances, and regret my decision to make the transfer. Although in most aspects of life I tend to stick with the well-known, there are definitely some circumstances where I feel as if the jump is worth the risk, such as running. Running is something that is new in my life, and I was very nervous to take up the hobby because of a fear of defeat. Although there was a fear, there was also the thought of "this could be so rewarding". Perhaps this is how I feel about technology integration; I see the benefits that technology can give, but maybe in the back of my mind I am afraid to be a beginner.

After reading "Being Comfortable Being A Beginner", I then read the article "First Steps Toward Becoming A 21st Century Educator". I think that this was the perfect article to back up the first one because the author provided great insight about the tools that are used within 21st century teaching. She described the benefits of the technological tools and how they are helpful towards teaching, which encouraged me to think about taking the leap into fully supporting technology integration. Another thing that I supported within the article was how the author was discussing the benefits that technology gives to a teacher, but did not focus on the students. Although I think that technology has the power to benefit both teacher and student, I do think that it can be more useful within the eyes of a teacher.

Although I do have a pretty good idea on what my opinions are, not only on educational topics but in relation to all things in the world, I am still young and have room for expansion. Since I am only 20, I have not had a lot of the life experiences which form the concrete stances in one's mind. Reading articles, such as these ones, allows me to gain insight from others around the world and mold my idea's into the opinions that I will carry with me.

Allie