Digital Badge # L – Chapter 6

Teaching in today’s technological society can be very overwhelming if the teacher is not well organized and able to wisely choose appropriate educational resources.  An educational website can be a great resource for teachers who are looking for new ideas and topics.  In the section Educational Websites as Teacher Resources defines an educational website as internet-based digital content which are created and maintained by colleges, universities, organizations, museums, agencies, companies, and individuals.  According to this section, there are six types of educational websites.  The first being the lesson plan website, which are used mainly by teachers looking for ideas for their lesson plan.  The second is the student-to-expert communication website, which offers students the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts in various fields of study.  The next type is real-time and recorded data websites, which is an inquiry-based website which can offer the students a simulated adventure.  Archival and primary source websites offer students a historical investigation scenario.  Skill practice websites can be used by teachers for a collaborative group activity or for individual students to practice skill and knowledge.  And finally exploration and discovery websites offers the student an online interactive experience.  These are all great resources for teachers and students alike.  It is necessary for teachers to use a variety of techniques, resources, and practices in order to accommodate every students learning style and to have their lessons be a successful experience for all parties.

Technology and sharing are a big part of today's society.  The following links are great resources for teachers and students who need to use technology and enjoy sharing.

DoodleToo is an interactive drawing tool that can be shared.

QuestGarden is a quest creating site where students can solve quests and learn                                                   new information at the same time.  This particular quest was                                                           created by Crystal Wood on The American Symbols.

Using Educational Websites and Apps Interactively offers various positive experiences to students and teachers.  Interactivity, Exploration, and Engagement are all positive outcomes of using educational websites and apps that are interactive. Interactivity incorporates simulations, analyzing data, questions and answers, and searching for answers, which are all skill building activities.  Exploration allows the student to explore the website in random sequence and spend more time on areas of interest while skimming through areas not so interesting, but allows the student the opportunity to come away from the activity knowing more information than they had previously known.  Engagement is so important, it is when the student is drawn to an activity and is compelled to learn the information and embrace the activity, without the students engagement all other aspects of a lesson can be lost and unsuccessful.  It is always a teacher’s goal to have students completely immersed in the lesson contents and to have the student successfully comprehend and retain the lessons objectives.

Online Learning and Virtual Schools refers to the delivery of educational experiences through computers technology.  There are three types of online learning, Distance learning, Virtual Schools, and Blended Learning.  Distance learning is the completing of educational courses using an internet connection and computer.  Virtual learning is the use of educational organizations that teach students through online learning. And Blended learning also known as Hybrid learning is the combination of face-to-face interactions and online coursework and online assessment.  In today’s fast paces and technological society online learning is essential and necessary for some people who are not able to or do not have the means to attend a traditional educational environment but still wish to complete their learning goals.  According to this section there is much debate about virtual schools and distance learning, it is thought that isolation and lack of social interaction and lack of collaborative learning can be a negative aspect of this type of learning.  I believe that since we all have different learning styles, indeed online learning is not for every individual, but it should be an option for those who need and desire this type of learning experience.

References:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Badge # K – Chapter 11

Teachers are well aware that for every lesson plan developed there must be assessment in order to gauge learning.  Assessment is essential, teachers need to know what works and what parts of a lesson plan need to be tweaked and fine-tuned.   According to the section The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning, assessment involves three elements.  The first being new teacher assessment, which is how your work and performance is evaluated.  The second is student assessment, which is the evaluation of your students and the evaluation of your effectiveness as a teacher.  And the third being student self-assessment, which is the student’s involvement in the assessment process.  Teachers are evaluated constantly, whether it is self-evaluation or evaluation by supervisors, assessment is necessary in order to make crucial improvements and changes in lesson plans, decisions, delivery and strategies. Assessment is a necessary and valuable tool whenever teaching takes place.

A digital teaching portfolio is a great tool for teachers to have readily available for reference and for demonstrating an organized collection of educational material that the teacher has either developed or collected over time.  The section Digital Teaching Portfolios list common elements found in most teachers portfolios are resume, philosophy of teaching, lesson plans, academic courses, research experience, teaching experience, and resources.  Teachers are evaluated on an on-going basis and what better way to have an organized collection of works available to present to supervisors.  Continuing to add to your portfolio shows your growth, experience, ideas, and reflection over a course of time.  According to this section, a good way to organize your portfolio is to refer to the standards.  As you develop a portfolio and grow, it is necessary to reflect upon past activities in order to identify strengths and weaknesses and improve upon them.  As teachers we constantly must grow and adapt to our environment and develop new and improved ways to deliver knowledge to our students.

Students enjoy being creative and would like technologies such as ZooBurst to show their creativity.

A great way to have students show what technologies they have learned to use is to allow them to create a story book as part of their assessment.

Involving students in Learning and Assessment is a key element to successful learning and outcomes.  This section talks about the importance of teachers and students taking an active role in their learning and teaching.  It is important for students to feel as though they have an influence in their learning environment, this gives them motivation and they take pride in their learning.  Allowing students to have options and make decisions can make lessons that much more successful and have higher and better outcomes.  Teachers and students can actively make decisions and customize lesson plans to suet learning styles, academic learning, and outcomes and still meet the governing standards.

References:

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.