Digital Badge # E - Chapter 7

In chapter 7, there is a section named “Problem Solving and Inquiry Learning with Technology”, this section talks about the process and steps for problem solving and inquiry learning.  The section talk s about using and exploring real documents and data in order for the student to solve situations that have or could happen in real life.  Problem solving by these means helps the student be engaged and interested and can be used for various grade levels.  This section goes on to discuss the steps involved in this means of problem solving. The steps are: Understanding the problem, using problem-solving strategies, and checking the results.  The section goes on to discuss problem solving with computer and the usefulness of using a computer to see if they have problem solved correctly and if not the computer the student how to approach a problem and how to strategize in order to solve problems and using technology to aid and guide to student and not necessarily just give the answer without first going through the problem solving steps.

The next section called Selection and Evaluation of Software and Apps, talks about the selecting of quality and appropriate software.  This section talks about one way to identify appropriate software is to be able to recognize poor software.  The section list the way to identify poor software: the computer dictates the activity, there is competition, stereotyping and violence, and quick responses are rewarded over thinking and problem-solving.  The section goes on to state that the best software incorporate active engagement, understanding of concepts, feedback and support.  The section does not mention this means of evaluation of software, but rubric could he an additional means of evaluation and teachers should always get approval for these programs and software if found to be acceptable.

The section Types of Problem-Solving and Inquiry-learning Software, is interesting because it discusses composing and calculating software, building, inventing and creating software, visual-thinking and concept-mapping software and the tools that can all be valuable resources for the teacher and students.  This section talks about the schools expectation of efficiency and proficiency in learning the curriculum set for the student and how these programs and software can be a valuable asset to students especially with today expectations placed on students and the expectation for each student to have an understanding and grasp on technology.  Also different software types are and can be more appropriate and useful to students of different learning styles and can also aid the teacher in reaching students who have special learning styles.

This chapter is interesting and informative and shows examples of the vast amount of resources students and teachers have access to when technology, programs and or software are incorporated into the lesson and curriculum.  Truly it is a benefit for students to be knowledgeable of the technologies trending and to keep up with these technologies because as adults they will be expected to use and excel at these technologies.  And for those of us who are not as efficient as we would like to be with technology we need to make a point to learn more because technology it is only becoming more and more part of our “Real-World” life, so embrace it or be left behind.

Resources:

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 # D - Chapter 5

Digital badge # D – Chapter 5

                 Chapter 5 talks about Teaching Information Literacy and Digital Citizenship.   Information Literacy is the knowing how to access information from the internet.  Digital Literacy is defined as using this information as part of a set of values and behaviors.  In the section Information Literacy as a Learning Goal, the section talks about the need students and teachers have for information.  This information then helps teachers develop a curriculum and also keep up to date on their own knowledge, while aiding the student in writing essays, doing research, prepare for test and exams, and staying up to date with the on new information relevant to them and their schooling.  The section goes on to mention that at one time it was necessary for a person to visit a building, use a textbook, go to a library or take a class in order to access even a small portion of the information that is now at our fingertips with the aid of the internet.  The need for this additional information has certainly made us the internet dependent society that we have become, with all progress come the need for proper tools to aid in this progress, in this instance the internet and Tech tools have enabled our society to assess and contribute information in a more convent way.

                This chapter has a section titled Tech Tools 5.1, which talks about resources such as picture and sound, which enable the teacher to enhance their lesson and aid the student to stay engaged.  This section talks about the various tools available online to teacher, students and the public.  These tools such as Flickr, LibriVox, and Creative Commons can be used to enhance lesson plans and also can aid student in presenting projects and doing presentations.  We all learn differently and some people learn by see and or hearing the information, these tools can help a presenter, teacher, or student relay their message and address all the learning style of their audience.

                Further exploration of chapter 5 talks about Search Engines and How They Work, this section looks at search engines, software programs, databases and the internet and the way their use is now the most popular way to access information.  The section talks about how keyword are used to access information from databases, which allow teachers, students and the public to quickly and efficiently find the information they seek.    The ability to access information quickly and easily allows teachers and students to focus on academic, learning and teaching instead of searching aimlessly and inefficiently.  Instant gratification has become the norm in today’s society, which make search engines so popular and convenient

                This chapter has brought to light many new terms and ideas relevant to Information Literacy and Digital Citizenship.  It has help me to understand the advantages that today’s society has with the use of technology, but has also helped me to understand that it is necessary and helpful for students, teachers and society alike to be knowledgeable of how to use these technologies. This week at school we are learning about "Things with Wings" in our class, I found this video and thought it would be great for the children to see a humming bird up close since they are so small and fast.  Technology is necessary and will continue to evolve and change our society for the better.

Photo credit given to PhotoFlunky on Flickr

Video of a Humming Bird
Video Credit to Mark Smith on Flickr

Resources:

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 # C – Chapter 2

Technology Integration into the Classroom: The Modern Classroom.

Photo credited to Flickingerbrad on Flickr

                 Chapter 2 talks about the issues and trends involved with technology integration into the classroom today.  In the section titled A Career That Matters talks about teachers and the impact they have our society.  Teachers convey information and teach students who have individual learning needs.  This section also talks about the ways technology has enhanced instruction and learning.  The section talks about the tendency of teachers to teach as they were taught but also emphasizes the role of the teacher to always expand their teaching methods and learning.

                This chapter has a section titled Computer Technologies and Web 2.0 Tools, which explains that today’s technologies are referred to as Web 2.0 tools because of its evolved and interactive capabilities.  The development of these tools has opened a path to new terminology such as Web 2.0 knowledge which is the idea that ideas are derived and gathered which differs greatly from theoretical knowledge which is created by exports, elites, and scholars.  Which goes to show that technology has even shaped the language and terminologies of today’s society.

                Further exploration of chapter 2 talks about Technology Choices and Student Engagement, this section looks at the motivation of students and which tools help to engage these students.  This section talks about the percentages of students and the interest of that students to be engaged during a lecture.  The tendency of today’s student not to connect with teachers who use textbooks and repetition as a means of teaching, has made it necessary for all teachers to take notice of a student learning style and even that students interests in schools and in a sense his outside of school interests in order to deliver a lesson in a meaningful way for the student. 

                This chapter has brought to light many new terms and ideas relevant to technology integration into the classroom.  It has help me to understand the issues that today’s society have with technology, but has also helped me to understand that it is necessary and helpful for students, teachers and society alike.  Technology is necessary and will continue to evolve and change our society continuously.

Resources:

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 #B – chapter 2

            Chapter 2 talks about the issues and trends involved with technology integration into the classroom today.  One section titled Critics of Technology in Schools talks about the adverse thoughts some adults have towards electronic devices, this survey states that adults believed that students should spend more time reading books.  This same section also stated that the same survey was given to students and the findings were that according to students, they would be more likely to read more if the format was in e-books.  Which just goes to show you that there is still some debate and conflict on the subject of technology integration into the classroom and the use of technology in general.  According to this section some adults believe that computers negatively affect intellectual development, commercial marketing pressures children unnecessarily, and the overexposure of right-and –wrong answers in computer games can limit creativity development in young children, which are all alarming reasons to be concerned about the use of technology.  This section goes on to talk about the importance of the teacher to keep the negative aspects and the positive benefits in mind when integrating technology into their lesson plans. 

Photo credited to Holtsman on Flicker

This chapter also talks about teaching philosophies.  The section titled Your Teaching Philosophy goes into some types of teaching philosophies such as Teacher-centered which is the idea that the teacher is knowledgeable and therefore conveys information to the student, practitioners of this style of teaching base there outcomes mainly on test scores.  There is also a teaching philosophy called Student-centered, this philosophy is based on exploration, experiences, questions, conversations and engaging the student interests.  Which goes to show that the teaching approach of a teacher can range from one end of the spectrum all the way to the other end of the spectrum and anywhere in-between.  It is stated in this section that the ideal teaching style would consist of taking a teaching approach that involves both Teacher-centered and Student-centered philosophies.

The goes on to talk about digital natives and digital immigrants and the difference in the views of technology between persons who grew up with constant access to computers and the older generation who grew up without computers but later adapted to the use of computer once computer use became the norm.  This section titled Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants goes on to discuss the Students perspective of working with technologies and states that digital natives are less likely to learn from traditional methods of instruction.  Which takes us to the next technique called Teacher action, which is the teacher actions in creating a lesson plan that accommodates the technological experience of all students.  This section emphasizes the need for teachers to constantly evolve and adapt new techniques in developing a lesson plan that involves the integration of technology into their classrooms.

This chapter was very informative and gave me insight and perspective of the various issues that can hinder or even detour veteran teachers from integrating technology into their lessons and teaching philosophies.  I also take away from this chapter that the 21^st century learner expects their teachers to be current on technology trends and integrate these trends into the lesson.  Teachers who integrate technology into their instruction give students with various learning styles the opportunity to understand and explore subjects that otherwise would be unobtainable or just uninteresting to them.

Resources:

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.

Photo Credit to szeke on Flickr

Didgital Badge #A - Chapter 1

Digital Badge #A – chapter 1

 

Today’s society is technology driven and therefore influences today’s teacher to be up

 to date on current technologies in order to capture and hold the attention of their students.  In

chapter one of the text book it become apparent all the various way that technology is driving

today’s classrooms.  Technology driven students require teacher to not only teach the basic of

 learning but to create a meaningful and attention grabbing lesson that captures their attention

and motivates them to further explore the topic.  The section on Teaching 21^st Century Learners

with 21^st Century Technologies talks about the various technologies that 21^st century teachers

can incorporate into their classrooms in order to inspire the student and help them to grasp the

 materials presented.  This section talks about “the use of computer, the internet, and social

media as a way of motivating students to learn critical thinking, problem solving, and other 21^st

century skills and at the same time using technology creatively and effectively” (p.9).  After

reading this section it become apparent the different ways students and teachers are

incorporating technology into everyday classroom settings and the gains it is having on the

students.  Technology is changing at such a fast pace that teachers will continuously need to

learn new ways to teach their students while incorporating technology into the classroom. 

The section on Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) talks about three

different forms of knowledge, the first being Content knowledge.  Content Knowledge is the

 academic subject matter that teacher are to teach to their students.  The second being

Pedagogical knowledge which is the information that teacher know about teaching methods

and development of curriculum.  The third being Technological Knowledge which is the knowing

of how to use a variety of technologies.  Successfully combining these three knowledge’s is

referred to as (TPACK) and is a technic used to produce exciting learning experiences for today’s

students.  In reflection of these three knowledge’s it is easy to see how the combination of

them can help teachers to produce a more meaningful lesson that all learners will benefit from. 

In the section “21^st Century Literacies and Skills” it is surprising to read that for every

industrial worker or laborer there are three workers providing services to that worker, being so

it is understandable that teachers are teaching technologies to students and that these

students need to be prepared for this technology driven society.  The teacher along with the

student need to embrace technology as the new norm in today’s society and develop a

curriculum that includes a variety of these technologies and teach students the importance of

these technologies.

In conclusion, after reading chapter 1 of the textbook I realize the importance of

incorporating technologies into a classroom setting and the benefits it can bring to the student

 as well as to the teacher and even the impact that technology has on our society.  Indeed it is

important for 21^st century teachers to embrace new technologies and to help students to build

upon their knowledge with the help of these technologies.  Technology is ever growing and

therefore we must grow and progress with it.

 

Resources:

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.