Module 4 Blog

Promethean Planet Flipchart: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

   This flipchart reminds me of the Jeopardy version my high school English teacher used for us to review The Lord of the Flies. We had separated into four groups while she would click the appropriate buttons on the PowerPoint. This flipchart is far more advanced--it includes sound effects and interactive buttons that mirror those used on the actual television show. A fun way to get students to study before the night before the test could involve a 'Review Day' in which this flipchart is used, and the class period receives extra credit IF they make it all the way through all of the questions. This could indirectly increase test scores simply by encouraging the students to study more and earlier.

     The ideal hardware or "equipment" to pair with the free Promethean software or "programs" would be a SMART Board or interactive whiteboard (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 11, 147). These electronic whiteboards "can be manipulated with special pens or one's hands (p. 147). Ideally, the class could pick one student to be their class player, with them standing by as the Audience help or Phone A Friend option. This class player would then click the appropriate answers on the SMART Board themselves. The text lists in its Top Ten Integration Strategies for Interactive Whiteboards "teacher-led whole-class activities"--this activity could count as such (p. 149). 


     The text also lists a "Technology Use Based on Problem Solving" section with three key problems:

1. Motivating and engaging students
2. Supporting learning needs
3. Preparing students for future learning 

(Listed in textbook, Roblyer and  Doering, 2012, p. 25)

For the first problem, this flipchart is highly visual, gains student attention, engages participation, and supports cooperation between students (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 25). Secondly, the activity lets "students study systems in unique ways" (p. 25). And lastly, this activity has the potential to support technological, information, and visual literacy (p. 25). 

     In terms of essential conditions for technology integration, this activity can "match technology to curriculum needs" by meeting the technology-use rationale as well as allowing teachers to teach "better" with technology (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 65). Additionally, since Promethean software is free, the essential condition regarding funding is easier to reach (p. 67). The biggest problem might entail technological assistance--I have never used a SMART Board myself, so I will need to be taught, perhaps as a part of professional development (p. 68). 

     The Interactive Whiteboard Activity Software represents a software support tool that enables a myriad of activities in the classroom--for example, the text lists:

1. Teacher-led classroom presentations and demos
2. Student classroom demos
3. Teacher-led whole-class activities
4. Teacher lab demos
5. Students' classroom practice
6. Clicker-based interactions: regular assessment
7. Clicker-based interactions: polling
8. Small group-based: Practice on SMART table
9. Small group-based: Product creation on a SMART table

(Listed in textbook, Roblyer and Doering, 2012, p. 149)

As a social studies teacher, I am more inclined to use #1-3 and #5-9, since math and science do not play a huge role in my intended subjects. But the concept of the flipchart as well as the SMART Board provides a number of interactive activities I can integrate in the classroom. 

Text Reference

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Module 5 Blog

Advantages of Integrating Technology

     With regards to social studies, I have had some difficulty finding apps or programs that relate specifically to history. Free geography programs abound (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 336), but the apps I find mostly create timelines--which, while helpful, can only be used so much. That said, my Wiki experience has opened some pathways to integrating technology in the classroom in the form of interactive assignments and widgets.

     This web article lists some very interesting workshop activities for students learning social sciences. I am particularly interested in screen casting for flipped classrooms. Another activity that coincides with the textbook includes digital storytelling--Roblyer and Doering (2012) lists digital storytelling as  helping in teaching students to compare and contrast, reinforcing abstract concepts, and in fostering analysis and critical thinking skills (p. 340).

     In terms of advantages, I believe that technology aids pedagogy in the following ways:

• Organization (apps such as EverNote, WorkFlowy, and Google Docs are excellent for collaboration and note-taking)
• Abstract concepts--timelines are especially helpful in terms of historical significance and flow
• Collaboration--as listed above, students have access to technology that allows them to work on projects while physically separate. This video explains how wikis can be used practically for collaboration:

• Research (I have long been a fan of JSTOR for credible primary and secondary sources)

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology

       Disadvantages in classroom use of technology are more broad than subject-specific. The long list of technology issues span from the social to the cultural and ethical. In terms of social issues, the biggest in my mind involves sexting ("sending explicit photos or text messages on cell phones or through the Internet" (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 16)) and cyberbullying ("online harassment in social networks" (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 16)). One does not need to look very hard to find cases of suicide related to cyberbullying and legal ramifications of sexting/distribution of embarrassing sexual photos.
   
     Financially, funding for one-to-one computing and technology upkeep can pose a problem to most schools (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 17). Thankfully, many apps such as EverNote has free versions or trials. Wikispaces provide free websites for teachers (specifically for education purposes). However, many "high-quality resources," apps, and programs cost a pretty penny--requiring teachers to debate the usefulness of that resource for their classroom (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 336). This site lists one example of a disadvantage that I have often come across--compatibility issues. Some computers use older versions of word processors or presentation software that inhibits their intended use. Hell hath no fury like me downloading word documents from Canvas on my work computer. Simply put, it is a futile exercise.

The following is a short (and a bit dated) video outlining the disadvantages of technology in the classroom:

It includes teachers not being prepared to use the technology, the dangers of the Internet in terms of inappropriate material, and ineffective software.

Specific Activities, Programs, Etc.

Virtual Field Trips (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 339)

• Inexpensive 
• "Unlimited number of students" 
• Ability to travel beyond immediate community
• "Opportunity to construct knowledge actively through interacting with historic places, experts, and artifacts"

Digital Storytelling (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 340)

• Aids in "comparing and contrasting the past and the present"
• "Provides visual cues that reinforce geographical concepts"
• Helps explain abstract concepts
• "Fosters skills in analysis and critical thinking"
• "Personalizes" students with social studies

Electronic Research (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 341)

• Easily accessible
• Up-to-date information 
• Ability to "analyze information in both graphic and text forms"
• Need to teach students how to research credible sources

Note Taking 

(Not listed in text specifically, but critical to me)

• EverNote
• WorkFlowy
• Google Docs
• Cornell Notes
• Notability
• Sonocent
• Microsoft OneNote

Text Reference

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Module 3 Blog

Web-Based Resources

Search Engine

The Google Search Engine provides features that include not only searching for subjects or key words, but also 'Knowledge Graphs' and Voice Search. Google has expanded beyond search strategies to include blogs, cloud storage, and email. Subject index searches are helpful in the classroom in terms of providing lists related to that subject (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 219). If I assigned a project on any significant historical subject in the 19th century, the students could narrow down their subject choice by Googling 19th century art/history/science accomplishments or events. 

Keyword searches target URLs directly (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 219). If I google 'history,' history.com shows up as the first result on the 'hits' (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 219). Using Advanced Search to narrow down the search to the topic about which you want to know is a helpful trick listed in the textbook as well (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 219). This could aid students in weeding out information not pertinent to their search. 

How Google Search Works--this website also provides Tips and Tricks to searching for information online

Google Search

Web Site Evaluation Video

Graphics aside, the following video makes valid points on how to evaluate Internet information as described in the textbook (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 254-255), with an acronym I believe most high schoolers would remember.

And even though this video looks like it was created by Seth MacFarlane, it also gives specific pointers on citing reliable sources from the Internet. Also, it amuses me and has another acronym for students. 

   Teaching students how to maneuver the Internet for school assignments (especially research papers) is critical for their future success in college. Practically every class has at least one paper assigned, and there are many different citation formats. Regardless of subject or formatting, however, reliable and credible sources are a MUST-HAVE. These videos provide a resource for teachers trying to explain the nuances of finding credible sources in an amusing way. 

Favorite Website #1

My favorite website for educational and organizational use is WorkFlowy. Voted one of the "Best Websites for Teaching and Learning" for 2013, WorkFlowy combines organization and technology to allow teachers and students to keep up with goals and assignments (American Library Association, 2013). The website is incredible in that it opens with an interactive How-To tutorial that allows the user to become familiar with how the technology works. Then, once the user signs up with email (the service is free), a help video opens with multiple topics ranging from Collaboration, Note-Taking, and Printing the to-do list. I personally use EverNote for note-taking, and I highly recommend it. 

The Collaboration feature could be particularly helpful with group projects in assigning parts to different people. WorkFlowy is incredibly easy to navigate and the structure and organization is perfect for an outline app--it even has a built-in search engine for your document in order to find work easily (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 255).

Favorite Wiki Website (#2)

After much searching, I found an awesome Wiki for AP US History! WikiNotes covers three subjects: American History, European History, and Psychology. I was surprised to find that the notes corresponded with my APUSH textbook in high school, so that was a blast from the past. I even emailed it to my old APUSH teacher for him to pass on to his students (Shoutout to Lord Baker). 

Basically, this wiki corresponds with the main text used by APUSH teachers (American Pageant). I chose the 13th edition because I am familiar with it, but it has resources for editions 11-15. And it also provides an AP Test Score Calculator! As you can probably tell, I am very excited about this find. I can honestly say I intend to use this for my classroom for this subject (I wish I had it when I was a student). I would love to create a wiki that allows students to put up their own notes or personal study guides to share with the class--as a student, I often make study guides to share with my peers and a wiki would make sharing much easier. The organization of this wiki is easy to navigate and straight-forward (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 255). I am not a fan of the ads, but that is a minor complaint in comparison to the resources the site provides.    

References

American Library Association. (2013). Best websites for teaching and learning. American Library Association. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall

Module 2 Blog

Commercial Hypermedia Product

            Interactive or electronic storybooks aid students in improving their reading skills at their own pace (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 175). In my personal experience, electronic reading has been restricted to e-books on tablets or my Nook—however, I do recall reading paperback Goosebumps books that allowed the reader to choose how the story progressed based on the page numbers they chose to follow. I personally found those types of books to be stressful (I hated making the wrong decision in the book—in one story, I was killed by a mummy) but I can see how the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books could appeal to children. In fact, Roblyer and Doering (2012) cite studies that “reported positive impact of interactive storybooks on children’s enjoyment of reading and development of reading skills” (p. 175). My most recent experience with an e-book involved my MAT study book on my Nook—it was ‘interactive’ in the sense that all of the chapters were hyperlinked for easy access. One benefit to electronic storybooks (and by extension, electronic textbooks) involves the audio function. I often find myself mispronouncing words that I have read but never heard. Electronic storybooks can read out words with which students might be unfamiliar (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 175). The subject matter of the storybooks can be useful for certain lessons—in the link I found for a hypermedia product, some of the books deal with actual lesson topics, such as Jane Austen or Shakespeare’s work.

     Here is a link to a site with some examples of electronic storybooks and their uses. This list consists of twelve books for the 13+ age group. Some deal with peer issues and bullying, others deal with school subject matter.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/82180.Best_Interactive_Story_Books_for_Teens

Chosen Multimedia Authoring Tool

            The multimedia audio and video production tools allow for a myriad of classroom uses. The textbook lists podcasts, vodcasts, and “student-produced media” as a means to expand classroom tools (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 189). I have experienced the Audacity audio editor and recorder, an open source audio system that allows you to record, convert, and mix audio. My Spanish teacher used it for oral exams—we would record our responses to prompts, and she would grade them at her leisure. While I did not do well on that test, I can still see the value of the multimedia tool Audacity. For example, I could use Audacity by assigning an interview-style history project in which the students create a podcast of them interviewing a historical figure of their choice. A podcast involves "digitized audio files saved in a format that can be shared over the Internet" (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 189). They could either splice their interview questions with sound bytes of the actual figure to make it sound like an interview, or they could voice-act both as the interviewer and the historical figure. It would be a fun way to bring history to life.

            Here is a link to information about Audacity and its uses: http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

Embed

Here is a long video on how to use Audacity

And here is a short video tutorial for students:

References

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Module One Blog

Word Processing Software

Uses: According to Roblyer and Doering (2012), word processing “creates documents consisting of pages with text and graphics” (p.114). Teachers use this because it “saves time…enhances document appearance…allows sharing of documents…[and] allows collaboration on documents” (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 118-119). I would use Microsoft Word for assignment handouts, with detailed instructions for assignments, including a rubric. Additionally, I can create student checklists. With this tool, I can give students everything they need to complete an assignment to my standards and minimize their confusion over requirements.  

Issues: Use of word processing may decrease the importance of handwriting, raising the issue of typing possibly overshadowing lessons on handwriting (p. 120). Additionally, word processing opens up questions regarding the appropriate age to implement technology as well as its impact on grading (p. 120). Lastly, features in the software meant to aid in writing may hinder it—auto-correct can result in potentially embarrassing typos if the writer does not proofread well (p. 120).

Spreadsheet Software

Uses: According to Roblyer and Doering (2012), spreadsheet software “puts numerical information in row-column format…allows quick calculations and recalculations” (p.114). Teachers use this to “save time…organize displays of information…support asking ‘what-if’ questions…[and] increase motivation to work with mathematics” (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p.122-125).

As a student, I calculate grades to assess how to achieve my ideal grade. Excel spreadsheets quickly calculate speculated grades with the proper functions. I could utilize this for my grade book or provide templates for students who wish to be diligent with their grade projection.  

Issues: The issues listed in the textbook involve overcoming student resistance to mathematics in general and the difficulties inherent in getting students comfortable with processing numbers (p.125).

Presentation Software

Uses: According to Roblyer and Doering (2012), presentation software “displays text and graphics (with or without audio) in a slide show” (p.114). Teachers use this to “organize thinking about a topic…enhance the impact of spoken information…[and to] allow collaboration on presentations” (p.128). This software can be a type of ‘skeleton’ for my lessons, making keeping track of what I teach each period easier if I note which slide I end on each class.

Issues: Issues with presentation software include the tendency to restrict teaching methods to a template rather than allowing each teacher to develop their own style (p. 130). PowerPoint ought to function as an aid, but at times teachers misuse it as a crutch for presenting information (p. 130).

Classroom Use

PowerPoint would aid in presenting themes as well as the main points for students to digest. I intend to teach history, and I could present factors that led to the Holocaust with a focus on Auschwitz in particular, incorporating historical images and videos to increase student interest. The bullet-point function presents the main points off of which the students can scaffold their notes. Students can also receive handouts to help them catch up or follow along more effectively. The focus of the lesson, however, would remain on the lecture, not on the slides. Thus students would still need to take detailed notes but benefit from the visual aids.

Here is a Youtube Video showing how to make an interaction Powerpoint presentation for a flipped classroom

References

Pro Dev Inst. (2015, January 5). PDI Teacher Tip - Interactive powerPoint presentation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lj2dioV3oQ.

Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.