Chapter 9: Expressing Creativity with Multimedia

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I think it is safe to say that multimedia is one of the most effective ways to reach all students no matter what their learning preference is. Visual learners can access what they need, there are audio books for audio learners, hands on learners can benefit from the projects through either powerpoint, videos, or other applications that meet their needs.

MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN SCHOOLS TODAY

When teachers utilize multimedia within the classroom, they are using the multimodal technique. This mixes talking with visual, technological, and audio reinforcement. Without using other media options, the teacher is using a single-mode learning technique. This is not effective or exciting to the students. According to a study mentioned in the book, students who learn in a multimodal classroom 'outperform' those who are in a single-mode environment. Traditional learning environments used single-mode learning, however in a more modern learning environment, the book gives the example an English teacher having her students listen to an audio of poets reciting their work, and then recording the students as they recite their work as well. 

POWERPOINT AND NEXT-GENERATION PRESENTATION TOOLS

Powerpoints, while as a student make me cringe, are something I will absolutely utilize as a a teacher. They are valuable for a number of reasons, time management, preparedness, planning, and confidence building. By utilizing these presentation tools, the students are fully immersed in their learning. I am also a firm believe that we learn better when we are teaching. It is also an excellent way to engage the entire class, it is always motivating to do something different, instead of listening to a teacher lecture day in and day out, sometimes the students react more energetically to a small, temporary change in the mundane. 

VIDEO IN THE CLASSROOM

This is something that I witnessed firsthand being used in the classroom during my observations for another class, it is also something that I will absolutely use in my classroom. At the beginning of each class the teacher used a video he called the "Bell Ringer", this was a type of informal introduction to the days lesson. This to me is genius, it acts as a 'trigger' for the student to think back on when they think about the subject, this will help them to recall these triggers during exams, hopefully helping them remember it easier. Youtube is another surprisingly effectively video. It helps to break down complex ideas in a more simple manner. 

Technology is the future of education, while I hope it never completely replaces the teacher, it is exciting to see what we are capable of doing inside the classroom in the next ten years. 

Digital Blog Post #G: Chapter 10

Promoting Success for All Students Through Technology

In this chapter we learn how to successfully utilize technology within the classroom. It helps us as educators balance the needs of the students and reach more students.

Technology for Teaching Diverse Students:

Using technology in the classroom can be 'affirming' for diverse students, it can bring together those who come from different cultures, different upbringings, and different lifestyles. I believe as an educator we owe it to our students to expand their knowledge beyond the textbook. If a student is say, from another country and just moved here, we could use videos in the classroom to shed light on their  past. This could help the new student teach the other students about something they would of otherwise known nothing about. As americans, we are fortunate to be a melting pot of culture. Instead of expecting them to fit a certain mold, we can break stereotypes by coming together through the internet.

Using Technology with Linguistically Diverse Learners

Just as we can bring together students from different backgrounds, we can also implement reach students who are not english speakers at home. There are several uses for translators, however with the widening usage of technology in the classroom it can be implemented with students who may not be able to afford professional translators, or fancy tutors. Google translate is just one example of how students can use a free service through their phone, tablet, or computer to help get a better sense of the written word. One thing that comes to mind is the ongoing conflict in Syria, this will cause an influx of Syrian refugees into our country, whether it be controversial in the media, as teachers it is our duty to help these students find a home away from their home. Where they may not have access to several handouts, we can easily translate the handouts and the powerpoints for them giving them the ability to learn in an American classroom.

Assistive Technology to Reach Diverse Learners

Not every student fits the traditional academic mold. Assistive technology can help alleviate the gap that many learning diverse students have. Whether it be a disability such as hearing impaired, or blind, or someone with a learning disability such as ADHD or Autism, Assistive Technology can help expand their learning environment by reaching the student who is often overlooked. With certain apps we can help translate our conversations into written word for the hearing impaired. Or the use of braille can help benefit the entire class, or maybe taking the time to learn some small phrases in ASL.

The technology that we are developing today can help the future student and educator in ways beyond belief. By being open to learning and educating ourselves, we will help bridge the gap to the many diverse students we will encounter in our days as an educator.

   Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Blog Post B: Chapter 5

Chapter five to me seems the most basic. It is especially helpful for those just now becoming excited for the technology involved classroom. With so much information at our fingertips, it would be naive to think that some students will use that information to cheat, or for negative outcomes. With that said, some students will use if for the greater good. However, they must know where to look and how to be taught to safely use the internet.

Information literacy as a learning goal:

As a goal means that essentially, while we all want the most current information, some schools especially in less than desirable areas may not have the funds to appropriate these goals. While they may still have access to the internet, it may be very slow. I can remember my teachers telling me by the time the book was printed, the information was out-of-date. Students no longer have that concern. With the direction of E-books, they are constantly being updated in a way that students will be able to keep up with the most current information. It is also much more cost- effective. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars per student on a book, a kindle can cost less than one-hundred dollars per student.

Evaluating Online Information: 

One foreseeable issue I can think of with technology in the classroom will be internet trash. The wikipedias of the world. Now, of course I have used wikipedia for quick information, however it will be necessary to teach the students the difference between peer reviewed and wiki or other similar sources. One thing I will be strict on is work cited, not for the purpose of catching plagiarism, but to learn credible sources. This is something that they will be able to take outside of the classroom, both in college as well as personal lives. I have thought many times to myself when I hear something that sounds off, "check your source". According to Nicholas C. Burbules and Thomas A. Callister, Jr. Internet information particularly 'trouble' information can be organized into four terms;

Misinformation- false, or outdated
Malinformation- photos or information that can be harmful or inappropriate to certain ages
Messed-up information- lists, or wordy pages that are poorly organized
Mostly useless information- "trivial or mundane information"

There are several ways to eliminate this type of information from the classroom, the current choices are censorship, filtering software, partitions, and labels.

Using Technology together as Digital Citizens:

The tech world is fascinating for several reasons, the one that is most exciting to me is that we all live without borders in the tech world. I can visit my friends who live in Europe with the click of a phone, rather than an expensive ticket and a passport. We can live virtually without limits. With this can come great risk as well as great reward. David Schimmel suggests that rather than the adults making the rules, we allow the students to collaborate with the set of standards expected in the classroom. That is something that I would love to honor in my classroom. Schimmel suggests that this not only allows children to learn their limitations, but also their rights. I saw this being instituted in the classroom that I did my observations. Rather than fighting with the students over cell phones, a fight he knew he would not win, the Teacher allowed them to have one earbud in for music so long as they took it out while he was teaching. During independent study, they were free to listen to their devices and talk quietly among friends. This seemed like an incredible way to effectively manage the classroom, while also letting the students feel like they're 'getting away with something'.

MIND MAP HERE!!

   Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Blog Post B: Chapter 2

A CAREER THAT MATTERS:

In the very first section the textbook talks about the basics of how teaching is A Career That Matters, that is something that as an educator I will have to remind myself daily. At the most basic level, teaching is one of the most important professions. It builds the foundation for future presidents, doctors, lawyers, astronauts, teachers, nurses, every one in the functioning adult world, will have been taught. When thinking about it like that it is easy for one to be reminded how important their days work is. We have to leave our problems at the door and give 100% to our students each day. It was predicted that young teachers will teach they way they know how to be taught. This means setting up classrooms in orderly rows, teaching to an entire group, however I remember in high school I always learned the most from the classes that the desks we're designed in one large square, that forces a more intimate learning setting. I think it is most important as an educator to inspire my students so that they will want to learn outside of my classroom too.


YOUR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY READINESS:

This section reports teachers response to utilizing technology. Many teachers are skeptical mostly because they are unsure of their confidence with using technology in the classroom. We have all been in the room where it took the teacher longer to setup the equipment than to actually teach the lesson, and I have been in even more classrooms where they just end up giving up. It is imperative that the teacher understand how to work the computer or other related accessories, that is why training should be mandatory. Technology readiness is the way our world is going, with more innovations in the classroom everyday, we as educators have to be ahead of the curve rather than lagging behind somewhere. Staying relative will help the students to stay engaged. By definition, I am not sure I will be an innovator, however I hope to at least be informed and ready to utilize whatever my school has to offer in the classroom. To find out your Web IQ I will include a link to a quiz by the Pew Internet and American Life Project website Here.


TECHNOLOGY CHOICES AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:

This section mostly reports on motivation in the classroom. Whether it be the motivation of the teacher or the student. I remember my parents saying repeatedly while I was growing up "She's so smart, she's just bored". This can not be an excuse for future generations of students. I tell my daughter there is absolutely no reason to be bored, in the grand scheme of things, you know almost nothing. This is the somewhat sarcastic attitude I will take into my classroom. There is absolutely no reason for students to be bored in a educational setting. As an adult, I would not come back to somewhere that I was incredibly bored, there is no reason that students should have to sit for 3/4 of a year in a boring classroom. I, of course understand that you can not make everyone happy however I will do my best to try. In a study done by Yazzie-Mintz in 2009, Students who participated in the classroom either in group projects or lessons that utilized technology, they found themselves much more engaged that traditional lectures. I had a teacher who would do our test reviews on a quiz that we had to answer from our smartphones, we always had so much fun and were able to learn quite a bit as well, It kept us in competition but mostly engaged.







References:

Brenner, J. (2014). Web IQ Quiz. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/web-iq-quiz

   Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Blog Post #A Chapter 1

There are several concepts in this chapter that are so fascinating when it comes to teaching the new generation of students. For so long I tried to stay well behind the technology curve, it was not until I had my daughter who is now three that I realized how much technology is engrained into this new generation. They are born surrounded by technology, watching and absorbing while we use our phones, computers, tablets, apple tv's everything around us is surrounded by the tech world. Which leads me to concept one:

THE iGENERATION: Hand in hand with this igeneration is the social media epidemic. Children these days are filled with the entire world at their fingertips, yet many spend much of that time simply on social media. My thoughts is a way to utilize these different sites into ways to make the classroom more cohesive. Much like this blog we have to do, It would be neat to see the outcome of a younger generation of students also using blogs to journal, create, and share with classmates. Behind a computer screen may allow some of the more shy students to truly flourish without the embarrassment of standing in front of students.

Another concept that I found interesting was the section on technology-based learning environment. I recently read an excerpt that was widely shared on social media discussing with parents how rather than sending homework home, they should spend time learning outside. Contrary to that thought, this section discusses how teachers can reach their students even while they are at home and beyond traditional school hours. This could definitely work to the students benefit though, if they had questions where you would once have to wait until the next morning, students could have virtual conversations assuming they are both online.

The last concept that I felt should be touched on was the learning goals for teachers and students. The text mentions often the ideas of highly interactive and inquiry-based. The first idea that comes to mind is allowing the students an opportunity to be apart of the lesson plan. How much more would we all have listened as students if we got to help make the plan? In a technology based classroom, students could do just this. There opportunities could help shape young inquiring minds.

Where I was once skeptical about technology in a classroom, I am beginning to get very excited at the opportunities I could have utilizing technology as well as traditional learning styles to reach my future students!