Video Reflection

This video showed a new computer that is being created by Microsoft with incredible capabilities. It is like a table that you can touch and move the different items around on called multipoint. Also, there is this tool where you can set your digital camera on the computer and it can download the pictures without having to hook it up. You can also set your cell phone on the computer and drag pictures from the computer into the phone. They want it in big corporations and casinos, and then eventually homes. This just proves that technology is advancing and coming up with amazing things. Hopefully one day there will be a computer like this is classrooms that will help in the learning of students.

My Beliefs

I believe there is a place for technology in the classroom. After doing this assignment and being in this class, I have learned a lot of information that has proven to me of the importance technology has. So many students already have a wide knowledge of technology and use it on a daily basis. This is something the students use and are very comfortable with. As a teacher, one of my goals is to be able to use this to my advantage. If the students already have a knowledge of technology, using it to teach and research can help them enjoy lessons more. There are so many valuable resources on the Internet that should be used. As a teacher, knowing that technology is only advancing more and more, and the knowledge and use of it will be used in many careers, I should help in the teaching and learing of this information. Many jobs that are in high demand today, are technology jobs. If students and teachers both realize this, then the outcome of learning in the classroom can be very positive.

Another goal I have will be to use the internet very often to find the core curriculum, lesson plans, and other helpful resources. I will be a history teacher and the Internet offers a lot of great primary sources that would be helpful in teaching. Also, when students need to do research papers, the Internet can be a great resource for them to use. I can teach them this and they can find so much useful information online that can help them. I know there are not computers in all of high school classes, but hopefully one day there will be at least a few in classes across the country, allowing students to take full advantage of the things they offer.

Lessons Learned

The videos, readings, and websites, offered information on many different types of technology and the effect on students and teachers. One of the articles brought up the point that there is a disconnect between students writing for school and writing for fun. Also, some students do not count e-mails, text messages, and other electronic writing as actual writing. There are also students who do not notice the use of computer effecting their writing, but those that oppose say they like using computers and are more apt to edit their work when using one. It is something I thought about and can not imagine not using a computer for writing. I believe that in my class, most students will use a computer to write. I also think that though many students do not count electronic writing as actual writing, it can help in their writing by getting practice, but on the opposite side, it can hurt it as well because of the slang that is used. In the video, Millennial Generation, Microsoft interviews students about what they want. They want media mobility. The youth today are often seen with their cell phones constantly or with their iPods. They also are playing video games or watching T.V. They want all of this in one. Students understand technology and want it to be everywhere they are. Therefore, if media was in the classroom, maybe students would not feel the need to always be texting on their phones.

This brings me into the next reading about electronic shorthand. I found it interesting that the author said the basic slang, like LOL, is already old or out of style, which parallels great with actual technology. It is always changing and new and improves styles are being created. In the video, Shift Happens, it said that the top 10 jobs in demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004, and that many students are being trained for jobs today that do not yet exist. That is something that is hard for me to grasp. But I do understand the significance of it. The importance of technology and the relevance is huge and will only increase with time. The Net standards and the UNI surveys has allowed me to see where I stand in the technology realm and what I need improvement on. This has been a helpful resource in telling me what I need to work on in order to translate the information to my students. It is very important information and perhaps if I teach it to them, they will do better on the Net standards and UNI survey than I did.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The UNI survey was a great way to point out the areas in technology that are strong and weak. For the most apart, I was an apprentice. Though this is in the middle and not great and not bad, I feel it is a good start, while still allowing for me to learn and improve. The UNI surveys brought out the weaknesses I did not realize I had. Fr example, one of them is the lack of knowledge I have of equity, ethics, legal, and human issues concerning the use of computers and technology. This is something I have not thought about but realize it's importance and hope to improve and learn more on this topic. I also need improvement on video conferencing which is something I have had little experience with. Also, though I have used Excel many times, I feel I could still learn more that would help me in the classroom. Some of my strengths according to the UNI survey include, word processing programs, e-mail, and graphic organizers. I hope to use the knowledge I have on these to share with my students.

Once again, according to the Net standards, a weakness I have is the social, ethical, egal, and human issues aspect that surrounds the use of technology. Part A says I need to be able to teach and model this for my students. I hope to learn more about this so that teaching it is possible. Another aspect I a not as familiar with is the assessment and evaluation part of the Net standards. I have never thought of using technology to assess students but it is something that would be very interesting to use. I feel that some aspects of the Net standards that I know well are the use of research in planning out my lessons. I have named my weaknesses and my strengths, but for the most part, the majority of the Net standards are steps I am familiar with but need more information to be able to teach it.

One tool that would help me improve one of my weaknesses is the course on Excel 2007 for teachers. It would teach me more about the tools that Excel offers and ways in which to use Excel the most effectively. There is also a video World Language Assessment. Technology in Assessment. This would be helpful for me to learn more about assessing students using technology. The descriptions to these are listed below.

Excel 2007 for Teachers
Description:
Designed for those who are unfamiliar with spreadsheet programs, this class covers basic Excel functionality, including simple math formulas, formatting and the chart wizard. We focus on classroom projects and applications, especially activities your students can do with Excel. The course aims to provide a sufficient foundation in Excel, so that participants feel comfortable showing students how to use it, and assigning projects that use Excel as a tool to help students develop critical thinking skills and enhance their learning of curriculum standards.

World Language Assessment. Technology in Assessment.

In this program, Jen Charles and Brian Wopat use technology to assess their students and track their progress. Jen and Brian discuss the advantages of using different technology to engage their students in world language learning. In Jen's class, pairs of students create a presentation on a Central American location using Moviemaker for their presentation. In addition to the presentation, students take an online vocabulary quiz on "Moodle" and practice current grammar on a language website. In Brian's classroom, students are shown a Photo Story to create a presentation they will give their fellow classmates. Students are shown building their Photo Story with Brian's supervision.

Video Reflection

This weeks video was proving the importance of media in the world. Also, the amount of media that is used among the youth in the world. If we as teachers want to connect with our students, we need to connect with the different forms of media. The world is rapidly growing and changing. Students are being trained for jobs that don't exist yet. China will soon be the number one English speaking country, they have more honor kids than we have kids. This is important to me as a teacher because I know that I will need to use media to help my students learn. I consider myself lucky because over the past few years, I have become familiar with many forms of media. I plan on using the various types of media in my classroom and hope it will help me reach and teach my students.

Internet Safety Reflection

The Internet offers so many resources, tools, activities, and information that are useful to all sorts of people. Students and teachers are no exception. Many students now a days already are using the Internet, so incorporating in the classroom should be done. The Internet offers many tools for teachers to use in their classroom, like lesson plans and activities. As a future history teacher I plan on using many primary sources in my class and the Internet helps with this. As long as saftey tips and rules are taught to students, I believe the Internet should be used in education.

Evaluating sites is very important for teachers and students. It ensures that the information that is received is correct and validates the author and their background. Some questions I will ask myself when evaluating a site include: Is the author a validated one? I will do this by using the resources available to me like Meta-web Information. This site will also help validation when looking at the URL link.I will also ask if their are more advertisements than actual information.

When my students use the Internet, I will do all can to keep them safe. I plan on giving them a checklist full of questions they should ask themselves while surfing. This will hopefully help them in making sure the sites they visit are validated. Also, I will give them "safety rules" on what is and is not safe while using the Internet.

Video Reflection:

I thought the rules on the video were great and ones that all teachers and parents need to teach to children. It was a quick way to show the rules. I would probably take time after the video and explain in further detail the importance of each of the rules. Also, I would give ways for the students to get out of bad situations on the Internet. Internet safety is something that is very important and prevalent in today's society. It is a great tool but only when used with pre-caution and that needs to be taught to children and teens.

Video Reflection

The video this week was enforcing the idea of how much technology is a part of our lives as students. It introduced the typical classroom and basically said that the old fashioned classroom experience is out dated and not getting through to students. I found many of the statistics astounding. The average books read a year versus the web pages and facebook profile pages was amazing. But, something that I can only imagine is true among many students. Also, the use of laptops are very prevalent in classrooms today, but many students do not use them for class, but instead, facebook and other internet sources. It is something that teachers need to realize in todays world. The students have grown and changed as the years have gone by, therefore, the teachers need to accommodate this. Technology is an amazing resource that students and teachers can use, and I believe that both need to take an advantage of this, like the video was trying to portray.

UEN Reflection

I found the UEN website to be very useful and helpful. There were many resources and tools I would use in my classroom and would have the students use. I really enjoyed being able to have my own public and personal website on UEN. I like being able to put the tools I find the most useful in a bookmark and referring back to it whenever necessary. Also, as an educator, the option to sign up for additional technology courses on UEN is something I will definitely take advantage of.
As a teacher, the lesson plan and links will be incredibly helpful. I have already used UEN to find lesson plan ideas and activities for other classes. Also, the core curriculum is available and very easy to access. The rubric tool is another one that I will often use and enjoy. The links available for primary sources is one I find extremely important. I am a history education major and I believe that the use of primary sources are not used enough. Therefore, with the help of this website, I hope to use as many primry sources as I can.
I also really had a fun time using the interactives that are available for teachers and students. Not only did I have fun playing them and using them , but I am sure my students would enjoy it as well. I would give the students the access they need to play around with these interactives and have a good time learning while playing. I also think it's important for students to know what is going on in the world. That is why I liked the Who's Who and What's What Weekly Quiz. It test students knowledge on current events and is fun to take too. The virutal tours was another interesting resource. It is something my students can do and enjoy and something I can use un my classroom.

The Pioneer library is a great resource. The amount of information and resources is amazing. The access to the different search engines is useful to both me as the teacher and to my students. It can ensure a safe a clean search as opposed to a search engine like Google. Also, the music that is available free of charge is another great thing for educators. There is so much on UEN that can be used, that in my opinion, there is no excuse to make class an enjoyable place for learning.