Podcast and Vidcast Reflection

What: Podcast and vidcasts are great ways to relate information and knowledge to students and others who want the information. It serves many different purposes, like allowing distant education students a better chance and opportunity for learning. Also, if students are absent, it gives them a cnahce to still see and learn from the lesson. They are great tools for teachers and students both.
So what: Podcasts and vidcasts are new to me within the last year or so. I have had college teachers, mostly education teachers, use them. It was so great because if I missed class, the podcast was availble to me and other students. They are something that are becoming more common but should become even more common because of the value they have. More teachers should take advantage of these great tools.
Now what: As a student who has been able to take advantage of podcasts and vidcasts, I would definitly use it in my classroom. It is just a great way to get all students involved, even the ones that missed class. It is also a fun tool that allows students to use technology. They are not difficult to do or use, therefore, I plan on using them in my classroom.

WebQuest Reflection

The past couple of weeks my team and I have been working on our webquest. It was something new for all of us, but we worked well as a team and were able to accomplish it successfully. I felt that along with my teammates, I performed well and added a lot of useful work to the final product. I was able to come up with ideas that my teammates liked and expanded upon. The webquest was something that I believe will be very useful in a class and therefore, it was great to learn how to create and use one. It will be a professional goal of mine to use and create a webquest to use in my classroom. I know that in the education field, there can be a lot of group and team work. This experience was a great one. I have had previous group experiences that were not as successful as this one. My team was very helpful and we all worked extremely well together. There was no one that was a control freak. I really enjoyed working with and sharing ideas with my teammates. I hope that in my professional experience, I will have groups like the one I worked with for this project. I know that this may not always happen, but I will make it a goal of mine to be as open and workable as possible. Overall, this was a great experience for me and I enjoyed learning, using, and creating webquests with a group.

Field Experience Post

This week I went to Lone Peak High school to observe. I was able to observe the students, teacher, classroom management, lessons, but also the technology available to the class. First off, some information on the class. It consisted of 34 students. There was no seating chart, but the students mostly sat in the same places during the classes I was there. It seemed to cause more classroom management problems due to this. The teacher, however, was able to keep the class under control, for the majority of the time. He also used the technology that was available to him. Though there were not computers in the class for the students to use, he had two computers. He also had a projector and screen that the class would watch videos on and power-points. There were also two T'.V.'s. But these were not used while I was there. There may not have been computers for the students in the classroom, but they go to the computer lab. In fact, they have a big paper to write and they go to the lab a couple times before it's due to work on it. Obviously, it would be ideal if each classroom had its own computers for the students, this is not always possible. I was, however, glad to see the class and teacher taking advantage of the ones available for them in the lab. It was an enjoyable observation for me where I was able to look for things I have learned not only in this class, but in others as well.

Webquest Reflection

What: This week we learned more about webquests, the technical side. We learned how to create licenses, more about tools on power point, and were able to ask questions and have them answered. We were also able to work in our groups and got a lot done on our webquests. It was great to be able to learn more about them, but to also be able to work on them as well.

So what: Webquests are great tools that are availble for teachers to have their students use. There are many different types and different levels. They are also great to create for your own class. They are great ways to get students to do assignments and learn while using technology. It can help them become more familiar with technology.

Now what: As we are creating the webquests, I am learning about not only my content, but also about technology. I hope to continue using webquests and continue creating them for my future classrooms. They are great tools that I had never used in my high school but hope to use them wherever I teach.

Video Reflection:
The video was confusing at first. I did not know what to expect, but as it went on, I realized the point and importance of it. Cellphones, and other form of technology, can help educate children in countries where education is not prevalent. It is something that may have only been used for advertising, but I feel that it is something that can be done, and hopefully one day it will be. If people truly understood the use and power of technology, then perhaps many more children would benefit from it and become more educated.

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.