ILP 2: Lynda.com course

     For my second independent learning project, I decided to register for Lynda.com and take a course. I found a course called "Educational Technology for Student Success" led by Renaldo Lawrence. Lawrence's goal for the course is to show and help teachers use different ways to create and use interactive content to help engage students. He talks about how students can get engaged by learning how to learn with all the tools available to us in our modern technological society. The course explains how using these tools will help train students to be independent learners in the future.
     Some topics covered in this course include:

• identifying your goal and making a plan
• keeping your content organized
• capturing and sharing learning events using digital tools
• sharing your links with parents and students
• having students take digital videos in class
• creating and using QR codes in the classroom
• incorporating google earth in lessons

      I particularly liked this course because it was easy to follow and learn. I had never been on Lynda.com before this course, but I really think it is a great tool for teachers and people with any profession to learn a skill. Their library of courses is huge, and can ultimately benefit anyone because their content is so diverse. I liked how the site was treated like an online class. It made it feel more familiar to me. The script of the video scrolled next to the video which I really liked because sometimes I miss a word or two. Overall I think that course and Lynda.com in general can be very helpful tools. 

http://www.lynda.com/Higher-Education-tutorials/Next-steps/415357/444872-4.html

10. Class Games

     I thought this week's assignment was a lot of fun. Before this week. I had never used PowerPoint in this way before. It was not as difficult as I assumed it would be, because of the fun templates we downloaded. Actually, I had no idea that you could download templates in the first place. I think it is really a great thing that teachers are interacting online in this way, and sharing their works for other teachers' benefit. I thought this assignment was fairly easy, except for the sound. I have trouble figuring out the sound, and my laptop does not support such tools. Other than the sound, I thought the assignment taught me a great deal of new ways to use PowerPoint in my classroom. 

     I think data collective tools can always be useful in any classroom, because of how diversely they can be used. In my future first grade classroom, I can use tools like the surveys to ask my children their thoughts and opinions. Since they are young, we can complete the surveys as a class in order to get the most effective results.
     I love reading my classmates' blogs. I think they are a great way to see what other students in our class think about each topic. I enjoy comparing my thoughts about certain assignments with others, and sharing my thoughts about technology with them. The blogs really helped me see what others' thoughts were about great teaching tools that I can utilize in my future classroom.
     Someone earlier brought up in their blog Microsoft Publisher. I also think this would be a great tool to learn and use effectively. I used it a couple times in elementary school when I was on the school news cast, but that was version 2003, and I only ever did simple tasks with it. I think the program has potential to be a great organizational teaching tool, and I believe it would be beneficial to learn it next.
     I plan to teach my kids early on, the use of technology and how they can use it to their benefit. Not only will we use these tools we learned about in a fun way for games and learning. but we will use them as a medium of learning and research. I will teach my first graders the importance of internet safety and how to navigate the internet. My students would leave my class with an extensive knowledge of how to use technology to complete daily tasks, and learn to their benefit. I will teach them how to collaborate and help each other learn better, by the means of technology.

survey: pizza

https://fsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_838yTG54QyCxynP

ILP: Personal Learning Networks webinar

     For my first independent learning project, I watched a webinar on personal learning networks by Will Richardson. In it, Richardson explains how PLN's are the future of education, and how we can use them to improve not only our learning, but incorporate these tactics as teachers, implementing them in the minds of the next generation. The webinar focuses on the idea that internet connections and interactions can be a big part in learning, and motivating others to reach their goals. He tells a story of a cinematographer named Mark that achieved his fame today from online sites like Vimeo and Linkedin where one can interact with others and get feedback on their work. Richardson is a strong advocate of children learning with tools online. He talks about how we are currently just trying to implement technology on top of school curriculum, rather than changing the traditional classroom to have students learn using that technology. Richardson describes the difference in scarcity and abundance. He says how children today will soon be adult learners in this world of abundance, while teachers and older generations are still teaching in a world of scarcity. The abundance he is referring to is the unlimited access of web and information that today's generations have.
     His main point is how Personal Learning Networks are for people with the same passion to go online and learn from other other. He gave an example about how his 12 year old son wanted to learn how to use the video game Minecraft, so he went to an online site that lets people interact and ask and answer questions about Minecraft. Richardson talks about how sites like this are helpful because they are full of people with the same interests, so they are willing to teach, learn, and interact in a positive way. When using PLN's, Richardson explains how we are "capable of learning at any given moment". He also talks about how while using PLN's, one must be willing to be found on the internet by strangers. It is vital to the process. Personal Learning Networks can be simple, like the "how to's" on Youtube that we use everyday but do not notice. The purpose of PLN's is to learn and contribute while maintaining proper ethics. I found this webinar very eye opening, and I hope more teachers and older generation people view this and see the importance of Personal Learning Networks.

http://www.centerforlearning.org/t-free-resources.aspx

8. Future Tech

     The technological advancement from chapter 12 that I find to have the most promise in future classrooms is the electronic paper. I am just amazed by the general concept, especially that they are made marketable very soon. Electronic paper is a lightweight, flexible plastic that can be used as an alternative learning material. The use of iPads in classrooms are becoming more available, although these can raise issues that electronic paper would solve. iPads are breakable, and heavy for younger classes. Young kids can easily ruin iPads and other tablets. Meanwhile, the electronic paper is virtually indestructible because it is so flexible. This new kind of "paper" is actually plastic, and can be used to replace normal more expensive and fragile mediums of e-readers and tablets.
     I think a great technological advancement for the everyday classroom would be the virtual device we used in the tech sandbox. The name of the device keeps escaping me, but I really feel it would be beneficial and fun. The goggles can take students on virtual field trips, saving time and money for the schools. I think they would be best served in the media center first before in all classrooms, so teachers could test if they are effective for learning or not. Students could get "free time" after they complete their virtual field trips to ride the virtual rollercoasters we experienced in the tech sandbox.
     The podcast describes the digital divide as the difference between people who have access to technology, compared to those who do not. I am definitely on the side of the digital divide where I am exposed to the technology. I grew up with access to it, so my learning styles may differ from those who did not. In a classroom setting, I am going to have to keep that in mind. Some students will be on the other side of the divide, and may not adapt well to technological teaching. But I also believe that most students by the time I have my own class will mostly be on the side of the divide that has had access. I feel most kids today are digital natives, and that will only grow with time. Even so, I would still adhere to some traditional styles of teaching that do not involve technology to help the kids who may struggle with the tools.

7. Powerpoint Thoughts

     I hadn't heard of Bloom's Taxonomy was before this blog post. Bloom's taxonomy helps distinguish fundamental questions in the education system. There are different levels such as; create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember. It would be beneficial to use each level to better teach a lesson. A powerpoint could help bring up topics of discussion for evaluation, produce concepts for synthesis of ideas, analyze and break down concepts from the textbook, students can apply their new ideas through powerpoint, they can better understand the lessons through pictures on the slides, and the powerpoints can be posted online for students to be able to remember the content later. 
     Adaptive Learning Technologies are used to help students with learning disabilities and also 
physical and mental disabilities. These technologies can be simple tools, like spell checker for the 

learning impaired, and also much more involved, like the joy stick for visually impaired. Students 

who are blind could use brail printers and speech application programs instead of typing. An issue 

could arise when teaching younger students, because the kids who do not need these adaptive 

technologies may want to use them, and not understand why they dont get to use them. 

     My web page assignment was really hard for me at first. I am not great with new programs, nor do 

I typically adapt well to them. But Weebly became almost second nature by the end. I think the end 

effect is visually appealing, and a great way as a teacher to get in touch with parents, send out 

information, and give students the resources they need for assignments. I did not like the aspect of the 

program at first, but once I realized how to navigate and use the design, it became almost simple. I 

am unable to post a screenshot of my page because my laptop does not have a print screen button. 

But here is a link. Enjoy!!!     http://burrough.weebly.com/ 


P.S., I do not know why the spacing is funky in this post. I apologize! 

Fighting PowerPoint Death

This slideshow is really helpful in finding ways to effectively use powerpoint. It talks about how to use it to get your point across in an interesting way that wont put your viewers to sleep. One thing that I really liked about the information on the slides was how they broke the information down into structure. They talk about keeping it simple, to keep your audience focused.

Death by PowerPoint from Alexei Kapterev