Post 8: VR vs AR

The idea of virtual and augmented reality is very exciting to me. The idea of using the virtual reality in everyday life is exciting. I can not wait to see how think kind of technology evolves in my lifetime.

While this technology is very interesting and innovative, I do not think that I will use this when I am a teacher. This is so because when I envision using AR I imagine passing out a work sheet and each student having their own device to do this with. In the future I want to work somewhere in the innercity, where I can help those children. I do not think that it is possible to both work in the innercity and hope for all of my studentts to have access to iPads to be able to participate in this kind of instruction.

This is a sad fact that not all people will have access to this new technology, but it will have a positive impact on those that do have access to it.

Post 7: Gamification, Yay or Nay?

What is gamification? According to Badgeville.com, gamification is the concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals. This is starting to become more and more prevalent in schools. Teachers are using games to help students learn new material. While this may be a very effective way for students to learn, there are a few things that teachers need to consider when they bring gamification into the classroom. First is if the students are actually benefiting from the game. The students may appear to be having fun, which is one of the main benefits of gamification. But if the students aren't actually learning anything with the game then it is almost a waste of class time. Something else that teachers have to look out for is if the game is developmentally appropriate or not. If the game is to hard the student may get frustrated and give up on playing it. If the game is too easy than the student may lose interest. There are several things that teachers have to look out for. 

I think that the best gamification tool that we used in class was Osmo. I think that it was a great way to play and learn at the same time. Students can learn geometry or practice writing their letters. This was a very fun and interactive way to learn. One drawback to this was that it required an iPad, and the Osmo set. If you have iPads available to use, and are willing to pay for the sets than this is a great investment for the classroom. 

Overall I believe that gamification is a good thing. I think that it can help the students learn and have fun at the same time. I do not think that gamification can or should replace traditional instruction. I hope to include gamification in my classroom someday, but it will not completely take over my classroom. I will use it more of a reward in my classroom.

Post 6: How Students Learn

Something that teachers have to be aware of is how students learn. There are many different ways that students learn best. Some learn best when doing a hands on activity with manipulates. Other students learn best when given a visual picture to look at. This is something that needs to be taken into consideration when lesson planning. If a teacher can work in a teaching strategy that can appeal to all or most of the different learning style in the classroom the lesson will run more efficiently and more students will retain the information.  

When I was going through my years in primary and high school my studying style evolved. When I was a younger student I learned best when I was given manipulates. I had to done something in a hands on way for me to learn it, otherwise I struggled. As I grew older I turned into a student that really benefited from visual examples. I would take notes and fill in graphic organizers. Then when it came time to study for the test I would rewrite all of my notes. While this method of studying and learning is what is most effective for me now does not mean that I don't still learn well from hands on activities. I still love it when in my classes we do a hangs on example. For instance, in my Elementary Statistics class I was struggling with how to do confidence intervals. We did an in class activity that involved M&Ms and now I understand how to do those kinds of problems. (And it wasn't just because I got to eat the M&Ms after I was done with the guided practice. :-) ) 

When I was in high school I took psychology. In this class I learned that there were two types of motivation. Internal motivation and external motivation. Internal motivation came from the person's personality. External motivation comes from the outside world, like a positive role model or some type of reward. I do believe that all students need some kind of motivation to be successful in school. Some students will be self motivated to do the best they can do. Good for these students. As for the others that lack this self motivation to do well, I do believe that they need some kind of external reward to do well. If they have no motivation to do well then they won't try and the teachers efforts that go into teaching the student will be wasted. Hopefully this motivation can come from the students parents or guardians. However this is not always the case. As I was out in the field during my senior year of high school I learned this the hard way. My host teacher told me that for these students that don't have the motivation to do well coming from home it was the teacher's responsibility to ensure that the student did well. I completely stand behind what she is saying. 

Teachers need to guide and encourage their students to success. This is something that I have always thought about teachers. The best ones that I have had are the teachers that reach out to try and make a personal connection with me. My family was going through a rough patch during the winter of my senior year, my dad was diagnosed with cancer and my world felt like it was falling apart. Against my own personal wishes my mom contacted my school and told the guidance councilors and my teachers. I thought that they would think of me different, like I was weak and needed to be coddled. But this was not the case. They were very supportive of me and my family. They were there for me when I needed to talk about anything and encouraged me to continue coming to school every day even when I just wanted to be alone. They were able to continue to support me and give me the motivation to keep my grades up to the standard that they knew that I was capable of. I knew that without the extra support of my teachers during this part of my life my grades would not have been as high as they were. I can still say to this day I am still close with some of these teachers that were there for me when I needed most. 

These are the best teachers. The ones that can make a positive impact in a students life. I strive to be just like these teachers one day. 

Blog 5: How I stay current

Technology and teaching strategies are constantly changing on a daily basis. Teachers need to stay on top of knowing and finding the best techniques and activities to use in the classroom. There are several ways that I personally use to stay current with this always changing aspect of teaching. I have several Personal Learning Networks that I use to connect with other people around the world that share the same goal as I have, to improve themselves as teachers in the classroom. I am able to connect with these other professionals through social media such as Twitter and Pinterest. With my Twitter PLN I am able to find new and creative ideas that others share on their accounts. I can then "re-tweet" their posts that I really like to put them on timeline. This shares the original post with all of my followers. Another option that I have is to "favorite" the post. This then appears in a folder that I can look back on to reference. I also use Pinterest. This platform allows me to find teachers that have blogs that share their posts. I can then "re-pin" their ideas onto different boards that care categorized by type of idea. I have been able to find many different classroom activities and classroom management strategies. There are also many different DIY activities and crafts that are found that can enhance the classroom setting for the child and teacher. Between these two different platforms for my PLN I am able to stay up to date and current on the many changes that are taking place in the world of education.

Blog 4: Where We've Been

There are many things that can effect the way that technology is used in the classroom. One challenge that comes with using new technology in the classroom is how teachers can get new technology. Many time it is people that aren't even in the classroom  that make the decision about what kinds of technology can be integrated in the class. they may want to use a kind of technology that teachers don't like, or even hate. The main way teachers can fight this hurdle is tp be flexible. If the get denied access to a kind of technology they really want then the teacher will just have to search for something similar. If the principal wants to use a technology that the teacher doesn't like than the teacher just has to go with it. Adaption is something that all great teachers posses.

I have been in a classroom setting where all the technology I have wanted to use with my students were available to be easily. We used iPads to as a positive reward for the students.

Blog 3: Pros and Cons

This week in class we were learning how to use Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs, and Google Slides. All of these tools can be utilized in the class room but the real question is which platform is better? Word or Google docs? PowerPoint or Slides? There were some distinct differences that I experienced as I explored each platform.

I am personally more familiar with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint before I began my journey at LVC. When I received an email that we, the students, would be getting Office 360 for free I was ecstatic because I tried using Google before but I just was not a fan of it. Now that I am in Ed. Tech and am going to learning how to use Google a little more I can see the positive aspects. Everything is all in one place, under one web domain and easy to access. However I begin to fall back as to why I didn't like the Google platform to begin with. I do not think that it is easy to use at all. In an assignment we were asked to format a slide show on Google and I struggled with it. I am not fluent with Google.

Google docs is not as bad as I remembered it being. I didn't think that it was as hard to use as I think the Slides was to use. I actually believe that it has some very helpful features. It allows multiple people to collaborate on it at once. I also am a fan of being able to leave comments on other people's documents. It is an easy way for teachers or other peers to make comments and help others proof read their work before turning it in.

I'm not going to rave about Microsoft Word and PowerPoint about how they are both perfect because they are not perfect. They both have their flaws, but to me, they are just easier to use. I also am a fan of how I can work on my documents when my computer is not connected to the internet. What if a student needs to turn in a document but can't because they can't access a computer with wifi. If they use Word or PowerPoint it is very easy to just put the presentation onto a flashdrive and share it that way.

I think that it makes the most sense to use the Microsoft products with students. The major flaw with the Google products is that you have to have internet access to use them and not all students have that. Google products do have some helpful features but I do not believe that I will be using it in the classroom in the future.

Blog 2: What to consider when you have students searching the internet?

As a teacher, using technology in the classroom can be a very useful strategy to help students learn about new topics and ideas. There are many benefits of using google searches in the classroom but there are also many things that teachers have to look out for when using these resources. The first thing that teachers should look out for is any inappropriate websites that her students may find when doing a search. The teacher should pre-screen the search that they want their students to do before they assign it to the students to do the search. This will ensure that the students do not come across any inappropriate material on the internet.

Some schools do have some defense mechanisms that can protect the students from viewing some of these inappropriate websites. One mechanism is a firewall that can block some websites that may contain this vulgar media. Another defense mechanism that can be taken is to pre-screen all of the websites that you plan on using in class. This can make sure that all of the content is age appropriate and that there are no advertisements that are not meant for younger children.

All of these mechanisms together can be helpful in protecting the younger children using the internet, but these are not the only solutions that can help. If the school that you are working with has an IT department they can definitely help with finding other solutions to protect the minds of young students.