Chapter Nine Journal

Focus Question

1) What is multimedia technology and how can teachers use it to effectively create and share visual information dynamically in their teachings?

Multimedia technology is "combing multiple media -text, data, voice picture, and video - in a single applications or technology" (217). Teachers can use this effectively by creating powerpoints, or adding podcasts to their lesson allowing students to hear and see many different forms and opinions on information. They can also ask for their school to buy interactive whiteboards which will help the students who just can't stay seated during lesson move around and pay more attention. 

Tech Tool 9.1 page 222

Digital Projectors and Document Cameras

Document cameras are something that I have grown up in school with. I have seen them progress over the years. Before document cameras we had overhead projectors which had a copy of our worksheet or a blank page that we would get to volunteer to wash after we were done using them. From those days in elementary school, we moved to Elmo document cameras. It was the same concept, just no washing needed. These devices also came with an interactive whiteboard which made all the students pay more attention hoping that they would be picked to draw on the board. Moving through the grades, and different school, I have gotten to see how teachers use the document cameras in different ways. 

In my own classroom I plan on using a document camera for the students daily warm-ups. Rather than having to print out a warm up for each of them, I'd rather save the paper and make them have a journal. This also gives me the chance to bring in more books or pictures that I can't get onlline and bring them in for the students to see through the document camera. 

 

Above is the older version of a document projector that I started off using back in elementary school.

Technology Equipment in Classrooms. (2014). 

Summary 

This chapter is all about explaining multimedia and the parts it can serve in the classroom. Within the first few pages the textbook seems to focus on how this approach can be used for science lessons and experiments. I think that it is strange that the authors didn't mentions the other ways teachers use this technology until page four pages in. However,the textbook finally mentions what some of these multimedia technologies are on page 220. The three they talk about are digital projectors, document cameras, and PowerPoint. All of these programs I am very firmiliar with, so I won't spend too much time on them in this summary. These are technologies that are used to present information to a large group of students. Teahcers are using the computer to create a presentation for their student when they use PowerPoint, and sometimes even with a digital projectors. The document camera is for when the teachers want to focus on a object, or even worksheet, and want everyone to see it. All of these are great tools when it comes to teaching.

Then for the next few pages it talks about how teachers can format their PowerPoints to help their students and get the most information across to them. After this the textbook talks about videos, on page 225. Videos get students excited. No matter what age or grade, as soon as you find out your teacher won't be talking, you are a happy camper. So student interest increasing when using this tool. There is also a great number for videos, clips, and movies about different subjects, so they won't get boring over time. Finally it is a unique way to teach your students something. The textbook mentioned how it could be used for Macbeth, when debating how people act as Macbeth, or what is happening in the scene in general. Another great video source is your own students, who can creat a video just as well as anyone else. Thus how we get on the topic of YouTube.

Then we are given tips, which have been drilled into me for years by my own teachers so, I think we can skip to the next subject, why photo-taking and movie-making can be helpful. Well according to this textbook there are four major reasons given to us on page 229. It engages students, it forces them into documenting learning as well as active learning, and finally it starts their information creation sides. They can do this through digital cameras which are simply and easy to use. 

Finally to end the chapter we discuss podcasts and vodcasts. These can be very helpful for the same reasons any type of videos are helpful. However these can also be made byteh a tudents for other students, or even by their own teacher. On page page 235 it talks about the pros of podcasting or vodcasting which includes letting the teacher listen to themself so they know what they can improve on.

References:

Technology Equipment in Classrooms. (2014). Retrieved from https://tech.msu.edu/classroom-technology/classroom-equipment.php

Textbook- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter Eight Post

Summary:

Thiw chapter is all about communicating and collaborating with social media. Right on the first page of this section we are told the five ways this can be done. Email, teacher websites, blogs, online discussion, and wikis are the post useful and popular ways to go about this (187). Having done major projects with many students over the years I have learned how social media can be very helpful when passing information around. Just last year to help share photos of a lab experiment, a partner posted them onto Facebook so the whole group could see them, as seen below.

      (Top picture is just one picture that was posted on Facebook. The bottom picture is a screenshot of the album which is still on Facebook)

There are two different forms of communication though, synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous is when parties respond to each other in real time like on the phone or webcam. Asynchronous is when there is a delay with someone while talking such as email (188). This is something that should be taught to students for them to use when it comes to their jobs and such.

Following this we also talk about how teachers are starting up networking sites through social media to help each other out. This is something I find helpful when I am not sure where to look for lesson plans or goals/standards. These sites because a God sent. However they also help the students. This extends the teachers' hours in a way, and also let's families communicate with the teacher as well.

Personally I believe that every teacher should have some sort of website to publish directional d power points and reminders because it makes everyone lives more organized. Also, you won't have students saying they never got something if you posted on the website a week prior. You are forcing the students to be more responsible. 

Honestly this chapter seemed very redone-dent to me consider I have grown up using these skills when I tutored. Also I attended a high school where these skills were already put into practice. So my summary is very little this week simply because I didn't find that much that caught my eye and I thought needed to be retold. Bottom line is social media can be a great teaching tool if used correctly. A website is better than a blog because websites cause you to post information and have comments; while blogs let you talk and talk and talk with no real end in sight. 

Tech Tool 8.2 pg 201

Communicating with Skype.

Skype is a great video calling program. It is something I have used for many years to help tutor those who couldn't stay after for a tutoring session. Having already known this I wasn't surprised by this being in the book. What I was surprised about was being able to look up people or classrooms to talk to about certain subjects. This is something that I will look into and see if I can use it myself in my high school English course.

Focus Question

 5. How can wikis foster collaborative learning among teachers and students.

On page 187 in our textbook they described a wiki as a website that teachers and student create and edit together.  This is the deffinition of collaborative work! The class is working together to create this page filled with information that will help the class. When they see information that they don't think is right they can change it or comment about it. This then helps both students learn. Possibly the teacher even learns something thT they over-looked on the subject. Wikis foster better communication between all parties involved.

Chapter Seven Journal

Focus Question

1) How do teachers use technology to promote problem solving and inquiry learning among students?

    Well, with this form of learning teachers present students with real-world situations and issues to engaged the students actively (159). Problems are worth answering, in so answering the age old questions of "why are we learning this". Because real world issues can be servilely complex, and considered ill-structured problems, computer apps and games can be a better way to come up with real-world application to work. With the multitudes of games and apps out in the world students can changed the level and are free to reset if they realize their first idea was wrong and can see more clearly where they went wrong. This also lets the student use surface or in-depth thinking (160).

    While this can also be done with simple handouts, or reading books, computers bring out the active parts of the students brain. The students know that they are solving math and science problems when they play River City, however, they don't realize that they are also learning about economic and social outcomes of those problems (160). Teachers aren't lecturing, or assigning work. They are asking the students in many cases to play games which make the students eger to get on the computer and creates a more active classroom. 

Tech Tool 7.1 :Discovering Learning USing Squeak and Scratch (page 167)

    In this Tech Tool section the textbook talks about a website called Scratch. This website is a "tool" kit to help students create their own games, animations, or art. It has 2D/3D graphics, images, text, sound, video, and everythign else a webmaster could desire and more than enough for the average web user. This help students create their own way of learning or presenting the information. This relates back to our discussion for week when it relates back to how teahcers can help ELL students. Many of the responses, including my own, talks about allowing students to use clip art and other pictures to help the students get their point across while they still learned the information. This website would be a great deal of use to old students who understood the true purpose of multimedia and all that it could to do. 

Summary

    In this chapter we are talking about how teachers can use technology to enhance the experience of problem solving and inquiry learning through games and apps; along with the different kinds of programs available. First we start off with the basics: what is problem-based learning and inquiry-guided learning? Well it is wel students investigate and research a problem or issue and find questions for it. There is no "right" answer because it all depends on the how the student asks the questions and what point they are trying to get covered from the problem (159). The steps are as follows: 1- understnad the problem, 2- use the problem-solving strategies, 3- check results (159).

    Following the books talks about hardward and software and what the differences are. Hardware comes on the device (the basics) and software tells the hardware to do. There are many different software: system, application, standard, and open-source softward. Open-source software is when it is open to the public to use, copy, and recreate with no to little funds needed to do so (161). The main goal in using any type of software or app is making sure that the student is in charge of the computer, rather than the computer being in charge of the child. 

This is a picture from the opening page to chapter seven which I think gets the point of students controlling the computer point across. (pg 157)

    Then the textbook talks about Blooms's Taxonomy when it comes to lower-order and higher-oder thinking. Low-order describes basic recalss and interpretation of information. High-oder describes comparison and evaluation of theories and perspectivesn (163). With this in mind teahcers can use software and apps with there students to present both forms of thinking. The example given in the book on page 163 are vocabulary or spelling words. Remembering these words is part of low-order thinking. However putting the words into a skit of poem correctly is using high-order of thinking. 

    When it comes to problem-solving and inquiry-learnign softwares there are a few different ones available. These include: composing and calculating software, building, inventing, and creating software, and visual-thinking and concept-mapping software. One of the examples that is highly known is Google Earth. This is considered to be a part of the building, inventing, and creating software section because it helps creat the mood and setting for many different things (166). 

    Finally we come to another age old topic of discussion, what is the purpose of video games? Well we took a major idea from the gaming world when we decided to give groups points because they have done something. This is called gamification (169). I honestly think that gaming can be helpful. It is a great way for children to rid themselves of stress. If done right parents will balance the amount of education and fun video games their children play. However, teachers should take advantage of any education video games they can give to their students because it keeps their student more engaged rather than just have them sitting there doing a worksheet, they are sitting on a computer that is interacting with them as they figure out probelms. 

    When using games to teach students though, you must keep in mind four things. Teachers must watch out for games that just focus on one subject or skill. Make sure that a multitude of skills are being teasted and used. Also pay attention to how much the games focus on win or lose based on points. Students will add more stress to themselves and could lead to online chatting with others in the gaming universe. Make sure you talk to students about the games you have them playing, and their content. Perhaps even talk about some they play at home. Guide them into playing games that are on age que for them. Finally and most importantly, play the games together. The students will love to watch their teacher play, and you can also see what you have you students doing so you cna better help them if they need it (175-176). 

Resources

Textbook- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.