Learning Project 2: Option (2): "Design": Piktochart: "Judy Garland Biography"

For my second learning project, I made an infographic using Piktochart. I did my infographic on Judy Garland's life in honor of International Women's Day because she is my favorite actress!! I would love to use Picktochart as a teacher to make infographics on topics, like the one I chose, for my students to learn information easily and in sequential order.
Link to my infographic:
https://magic.piktochart.com/output/12722772-judy-garland-copy

Music Preference Survey

https://fsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6EWAVWdpSyCpifP

#10: Data Collection, Most Interesting Blog Topics, Tech Related Skills, and Ways to Achieve My Future Technology Goals!!

As a Kindergarten teacher, I would most likely want to use data collection to get information and feedback from parents. To do this, I would probably use a tool like SurveyMonkey and give the parents a link to the surveys I conduct. I would ask them questions like, "How much do you read to your child at home?" or "How well does your child know the alphabet?" and then have them choose from answers that range from really well to really poor. I could also use surveys to get parents' opinions on what we do in the classroom and where there kids would like to go on field trips. I think using SurveyMonkey in this manner would be really beneficial to my students.

I found many things interesting when reviewing my classmates' blogs. What I loved most about reading them was getting different perspectives on each topic presented which opened my eyes to others' opinions and I got to see different uses of creativity in my classmates' web layouts and design techniques. A lot of people had really cool backgrounds and fonts on their blogs which made it easy to read!! I loved looking at screenshots and PowerPoints from the different assignments too.

I would really love to learn more about how to use ClassDojo because I think that is a tool I might consider using in my classroom for classroom management. I have seen many teachers at FSUS Elementary use it as a tool and it looks easy to use but I want to learn how to set it up, how it works, and if students can check their progress from home or only at school and how all of that works. When I observed teachers who use it, their students respond really well to it. One more thing I want to be more efficient in is PowerPoint making. I want to learn more about the design options and I want to get faster at using it.

I want to go about achieving my technology goals with a hands on approach, where I'm learning the technology by physically using it. I want to get more efficient at using a Smartboard better, so I want to go play around with it and learn its features in the Tech Sandbox. I also think the more you work at something, the better you get at it, so I want to use PowerPoint more frequently for future projects, and just for fun, to get better at it. I also want to blog more in the future to stay connected with the world of education by means of social media and to become a better writer, which is a key skill to have as any type of teacher.

#9: "The Flipped Classroom," Web Resource, and PowerPoint Interaction!!

A flipped classroom is an instructional teaching design that differs from a traditional one in a variety of ways. A flipped classroom delivers learning material by utilizing technology in an engaging and productive way for students. Students will typically engage in watching online lectures, collaborate in online chat rooms, or research material at home and engage with a mentor in the classroom. It provides students with a more learner based in depth learning style. Typically, teachers will create or play third party videos from the web instead of lecturing. Here are some links teachers might use for their flipped classroom:

• A video for a lecture on Mars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzxgYKyHQY8

• A video for a lecture on the human heart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxUNxvsG7lc

• A video for a lecture on President Barack Obama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J0k9M0pCKE

I found a really cool web based resource for teachers to use with their students to learn about women's suffrage for Women's History Month!! I found it under teacher resources on Scholastic's site. I love that when a teacher clicks on the activity it gives them the learning objectives with an outline of what is in the activity!! The activity is an interactive website that gives students credible information on the history of women's suffrage and the story of an amazing woman from that time.

Here are the links:

Teacher Lesson Plans

Women's Suffrage Objectives

Women's Suffrage Activity

For the PowerPoint Interaction project I found an online template for the popular game "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" I absolutely love the template I found!! The creator made it really easy to use and fun and interactive for kids who would be playing the game. It was really simple to go add in any information for the type of questions I wanted to put in and it was easy to make changes to the layout. The only thing was I would have liked was for some of the transitions to have been smoother and for there to have been more audio and music already in the presentation template.

#8: Gamification, Digital Divide, and PowerPoint for Information Dissemination Project!!

For elementary education, I believe gamification is the technological advancement that holds the biggest promise for education. With gamification, game elements can be added to instructional material to "increase motivation and interactivity, encourage creativity, and deepen understanding of content" (Teaching and Learning with Technology 288). I think those three things are key to getting an enriching education and gamification is the best way to go about that, especially with elementary students. Kids love games and to tie that to education makes learning fun and more interactive for them. My favorite game the book mentioned that I may want to use in my classroom is called the World Peace Game. "This multilevel board game creates an environment in which students representing different countries must achieve world peace despite conflicting views with minimum military intervention" (Teaching and Learning with Technology 288). The book further states this allows students to gain "critical thinking skills" along with "a global political perspective" which are key elements for anyone living in the modern world today.

I stand with being really sensitive to the digital divide. Especially as a teacher, I want to treat all my students fairly and give them all equal opportunity and access to a high quality education. Even if only a few of my students are on the less fortunate side of the divide, where they have poorer access to computers, internet access, etc. I want to implement most of the technology we use together in class, that way students can learn how to properly and effectively use it. As far as homework goes, I would rather assign hard copies of assignments, unless I know all of my students have equal access to the technology they need for it.

I honestly had a lot of fun making my PowerPoint for the PowerPoint for Information Dissemination Assignment. I did my PowerPoint on Marine Life and I loved adding in all the cool pictures of animals and editing them with animations. Before this assignment, I had no clue all of the features PowerPoint has to offer!! I loved learning how to crop out the background of pictures; I learned how to keep the pieces I wanted in it and crop the pieces I didn't want out of the picture completely. I want to use PowerPoint as a photo editor from now on!!

#7: PowerPoint to Support Learning, Adaptive Technology, and My Weebly Page!!

As a teacher, I would use PowerPoint to support my students' learning at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy in specific lessons. Let's imagine I'm creating a PowerPoint on a lesson in music theory. For "Remembering", I would create a slide that presents a diagram or picture of notes on a scale, then I would ask my students to recall the note names as they previously learned them. I could also present this in the form of multiple choice questions on a slide and have the students submit their answers on iClickers. For "Understanding," I would need my students to make connections to "real world" situations, so to do this I would attach and play a YouTube video of a popular song, one that my students would be familiar with, and have them identify the key signature and time signature the song is in. For "Applying," students should be able to apply what they learned, so I would have an interactive slide, with a picture of a treble staff, where students could come up to the SmartBoard, and when I ask them to write a short melody in a certain key signature, they should be able to do it correctly. For "Analyzing," students should be able to analyze a work and connect it to what they learned, so for my music theory lesson, I would have a slide with multiple songs attached on one side, labeled with numbers, and multiple choice answers of key signatures, labeled with letters. I would then have my students anazlyze each song and then have them match the song to the correct key signature. For "Evaluating," I would have a slide for students to use their iClickers to vote on which song, out of the ones they listened to, was their favorite, and then have a class discussion on why they think their favorite was their favorite based on music theory terms. Lastly, for "Creating," I would make a slide with clear instructions for the students, together in groups, to write their own song. Then I would have them play it for the class and record them on my computer.

Adaptive technology is pretty literally what it sounds like. It is technology modified to meet and assist the needs of those with special needs. Some prime examples include word processing (to assist those with trouble holding a pencil or writing on paper), concept mapping (to assist those who need a visual presentation of how concepts connect to each other), word prediction (to assist those physically impaired who may have difficulty with typing keystrokes), recorded books (to help auditory learners or possibly people who are blind), high interest low level books (to assist those with lower than average reading levels), and many more!! Teaching and Learning with Technology also mentions Apple's iBook app, which I love because it has so many amazing features like the speak selection feature, the define option, multitouch textbooks,  and iBook Author for teachers. I think all adaptive technology is amazing and completely necessary in today's education system. The only two challenges with it for us as teachers is learning how to use it correctly ourselves to better benefit our students and having multiple forms of technology in our classrooms at once, which could get a little hectic at times.

In the Web Design Assignment I learned a lot about how to better design a classroom webpage! I learned how to create a page format, how to insert pictures as page backgrounds, how to insert calendars, and much more! I think I want to create more websites using Weebly in my future career.

Link to my Weebly site: http://kaitsclassroom.weebly.com/

Learning Project 1: Option (2): "Design": Prezi: "Charlotte's Web"

For my learning project, I created a Prezi based on the 2nd grade CPALMS standard: 

LAFS.2.RL.1.3

"Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges."

Slide Share: Presentations We Love!!

I really love the message behind this presentation. The slides really capture your attention and are to the point with information. I like that they focus on a critical issue and include questions about it. For presentations you really want use a lot of pictures, diagrams, and videos with only a few words that are colorful and bold to capture attention.

Preparing for the Future of Education. Take A Look Around You. from Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano

#6: Classroom Webpage, Efficient Technology, and Wiki!!

The school website I visited was Jackson Memorial High's website. The grades range from 9th to 12th grade. They had links to class websites from each teacher and it appeared they have a website for every class! On the class websites it has the teachers name, the subject, announcements, a description of the class, links to online resources, teacher contact information, room numbers, class profiles, homework with due dates, a monthly calendar, and a list of materials needed for that class. The three main pages I viewed were for Speech and Drama, Algebra 2, and Honors Studio Art. I liked the pages a lot because they were filled with useful information for the students that have that class and it is very easy to access. Each teacher added their own unique touch to their page with forms of clip art.

In order to use technology in my classroom more effectively and efficiently I will need to do many things. As mentioned in Teaching and Learning with Technology, hopefully the school I'm working for will provide a variety of software such as, productivity software, software suites, management software, and administrative software. Productivity software and software suites would most likely give me access to some type of word processor, a database management system, presentation software, calendars, and email programs. When it is connected to a school wide network I can log onto my personal network and access my documents and files on any computer in the school. With a word processing software I could create documents, flyers, forms, newsletters, tests, invitations, and newsletters. As a teacher especially, it will be essential for me to use correct spelling and grammar in my work, like in letters home to parents or on quizzes for students. Most word processors include spell checking and grammar checking which will help maintain my professionalism as a teacher. I would also like to take advantage of whatever presentation software I have access to such as Microsoft Office PowePoint. It would allow me to present information to my students in an organized, flowing manner and I could incorporate many forms of multimedia like pictures, videos, and audio files in my presentations. This is using technology efficiently and effectively because it keeps the students engaged with what they're learning and presents information more effectively than reading it out of a book or lecturing. I would also use some sort of management software to incorporate technology more effectively. With management software I can report grades and attendance to my district. It also allows me to organize data, schedule classes, and create reports districtwide. Doing this electronically with management software is a lot more efficient than doing it all by hand and mailing it to the district or handing it to someone in higher authority than me. 

In making the wiki page, I learned how to more effectively collaborate and virtually communicate with my peers, how to design a wiki, how to properly present information for other teachers to use, how to create an evaluation form, and more! I think what I mainly got out of it was how to properly evaluate websites that I may want to use with my students. I think this skill is imperative as a teacher because you want your students to only access appropriate websites, especially when working with elementary school students. I want my students to learn accurate and up to date information, and I learned how to evaluate that in this project! I really liked the form my group created and I think I might want to use it anytime I evaluate any website, even while I'm in college!

Here is the form we created:

#5: Web 2.0 and Concept Map!!

Based on what was mentioned in the podcast, I think most Web 2.0 tools can be useful in the classroom and to students and teachers in some way or another. I think blogging can be beneficial for the students and teachers because its an easy way for the entire class to be on the same page, literally. Teachers can post reminders about upcoming important dates, they can upload class presentations or podcasts for their students, they could remind them about upcoming due assignments, and much more. If safety is the major concern, there are special websites, like 21 Classrooms, that are made specially for classrooms and protect students' privacy. I think Twitter.com can also be beneficial for the students and for teachers' professionalism. It allows students and teachers to connect with each other, and collaborate and connect with other people outside of their community who may have valuable information to share with the class. Students can also learn proper online etiquette if they use Twitter, which they will most likely take with them throughout their lives and in the workforce. I think Wikis are cool too because students can share valuable information and have resources open to them for projects and other stuff. They can also contribute their own information to the page which will prepare them for knowing how to properly convey information. Diigo is another awesome Web 2.0 tool for students to use. It can help them with research, collecting and organizing data and information, and with properly citing resources. This I feel would be especially beneficial to students in high school who complete research papers for their classes. In order for students to properly use Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, there needs to be proper computer, network, and periphery equipment in (and possibly out of) the classroom. First you would need computers with internet access. Students could only use these tools with properly working computers and moderate to high speed internet access. The internet access would also need to be wireless so the whole school could have access to it off of one school wide modem. You would also need a network system that "stores and automatically backs up data, especially student information and teacher files" (Teaching and Learning with Technology pg. 107). This could be accomplished by storing data on a network server's hard drive (Teaching and Learning with Technology). There are challenges that go along with implementing computers, wifi, and proper networking technology however. The two main big ones are money and teacher training. If the school has the resources and proper teacher training, I think almost all schools should implement Web 2.0.

Diigo is a really cool Web 2.0 tool I might want to use with my students one day. Here's the link so you can check it out too:https://www.diigo.com/ According to the Diigo.com website: "Diigo is a multi tool for personal knowledge management, dramatically improve your workflow and productivity, easy and intuitive, yet versatile and powerful." Diigo means "Digest of Internet Information Groups and Other stuff". With Diigo you can use annotation tools, such as digital highlighters and sticky notes, as you browse the web, you can build a personal library in the cloud with links, pages, notes, and pictures that can be accessed anywhere, provide feedback with annotation, organize information more efficiently, share information in the cloud either by making it public or privately sending it to another member, enable better collaboration for any large or small group where each member can add or subcribe to it and interact with you with "on the page annotations" where the class can read the same article and comment right on the page!

From what I read about Diigo, I know its a tool I want to use in my classroom with my students if they have to do any type of research project! I would want them to collaborate with their peers and me. I would also like them to be able to have the annotating tool because annotating is such an important skill they will use later in their educational and personal careers and I think if they learn how to do it online, it will benefit them even greater in modern society. Annotating the information they read allows them to fully digest and comprehend what they are reading. That may even improve their reading levels and their scores on standardized tests! 

I really liked the concept map activity! I think concept maps are a great tool to use for active learning, especially for visual learners like me. I really liked that on Webspiration you could incorporate a multitude of pictures with (and that are relevant to) the information! In took me a little while to look through all of them and choose the pictures I wanted and I wish there were a faster way to do that, but other than that I really liked the tools provided. I learned how to quickly add bubbles of information and connect them with arrows as well as making the bubbles different shapes! I learned how to fill the information bubbles with color and how to add color to the rim of the information bubble. I liked that you could change the font but I wish there had been more options to choose from. I think next time I use Webspiration I want to try making a scientific or mathematical concept map because I would like to incorporate some of the pictures and bubble shapes from the Science and Math categories.

#4: CPALMS, Resources, and WebHunt!!

The fourth grade Earth and Space Science CPALMS standard SC.4.E.5.1 states that the students should be able to, "observe that the patterns of stars in the sky stay the same although they appear to shift across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons" (CPALMS.org). I would incorporate an educational game from the PBS Kids website called, "Mindy's Constellation Exploration," to help teach this standard to my students. In the game students become stargazers with Mindy, a character from the PBS Kids show "Ready, Jet, Go!" They "look through her telescope" and can click on a constellation they want to see and learn about. When they click on the constellation they want to see, Mindy tells them to connect the stars together to make the constellation. After they connect the stars to make the constellation, Mindy informs them of interesting facts about that constellation. I think this is an awesome way for students to learn about the origins of constellations and that they are patterns in the sky that "stay the same" even though "they appear to shift" as the CPALMS standard says. The classification of this tool is educational game software because it, "presents and reviews instructional content in a game format" (Teaching and Learning with Technology pg.188). Online gaming is something most children in this day in age are familiar and comfortable with, and they have fun doing it. Us as teachers can use this to our advantage to promote active learning in our classrooms! (Teaching and Learning with Technology pg.188). This game would be especially fun for the students if they are familiar with the "Ready, Jet, Go!" program on PBS and its characters! (Link to the game: http://pbskids.org/readyjetgo/games/mindy/index.html)

Throughout my education I have searched for and used many Internet resources for my work. My method is usually to use a search engine like Google.com to find the resource and information I need. I determine the credibility of the resource based on if it is from a reliable source and then use the content in different ways, either by putting the information in my own words or by pulling out quotes directly from the source. I also used data bases, like Google Scholars, to find credible articles, journals, and resources to cite in my work. The podcast mentions how most teachers use open content for resources. The method to go about doing this is with the four R's of open content. Reuse (to only use for personal purposes), redistribution (putting out a resource in a different way or means), and Revising and Remixing (modifying content either just itself or by combining in with other content).I have definitely used these four R's in my educational career and will most likely use them on a regular basis in my teaching career. I have reused content, such as playing a YouTube video in a presentation. I have also revised and remixed content, like putting information into my own words or remixing a song by using a melody to a well known tune and putting in different lyrics for a project.

I learned many skills from the WebHunt assignment this week. I was surprised to learn how easy it is for teachers to find a multitude of FREE resources on almost any subject. It can be as easy as Googling what you need to find and clicking on a link! I learned that there are websites specifically designed for teachers and students to use in the classroom, such as a kid blogging website I found called KidBlog. I also learned that it's really easy to find poetry to share with your classroom, such as the Emily Dickinson poem I found, and that it's also easy to find different formats of it, such as audio from YouTube. My favorite thing I found was the virtual Africa field trip called Africam, where you can watch live footage of animals in the plains of Africa! I love that we live in a time where there are so many resources to be used for education and I hope we continue to use them in a beneficial manner for our students!

WebHunt Challenge:

1. You're doing a lesson on poetry. Find two media formats of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.

2. You're teaching your class about the water cycle. Find an online resource to help your students create a concept map of the cycle.

3. Find an online math game that teaches your students their multiplication tables.

#3: ELA, Software Apps, and Making a Newsletter!!

The ELA technology standard I feel most prepared to teach currently is the "integrate and evaluate" standard. It states to, "Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats including visually, quantitatively, and orally." This means I could integrate presenting information to my students in the form of hard copies of books, e-books, videos and movies, podcasts, music, graphs and statistical data from credible sources, and a variety of other forms. I feel prepared to do this because throughout school I have seen my own teachers incorporate this standard in their classrooms, and I feel like I have been exposed to many forms of media during my time as a student, so I could be creative with how I integrate diverse forms of media into my classroom. The standard I feel the least comfortable with is the "use multiple sources" standard. It states to, "Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, asses the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism." The reason I struggle with this one is because I don't fully understand how to legally avoid plagiarism as a teacher and I'm still pretty confused about what constitutes as plagiarism and what is just common knowledge.

I learned about many awesome software applications in chapter 9 of Teaching and Learning with Technology that I would love to use in my classroom. I would like to hopefully teach a second grade class. One of the coolest applications that I want to try with my students is video conferencing, via an app such as Skype, with the help of the resource mentioned in the book called Global Schoolhouse. With Global Schoolhouse I, the teacher, could connect us with other classrooms around the world that want to participate in a video conference with my classroom. I think this would be so beneficial for the students! It would help them make connections with peers outside of their community and help them gain a better understanding and respect of other cultures in the world. I would of course teach them the basics of digital citizenship before the video conference. I would protect their privacy by telling them not to give out any personal information to the students on the other side of the video conference such as last name, phone number, address, etc. I would also tell them that the same rules that apply in school, regarding issues such as cyber-bullying, apply online when we are communicating via video call. They would be expected to treat all of the students on the other line with utmost respect and to use appropriate and kind language. The book also mentioned using apps like Instagram in the classroom which I thought was really interesting and something I might want to incorporate since I love photography. For digital citizenship purposes, I would set up a private classroom Instagram account, so only my students and their families could view it. I would give my students access to it to allow them to upload their own pictures onto our account. I could assign a cool "photo journalism" project where students could upload pictures they take that are meaningful to them and in the caption they could write their journal and use hashtags to connect them to world. I would also instruct them further on digital citizenship and give them strict guidelines of appropriate pictures to upload and language to use for their photo journals.

I loved the newsletter assignment! I learned how to add columns to a document, how to better format WordArt and font styles, and how to hyperlink websites and email addresses into a document the proper way. Next time I do a project like this I want to get even more creative with the layout and fonts and make it more colorful and eye catching by adding more graphics. I definitely think I'll use the skills I learned from this in my classroom because I'll want to send out newsletters to my parents on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

My Teaching Twitter Handle

@kaittheteacher2

#2: Microsoft Word, Copyright and Fair Use, and Twitter!!

All throughout my high school, and even my elementary and middle school, career I have been using Microsoft Office's Word for many projects and papers. I continue to use it as a college student as well. What I've mostly used it for is writing essays. Typically, my teachers wanted us to use it for our papers and type in 12 point Times New Roman font. I know many of the features on Word as far as how to set up the style of the paper, fonts, and how to make other cool stuff such as worksheets and brochures. There were a couple projects I had as a student where I had to make brochures on Word. I think my teachers mainly used Microsoft Word for making worksheets, quizzes, tests, a typed out syllabus, letters home to parents, permission slips, and more I'm probably forgetting. Word is a really useful tool for in the classroom and educational purposes.

Copyright and fair use materials were used on a daily basis by teachers and students in my educational career. My teachers would show us movies on whatever subject we were learning, for example the entertaining "Bill Nye the Science Guy" to teach us all the cool things about science. They would use books to teach us with or for us to read as part of the curriculum, for example in fourth grade we read the book "Bridge to Terebithia". Using movies and books as part of the curriculum falls under the second code in Best Practice in Fair Use, "employing copyrighted material in preparing curriculum materials" (centerforsocialmedia.org). As a student I relied on copyright and fair use material to be used in projects. This falls under the fourth code in Best Practice in Fair Use, "student use of copyrighted materials in their own academic and creative work" (centerforsocialmedia.org). An example of me doing this would be using a picture from the internet in a PowerPoint presentation project or having copyrighted music playing in the background of a movie I made. As a teacher I would obviously use the concepts brought up in the Best Practice in Fair Use. I would use copyrighted and fair use material in the appropriate manner. I'd probably be incorporating a lot of books, movies, internet sources, and pictures into my curriculum and course materials but as long as they benefit my objective goal and subject that I'm teaching I would be allowed to do that. I would also teach my students the proper way to incorporate copyright and fair use material into their own creative works. I would make it very clear that they can only use the copyrighted media material in an appropriate manner just as I would have to, which means in a way that supports their own original creative works, not in a way that "substitutes" it, as brought up in the fourth code of Best Practice in Fair Use.

Before the Twitter assignment, I honestly had no clue that Twitter could be used in the professional workforce, especially in education. Obviously, Twitter is a great way to communicate and to share thoughts and ideas publicly, but now I know this can be done in the professional educational field as well as just for social reasons. On Twitter you can follow other educators and get insight from them, you can follow educational boards or teacher unions, you can network with other teachers and get inspiration from each other, you can tweet your own ideas or share other people's ideas to benefit your followers (which may be students or co-workers), and you can use it to set up a classroom Twitter page or something similar to share updates with parents, students, and faculty. I think if I were to use Twitter as a teacher I would mainly use it to network with other teachers and faculty members and to learn more about current events in education and to stay updated on all of the latest politics in education. I might also want to use it as a way to post about what is happening in my classroom and as a way to keep parents up to date on what we're currently learning about or upcoming events with the school.

#1: Computers, Technology, ISTE, and more!!

Computers are critical in modern education and need to be intertwined with education in America for students to be successful in the modern world. In education it is crucial that students are engaged and active learners, that way they actually learn the material. Getting the students to actually want to learn is a challenge many teachers face today. Computers and technology in general can give students that hands on learning they need to stay engaged. In chapter 2 of Teaching and Learning with Technology it says, "Technology engages learners, creates active learning opportunities and offers ways to interact with content at multiple levels." Technology fosters critical thinking and creativity. Those are two key ingredients to being an active learner and a successful student. Computers can be used in a variety of ways to enhance student productivity. Teachers can use them to present information on a projector, such as PowerPoint presentations or YouTube videos which give students a visual representation of information. Teachers can use computers to communicate with students and their families through social media or social networking via email, blog or forum, private chat, or a classroom website. (pg. 14 of Teaching and Learning with Technology) Lastly teachers can use computers for administrative purposes through online tools that can help with lesson plans, attendance, classroom management, and grading. (pg. 12+13 of Teaching and Learning with Technology) The main concern for use of computers in the classroom is that they are less reliable than other forms of technology might be. Computers can crash, internet can be faulty, and much more can happen when relying on computers and that takes up time that could be used for teaching. Another challenge is that computers are pricey and many schools struggle with being able to afford multiple ones. (pg. 16+17 of Teaching and Learning with Technology) I think with the progression of technology schools should get more funding to be able to afford them because they are so critical in our modern world.

I think that the ISTE standards are really important for students and teacher's in modern society. They not only present what skills the students and teachers are molding, but they also essentially give a reason as to how they can apply those skills and if you read into them a bit more you can understand why those skills are important for students and teachers in America to have. I actually have two favorite ISTE standards. My first is the second ISTE standard for students that says "Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others." (source: IST via iste.org) I think this is a critical skill for every student in America to have because the United States is a "melting pot" and knowing how to work and collaborate with all types of people from a technological standpoint is crucial in education, the workforce, and in everyday life. Section 2c illustrates my point, it says, "Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures." (source: ISTE via iste.org) My second favorite ISTE standard is the first one for teachers that says, "Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments." (source: ISTE via iste.org) I believe that teachers are meant to inspire, nurture, and craft students' creativity. To do that they need to know the material they are teaching and incorporate technology into their curriculum because that is what students will use in the real world. A standard that seemed out of my skill set is 2d for teachers. It wants us to give students "summative assessments" for data and I have zero clue of how I would go about doing that.

I do agree with the term "digital native" because people who are born into anything are natives to it. That means by definition people who are born into the modern era of technology and digital information are native to it. However I don't believe this means digital natives automatically know how to use modern technology. I think they are more likely to learn it faster because typically children pick up information faster as they would a foreign language, but I think digital immigrants (people who were around before modern technology) are equally able to know how to use and incorporate technology into their lives. I have seen an equal mix of situations where teachers know more about technology and how to use it and when students know more about it. My grandpa who was a professor at our local college knows way more than I do when it comes to all the latest technology, such as how to use all the new updates and applications on the newest iPhone. He usually teaches me how to use it and tells me when all the new cool gadgets are coming out. On the contrary, my mom is a teacher who is less fond of technology and usually has to ask me or my dad for help on how to use certain applications on her laptop for class. I think she is an amazing teacher though because she still tries to incorporate it in her classroom as much as she can. She knows her students like it, even though she struggles with it. To me, that is what makes a good teacher, putting aside how you personally feel about something if you know it benefits the students. I'm more like my mom where personally I kind of repel technology and it can be a bit of a headache for me, but I know its importance in our society and want to incorporate it as much as I can in my classroom to hopefully benefit my students and help them grow.

0: Tech and Learning

I have a pretty good amount of prior experience in technology. I took a technology class in middle school where we learned how to use a lot of Microsoft Office, mainly Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. My dad has also taught me a lot about technology because he uses it in his work. He trains people how to use software in his company. He has taught me a lot of tricks to use in Microsoft Office as well and how to use applications on Mac.

I hope to expand my knowledge on how to use a wider variety of technology in this course. I really want to know what technology is used most frequently in the elementary classroom and focus on that. I want to learn how to use applications like Prezi and learn how to incorporate different media, such as video and music, into presentations. I also want to know how teachers use social media for work, such as this blog or Twitter, and how it benefits the students.

I learned that I am an active, intuitive, visual, and global learner. I didn't realize how much of an intuitive and visual learner I actually am. It makes sense that I'm intuitive and that was my highest score because I love creative and abstract thinking, especially in subjects like science. I love theories and coming up with new ways to think about different topics. I am suprised I'm a visual learner because I love music so I thought I'd be more of an auditory learner, but I do have better memory when it comes to remembering pictures over what someone says word for word. I'm glad I got better insight into my learning style because I think this can help me a lot throughout college.