I felt that reviewing software was using common sense. Some of the pointers given us were good, though. A few suggestions were given, such as: controllable pace of program, adjustable volume, quick running time, options for saving games and information, and print options. Some specific suggestions that were good to keep in mind were to have an uncluttered screen and a legible text. I would add that there is a difference between an uncluttered screen and a boring screen. I felt that the software my group reviewed, KidWord, was boring visually. It had dull colors, minimal sounds, one font, and virtually no graphics. I think students would learn from it but not be engaged by it.
I would be concerned about older adults using the program because the font didn’t seem adjustable to a larger size. Also, there wasn’t a teacher’s guide. The program simply stated that it was great for all ages. This is not a very clear statement. In fact, I looked up the California State Standards to see which, if any, our software met. It seemed to primarily satisfy K-2, but that could be because the demo I downloaded had many features unavailable without a subscription, including higher levels of the program.
Overall, the software evaluation was a learning experience. I don’t know how much time I will actually spend reviewing software as an educator, however. I suppose it will depend on the funds available to purchase software.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Technology for Teaching
Technology in the classroom. What a wonderful thing. I’m finding that there are many different ways to incorporate it into the classroom. I’ll begin with what I feel are the most helpful programs and tools to use and end with what hasn’t helped me much. PowerPoint is probably the most helpful tool so far. Up until this class, I had a rudimentary understanding of the program. I’ve since learned how to incorporate sound, timed transitions, and pictures in the background. I’m pleased with what I’ve learned; it has added more pizzazz to my presentations.
I also really like the program Inspiration. Although I feel it will be more helpful to the middle school mindset, I really think it can benefit high school students as well. For one thing, it is a great graphic organizer that can help students sift through ideas for their papers. It would also be a good way to have a more interactive class brainstorm. I also like the pre-made character maps, themes, and other teaching tools available on popular works like The Glass Menagerie. I could see myself using the program to make many of my own handouts.
Learning to use Google advanced search has been very helpful in my research and I believe students will find it useful as well. It is good to be able to find related sites quickly.
Rubistar was also very helpful in providing a fast, easy, and free way to design rubrics. Much easier than working with a program like Excel.
I don’t think that Excel will be very helpful to me. Although I devised a way to use it for my assignment, I don’t see my self using it on a regular basis. It was a good learning experience, though.
Overall, I am pleased with what I have learned in the course thus far.
I also really like the program Inspiration. Although I feel it will be more helpful to the middle school mindset, I really think it can benefit high school students as well. For one thing, it is a great graphic organizer that can help students sift through ideas for their papers. It would also be a good way to have a more interactive class brainstorm. I also like the pre-made character maps, themes, and other teaching tools available on popular works like The Glass Menagerie. I could see myself using the program to make many of my own handouts.
Learning to use Google advanced search has been very helpful in my research and I believe students will find it useful as well. It is good to be able to find related sites quickly.
Rubistar was also very helpful in providing a fast, easy, and free way to design rubrics. Much easier than working with a program like Excel.
I don’t think that Excel will be very helpful to me. Although I devised a way to use it for my assignment, I don’t see my self using it on a regular basis. It was a good learning experience, though.
Overall, I am pleased with what I have learned in the course thus far.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Webquests
My favorite article on Webquests was “Webquest Sends Students Back in Time.” The article detailed the topics that students could choose for their webquests and then instructed students to write a fictional account of someone who was witnessing the historical event, then prepare a Powerpoint for the class. Topics included the following: The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the Civil War battle of Gettysburg, Apollo 11 Mission moonwalk, “I Have A Dream” speech, and Frederick Douglass and the underground railroad. Students apparently were very engaged with the material and produced stunning narrations and Powerpoints.
In the MySpace age, I believe any way that educators can get students involved in learning and using technology is good. I particularly liked webquests because they were a valuable tool in preparing students for the kind of research necessary to craft good papers in high school and college. Our group did a webquest on Gone With the Wind, which was useful for literary and historical studies. There were questions on the novel, the film, and the historical events that occurred during the Civil War and the publication of the book. There could be a feminist study of the work (what inspired a woman like Margaret Mitchell to write the book? What events and cultural attitudes shaped her thinking?) There could also be an analysis of the romanticized version of history versus what really happened. Another question dealt with determining what an epic was, which is an important literary term. All in all, I feel webquests are a great educational tool.
In the MySpace age, I believe any way that educators can get students involved in learning and using technology is good. I particularly liked webquests because they were a valuable tool in preparing students for the kind of research necessary to craft good papers in high school and college. Our group did a webquest on Gone With the Wind, which was useful for literary and historical studies. There were questions on the novel, the film, and the historical events that occurred during the Civil War and the publication of the book. There could be a feminist study of the work (what inspired a woman like Margaret Mitchell to write the book? What events and cultural attitudes shaped her thinking?) There could also be an analysis of the romanticized version of history versus what really happened. Another question dealt with determining what an epic was, which is an important literary term. All in all, I feel webquests are a great educational tool.
Using the Internet as a Research Tool and the Value of Spreadsheets in the Classroom
The article, “Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool” by Elizabeth Caulfield and Sarah C Symans was a good reminder of how to use the internet wisely for research and how to teach using it to students. The first main point the authors made was to validate your source. They suggested that the reader use the “fee or free” method—if the source is free, it may be questionable, but if it is in a subscription database then it is likely there for a reason—it is valuable. I’ve found that the library has some excellent subscription databases. As a Literature and Writing major, I use the database JSTOR all the time. It features literary analysis, book reviews, and critical essays. The information isn’t always the most current, but it is always a good place to start.
Another good tip in the article is to check the URL of the source. If the URL is referenced in another trustworthy article, then it is likely safe to use. Checking the bibliography of an author’s work is a great (and easy) way to get a list of more reliable sites with related information.
The authors also mentioned that some search engines are better than others. I personally prefer Google. I like it even better now that I know how to navigate the advanced search feature. This would be an excellent searching strategy to teach students.
Library directories are also good places to check for websites. I know the Cal State San Marcos library page has a directory where you can search for databases by subject and then narrow down what kind of database you want. The Literature and Writing listing offers several databases (but I still think JSTOR is the best).
As for citing info, the authors failed to mention that there are several great (and free!) sites where students can easily input data and have it spit out in the proper documented form (MLA, APA, etc). Two good ones are KnightCite and NoodleTools.
Another item the authors mentioned was verifying information found on the web. One way I found to be very helpful is to use Snopes.com. There is usually a listing for about every online heading you can think of. Snopes is a good way to check out those “unbelievable” stories to see if they are really true or not. Also, a good rule of thumb is that if the site ends in .com, it’s not as good of a source as .edu or .gov.
Spreadsheets are another ball game. I don’t think they will be as useful to me as say, using PowerPoint, but for my assignment I devised a spreadsheet that had columns of frequently misspelled words with students’ names and how many words they got right or wrong. I could use the same chart revised later to see how students progressed when they were tested a second time and chart how they improved in their spelling. There may be other uses I figure out later. For now, I’m pleased that I discovered that spreadsheets can be used for more than just accounting.
Another good tip in the article is to check the URL of the source. If the URL is referenced in another trustworthy article, then it is likely safe to use. Checking the bibliography of an author’s work is a great (and easy) way to get a list of more reliable sites with related information.
The authors also mentioned that some search engines are better than others. I personally prefer Google. I like it even better now that I know how to navigate the advanced search feature. This would be an excellent searching strategy to teach students.
Library directories are also good places to check for websites. I know the Cal State San Marcos library page has a directory where you can search for databases by subject and then narrow down what kind of database you want. The Literature and Writing listing offers several databases (but I still think JSTOR is the best).
As for citing info, the authors failed to mention that there are several great (and free!) sites where students can easily input data and have it spit out in the proper documented form (MLA, APA, etc). Two good ones are KnightCite and NoodleTools.
Another item the authors mentioned was verifying information found on the web. One way I found to be very helpful is to use Snopes.com. There is usually a listing for about every online heading you can think of. Snopes is a good way to check out those “unbelievable” stories to see if they are really true or not. Also, a good rule of thumb is that if the site ends in .com, it’s not as good of a source as .edu or .gov.
Spreadsheets are another ball game. I don’t think they will be as useful to me as say, using PowerPoint, but for my assignment I devised a spreadsheet that had columns of frequently misspelled words with students’ names and how many words they got right or wrong. I could use the same chart revised later to see how students progressed when they were tested a second time and chart how they improved in their spelling. There may be other uses I figure out later. For now, I’m pleased that I discovered that spreadsheets can be used for more than just accounting.
Bloom's Taxonomy
The basic categories of Bloom's Taxonomy are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Although I understood these categories, I didn't really grasp how to implement them in the classroom until I read an example on teaching "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" on http://www.ops.org/reading/blooms_taxonomy.html. There were concrete examples for each section that asked questions for students to answer or proposed activities and assignments that could be used to implement Bloom's taxonomy in teaching the lesson.
I found this website helpful especially when I put together my PowerPoint presentation on my lesson plan of Romeo and Juliet. It will also be helpful for future assignments. I am glad that I am now aware of Bloom’s taxonomy because I feel that it is important to know along with Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory. Hopefully, it will allow me to create more diverse lesson plans that encourage higher order thinking and reach all my students at their different levels of learning.
I found this website helpful especially when I put together my PowerPoint presentation on my lesson plan of Romeo and Juliet. It will also be helpful for future assignments. I am glad that I am now aware of Bloom’s taxonomy because I feel that it is important to know along with Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory. Hopefully, it will allow me to create more diverse lesson plans that encourage higher order thinking and reach all my students at their different levels of learning.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Week Five: PowerPoint
I was really impressed with how I could teach using PowerPoint. I discussed with my cohort group in class how to use PowerPoint to teach English lessons. I was really surprised with some of the suggestions I received, such as using it to show family trees. I can see how that would be useful, particularly in teaching Romeo and Juliet. It would be a good visual representation on how all the characters were related to the Capulets or the Montagues.
PowerPoint is also a good way to reach visual learners because they can see the data with pictures and diagrams to support the material. The PowerPoint lesson would address spatial intelligence, linguistic intelligence, and possibly musical intelligence if music or songs related to the material were presented in the PowerPoint as well.
As a future teacher, I believe PowerPoint will not only address the aforementioned multiple intelligences, it will also serve as a great tool in organizing and synthesizing lesson plans and also in developing and sharing curriculum with other educators. I thought sharing our PowerPoint lesson plans this week with our fellow classmates was a great way to see how other educators were utilizing PowerPoint to develop engaging lesson plans. It is also a good format to share information in that it is user-friendly and engaging. One downside is that the PowerPoint files can be too large to send easily as e-mail attachments.
For students, I feel PowerPoint will help make lessons more engaging and may be a really useful tool if they could be posted on a school website. The slides could be printed and used as notes or to catch up on missed work if the student was absent the day the material was presented. PowerPoint presentations would also be good study materials to review for an exam.
There are many ways PowerPoint can be used successfully in education, and I look forward to learning more about its uses and implication in the classroom.
PowerPoint is also a good way to reach visual learners because they can see the data with pictures and diagrams to support the material. The PowerPoint lesson would address spatial intelligence, linguistic intelligence, and possibly musical intelligence if music or songs related to the material were presented in the PowerPoint as well.
As a future teacher, I believe PowerPoint will not only address the aforementioned multiple intelligences, it will also serve as a great tool in organizing and synthesizing lesson plans and also in developing and sharing curriculum with other educators. I thought sharing our PowerPoint lesson plans this week with our fellow classmates was a great way to see how other educators were utilizing PowerPoint to develop engaging lesson plans. It is also a good format to share information in that it is user-friendly and engaging. One downside is that the PowerPoint files can be too large to send easily as e-mail attachments.
For students, I feel PowerPoint will help make lessons more engaging and may be a really useful tool if they could be posted on a school website. The slides could be printed and used as notes or to catch up on missed work if the student was absent the day the material was presented. PowerPoint presentations would also be good study materials to review for an exam.
There are many ways PowerPoint can be used successfully in education, and I look forward to learning more about its uses and implication in the classroom.
Week Four: Mind Maps
I just finished reading the article “Mapping Student Minds” by Ariel Owen. I was impressed with this educator’s use of technology in her class. I had never really considered mind maps or brainstorms as anything more than annoying clutter until I read how she incorporated them into her science class. She was able to use the mind maps as a way for students to track relationships between water quality and the factors that affected it. I can see how this would be a good visual representation of these relationships. It should clarify complex relationships by making them more straightforward and would definitely make the lesson more tangible to visual learners.
One really good suggestion was to start the lesson very simply. Owen introduced the concept of mind mapping on her whiteboard and chose a simple topic “getting good grades” to demonstrate how a mind map worked. Once students were familiar with the concept, they could be introduced to the technology to mind map on a computer using Casual Mapper. I also liked the suggestion to help students trim unnecessary words by asking them to remove at least two repetitive words or concepts from the map. A mind map really isn’t an effective tool if it’s too cluttered to make sense of it!
I think I could apply mind mapping in an English course to explain character relationships and plot devices. I can see how this would be a good tool for students, especially when learning Shakespeare. It would be a neat representation of how everyone in the play was related to one another.
One really good suggestion was to start the lesson very simply. Owen introduced the concept of mind mapping on her whiteboard and chose a simple topic “getting good grades” to demonstrate how a mind map worked. Once students were familiar with the concept, they could be introduced to the technology to mind map on a computer using Casual Mapper. I also liked the suggestion to help students trim unnecessary words by asking them to remove at least two repetitive words or concepts from the map. A mind map really isn’t an effective tool if it’s too cluttered to make sense of it!
I think I could apply mind mapping in an English course to explain character relationships and plot devices. I can see how this would be a good tool for students, especially when learning Shakespeare. It would be a neat representation of how everyone in the play was related to one another.
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