Post #7 Extra Credit

This chapter focuses on evaluating educational technology and integrating strategies. It is an overview on how to evaluate the technologies of today. There are specific strategies on how to integrate technology in classrooms. This would be based on the number of computers and other devices available in each particular school. It also suggests different ways to raise funds for the newest in technology. It makes it very clear that enhancing technology enhances the education of the students.

I am still learning how to perfect my excel skills. After the skill check I was very disappointed, but doing the final project helped to work out some of the confusion I was having with the program. The program is a very useful tool in making charts and graphs for projects. I feel that our grant proposal wouldn’t have been as innovative without this program.

I really liked doing the final project. I felt it was a very creative way of incorporating all the programs we learned throughout the semester. It was also very nice to work with partners. Sometimes one person knows how to do something that another might and having two or three or even four heads together was much better then one. I really liked the final project.

Post #6 Extra Credit

Chapter 6 touches on technology, digital media, and Curriculum Integration. When reading this I first wondered what curriculum integration might be? The book defines it as the knowledge, skills, and performance standards students are expected to acquire in particular grade levels, or through sequences or clusters based on subject matter units of instruction. Also interesting, a curriculum standard, or goal, defines what a student is expected to know at certain stages of education. It seems as if this chapter studies the things students will learn (technologically speaking) and in what stage of their education they will learn.

Since my last posting I have become better at excel. I feel more confident in the program. Although I think that there are a lot of different ways to make mistakes when using it. It seems that it is important to use the program in a particular way. I personally prefer to cruise along a program, figuring things out as I go along, but it doesn’t seem as if that would work very well with Excel.

I would like to share my opinions on SAM2003. I really dislike it. I think that the program has a few too many glitches and that sometimes it makes you off unfairly. I wish that there was some way to show an instructor when SAM makes mistakes, but unfortunately the program is faulty and there is nothing to be done about it.

Post #10

What was most interesting to me after reviewing other student’s blogs was the diversity of everyone’s opinions. Some students have a lot of knowledge on technology and already knew a lot of the things we were taught in class and other students benefited from the assignments in class. If I were to pursue an education in technology I would really like to learn what makes a computer work.
Sometimes my computer does some random things and I just don’t understand why. I would really like to know the inner-workings of it all and therefore be able to fix anything that comes up within my computer. I also am curious as to whether or not anti-viruses really work. Some people that I know who are very computer-savi swear that anti virus programs don’t work, and other people I know think that they work really well. I don’t know the answer. My future educational technology related goals involve educating others on the benefits of computers. I have learned that using computers makes life a lot easier. I have grown up in a generation where computers are very

Post #9

The website I found is called teacher tools and is made by teachers for teachers. It is going through some updating but I really liked what I saw so far. The links include: current news, awards/webrings, message center, submit your stuff!, bulletin boards, curriculum sites, games and puzzles, forms and letters, freebies, lesson plans, software and substitutes. I think that this would be a great tool for any teacher. The website is http://www.teachertools.org/index.html.
Personally I would use the lesson plan link as well as the curriculum and games and puzzles links. These are all very important links to use when teaching and I appreciate that there are websites created by other teachers to make the whole process easier. Teaching is a very noble profession and any way to make it easier is appreciated. I would really like to learn power-point and all of the ins and outs of the program.
I think it would benefit any teacher because it can be used as a teaching tool. You can teach students literally anything and any subject. You can teach mathematics or English or history or science. I can reach my educational goals by practicing using these skills now. The projects I am required to do for this class as well as a few others help me to really learn and understand these programs. I think that the more one is able to practice a skill the easier it is to use the skill. I plan to learn this program and use it to teach my students in a fun way that I know they would learn the information.

Post #8

Chapter 8 focuses on security issues, ethics and emerging technologies in education. In this chapter I learned that people are increasingly forced to rely on computers to create, store, and manage critical information. Because of this it is very important to protect your computer against damage, loss and misuse. Computer security is very important because computers have become an essential part of modern life and for a computer to malfunction would the destruction of many people. An anti-virus protector would be one way to prevent the corruption of a computer and its system.
The programs and technology I plan to use when teaching is power-point and digital photography. I thin k that power-point is a great way to get your idea or point across. I plan to use power-point in my class lectures because it is a great way to incorporate photos, videos as well as just information. I believe that power-point is one of the best teaching tools. Recently I’ve been having problems with the computer my parents bought me for graduating high school, so my dad gave me his older computer to use. The only stipulation was to put on an Anti-virus protector on the computer so that it would not get viruses. I did just that before I connected to any internet, yet as within the first day it started having problems. We have a warranty at Best Buy Geek Squad so I brought it there and they had it sent off and checked out. I was furious, I had just starting using the computer and already it was having problems…that is why sometimes I hate using and relying on technology.

Post #5

In this chapter I learned that curriculum is defined as the knowledge, skills, and performance standards students are expected to acquire in particular grade levels, or through sequences or clusters based on subject matter units of instruction. I also learned that many different countries have departments of education or educational organizations that serve as the governing association for educational regulations and reform. Agencies in the US include the federal Department of Education and each state has its own department of education. I learned that state departments of education are the ones who provide their school districts with policies, directives and updated educational issues.

I really feel that I am able to use PowerPoint efficiently. I like the program and as a teacher I will encourage my students to learn the program and utilize it for assignments. I will make up projects so that my students will be able to acquire skills with this program as well.

This class has taught me a lot about the programs I was already familiar with. I was not as familiar with these programs until I was forced to do practice exams and training programs on SAM3000. I appreciate that I was made to do these assignments because if I hadn’t I wouldn’t be able to do any assignments without a lot of trouble.

Post #4

I learned a lot of interesting terminology from the reading this week. “Interactivity, which is one of the essential features of digital media applications, allows for individualized instruction and exploration, both of which enrich the educational experience.” This chapter also goes over the differences between digital media and multimedia as well as the different uses of digital media applications. Digital Media is defined as those technologies that allow users to create new forms of interaction, expression, communication and entertainment in a digital format.

My new skill this week that will be useful in my educational career would be creating a teacher-student-parent accessible website that students can turn in their homework with. Blackboard for college students is a very useful tool and during the web hunt it was required that we find a site that can be used for students to turn in homework. I would definitely use that site as a teacher.

My dog Mazi turned six months old this week. I really wanted to throw her a puppy party….but it didn’t happen. It would be really cool to find a place that made doggie safe treats and cakes. I would have liked to have taken her to the dog park this weekend as well, but I couldn’t with all the homework I had over the weekend as well as being called into work because other people didn’t show up! Just wanted to share =)