Horizon Report Reflection

I definitely agree with the 2nd trend listed in this reading. The trend talks about how social media is constantly changing the way we interact and communicate with each other. And while yes, social media helps us in our social lives, it also can be used in the classroom. For example, for one of my history classes in high school my teacher made a Facebook group and would post our homework and assignments in the group. I have also heard of teachers tweeting assignments, and students can tweet back to the teachers to ask questions. I think social media can be used to benefit the classroom in many ways, and we can already see a few instances of it happening today.

I believe that no matter how teachers want to teach their students, there are always going to be challenges simply because our world around us is constantly changing. This change does and always will bring challenges into the classroom. But instead of getting stressed about these challenges, as future educators we need to take them head on and think of solutions for them. One challenge that stuck out to me was the 3rd one. It states that new ways to educate are competing with teachers who would rather teach in a more traditional setting. I think one of the most important qualities an educator must have is flexibility. With this flexibility, teachers need to realize that the world around us is constantly changing, and so it’s okay to change teaching styles and practices to fit with new practices in the real world. So, instead of being set in your ways as a teacher, you can try to be creative and innovative and come up with new ways to teach your students.

I think mobile learning is one of the most interesting of the technologies to watch stated in this article. Mobile learning is cool because it always students to learn in different ways, and also it allows them to learn from almost anywhere. Technology opens so many doors for children, and mobile learning is such an awesome way to get children more engaged. I would love to one day have laptops, ipads, and other types of technology implemented into my classroom to help better educated my students, and also to help them want to learn and participate even more.

Pic 1: http://www.bancmedia.com/twitter-conversations-become-more-coherent/

Pic 2: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/facebook-making-sad-study/story?id=19975348

Pic 3: http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/pictrough/pictrough1003/pictrough100300184/6583117-teacher-and-students-cheering.jpg

Pic 4: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/OSX_Technology_Overview/About/About.html

PIc 5: http://www.technobuffalo.com/reviews/ipad-mini-review/

3rd Reflection: Digital Media- New Learners of 21st Century

1. I thought all of the projects in this video were very impressive, but the one that really stuck out to me was the workshop at The Smithsonian Institution. At the workshop, teenage students had to create a scavenger hunt on their cell phones throughout the museum. What I thought was the coolest thing about this workshop was that teens were creating this scavenger hunt for other teens to use to help them learn, while at the same time the teens creating the hunt were learning all about the museum. This idea of students creating ways for other students to learn while learning themselves in the process could be implemented in the classroom.

2. I definitely could use to sharpen my media skills. There are so many tools on the internet I have yet to explore, especially tools that I will be able to use one day as an educator. I think a challenge I face when it comes to using digital media in my own learning is I rarely step outside my comfort zone of what I already know. If I would try to learn these new tools, it would probably make my learning so much easier.

3. The technology school in New York reminded me of a quote that stood out from me from our previous reading (Ch. 1: Meaningful Learning with Technology). The text states that if technology is going to be used as a learning tool it “should not be used as delivery vehicles.” The clips from the school in New York had the same thoughts. One teacher said, “we have the technology there to use when we need it, but we can put it away when we don’t.” This is such an important idea in my opinion. As great as technology is to use in the classroom, I still think there should be a time to use it and a time to not.

4. Social Networking sites can change a student’s sense of community and interaction with others vastly. These sites open so many doors for students these days, and it allows for students to communicate in so many different ways. For example, if a student is shy when talking to other students in person, when they are online they can say what they really want to say without having to face the student. Digital tools offer so many opportunities for students, for example, the fact that they can complete their homework from anywhere. If there is an emergency within the student’s family, they can still complete their assignments and keep up with the class through online tools like a teacher’s blog. A downfall to using digital tools in the classroom is that some students may not have access to as many tools as other students. For example, a child in a richer area of a county may have access to a desktop, laptop, ipad, etc., but a student in a poorer area of the same county may not have access to a computer at all.

5. I haven’t necessarily had a similar experience to the teachers/schools in the video, but there were definitely some projects that stuck out to me. One project I really liked that I think would be great to use with my future students would be the scavenger hunt from the Smithsonian workshop. It would allow for my students to work together to create learning tools for each other while also learning for themselves at the same time. I thought it was such a great idea and would love to be able to use something similar in my classroom one day.

Reflection on Assessments in K-12

When I went through K-12 schooling my types of assessments differed greatly depending on the year I was in school. For example, when I was in elementary school a lot of the assessments would be matching, multiple choice, and fill in the blank. Some teachers even would pull me and my peers aside individually to assess our skills through verbal tests. For example, my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Pierce, would assign each of our reading groups a book. After we had finished the book she would call each of us over one by one and ask 5 questions based on the book. Then however well we did would be our Reading grade for that week.

As I got older, however, tests became more and more solely multiple choice. I definitely had a lot of essays in high school, but even still, most of the exams were all scan tron, multiple choice based tests. I think this is a fine way to test, however I personally believe assessments through essays and papers are so much more accurate because they aren’t one sided. They give the student being tested a chance to give their answer in their own words rather than them having to answer based off of their teacher’s words.

Assessments are difficult because of how students learn differently, but I feel I was best tested in my K-12 years when I could give my own answer rather than having to be tested based off of a pre-made answer.

Reflection on “Meaningful Learning with Techonology”

I think one of the biggest things to take away from this chapter is the importance of technology in learning. The chapter is all about the benefits technology can have on learning and keeping children engaged. I did already believe that technology was an important part of learning, but I think this chapter helped to better show me how truly necessary it is for technology to be implemented into classrooms. While the article does emphasis this importance, it also states that technology, if used for learning, should  “not be used as delivery vehicles” (pg 8). This surprised me, but also was something that I was glad they stated. Just because technology is going to be used more and more in classrooms doesn’t mean teachers can stop doing their jobs. Teachers can use the internet as a useful tool, but learning still should primarily come from the teachers themselves.

I think to me, as a future educator, the most important skill talked about in this chapter when it comes to technology is creativity and innovation skills. As educators, it is so important to have fun, creative ways to teach your students. Also, as educators, we need to constantly be thinking of new ways to teach our students material. By doing this, students will remain engaged. Also, if they see your passion about how you teach something, it will make them more excited to learn what you’re teaching. So, as a future educator, I will do my best to work with my colleagues, and even my students, to come up with creative and innovative ways for me to teach, and for my students to learn. For example, ipads are becoming increasingly used in classrooms. I think this is a great way to bring creative learning into my classroom.

https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/OSX_Technology_Overview/About/About.html

http://www.edudemic.com/tag/creativity/

Learning Experience Reflection

From the past years I have found that the best way I learn is through example. When I have a teacher that is passionate about what they are teaching, I find that I am always successful in their class. However when teachers are disengaged, it makes it difficult for me to engage and want to learn what they are teaching. Teachers who care about what they are doing and are excited to teach help their students get excited about the topics they need to learn. So for me, the best way I learn is through being taught by passionate teachers.

Technology has evolved so much since I have started school. When I was in Kindergarten, chalk boards and white boards were the main tool we used to learn as a class. Now, there are smart boards (technological white boards) in most schools. Also, when I was younger we rarely used computers to learn. My younger sister is in the 5^th grade and in Kindergarten she already knew how to work PowerPoint, Word, and many other computer apps. I believe having technology in our schools is a way to help all students learn in a much easier and fun environment.

I think in the past years my attitude has changed the way I learn. I used to despise going to school. I thought it was a waste of my time. However, now I enjoy learning, especially since being in college because the topics I learn about have to do with my major. I get excited to choose my classes and to see what topics will be covered because I now have a much better attitude towards learning. I believe it is so important to get children excited about learning early on in their school careers. If they go into school excited and ready to learn, they will attain so much knowledge. However, if they have no passion for it, it will simply be a waste. So a good attitude is key to being able to learn, and I think my attitude has changed the way I learn.

Pictures Cited

Pic 1: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/reading-teacher-color.html

Pic 2: http://www.school-clipart.com/_pages/0511-0712-2713-0955.html

Pic 3: http://thenextfamily.com/2012/09/educating-schools-on-gay-parents/alphabet-chalkboard

Pic 4: http://blog.planetbulb.com/replace-smartboard-projector-lamps/

Pic 5: http://joyerickson.wordpress.com/2008/06/09/kids-and-tv-and-computers/

Pic 6: http://seaborndayschools.com/education.html