9 - Flipped Classroom, Poll Everywhere, and PowerPoint

“The Flipped Classroom is an innovative blended delivery model that currently has a following in K-12 and postsecondary education” (chapter 10). The idea of the flipped classroom allows for video casts to be made. These videos were first intended for students to use when they missed class. I do not think that this idea is very efficient. The whole point of school is for students to actually attend class and learn from their teacher. Most students are better off learning in the classroom environment. It is very hard to learn when students are at home (or even anywhere else for that matter) because of all of the possible distractions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0_TWQTrJ-k

An interesting web-based resource that I might use for professional development is Poll Everywhere. Poll Everywhere is “the world’s first audience response tool for mobile devices.” I used Poll Everywhere in my high school classes very often. We used this tool to take pop quizzes and just surveys to see how students felt about different topics.

https://www.polleverywhere.com/about

I learned a lot from this PowerPoint assignment. I did not know that you could download a PowerPoint template from the internet and it would open right in your PowerPoint application. I really liked this assignment because it is something I will definitely use when I become a teacher. Also, it was very fun to make. I think students really like games because they are learning while having fun at the same time.

8 - gesture based multi-touch, digital divide, PowerPoint assignment

I believe that gesture-based multi-touch displays hold the biggest promise for education. I especially think this because touch screen devices are so common now. This technology is used by more than three quarters of the people in the world. This technology is utilized in education, in the medical field, just for fun and so much more. Gesture-based technology can be used for almost anything. It is changing our world for the better and it is benefiting so many different people.

The digital divide is the gap between people who do and do not have access to technology. You would think that most people use technology…but some don’t have access and some people don’t have internet access. It benefits some students, but not others. I am on the side of the digital divide that uses technology daily. I think that this divide can run my classroom into some challenges. This is because some of my students will have access to internet and technology while others don’t. It will put some students at an advantage, while pushing the students who do not have access to the curb. I will have to take a survey and ask which students do and do not have access and then go from there. If there are students who do not have access to technology and the internet, then I will most likely hold hours after class for the students to work on classroom computers before they go home.

I learned a lot about PowerPoint that I didn’t already know. I thought I was pretty good at using PowerPoint but there were so many aspects that I had to research in order to figure out the assignment. I did not like the part where I had to make a slide master because there wasn’t anything that I wanted to have on every slide (not to mention how confusing it was trying to do it on a different PowerPoint at home).

Blog 7 - Bloom's taxonomy, adaptive tech, and Weebly

Power points are very effective and if used correctly they can be very beneficial to the audience. Bloom’s Taxonomy has six levels which include create, evaluate, analyze, apply, understand, and remember. For example, a teacher designs a Power Point for her kindergarten students about geometry. The students are supposed to be able to identify and compare shapes. Bloom’s Taxonomy starts at the top with create. The teacher would create new work meaning that she would construct her own shapes. Then evaluate; the teacher would compose facts that support why that shape is what it is called. Analyze; the teacher would compare that shape to others. Apply; she could sketch another shape and solve the question as to how these shapes are different. Understand; she would explain the ideas and concepts of the lesson. Finally, remember; have the students recall the basic concepts of what shapes are and how they are different from each other.

Adaptive technologies are used to help students with learning disabilities. They are “equipment or products used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability. There are many different technologies that benefit these students. Some adaptive technologies include recorded books, text-to-speech software, digital books, and much more. I used to be a student aide in the ESE classroom at my high school. I worked with a young girl who was severely disabled. She used the recorded books technology. This helped her because she couldn’t see too well to read the words; instead the computer read the words to her. I honestly don’t imagine coming across many challenges using adaptive technology. If anything it would be beneficial to ALL students.

I learned a lot from making my first website using Weebly. I really liked the different templates and how easy it was to make new pages and navigate through the website. Next time I could include more pictures and make it more appealing to the human eye. I will definitely be using Weebly to create different websites as I get older and during my career.

http://missmurnane.weebly.com/