Digital Blog Post #G

The first concept that interested me was on Using Technology with Linguistically Diverse Learners. Today, we have many resources available where technology supports the learning of culturally and linguistically diverse students. The resources support the education of students learning English as a new language as well as those who want to learn another language (Maloy, 2013).  Online language translation services, multilingual web resources, international newspapers and interactive maps, and English language word origins are great tools for both teachers and students to use in a classroom (Maloy, 2013).  I am bilingual and before going to school the only language I knew was Russian, things like translation services and multilingual resources helped me in learning the English language very quickly. Understanding where the English language comes from helps students automatically connect and understand the language.

The second concept that interested me was Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is the application of universal design principles to educational settings (Maloy, 2013). The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) defined UDL in terms as: Multiple means of representation which is giving learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge (Maloy, 2013). Multiple means of expression provide alternate ways for learners to demonstrate what they know (Maloy, 2013). Multiple means of engagement taps into learners' interests that offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation (Maloy, 2013). UDL advances in knowledge of how the brain process information to the design of a curriculum. I believe this helps such a wide range of students, those with special needs as well as the rest of the class. Daily I see how students tend to learn in different ways, having various resources helps them in the learning process.

The third concept that caught my attention is Differentiated Instruction (DI). DI "an instructional approach in which teachers create different educational experiences as ways to meet the learning needs of individual students"(Maloy, 2013) Students have different learning styles and teachers should combine different teaching styles to help the students understand and practice concepts. This may include combination of spoken words, visuals, videos, and hands on activities to reach every type of student. Growing up, I loved learning by doing hands-on activities whereas my friend, she read things and understood them that way. We can see every day that people learn and understand things differently. 

In conclusion, there are so many resources and tools in today’s society that allow us to be able to reach/teach every child effectively. Technology has allowed us to go beyond and teach special needs children as well as linguistically diverse children in different ways in classroom. As educators, we know that many children learn in different ways and it is vital for us to be able to incorporate different teaching styles in our curriculum.

Resources:

Kobenko, K (2017, February 23). Using Technology with Linguistically Diverse Learners. Created with emaze https://app.emaze.com/mypresentations#/my

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #E

The first concept that interested me was the Standard Software Applications. Many of us should know that we use software applications almost every day (Maloy, 2013). As educators, using software applications on our computers is a big part of our technology based teaching environment. Let’s consider Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, these are all vital parts in our education process. We use them to make lessons, charts, and the teaching process more exciting for the students. If we really thing about it, standard software applications are a part of most professions in today’s society.  

The second concept is Google Earth which is something many students enjoy. Google Earth is a free, downloadable application that works as a browser for different information on Earth (Maloy, 2013). It uses satellite imagery to grab, spin, pan, tilt and zoom down to any place on Earth. I have used this application before to motivate students in learning more about geography and the important events that happened in history. The students had a fun time measuring distances, creating tours, and finding important landmarks. More information can be found on how to incorporate more of Google Earth in to our lessons can be found in the article Google Earth in the Classroom.

The third concept is Inquiry Tutoring Systems (ITS). ITS is a powerful new software program that promotes inquiry learning through the computer responses to student actions (Maloy, 2013). These programs record the responses of students to see where their knowledge level is at (what they know and do not know). Then this program gives students their level of work and allows children to practice, which will help them become better as academic learners and test-takers (Maloy, 2013). I think this is beneficial to both the teacher and student. Students will not always need a human tutor and can practice wherever they go on a technical device, and teachers can keep track of student progress. This will make the learning experience fun for the student, especially through the different formats, games, modules and etc. that will be provided on the programs.

In conclusion, being aware and having different software applications in vital in today’s technology based learning environments. We can do so much to help the students learn by incorporating these software programs into our daily lessons. Having them will also help the teachers come up with new way and ideas to encourage/motivate students to learn certain topics. I believe students will also begin to see learning in a whole new way.

Resources:

Google Earth in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2017, from http://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/google-earth-in-the-classroom/

Kobenko, K (2017, February 7). Technology in the Class. Created with ToonDoo www.ToonDoo.com

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.  

Digital Blog Post #D

The first concept that I wanted to reflect on is the three ways to search the internet. The first one is free-text search also known as full-text search which allows you to search for the title, keyword, and the description of each resource for the word or phrase that is typed. The second search is called keyword/exact match search which retrieves only the resources that contain the word or exact phrase that is typed. The third one is the Boolean search which uses the terms AND, OR, and NOT to create more of a broad search. I believe all three ways are important to know and use. Knowing the difference between each search will help us chose the correct words/phrases or topics to search for. We all know that some searches may be time consuming but beneficial overall.

The second concept that I learned a lot about in this chapter is the criteria for evaluating web resources. The criteria consist of Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage. Accuracy is where you want to make sure the website provides a clear description of the site and the purposes. Authority is where you want to make sure that the author has credibility and to see if it's commercial or non-profit. Objectivity tests if the website is fair and nonbiased as well as free of advertising. Currency is where you want to make sure the website you are using is updated and date is clearly visible. Coverage is where you want to make sure the website has information on the site that is viewed without any difficulties or commercial messages. We all know that today anyone can make a website and for us to know whether these websites are reliable or relevant, we must know and use the five criteria. These criteria really stood out to me, many people do not actually take the time to see if the sources they use are reliable for their studies or reports.

The third concept that is familiar to most educators is standing up against cyberbullying.  Cyberbullying is the willful and repeated harm using technology. This topic is important for teachers and students to be aware of because it is a very common threat today with technology. Cyberbullying can be just as harmful as a face-to-face- verbal and physical threat. Teachers should positively implement rules in the classroom against cyberbullying. I have seen many cases of students get bullied and this would cause depression, poor grades, suicidal thoughts, and etc. Teachers should always be alert and make it their goal to make students feel safe and protected against that. 

In conclusion, this chapter had some very important concepts that are very vital to our academic system today. When researching, it is important to know which sources are reliable and relevant. Technology in education today has become an enormous factor. How we teach our students today to use technology, will benefit them in a positive way. We must also teach them to use technology to help others and motivate them to always move forward. 

References:

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.   

Digital Blog Post #C

The first concept that I want to focus on is the four learning theories. These theories consist of Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Constructionism. I believe these four theories are vital and can be impacted by technology to effectively help students in grasping ideas and concepts. Educators tend to use one or more of these theories when teaching their students. According to the textbook, “Behaviorism maintains that learning is a set of changes in human behavior created as a response to events in the environment. Cognitivism holds that learning is influences by nonobservable and internal constructs, such as memory, motivation, perception, attention, and metacognitive skills. Constructivism claims that every person interprets and constructs the world in his or her own way. Constructionism is a term that emphasizes the idea that learners build their own knowledge and adds the idea that those knowledge structures are public entities” (Maloy, 2013). I believe that as educators, we must be aware that students have different learning styles and implementing these different theories with the use of technology will help in the learning setting. I know this because I see how students learn in different ways, some learn by creating things themselves or changing them, whereas others learn by memorizing/imitating or sharing their knowledge with others. I remember many times having to combine these learning styles within a lesson because after getting to know my students, I knew which ones would understand with which style better.

The second concept that stood out to me is the Instructional Methods to Engage Students. These methods are one-on-one tutoring, learning groups, inquiry learning, metacognitive thinking (Maloy, 2013). One-on-one tutoring is teaching students directly and individually to a students’ needs and knowledge. I am very familiar with this because I would tutor students who did not understand concepts and who just needed a little more time individually. The second method learning groups is when students work in groups to solve problems and performances. When I was in school, working in groups was something I always enjoyed because it helped me listen to my peers and think outside the box together. The third method inquiry learning engages students in projects where they need to investigate, collect data, come up with conclusions, and present their findings in oral or written formats. I personally love seeing this method in action, I believe it surprises students with their predictions or conclusions from when they begin a project to the end results. The last method is metacognitive thinking which helps students examine/questions their own work and improve/correct their performances using skills taught to them. This is a great method to help students think critically and to always double-check their work before finalizing anything.

The last concept that caught my attention is the Role of Feedback. Feedback is another term for communication between a students and teachers (Maloy, 2013). Feedback is one of the instructional practices that has been found to promote increased success for students (Maloy, 2013). Feedback encourages learning from successes and mistakes, it gives students positive direction or when they are going off track. We can actually see this feedback in many of our digital devices, whether they are activities or just computer apps. I absolutely believe that feedback is important for students to hear! While growing up, learning never came easy for me. Many of my teachers knew how much I had to push myself to properly understand a concept, feedback from my teachers is what motivated me to continue on and always do my best. Their feedback meant they cared enough to see me succeed, which in turn helped me prove that I can! :)

In conclusion, educators need to be aware of the different learning theories and methods. Every child is special and unique, and may not all learn that same way. I want to always be aware of the different teaching styles/methods which will help me impact the lives of students and how they express themselves. Using technology to help students grow and be creative in what they love, will help the students continually push forward in learning. Feedback will always be a motivating factor in every students’ life. 

Resources:

Kobenko, K (2015, September 18). Four Learning Theories. Created with Prezi https://prezi.com/kc-d_enhk_pu/the-four-learning-theories/

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #B

The first concept I wanted to focus on is the barriers to using technology in the classrooms. I noticed there are many barriers that limit the use of technology with the classrooms such as: lack of access, teaching schedules, curriculum requirements, technology skills, organizational support, and personal attitudes (Maloy, et al., 2013, p. 30-32). Two barriers that really stood out to me and have a major impact today are technology skills and personal attitudes. A teacher’s familiarity with technology and the attitude she displays toward it plays a huge role in a classroom setting. We can see that when a teacher has a negative attitude about using technology in the classroom, it often is due to lack of knowledge of technology and how beneficial/effective it can be in learning. I believe that once that negative attitude is overcome, the learning process of technology will be fun and exciting.

The second concept that caught my attention is how technology enhances teaching/learning. According to the textbook, computers and other digital tools enhance two central aspects of the work of a teacher which are instructional practices and administrative/professional activities (Maloy, et al., 2013, p. 29-30). Instructional practices are methods of teaching during which the teacher is interacting directly with students and administrative/professional activities consist of planning, organizing, recordkeeping activities teachers need to perform to support direct instruction of students. As we can see, both aspects can be used technologically and work hand in hand in the effectiveness of teaching/learning. We as teachers need to push forward and adapt to new technologies as well as continue to incorporate them into our classroom setting.

The third concept that I wanted to focus on is the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) which is a broad vision of schooling that features technology-supported learning environments for every student (Maloy, et al., 2013, p. 37). NETS has a core belief that technology makes new learning experiences exciting and that the role of schools is to prepare students through academic content, encourage innovative and creative thinking, and prepare students for digital world.More information and activities can be found in the article The NETS project. I believe these standards help teachers and students think outside of the box and learn the necessary technological skills necessary for the digital world. 

Resources:

Education World: Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://www.educationworld.com/standards/national/technology/

Kobenko, K (2017, January 18). Technology in the Class. Created with ToonDoo www.ToonDoo.com

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #A

The first concept I want to focus on is technology-based learning environment. What caught my attention with this concept is that it opens a door to many new opportunities and possibilities for students to learn outside of the classroom setting. Students today are so deeply involved in technology, that it has become a part of their daily lives. As educators, we must find ways to help them continue learning through the technology that they love. According to the textbook, in a technology-based learning environment teachers can post notes, discussion questions, extra readings, and assignments that students can access and work on the site from home (Maloy et al., 2013). I believe this encourages students to do the required schoolwork from home while staying in contact with the teacher as well as the class. It makes the learning experience interesting. The article, Using Technology to Create Student-Centered LearningEnvironment, provides more information on the importance of a technology-based learning environment.

The second concept that interested me was TPACK also known as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. “TPACK refers to how teachers bring together three different forms of knowledge to produce exciting learning experiences for students” (Maloy et al., 2013). TPACK consist of three forms of knowledge which is content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological knowledge. To be successful all three of these components need to be combined. Teachers must be knowledgeable about this concept because it is important for students to learn effectively and not just focus on one component.  This is very important because I believe that to teach a student effectively, you must know and implement different learning styles. Many times, it is not enough to just focus on content and pedagogical knowledge, technological knowledge is very necessary in today’s educational system. 

The third concept that caught my attention was on digital identity. Digital identity refers to your technology talents, your knowledge instructionally and professionally with computers and other technologies (Maloy et al., 2013). I believe that as advance as technology is today, teachers need to build their digital identities and begin to understand who they are as educators. Having a digital identity will help teachers expand their knowledge of technology and become accomplished in their abilities as teachers. They will continue to learn every day what technology has to offer and become more confident. 

In conclusion, there is so much for us learn and accomplish to become a 21st century teacher. We can see how technology has become so advanced and therefore, as future educators, we need to take advantage of this. Using the technology we know and incorporating it into our classrooms, will help the student learning process to be interesting and exciting. We need to be aware and familiar of the new technologies and transform 

learning to a whole new level. 

Resources

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Saxena, S. (2013, November 06). Using Technology to Create Student-Centered Learning Environment. Retrieved January 11, 2017, from http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/743-using-technology-for-student-centered-learning-environment