Digital Blog Post #D Chapter 5

When reading chapter 5, it came to my knowledge that pictures and sounds are resources for creative teaching. These materials keep students concentrated on ideas in which the teacher is trying to communicate to them, as well as keeping them engaged. In fact, pictures and sounds enlarge the variety of teaching materials outside the teachers voice to incorporate much media in the classroom. Some websites that empower teachers to discover photo and audio resources on the web are Flickr, LibriVox, and Creative Commons. 

Something I found interesting is that search engines are one of the most popular of all internet activities. According to our textbook, over 90% of online adults use search engines to locate information. Search engines are an essential digital literacy skill. When teachers or students want to learn more about a topic they do what is called an information search. Back in the day, to find information was from papers and books. When using information searches, in produces a lot of different search strategies online making it a lot faster to gather information. Taking notes to remember the information you found throughout information searches is called electronic note taking. Electronic note taking is useful for both students and teachers. When taking notes, it summarizes themes, key concepts and main ideas. 

In addition, I have learned that there are many ways to evaluate online resources including Wikipedia. Wikipedia as most know, is an online encyclopedia. This website can be edited by anyone, making it not a reliable online resource. The Associate of College and Research libraries (ACRL) gives a list of criteria to think about when deciding the quality of the web source. The first one is the accuracy of the website. It is the overall reliability of the information presented on the site with a clear explanation of who authorized the website and the meaning behind it. The second one is the authority. When thinking about the authority of the page, look to see if they credit the author. Thirdly, you need to look for the objective. Last, is seeking the currency and the coverage. On the web page, you should look to see if it is up to date, as well as no pop ups. When launching a web page you should not have a thousand advertisements pop up. This link is a reliable web page because it ends in .edu. Most secure webpages will end in .edu, or .gov.

In conclusion, the internet has become a big impact on 21st century teachers and educators. With using pictures and sounds, it keeps the student interactive with the lesson making it easier for them to comprehend what is going on. Also, utilizing search engines and determining if they are reliable for information searches are going to help the majority of the population succeed in their researches. 

https://flipquiz.me/review/109288

RESOURCES:

Freeman, K. E. (2016, September 25). Chapter 5. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from https://flipquiz.me/u/kailinfreeman/chapter-5

M. (1925). University of Miami. Retrieved September 25, 2016, from http://welcome.miami.edu/

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc

Digital Blog Post #B Chapter 2

When reading chapter 2 there were three learning concepts that I wanted to further more reflect upon. The first concept was the different patterns of technology that is used by teachers. A fun fact I read during chapter 2 was that only one in five teachers use technology often in class to support student learning. With students entering the teaching world in the 21st century, they already know the basics when operating computers, powerpoint presentations, and communicating electronically. Looking back at the table 2.1 there are a list of the different learning environments with technology from traditional classrooms to technology based classrooms. One that stood out from the rest was Academic information from non interactive textbooks and encyclopedias to academic information from multiple interactive web based sources. Students do not want to sit in a class room and get lectured. With performing different resources and creating projects for them to get their information on certain education web pages it encourages them to work harder.

Also, there are multiple barriers to technology use in schools by not only teachers but students as well. The lack of money and being on tight budget causes schools to not be up to date with technology. If the society is changing fast with all of this technology, it needs to be brought to schools and used to the fullest potential. A way to overcome lack of money teachers can use free learning tools that they offer online instead of buying something for the kids to do homework on.  In addition to lack of money, I believe the parents have an outlook on it as well. They have that "if I didn't learn that way my kids shouldn't" perspective. Adapting to technology takes time and patience.

The last learning concept I thought was interesting was developing lessons and engaging the students. About two thirds of high school students reported feeling bored in classes everyday. Instructional practices helps you interact with the students. An example of this would be having a discussion online where everyone can interact with the certain topic and look at different feedbacks. You can also use administrative activities. This is the organizing of the activities teachers need to perform to support the their behind the scene tasks that make instructional practices succeed.  This article informs you with five different ways to give them more choices.

In conclusions chapter 2 gave you an advanced out put on how technology impacts different situations both negative and positive ways. It helps you understand educational technology issues and trends for 21st century teachers. 

Resources: 

Alber, R. (2014, March 31). 5 Ways to Give Your Students More Voice and Choice. Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-strategies-more-voice-choice-students-rebecca-alber

Freeman, K. (2016, September 3). Ask the ToonDoo Ferret! - ToonDoo - World's fastest way to create cartoons! Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www.toondoo.com/Search.toon?searchfield=teachingFrondeville, T. D. (2009, August 03). How to Keep Kids Engaged in Class. Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips

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