Information Problem Solving Skills

Problem solving is a skill that we must use almost everyday for the rest of our lives. Children and adults alike must learn skills to help solve problems early on, to ensure that they are able to cope as their lives go on. Using/teaching these skills in schools, early in a child's life, is a great idea. Knowing and understanding these skills fosters independence for students, which is something that I feel children these days are lacking. The Big 6 steps can help assist in teaching students how to effectively solve a problem or attack an assignment/project. This can also boost self-esteem as children will be be more independent and less needy of adults assistance. I think it is important for these skills to be taught in the younger grades so that they can carry it through the older grades as they go.One thing I found confusing was the Big 6 website. I found it difficult to navigate around it and find a simple definition of what the Big 6 entailed before looking at other guidelines and worksheets.

IConn

IConn allows its users to obtain an endless amount of information from various types of periodicals and databases. Due to the fact that this website is free and available to anyone, it ensures that it will be used and will be helpful. IConn can ensure digital equity in Connecticut because it is available to the entire state, not just school systems or a certain type of person. It is available on your home computer, which means that people will not have to use it at school or in a public library. That type of access is extremely beneficial. This program will allow users to get a lot of information on millions of topics.I found Kids InfoBits to be a great tool for children who are looking for information/articles on a specific topic. It is kid friendly to use and looks kid friendly, too! I feel that children will feel comfortable using it and will not feel overwhelmed by the way it appears. Student Edition seems to be more for the older grades, but has the same concept. I think that all of these databases are of great benefit to all users. I definitely think that I will use these databases in the future for myself, as well as for the students that I work with and will work with. It is a great way to use technology to obtain information in a somewhat fun manner.

Phew!

After 9 long classes, my final portfolio is finally done! I hope you all enjoy looking through all of my projects, my educational philosophy and some resources and sites that I recommend checking out. I've had a great time and have thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the different programs that we have worked with. I can't wait to implement some of these programs in the classroom as well as share them with both other educators and students.

I hope you all have a great rest of the summer!

Non-Linear PowerPoint

Non-linear PowerPoints are a great tool for use in the classroom. These types of power points can be used as a different aid in teaching a specific lesson or as a fun game to assess content knowledge. I have seen these types of PowerPoints used in the classroom before as a Jeopardy type game. The children absolutely love to play, and enjoy the different pace of learning a lesson in this way. They also enjoy creating their own game when given a template to use to input the questions and answers. Students see this type of power point as more of a game than an assignment or lesson. I found making a non linear power point very fun and somewhat easy. It is great to be able to completely create your own power point with no real specific guide lines. The only part about making one that I found to be a little tricky is figuring out all of the different buttons/hyper links and what slide they needed to link to. It definitely takes some time to create an effective lesson and power point.

Digital Divide

I do feel as though there is somewhat of a "digital divide" when it comes to technology and education. This idea is evident in the article, "Closing the Gender Gap," where the author discusses differences among boys and girls and technology. This article touched upon how girls use technology differently than boys and don't always learn in the same way either. Girls are less interested in video games and computer games, and are more interested in the more creative thinking programs.It saddened me to read that many schools of low socioeconomic status have little to no technology in their schools. These are things that we, as educators with access to technology, definitely take for granted. Little things, such as access to a computer to create a word document, are tasks that not every educator in the world can do. Today, with technologies such a smart boards, computer labs, laptops, etc... it is almost difficult to imagine what teaching was like before these technologies were invented. I also believe that educators should be trained in the different technologies that are available to them and that can assist in student learning. If teachers are aware and trained in these programs, they can then teach their students how to use such programs in an educational way.

RomeFinal.wmv

I created a visual essay using Photo Story 3 for Windows. This program could not have been easier to use. All of the steps to create a photo story are right there in front of you. It was probably one of the easiest programs that I have used thus far in the course. After the pictures were uploaded into the photo story, all that was left to be done was to crop them (if we wanted to) and set up the effects that we wanted the pictures to have. This was similar to power point, where you add in slide transitions and custom animations. The only difference between this program was that it makes more of a movie than a slide presentation.

I really enjoyed the fact that we could create a photo story on any topic we wanted. It gave us the ability to use our own creativity. I chose to do my story on places to visit in Rome, Italy. I have never been to Italy, however, I would love to go there someday. I am Italian, and my ancestors all came to America from Italy, so I often hear about all of these fabulous places. I had a great time researching all of the different tourist attractions and what there is to do and see in Rome. Now when I do get to go, I will know exactly what I want to see!

Photo Story could be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. Students would really enjoy using this program to create their own photo stories on a topic they have researched or learned about. It is a fun, different way to present information. Usually children create powerpoints or posters to convey information, but I feel that this program would also be a great alternative. Since the program is so easy to use, I am sure that students would become familiar with it easily as well and feel confident creating a project.

Wiki Assignment

Web 2.0 allows users to not only search for information on the internet, but also share information with others. Some examples of Web 2.0 programs are social networking sites (such as facebook), video sharing sites (such as you tube), blogs and wikis. These programs facilitate interactive information sharing. Web 2.0 has given users the opportunity to create their own sites. Web 1.0 simply allowed users to look up a site and read its content. These pages were read only pages and did not allow for much interaction. The internet has now created endless possibilities for its users. Certain sites allow visitors to edit the content of the page to offer advice, opinions, etc...

Throughout this course, each of us has taken on a different example of a Web 2.0 program. We have researched these programs and formed a class Wiki in which we have explained our programs, what they offer and how they work. In addition to this, we explained how these programs can be used within the classroom setting. I chose a program called Rubistar, which is an online program used by educators to create rubrics for classroom use. Learn more about what Rubistar is all about.

Reflections on Class

I have found this class to be very useful so far. I enjoyed learning about how to create and blog and website, as this is something that I can definitely use in my future as an educator. These tools can assist in informing students of what their expectations are, etc...Students can also reflect on how they are feeling as well. I found the copyright issue to be important because I feel as though many people don't know what is considered a copyright violation and what is not. I have found that it is very important to stay on task in this class, as there are several projects going on at one time. At time it has been a little confusing trying to figure out which project we should be working on. I think it would be easier to work on one project at a time so that everyone is on the same page. This is the only aspect of the class that has been frustrating for me so far.

UDL and eTips

Technology for today's students definitely provides added value to their educations. For children with special needs, these technologies can make all the difference. As the UDL article discussed, children and individuals with varying disabilities and differences can benefit greatly from different devices and programs. An example of this would be allowing a child who has difficulty writing to use Write Out Loud, which is a program that allows the student to type what they want to say and the computer reads it back to them as they type.Technology also assists in assessments that are crucial to prgress monitoring for both teachers and parents. Students can also track their progress so they now how well they have been doing or what they need to work on.

Inquiry-Based Learning

I feel that inquiry-based learning is a great model to use in the classroom. Children these days like to investigate and be independent learners. This model fosters such independence and, in a sense, lets the child control their learning. It promotes asking questions, which is not something that I was encouraged to do when I was in school. Children often feel nervous asking questions when they do not understand something. They may feel that people will laugh at them or that their teachers will get angry. However, with this model, children may feel more comfortable feeling confused. This model is also much more hands on, as opposed to the lecture style that many teachers use. Children also enjoy working with other classmates and sharing ideas with them. The inquiry-based model also encourages working with peers and sharing ideas. I feel that this idea is very beneficial and will definitely aid in fostering learning for many students.

Jamaica Sunset

This picture was taken last year in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Jamaica is a wonderful place that I thoroughly enjoyed. We watched these beautiful sunsets every evening, so I thought I would share one with all of you!

Copyright Issues for Educators

While reading several resources pertaining to copyright issues, I quickly realized that these issues are not so cut and dry. I often times google search information, pictures and articles that are used for my own personal use and for my students use in the classroom. Until reading this article, I had never thought about whether or not using this information would be considered a copyright violation. However, there are many rules and regulations when it comes to using other peoples work. I believe that the criteria for deciding if the work is in "fair use" are very appropriate and realistic. These criteria are that factors such as the nature and purpose of the work, the amount used and the effect on the market, be weighed and approved before the work is used. I found the document, "Copyright and Fair Use for Teachers," to be extremely helpful in deciphering what is a copyright violation and what is not. This document clearly described the guidelines for using specific pieces of media, such as videos, internet, music, etc...I think it is important to teach children what is considered a copyright violation because there are so many hidden rules that people, especially children, may be unaware of. There has been a lot of controversy in the past few years over copyright issues pertaining to music. Many children these days get their music off of illegal internet sites, not paying for the music that they are downloading. At times, these children do not realize that they are doing anything wrong. This is one example of why children should be educated on these copyright issues.

Concept Map

One of the assignments given this week was to create a concept map using a program called Inspiration. This concept map was made on an article read for the class. I found the program to be pretty easy to use, and can definitely see how it can be helpful in the future. Students and teachers can both benefit from using this program to create outlines and webs. Children in special education can especially benefit from using a program such as this one. Many computers in the district that I work in have, and use, this program as well. It was also discussed in another course that I took when we were touching upon assistive technology as it pertains to special education.

New Addition

I recently became an aunt to a fabulous nephew named Connor. Unfortunately for me, he lives in South Carolina. However, I was lucky enough to go down for a visit last weekend to meet him. This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. I framed it in class using Picnik!

Today's Project

Today we learned about photoshop. S.O. fun! While we only learned the very basics, I really enjoyed working with this program. Here is a little collage that I put together. It's a few of my favorite things all in one place! Hoping that photoshop doesn't get much more difficult! Enjoy!

Members of MD 400!

MD 400 class picture. We will be spending LOTS of time together over the next couple of weeks!

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

I found this video to be of interest because it directly pertains to our class, specifically educational technology and why it should be used in the classroom. It gives a voice to students aged K-12 in terms of how they feel, and what they wish to get out of their educations. I encourage you to watch this short clip, especially if you are, or inspire to become, an educator. Children these days truly are "digital learners", as you will see in the video.