EDUC 422 come to an end!

I learned many valuable technology application, operation, concepts, ethic use, and federal laws in the EDUC 422 class. As a teacher I definitely will use most of this knowledge in my work and also I will pass this knowledge to my students. I want to create a classroom environment that fosters technology. I will include in my classroom rubric, PowerPoint, Excel-spreadsheet, Imovie, Wiki-space, filamentality, and Inspiration data. In my personal point of view, I’m not so enthusiastic about the Backflip. I believe that happen because I use the Yahoo bookmark, which is a little similar. I also think it is a lot work and academic Web-sites change their address a lot. To me the best way to organize the sites is to add to favorites and it requires a simple description about it. I believe that the class was great I learned o lot in this class. The only thing I would improve is that a small number of assignments. If there were fewer assignments, I believe I could learn more about of the applications tools and more possible use. I also would like to see the professor have an assistant. It would be great to have more people to help you with your questions, especially because for many of us it was the first time we got to work with these programs.
In conclusion, this was a great curse where I learn so much that I will be able to apply to improve my work and to raise my student’s knowledge.

“The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.”
-Sir John Lubbock,
British Naturalist

Video Project.

Video Project

About our final video project I have to say that I enjoy work in group. Collaborative work is always interesting and much more creative since everyone is able to bring their personal insight into the project. The preproduction part of the project was very fun, but not so realistic. The moment we got together and we started making the prompts; we realized that would be a most extensive part of our work. We work non –stop for almost 3 hours to have all the prompts and the script done. Filming the project was exciting and we were able to retake the scenes several times until we were happy with the results. The digital editing was another step to take into consideration. We were obligated to work just during the class period, which limited the quality of editing. Most the people in class never did IMove before and everyone needed help with editing. Just one instructor to help it became difficult to learn a lot about editing. I wish we had more time and more qualify people to help us editing the video. I have to say that I did what I could do with the previous short instruction I got. I hope in the future I can lean more about it and take full advantage over this great media technology tool.

Splicing Video Into The Writing Process

The article is great, describes the work of these two teachers that decided to expose their students to a multimedia assignment. These teachers were capable to use multimedia too to enrich their content area. Like they say on the article “this is a great way to communicate in the digital era” (Hanging & Scot, 26). With the use of this multimedia they were able to raise the enthusiasm of learning of their students. In the article they listed all the steps necessary to have a video project done. There are many different steps before the project is completed and ready to be presented to the class. This collaborative work requires commitment from all the group members. During the assignment course the students: brainstorm their ideas, they create a purpose for their audience, and they organize and revise the final product. During this creative process the students become expert at their material with the intention of to be ready to teach it to the class. Could not be a better way to learn than to be part of creation.

“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that creates the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.”

Haim Ginott
Teacher, Author

Making a movie.

Today my group and I worked in record our Imovie. It was a great experience for everyone. We had a lot of fun, and we learned a lot. We follow our Story board to build our sceneries and text. It was a lot work as well. We had to build all our prompts before we start record the move. At the end the day we were very happy with the results. It is amazing that we spent three hours to have just the first part of our work done and at the end after the movie gets edit it will be just 2 minutes movie. So far this seems a very nice assignment, but I believe it early to say something more about. We just worked on the storyboard, which did not take us long time. Because we new exactly which topic we want to do it was easy. The storyboard was just a formal part of this project. The record session was much more work and also more insightful. Now let see next week, when we have to edit the movie. I believe that is when we really going to encounter difficulties, but at the same time will be a useful tool to learn.

“Your job gives you authority. Your behavior earns you respect.”

-Irwin Federman,
Businessman

WebQuest!

The Use of Web Quest.

Web Quest is a great cooperative learning tool. With Web Quest a teacher can create a challenge assignment where his or her students will have a positive experience.
This experience can creates interdependence. Students will search through the links designated by their teacher and they will be challenge and motivated. Web Quest makes learners investigate a specific theme or simply answer questions guided by the instructor without get lost in a no validate research. The teacher creation of a Web Quest creates his or her student interdependence and accountability. Teachers who use Web Quest incorporate the Internet into the classroom in a very productive way. The creating the Web Question is a guided instructions that through teacher sites choice the student knowledge will be challenge to learn and to think.



Filamentality


http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listaustralime.html


The Filamentality assignment was great. I had a lot fun working on it. First all, I loved researching for links relate to my theme. Second, build the Hotlist was also fun and creative. It is easy, but challenging at the same time. When I was creating I had in my mind my students motivation and curiosity. I want to create a site that inspires curiosity and excitement.
The writing portion of this assignment is formal and where I had to spend more time into it. The teacher instruction sheet was more official and containing academic explanation about the lesson. The Student sheet was nice to do, since was the guide instruction connecting to the hotlist. This part of assignment was nice, because I had to instruct, to modeling and to guide my students to the purpose of this assignment. It is really where the student will apply the knowledge they got from the hotlist.
In conclusion I definitely will use this tool in my classroom. I can see myself using it to teach so many subject matters.

Software Review

About the software review was a nice assignment. There was a prescribed part of this assignment where I had to install and navigate through these softwares and check out the academic quality of these materials.
The analysis and the review of the software was a nice thing to do. I believe through this assignment I became more capable to recognize good classroom software. I actually could see how great tool they are. Some of these software cover diverse subject matter that impressed me. I did not have ideal how much academic activities they promote.

Midterm

My Ed. 422 Midterm.

I went to my first day of the midterm believing that the exam was a hands-on midterm, but the first part of it was not. I studied a lot, I redid all my assignments and I was feeling good about it. There were several questions, which I did not have any clue it would be questioning on the exam. The questions seem simple at the first, but when I took a second look at them, they were a little trick. I left the first part of the midterm with a huge felling of frustration. I knew I could do much better if I had some guideline to study from. Also would be helpful if the Professor had expended some time talking about the midterm in class. My big surprise was the exam format. The fact the questions jump from fill in the blanc to hands on or to talk about what you know to hands on activity. The exam format was definitely a surprise. Becomes very hard to take a test when you don’t know what to expect from the test, and what the professor is expecting from you. The frustration grows bigger when the professor was not able to help us clarify any questions we have about the test. I saw myself on my own. The second day of the midterm it was better, at least I kind of new how it could be, and also it was more hands on material. I believe I did a little better this day. I’m sure the professor has her reasons to split the midterm in two sections and to choose a exam with this little confuse format, but I’m not here to questioning that. I did my best with the little understanding I had about the questions, but I could do much better if I could have access to clarify them.

“Good teaching is loving and listening, sharing and supporting. It is being passionately human. That is the point at which a good teacher begins.”

-Author Unknown

Database

The World Wide Web

Interfaces, Database, and Applications to Education.

This article explains that how database stores information and how could be use as an educational tool. The uses of database helps teachers instruct her or his students to organize and store their data. Teachers can also use this amazing tool to help in class assignment, research, communication, calendar, and as well evaluate students. There are many possible uses for this application. There is also the organizational factor; this tool promotes great organization for teachers as well students. In addiction the use of this application helps to save a lot paper and materials in general.

The Database - America’s President.

This article show how teachers can get children to organize their information with the use of this powerful tool, which is database. Promotes a critical evaluation of gathering information. The article also says that this application has many features and functions: arrange, sort, view, filter, and manipulate data in diverse ways. This article also instructs teacher how to conduct step by step a creation of a database that will serve to store the America’s Presidents information. The article explain that children are use to collect artifacts in a certain ways, and they just will transfer this prior knowledge of organize data to a specific application. This activity will be very powerful to their knowledge.

Bells and Whistles

This last and final article for the day. Talks about organizing database for the whole class use and how teachers can direct her students to do that. The students will create and accessing information and they also will learn how to organize the data the best possible way. The article also explains that when students are using database requires a higher level of critical thinking. This critical thinking skill can be use through out of their lives. This intellectual exercise empower students to a elevate stage of knowledge.

Personal Reflection about Database in Education.

After read al this articles and after the classroom database project, I have to agree that database is a powerful tool in education. This tool can be use in so many different ways. Database promotes organization and the clean work. The fact that all the information can be stored and organized in the computer makes assignments much more productive and focus. I should not forget the factor that promotes a higher level of critical thinking and that is definitely what a teacher wants for his or her student. I definitely see myself using database to store my students’ information. I will also have a database as a journal’s entries of my students’ improvements and needs. It is also great to storage for informal assessments, personal, and academic information about the students. I also could as a form of group work assignment. It could also be use as a classroom library’s catalog. In conclusion, the use of database is a collaborative classroom work and for sure promotes students enthusiasm about academic materials. This tool empowers the learning development and facilitates students and teachers lives.

A Building Block for Teachers...

Bridging the Digital Divide: A Building Block for Teachers

The author intention in this article is definitely clear. She wants to show that teachers should reexamine their conception about of use of technology in their classroom. The author expresses her view about how teachers should self examines their computer knowledge. The author also advices how teachers should submitted themselves to a frequently training to improve their computer skills. This way they will be able to use technology with better understanding and better quality. The author also sites how teachers should create a technology environment in their classroom and promote students discussions and group work as part of the classroom strategy. The author also mentions how computers are a very productively tool for learners and it should be use in it full potential for: research, networking, collaboration, telecommunication, problem solving. I personally like all the resource links she mentions on the article, which will be very useful to me. I also agree with the author when she says that teachers should be more aggressive to obtain financial sponsors to improve the quantity and quality of the technology in their classroom. She also says that teachers should ask for parents’ involvement in this process.

Wikis

I love this assignment because it is one more tool and skill I learned in the Educ 422 class. This is another great tool that could be use for so many different purposes. Teachers can use Wikis for a classroom research. He or she could instruct the students to change or add research information, this way the all class can get involve in the same project. This strategy can improve students’ participation, collaboration, critical thinking, productivity, and problem solving. The only problem is that some people are more active than others, and it could give them chance to manipulate the project. As a teacher I would be a little more involve in the Wiki, this way I could guide the students’ discussions and make equally productive to all.

“All students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the same way.”

William G. Spady
Educational Theorist