I am developing a 3D printer integration project for my Intro to Educational Technology Class, and I thought it would be in my best interest to look into free courses relating to 3D printing. This particular class is labeled as "beginner" on Coursera, a MOOC site, and explains how 3D printers work and the booming industry that is developing because of this revolutionary technology.
Surveys are a wonderful and functional tool that can tell teachers a lot about their students. I aspire to become a kindergarten teacher; my online surveys will specifically target parents for obvious reasons, but I plan to include paper surveys for students. Any form of data collection is valuable! For my students, I will probably survey their understanding of a new lesson before and after I teach it.
One topic I found particularly interesting while reading my classmates' blogs was their opinions about the blogs. One of my peers said he did not have difficulty coming up with things to talk about (as he had many strong opinions), and I often find myself struggling with content. Like him, I also found building blogs to be an interesting process; the viewers do not necessarily see or notice all the features that go into building an interactive, online space. Either way, these blogs have allowed me to feel not as remote in my learning experience.
I would like to look into making or finding platforms to make worksheets I could sell or offer to other teachers online. I am referring to the designs found for all subjects on sites like Teachers Pay Teachers that educators and parents (or students!) can access. I feel like I could sincerely help other teachers, and I could make some side money to invest in resources for my students. I will most likely have to look into design tutorials and software that is affordable as well as easy to use in order to achieve my goal.
Online learning has some benefits, but it is not an ideal education. I am saving thousands of dollars staying at home and completing my classes remotely, but the experience is not the same. I do not enjoy watching hour long lecture videos or painfully awkward breakout rooms on Zoom calls. As a teacher, I would be sure to keep my Zoom classes engaging, and help my students build relationships with one another through online games,
Open Education Resources (OER) are free online resources that educators and anyone else who depends on them can access to enhance their teaching skills. Most teachers rely on OER for lesson plan ideas and ways to improve their students' learning experience. A great example of this would literally be the OER Commons, a search platform packed with valuable resources for any grade and subject. You can explore this site here.
I loved how valuable the PowerPoint projects were for me as a future educator. My knowledge in PowerPoint was very limited prior to making those two assignments, and I learned how to create a non-linear presentation! I was limited on time to practice everything I needed to get a high pass, but I did the best I could. Next time, I want to practice applying rolling credits and sounds to non-linear PowerPoints.
Designing my class website posed many challenges. I used the website building platform Weebly, which while user friendly, has many different tabs and buttons. One thing that was frustrating while building my homepage was the lack of spacing and "enter" key functions. If I wanted spacing, I would have to add in the "space" filler from the dashboard to create the said space between paragraphs and headings. Needless to say, I know how to make a website now, and you can check it out here.
Diigo is an amazing tool that should be talked about more in the classroom. I love that I can literally annotate or highlight any article with the function for free and upload that content for everyone in my group to see for free. Additionally to the accessibility of Diigo, it is also very simple and easy to use. I figured out how to bookmark web pages and online content, as well as add sticky notes relatively quickly.
Developing and creating new engaging technological driven activities for students is one of many tasks for teachers. Websites, worksheets, PowerPoints, and a slew of educational functions are all incorporated into the modern teacher's curriculum. In addition to designing online content for students, teachers must also stay up to date on new developing technologies that will better equip their students. For me, I have found LamasaTech, a developer of technology solutions, to be the most informative when it comes finding the latest trends in educational technologies.
Teacher pages on a school's website are essential in this day and age. Having free access to a student's assignments and class calendar are not only beneficial to the parent, but the student as well. Harrison School for the Performing Arts has a clear and clean website design with the teacher pages easily accessible. Click on any submenu under the "Departments" tab, and you will find a list of varying departments with corresponding teacher pages filled with contact information and curriculum material.
As a student, I thoroughly enjoy how user-friendly Canvas is. I plan on implementing Canvas with my future students, or encourage my school to invest in the program because it is a simplistic yet effective educational tool. I can use Canvas to share information, assignments, updates, and grades easily--it's all there at the click of a mouse! Punctuality and accountable are two important values for me as a student and a teacher; Canvas will help me implement my principles among my students.
Using Wiki was slightly confusing for me. Primarily, the overall design was very outdated in appearance, and I had a difficult time physically identifying tabs I needed to click on to update the pages. Besides that, the program is relatively easy once you are acclimated with the tabs and the material. I would not use Wiki with any students who are not in high school because of the confusing layout and design; older students could handle understanding the content of the program.
Twitter is still a bit of a foreign tool to me. So far, I have interacted with a live chat for educators and I have actively liked and responded to tweets on my feed. While it remains slightly unfamiliar, I know twitter is a valuable tool that will allow me to connect with other educators and share tips for the classroom. Twitter is also a great way to stay up to date on different educational policies being passed or implemented by the government.
Understanding the digital divide is essential to bridging the technology gap between teachers and students. Students exposed to technology from birth are more adaptable to it than their older educators who might need more time to learn a new piece of equipment. Such exposure from a young age can definitely attribute to the differences between how older and younger generations handle technology. As a future educator, I know the technology will be updated from what it is now, and my students will witness me struggling with something that came so easy to them.
Academic software is extremely valuable for students and teachers, especially during the era of E-learning. Of course, I would want to make online education more engaging; I would invest in Reflex Math and Rosetta Stone, two phenomenal academic software programs that are fun and affordable. Reflex Math is basically a series of online carnival style games that students must "win" through correctly solving math problems. Rosetta Stone is a software that teaches other languages, and helps students communicate with a diverse world. Both programs would enhance my students' enjoyment and learning because of the simplistic structure and creativity of the software.
For 1st grade under Florida's ELA Technology and Standards Matrix, a key standard is LAFS.1.RI.2.5. While the name of the standard looks like a keyboard smash, it calls for first graders to recognize and employ different text features--sub-headings, index, table of contents, etc--to determine important information in the text. With my current skill set, I would be able to effectively teach this standard, as I am very familiar with navigating user-friendly, child-appropriate websites from work. If were to have access to PC or a computer lab for my students, I would be able to teach even more effectively.
Under CPALM's toolkits for Kindergarten, I found a simplistic activity I could conduct with my students for English Language Arts. Called "Plant Write", the students would illustrate and write a sentence that connects with their illustration. This activity could be adapted for books read in class or even skits the students could present. "Plant Write" is a great tool that would help students with their comprehension skills.
Especially as an aspiring educator, it is essential that I am well versed with Internet searching. I need to know how to locate resources, find the correct file types, and determine if I am able to use the resource at no cost or with permission. I am a very visual person, and will most likely incorporate many images into my work; I will be depending heavily on the google images site. As for new searching skills, I did not know I could subtract words from the context of what I am looking for using a "-" and inserting said word. I thought that was very interesting!
I am developing a 3D printer integration project for my Intro to Educational Technology Class, and I thought it would be in my best intere...
