I am on the left, my younger brother is on the right.
Hello, my name is Daniel Keegan Finger. I am a secondary education major at UC. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, with my mother, Renie, father, Jeff, and my younger brother, Greg. My mother is a nurse at the Christ Hospital, my father drives a bus for Cincinnati Metro, and my brother is a freshman at Georgetown College in Kentucky where he plays football and basketball. I attended Princeton High School and played water polo, swimming and volleyball. Currently I coach water polo for Princeton and I am also the president of the UC club water polo team. USA Water Polo!
Standards I.Technology Operations and Concepts
A. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.
Our lesson plan presentations met this standard because we had to demonstrate knowledge of technology in an actual class-type setting, teaching a subject using the skills a teacher would need and we utilized technology with those skills.
II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
C) Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
The software evaluations that we completed met this standard because we learned the criteria used to evaluate software for its usefulness and effectiveness in the classroom.
III.Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
This standard was met through our everyday classes. We were exposed to an environment that was very technologically enhanced and we had an instructor who utilized the technology around us in many different and creative ways. The lesson plan presentation also met this standard because we had to learn how to teach a class in a technology enhanced environment and we had to use that technology to help better instruct.
IV.Assessment and Evaluation A. apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.
This standard was met in our classroom through the various assignments and projects we had to do. All of the assignments that we did were actually assessments of our knowledge of the technology that was covered in the assignment. We also made a sample test/quiz, which showed us one way of creating an assessment and we also created a rubric, which is used for assessing projects and labs and other activities.
V.Productivity and Professional Practice
D. use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture student learning.
This standard was met through the many group activities we did in class. When we were in groups we were able to learn from the others in our group about the technology that we were using. The lesson plan presentation is a great example of this standard. Through our group we utilized technology and then taught what we learned with our groups.
VI.Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
D. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
This standard was met through an in class activity where we, as a class, came up with rules for internet and computer usage in the classroom. This activity showed us what we can do to make sure we teach safe and healthy use of technology.
Reflection
This class has contributed much to my once limited knowledge of technology and how to effectively utilize it in the classroom. It was very exciting and fun to learn about new technology and new tricks for old technology. I really enjoyed the group project and actually being able to teach a subject to a class. That was an invaluable experience and will certainly prove beneficial when I start teaching in a real classroom, not just in the safe haven of this class. The assignments were both useful and interesting, they were not tedious and in every case provided excellent information that I will use in the future. Classes, though they were three hours long, were not boring because they were packed with many activities and information that will be useful in many ways. There were many times where I found myself learning about new tricks in technology that I thought I had mastered. One specific example was when the man who works for the tech department came to class and showed us how to turn on the auto save in Microsoft Word so that our work would be safe, even if our computer started to act up. All in all, this class taught me many things about how technology can be effectively used in the classroom, and though my thoughts coming into class were that it was going to be boring and a waste of time, in the end it certainly turned out to be none of those things.
Artifacts of my work:
Standards
I. Technology Operations and Concepts
A. demonstrate introductory knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts related to technology.
Our lesson plan presentations m et this standard because we had to demonstrate knowledge of technology in an actual class-type setting, teaching a subject using the skills a teacher would need and we utilized technology with those skills.
II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
C) Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
The software evaluations that we completed met this standard because we learned the criteria used to evaluate software for its usefulness and effectiveness in the classroom.
III. Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
This standard was met through our everyday classes. We were exposed to an environment that was very technologically enhanced and we had an instructor who utilized the technology around us in many different and creative ways. The lesson plan presentation also met this standard because we had to learn how to teach a class in a technology enhanced environment and we had to use that technology to help better instruct.
IV. Assessment and Evaluation
A. apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.
This standard was met in our classroom through the various assignments and projects we had to do. All of the assignments that we did were actually assessments of our knowledge of the technology that was covered in the assignment. We also made a sample test/quiz, which showed us one way of creating an assessment and we also created a rubric, which is used for assessing projects and labs and other activities.
V. Productivity and Professional Practice
D. use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community to nurture student learning.
This standard was met through the many group activities we did in class. When we were in groups we were able to learn from the others in our group about the technology that we were using. The lesson plan presentation is a great example of this standard. Through our group we utilized technology and then taught what we learned with our groups.
VI. Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
D. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
This standard was met through an in class activity where we, as a class, came up with rules for internet and computer usage in the classroom. This activity showed us what we can do to make sure we teach safe and healthy use of technology.
Reflection
This class has contributed much to my once limited knowledge of technology and how to effectively utilize it in the classroom. It was very exciting and fun to learn about new technology and new tricks for old technology. I really enjoyed the group project and actually being able to teach a subject to a class. That was an invaluable experience and will certainly prove beneficial when I start teaching in a real classroom, not just in the safe haven of this class. The assignments were both useful and interesting, they were not tedious and in every case provided excellent information that I will use in the future. Classes, though they were three hours long, were not boring because they were packed with many activities and information that will be useful in many ways. There were many times where I found myself learning about new tricks in technology that I thought I had mastered. One specific example was when the man who works for the tech department came to class and showed us how to turn on the auto save in Microsoft Word so that our work would be safe, even if our computer started to act up. All in all, this class taught me many things about how technology can be effectively used in the classroom, and though my thoughts coming into class were that it was going to be boring and a waste of time, in the end it certainly turned out to be none of those things.