Introduction
My name is Jessica and I am a senior in Secondary Education concentration Social Studies. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I went to High School at Mother or Mercy on the west side of town. On campus I am involved with a Christian organization called Navigators. In addition to this, I am helping to start Youth Group for Jr. High and High School students at my church called Threshold. I really enjoy playing volleyball, singing (especially karaoke), and hanging out with my friends and my amazing family. My favorite TV show of all time is FRIENDS and I really enjoy watching episodes of that with my sister whenever we can. I have 3 older sisters, Stephanie (27), Katie (26), and Lauren (23) and 2 older step-brothers, Matt (24) and John (21). My sister Stephanie has a husband named Mike and my sister Lauren has a precious little boy named Eli. This is who is in the picture above with me. My mom is a dietician at Mercy Mt. Airy hospital and my dad is a dentist and has his own practice in Price Hill. I also have 3 dogs. The two at my dad's house are Millie, a Boarder Collie, and Penelope, a Great Dane. My dog at my mom's house is named Chip and he is a little Yorkie Poo. I will be graduating in June and am not really sure where I will be after that. All I do know is that I am excited to get into my own classroom and do the best I can do to make a difference in the lives of my students. Reflection
One of my "aha" moments in this class was when we used Microsoft Excel. Excel is a program that I have never learned too well so it was fascinating to see in class all the things that it could do. I had some trouble getting my gradebook right because of my lack of familiarity with the program but in the end was able to work it out and see that Excel is a very helpful tool for teachers to understand.
The content in this course has not only given me a little bit of use with different forms of technology that I may have access to and able to use when I am in my own classroom but it has also taught me more than that. I have learned that there is a digital divide among schools across the United States. This means that some students have much technology to use in their schools and others have almost nothing. This inequality of technology in the classroom is something that needs to be addressed because it will most definitely affect the futures of these students. In addition to the digital divide I learned the importance of only using technology when necessary and not to use it simply for the sake of using it. When implemented correctly into classroom lessons, technology can be a great tool. It can help students to learn a subject, how to use a particular form of technology better, and it can offer variety for students in the classroom which will help them to better focus and will hopefully help to keep them engaged and interested in the topic. However, because of the digital divide, teachers need to be aware that technology is not everything. It is also not always reliable so a teacher should always have a plan B in case the technology lesson they had planned did not work.
Standard Artifact I. Technology Operations and Concepts
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
B. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.
This standard is so important but may seem like something that can be passed off as obvious. There have been so many times in my school career, all ages including college, where my teacher or professor do not know how to use certain technologies. This is very detrimental to learning as well as students ideas on the importance of technology. This class as a whole seemed to be dedicated to this standard. The purpose was to, at least, introduce us to a variety of technologies so that if we have that resource at our school we will be familiar with it and able to incorporate it into our lesson if need be.
II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
This standard is what teachers need to do when planning a lesson that involves technology. It is important that teachers use technology for a lesson because it will make the lesson better and not just for the sake of using technology. I think this is something that my group struggled with for our technology lesson using the powerpoint. Our biggest struggle was figuring out what to do for our lesson and not just using powerpoint because it was a requirement. In the end we found a good plan and activity that required powerpoint because it made the execution of the lesson easier and more enjoyable. So in the end I learned from this class and this standard that it is very important to use technologies that accurately fulfill the needs of a certain lesson plan and not to just use them for the sake of it.
III. Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers: D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
This standard means that teachers, when using technology in their lesson, need to make sure they are managing the student's use of that technology. I think that this is something we did not do well in our group lesson. We did not setup any restrictions on what they could and could not do on the computers. I think that since it was a college class it was not as much of a problem as it would be in a high school classroom. We could have avoided this by adding another activity for them to do when they were finished with their powerpoint slide. This standard addresses the importance of teachers to remain in control of the use of technology in the classroom.
IV. Assessment and Evaluation Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers: B. use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.
An example of this standard is our rubric. In using the web to help creating the rubric we used technology to help us interpret results. The rubric I created can be found [[
|here]]. Technology can be used to help teachers assess the work their students have done.
V. Productivity and Professional Practice
Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers: C. apply technology to increase productivity.
One thing that I learned in this technology class is how technology can increase productivity for a teacher. One activity we did which helped us see how technology can help productivity is through our [[
|gradebook]]. In this activity we used Microsoft Excel and created a gradebook in which, as a teacher, you submit the grades and excel keeps you organized and allows you to find averages quickly. I hear often that teaching requires much time so if they can incorporate technology to increase their productivity and help them get their work done faster then technology would be very beneficial for them.
VI. Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those principles in practice. Teachers: D. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
This standard is one of the most important for teachers to know and model because safety and rules with technology is crucial. In the class we created a list of mock rules for our class to follow when they are using the technology of a computer with web access. I think that this is something that really should be established prior to the use of technology to keep students both safe and on task when completing their schoolwork that involves technology.
Introduction
My name is Jessica and I am a senior in Secondary Education concentration Social Studies. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I went to High School at Mother or Mercy on the west side of town. On campus I am involved with a Christian organization called Navigators. In addition to this, I am helping to start Youth Group for Jr. High and High School students at my church called Threshold. I really enjoy playing volleyball, singing (especially karaoke), and hanging out with my friends and my amazing family. My favorite TV show of all time is FRIENDS and I really enjoy watching episodes of that with my sister whenever we can. I have 3 older sisters, Stephanie (27), Katie (26), and Lauren (23) and 2 older step-brothers, Matt (24) and John (21). My sister Stephanie has a husband named Mike and my sister Lauren has a precious little boy named Eli. This is who is in the picture above with me. My mom is a dietician at Mercy Mt. Airy hospital and my dad is a dentist and has his own practice in Price Hill. I also have 3 dogs. The two at my dad's house are Millie, a Boarder Collie, and Penelope, a Great Dane. My dog at my mom's house is named Chip and he is a little Yorkie Poo. I will be graduating in June and am not really sure where I will be after that. All I do know is that I am excited to get into my own classroom and do the best I can do to make a difference in the lives of my students.
Reflection
One of my "aha" moments in this class was when we used Microsoft Excel. Excel is a program that I have never learned too well so it was fascinating to see in class all the things that it could do. I had some trouble getting my gradebook right because of my lack of familiarity with the program but in the end was able to work it out and see that Excel is a very helpful tool for teachers to understand.
The content in this course has not only given me a little bit of use with different forms of technology that I may have access to and able to use when I am in my own classroom but it has also taught me more than that. I have learned that there is a digital divide among schools across the United States. This means that some students have much technology to use in their schools and others have almost nothing. This inequality of technology in the classroom is something that needs to be addressed because it will most definitely affect the futures of these students. In addition to the digital divide I learned the importance of only using technology when necessary and not to use it simply for the sake of using it. When implemented correctly into classroom lessons, technology can be a great tool. It can help students to learn a subject, how to use a particular form of technology better, and it can offer variety for students in the classroom which will help them to better focus and will hopefully help to keep them engaged and interested in the topic. However, because of the digital divide, teachers need to be aware that technology is not everything. It is also not always reliable so a teacher should always have a plan B in case the technology lesson they had planned did not work.
Standard Artifact
I. Technology Operations and Concepts
Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. Teachers:
B. demonstrate continual growth in technology knowledge and skills to stay abreast of current and emerging technologies.
This standard is so important but may seem like something that can be passed off as obvious. There have been so many times in my school career, all ages including college, where my teacher or professor do not know how to use certain technologies. This is very detrimental to learning as well as students ideas on the importance of technology. This class as a whole seemed to be dedicated to this standard. The purpose was to, at least, introduce us to a variety of technologies so that if we have that resource at our school we will be familiar with it and able to incorporate it into our lesson if need be.
II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences
Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. Teachers:
C. identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.
This standard is what teachers need to do when planning a lesson that involves technology. It is important that teachers use technology for a lesson because it will make the lesson better and not just for the sake of using technology. I think this is something that my group struggled with for our technology lesson using the powerpoint. Our biggest struggle was figuring out what to do for our lesson and not just using powerpoint because it was a requirement. In the end we found a good plan and activity that required powerpoint because it made the execution of the lesson easier and more enjoyable. So in the end I learned from this class and this standard that it is very important to use technologies that accurately fulfill the needs of a certain lesson plan and not to just use them for the sake of it.
III. Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum
Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. Teachers:
D. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
This standard means that teachers, when using technology in their lesson, need to make sure they are managing the student's use of that technology. I think that this is something we did not do well in our group lesson. We did not setup any restrictions on what they could and could not do on the computers. I think that since it was a college class it was not as much of a problem as it would be in a high school classroom. We could have avoided this by adding another activity for them to do when they were finished with their powerpoint slide. This standard addresses the importance of teachers to remain in control of the use of technology in the classroom.
IV. Assessment and Evaluation
Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Teachers:
B. use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.
An example of this standard is our rubric. In using the web to help creating the rubric we used technology to help us interpret results. The rubric I created can be found [[
V. Productivity and Professional Practice
Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. Teachers:
C. apply technology to increase productivity.
One thing that I learned in this technology class is how technology can increase productivity for a teacher. One activity we did which helped us see how technology can help productivity is through our [[
VI. Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal, and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those principles in practice. Teachers:
D. promote safe and healthy use of technology resources.
This standard is one of the most important for teachers to know and model because safety and rules with technology is crucial. In the class we created a list of mock rules for our class to follow when they are using the technology of a computer with web access. I think that this is something that really should be established prior to the use of technology to keep students both safe and on task when completing their schoolwork that involves technology.