Post X: The Final Post

In looking back at my instructional technology class I will remember a lot of different programs and methods I can use in my future as an educator. Will I use all of them? Absolutely not, but a few of them stick out as valuable resources for a teacher.

Google Docs is probably the most versatile facet of the class that was covered, which is why we spent several classes on it. The best part is: it's free. It also is a lot easier to, say, make a power point, or Google slides, presentation on docs and have it there than it is to keep transferring the file via email and flash-drive from computer to computer. Once it's in my Drive, it's there for me as long as I have internet access.  I also didn't know how easy it was to collaborate on a file with docs.

I would have liked more hands-on experience with Smartboards. I see them everywhere in every school now and I still don't consider myself familiar with it. It seems like one of those things you learn over time with experience. The program we used to make a lesson on it seemed like an animated version of Paint added to Powerpoint, which is good because it's fairly easy.

Overall I think I got from this class as much as I put into it. Gamification was a real drag, but a few of those levels were interesting and ultimately useful. Jing sticks out as useful and Prezi is a much more engaging version of Powerpoint or Slides. However, I am excited to unsubscribe from a lot of the sites and services we had to enroll in. I am sick of getting emails from Twitter and Powtoon...

Collaboration and Communication

In our tech teacher game, we had a level that centered on collaboration and communication. These are two extremely important skills for students as well as teachers. With the technology that is now available to classrooms, it is easier than ever to foster an improvement of skills in both areas. Students no longer have to try to align their schedules with each other to be able to collaborate on a project. Google Docs, for example, allowed students to collaborate from wherever they are and whenever they want. Students working on a slideshow can each be responsible for their own part and work on it directly on the same file at the same time, collaborating and communicating at once. Google hangouts will also allow them to speak directly to each other and see one and other using their Google plus accounts.
These skills are not just important in the classroom. As students enter the "real world" they will need to draw upon these skills in the workforce, often collaborating on projects with coworkers. The better they are at communicating and collaborating, the more effective they will be in the workforce.

Prezi

Prezi is essentially Power Point: The Next Generation. Prezi allows users to make slide shows that are more engaging and interesting to those who are watching them. Instead of clicking through a slideshow that, say, hits a few bullet points, Prezi allows a creator to embed videos, narration, etc while the slides move in all different ways. A presentation can even have subheadings and zoom into them as the slides go along.

Of the presentations I watched, my favorite was probably "Why We Live Where We Live." Other than the obvious reasons, I really liked how personal the teacher made it. The slides where all about his family and why the left Finland to come to American and live in the UP. It also had plenty of facts such as the definitions of immigrate and emigrate. I found it to be an effective Prezi and one that would make students really think about why they live where they live.

I also enjoyed the "Mathematweets" one for all that it included. It had video about twitter and a bunch of examples of how the teachers used social media in their classroom, including what methods of questioning worked and what didn't work. I thought it was a good presentation and I actually learned a little more about Twitter, which I still struggle to use.

The third Prezi I liked a lot was the one about the Superbowl. I don't know what kind of class it was used it, but it was fun. It gives you some background on the teams playing in that year's bowl and also some history about the Superbowl in general. Anything that involves the NFL I will usually watch and enjoy.

Overall I think Prezi does a better job of engaging the audience than a typical powerpoint slideshow would. The movement itself sucks the audience in better than clicking through the presentation.

Flipped

1.) What is one tip you got from Todd? Never have a video longer than ten minutes for a class. Students can't be expected to sit through a video longer than that. 
2.) What is one question you have for Todd? What if some of your students learn better through worksheets and conventional learning rather than watching your five minute long videos? Do they still have to watch the videos? 
3.) After watching this webinar, are you more inclined to try to flip your classroom? Why or Why nor? I am less inclined. I think these videos are unnecessary to use every day. Once in a while it might be nice to switch up the class, but I think especially as an English teacher there are better ways for the students to learn. I especially don't like the attitude that this project and inquiry based learning is the best for every student. For some I'm sure it works great, but for others I think benefit from reading and learning in different ways. I would rather have my students read the material that I am trying to teach than have them watch me talk about it for five minutes a night. 

Gamification

Gamification in itself has been around forever. As one article said it "predates historical records." So, it's not a fad in that sense. Monopoly can be considered gamification and video games in the realm of education have been around since Oregon Trail in the 70's.

I think the new wave of gamification is a great way to engage learners and keep them working hard, even if it's just to get extra badges for random goals that are set by the teacher. It is a slippery slope, however, to not get obsessed with them. I think gamification needs to be a supplement to a teacher's normal curriculum. I have observed in real classrooms that the students can go to the game websites when they are finished with their work early. While other students are still writing an essay, for example, a student who is finished can work quietly on an educational game instead of talking or disrupting the class.

There are a lot of uses and positives for gamification, but education should not be restricted to playing video games. They should be used when necessary to differentiate instruction. Maybe even a Jeopardy! style game to finish up a unit or chapter.

I found this blog to be interesting: gamification is dead

Youtubes, Google Plus

YouTube is great for a lot of reasons, the least of which is certainly not that it's free. YouTube is a place where you can go to watch a music video you forgot about, learn how to fix your washer/dryer by watching a tutorial, or watch horrible mishaps as they happen to people that aren't you or your loved ones. Anything is possible with YouTube as long as there is a camera or microphone around. I wish it was more popular when I was making all those short films in college that I don't have anymore. We could have just loaded them on to there instead of reusing the same MiniDV tapes.

Google Plus I am still getting used to, but I see a lot of positives from it. I especially like the whole "Circles" business. You can completely separate different groups of people you know. You can keep one side professional and make professional posts and then have another group of friends you can post anything to without worrying about repercussions. Facebook, for instance, doesn't have that kind of stealthiness. Once you've posted it, it's out there for everyone to see.

Content curation is something that would take me some time to get used to. At this point in my life I don't really have much use for it, except perhaps to organize links to recipes. Generally I like to print those out for use in the kitchen, however. In the future when I (knock on wood) have a job as a teacher, I could see the benefits of it for both the teacher and the students. All of those sites are completely different but generally are used to organize information in various ways to simplify life for everyone.

iPads and QR codes

Dear School Administrator,

Every school wants to give its students the best education possible. Whether it be hiring the most qualified, effective teachers or keeping class sizes manageable, everything we do is for the children. Technology is one of those things that fits into our efforts and iPads are a very important tool in the education of our students.

iPads are mobile. For years schools have been trying to get more and more computers and computer labs, but you have to interrupt and move the class to go to where the computers are. With iPads, you get the ability to have the students simply bring them to their desks to do their work. Once they get there, the possibilities are endless.

Students can take their quizzes and tests on an iPad right at their desk and get their results instantly, saving precious time in the classroom teacher's life from grading papers. The scores can be automatically collected and documented. Once done taking the test, students can then feel free to go to any number of learning apps on the iPad instead of sitting at their desk bored and unproductive waiting until the bell rings or everyone else is finished their test. They can also use the iPads to scan QR codes around the room to make a quiz or activity more fun and differentiated for those students who have a need to get up and out of their seats from time to time.

I think with all the positives of iPads, its a no-brainer to bring them to our school. We don't have to get one for every student, but just get enough that teachers can sign out an iPad cart when they have a lesson that fits the mold.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Phil Bidlack

5 Things I've Learned 9.24.14

5 Things I've Learned 9.24.14

1. Education is more than what you read in a textbook

Students learn more in schools than what they read in the textbook. From the relationship they have with teachers and fellow students to the experiences they have in extra curricular activities, students learn from the environment around them. You hope they learn in a positive environment, but it isn't always the case.

2. Technology is everywhere

When I was in school, computers were found in the library and in the computer labs or classrooms. A lot has changed since I graduated High School in 2003. Every classroom seems to have at least a Smartboard, if not iPads and computers. Even in English class. The best teachers find a way to incorporate technology into their lessons.

3. Know your students

One of the most important elements of a classroom is that a teacher knows his or her students. If a particular student is smart but shy, you don't need to call on them randomly. If a student is a kinesthetic learner or has a need to get out of his or her seat, give them tasks like writing on the board or handing out papers. It's the best way to keep everyone engaged.

4. Not everyone can read very good

There are a lot of students, and people in general, who are not very good at reading. It is important to reach these people early, but if they are passed from grade to grade it is important to realize who needs the extra help. A wealth of intelligent, grown up people are marginally literate. Some people's reading ability extends to restaurant menus and headlines on the Onion. Teaching children to read from an early age can be the most important thing in their lives. 

5. Teachers need to adapt

Even if a student is a "difficult" child, comes from a broken home, has a bad attitude, or is past the point of being an exemplary student, they can be reached on some level. The key is to learn who the student is and how they learn. Every teacher needs to be able to adapt to his or her classroom and the unique challenges that lay therein. 

x

September 10, 2014

In class we started learning about Google Drive, something I'm fairly familiar with. I've used it for a few years now. My main use has been doing the employee scheduling at work using Google sheets, which works well with excel. By using drive I could make the schedules from any computer, whether it be my own at home or the main computer at either of the theaters I've managed. Drive made my life a lot easier once I figured out how to use it. It's a lot easier than emailing the same document to myself over and over as an attachment and trying to remember which version has my latest changes on it.
It was really fun to learn about how collaborative you can be with Google. The in class activities were actually pretty fun, especially rewriting a lame story with a few partners all at the same time. I used to write for a crappy television show the first time I was in college and I've always enjoyed building on ideas with people while writing. I also think it would work well as a lesson plan for high school English. Working like that is a fun way to get students' minds active and would help to build their writing skills for sure.
I was happy that we got out of class a little bit earlier than the designated 9:50 and relieved when the professor told us we will have two weeks in a row where we can work from home instead of coming into the stuffy classroom. That will be a great two weeks, as long as I'm up to speed on what we're doing in class.
I still have to buy a headset with a microphone. This is a time where I still wish I worked at Staples so I could get a discount as well as use some type of coupon. It would also be useful to have the knowledge of what's in stock. I'll probably just wind up ordering the cheapest set I can find online, or maybe I'll go in to my old Staples and ask my former coworkers what the best option is.
I'm very happy with this class so far. I'm familiar already with a lot of what we've covered but I'm really building on my knowledge and ability to use the technology. I think it might behoove me to take the follow up class next semester, if the school permits me to. The more technology for teaching you are familiar with, the better it will look when you start applying for teaching positions.

September 3, 2014

September 3, 2014

The first day of my technology class started with the technology in the class not working. None of the computers would log in and it was apparently a school-wide issue. Eventually they got up and running and class began, but I will be very frustrated with Stockton if it becomes a chronic issue.
Overall it seems like it'll be a good class and it's going to prepare me with the tools I need to implement technology in my future teaching. The quiz we took on the syllabus was pretty easy. I think the hardest things in the class are going to be the creative aspects, which should really be the most difficult anyway. Designing a web page is something I've more or less done before in the days of myspace.com and I've always been pretty good with computers, it is all just a matter of making choices, finding pictures, etc. I am excited to learn about smart boards and things of that nature especially those things that I have absolutely no experience with. Even with my familiarity with computers,  I'm still relatively new to power-point and blackboard as I graduated from Northeastern in 2007, before those became the standard for classes of all types. It is amazing to think of how much the implementation of technology has grown since I was in high school or even my first go-round of college.
The downsides to taking this class are already evident and they have nothing to do with the actual content or delivery. The computer lab rooms at Stockton are always too hot and this is no different. To add to that, the class is four hours long (only once a week, though). Hopefully we get up and moving around once in a while because sitting in this stuffy room is going to inhibit my ability to fully pay attention at all times. I am excited to take this class, even with the room and the length of the class itself. I should be able to get a lot out of it. Here is my website, which will be built on weekly.