Techno-Tools for ME =)

An Assessment of 8 Tools of Technology for Education

1. Edublogs ****

Edublogs is a free online blogging site for educators and students. You can communicate with parents and students, as well as, other teachers to share ideas, information and opninions. The site is capable of uploading all sorts of media such as videos and pictures, and is very customizable to suit your needs. Our school is has used this blog to communicate with students and parents. (http://ums8c.edublogs.org/)

2. Moodle ****

This online course management system is very efficient and effective. It allows the educator to relay information directly and clearly. As a student, the site is very easy to navigate through. Assignments may be submitted with little difficulty and feedback from the teacher can be instantaneous. I appreciate that UOG has adopted the Moodle system for all these reasons, and also because it is eco-friendly.

3. TokBox ***

Tokbox is a free, online video communication site that allows anyone with a webcam to communicate anywhere around the world. This tool does not require any download, unlike most video communication programs. The best part about it is that it is free. Students can learn about other cultures from around the world with a simple click of the mouse. With technology like this, the rest of the world is at the tip of your fingertips.

4. Google Apps *****

Google applications allows its users to practically do everything you would normally on a computer, online. The only difference is everything is stored online so you don't risk losing files because of crashed computers of lost thumb-drives. Some of the applications you will find on Google are Gmail, Google Page Creator, Google Talk, Google Calender, Google Documents and Spreadsheets, and various Google sites.

5. Mozilla Firefox ****

Mozilla Firefox is a free web browser. It features tab browsing, simple file downloading, and add-ons that allows users to customize their browsers to fit their needs. The most notable feature Mozilla has is its security. Viruses are less prone to attack and the system is pretty fast.

6. Delicious ***
Delicious is an online, social, bookmarking website that allows you to browse and search sites of other users with ease. You can tag, bundle and save bookmarks with little difficulty. The simple layout of this website allows for simple navigation.

7. SchoolTube *****

Schooltube is a great way for students and teachers to view and share educational videos. Just like YouTube, it is free to use and view. However, the content displayed on this website is strictly monitored so that everything that is uploaded is safe for all students to view. On this site, students may enter video contests for prizes.

8. Hulu ***

Hulu is a video streaming site that allows its users to watch movies, TV episode and video clips online for free. Viewers are able to watch missed episodes of their favorite show on the Internet at their own time. But you have to watch it before it gets deleted. As good as it sounds, Hulu has its limits. About 5 episodes of a TV show are displayed at a time with older episodes being deleted as newer ones are uploaded. Teachers can use this technology in their classroom, watching shows relevent to their curriculum.

Rating

poor: *

okay: **

good: ***

better: ****

excellent: *****

Assistive Technolgy, an enabler

Enabling Dreams

Every student that enters a classroom has a right to an education. Despite how difficult in may be it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that each student is included in the learning process. With assistive technology, students with disabilities will now be able to participate in a regular classroom far better than they were able to several years before.

It is amazing how much we have progressed with assistive technology. Students who do not have the full use of limbs are now capable of writing essays and playing instruments. Students who have difficulty in walking can now move from one place to the next with ease. Watching the video has opened my eyes to how much these students are grateful for this kind of technology.

When a teacher plans a lesson, it is very important to consider the students that are involved. If a student has a disability and is using assistive technology, the teacher must plan a lesson that will allow the student to participate with the use of the AT. The teacher should never plan a lesson that leaves the student out. Things to consider when planning a lesson:

1) Will the student be able to participate with or without the AT?
2) Will an alternative activity be possible for the student with a disability if the whole-class activity does not permit him to participate?

If there is no way a student can participate in the lesson with the use of the AT then the lesson must be modified.

Assistive technology allows the student to overcome their disability and gives a much needed self-esteem boost. It levels the playing field with students in the regular classroom and allows the student with a disability to reach their full potential. They are no longer confined by their disabilities but now have dreams to fulfill. Now it is up to the teacher to help those dreams become a reality.

PEMDAS Multi-Media Lesson Plan

PEMDAS

Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction

ASSURE Model Lesson Plan

ANALYZE LEARNERS

General Characteristics

• Number of Students: 20
• Grade Level: 8^th
• Gender: 10 females, 10 males
• Age Range: 12-14 years old
• No learning disabilities
• Ethnicity: 8 Chamorros, 6 Filipinos, 2 Chuukese, 1 Chinese, 1 Korean, 1 Caucasian

Entry Competencies

• Skills they already have: Basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), number sense
• Skills to review: Decimal operations

Learning Styles

• Visual: 20% of students
• Auditory (hearing/visual): 10% of students
• Kinesthetic (hands on/physical): 70% of students

STATE OBJECTIVES

• The student will be able to recall the order of operations in solving expressions using the PEMDAS order of operation procedures given 20 problems with 85% accuracy or better.

• The student will be able to simplify expressions using the PEMDAS order of operations procedures given 20 problems with 85% accuracy or better.

SELECT MEDIA, MATERIALS AND METHODS

Media

• Computer, multimedia projector and screen
• Computer writing tablet and screen recording software
• Webpage creators
• Digital cameras
• Windows Movie Maker, iMovie or other movie-making programs
• Internet
• Chalkboard and chalk

Materials

• Practice problems worksheets
• PowerPoint Jeopardy game and handouts
• PEMDAS quiz

Methods

• Teaching the lesson: A video presentation will be shown explaining the steps of simplifying expressions using PEMDAS

• Guided practice: Students will work individually to solve practice problems and make ask for assistance by a classmate or the teacher if needed.
  

• Demonstration of skill: Students will explain the steps of how to simplify expressions.

• Review: Students will play a game on PowerPoint to strengthen skill

• Assessment: 20 problems quiz on PEMDAS

UTILIZE MEDIA, MATERIALS, AND METHODS

• Preview the Materials: Look over the video presentations and game to make sure all topics are covered. Review the worksheets to make sure they are accurate. Remove or modify any questions that are unnecessary.

• Prepare the Materials: Make sure the computer, and projector are in working order. Print out the worksheets, game cards, and quizzes.

• Prepare the Environment: Set up the computer and projector if they are not set up. Place worksheets, quizzes and game cards on the materials table for easy acquisition for the teacher. Desks should be arranged so the screen is visible to all students that allow for small group work

• Prepare the Learners: Agenda of the day’s activities should already be on the board. At the beginning of class, the overall plan and objectives of the day are announced. Small group work and game rules are reviewed so students are reminded of how to behave during these activities.

• Provide the Learning Experience: The teacher will show a video presentation of the PEMDAS order of operations and go over examples on the chalkboard. While the students are working on practice problem worksheets, the teacher will walk around and monitor student work. Students will then be required to show their understanding by demonstrating the steps through various media options. During the PowerPoint Jeopardy review, students will get into teams of 5. Rules for the game will be announced before the game starts. Since this is a review, students in each team will be able to help each other

REQUIRE LEARNER PARTICIPATION

At the beginning of class, the teacher will go over the day’s objectives. This will take about 5 minutes. Before the lesson begins, the teacher will review some key concepts on adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, and exponents. The teacher will have at least one example of each different math concept and discuss the problems and solutions with the class. Once the teacher feels that the students remember the key concepts, the screen capture video of the PEMDAS lesson can begin.

The PEMDAS order of operations will be introduced with example problems demonstrated in the video. The teacher will also do several examples after the video on the chalkboard. After the teacher is assured the students have a good understanding of the lesson, the teacher will then call up several volunteers to work out PEMDAS problems on the board.

Students will then get a chance to work on PEMDAS problems individually through practice problems worksheets. As the students are doing their individual work, they may ask for help from a partner or the teacher who will be monitoring their progress.

Students will then demonstrate their understanding of the PEMDAS order of operations by creating a website or video presentation explaining the steps of simplifying an expression. Students must come up with their own expression, encompassing all parts of PEMDAS (Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication/Division and Addition/Subtraction.

For review, the students will play the PowerPoint Jeopardy PEMDAS game. Students will be split into groups of 5 (4 teams). Groups will be determined based on the math levels of the players. Strong and weak players will be distributed evenly throughout the teams so each team has an equal chance of winning the game.

Assessment for this skill will be a 20 problems quiz.

EVALUATE AND REVISE

The students will use this rubric to evaluate the teacher’s lesson: Terrible Bad Okay Good Great How well do you think your teacher taught this lesson? How well do you think your teacher understood this lesson? How well did your teacher set up and explain the assignment? How well did your teacher explain and use the PowerPoint game? The teacher will use this rubric to evaluate student performance: Unsatisfactory 0-4 points Below Average 5-9 points Above Average 10-14 points Excellent 15-20 points Score Worksheet Didn’t answer problems. Mostly unanswered or incorrect. Mostly correct. All correct. /20 Media Presentation Lacked creativity. Steps were not demonstrated correctly. Expression was too easy (1 step) A little creative. Shows some understanding of PEMDAS. Expression was ok. (2 steps) Fairly reative. Shows understanding of PEMDAS. Expression was slightly difficult. (3-4 steps) Very creative. Use of media was effective in demonstrating PEMDAS. Expression was fairly difficult. (4 or more steps) /30 PowerPoint Game Didn’t participate in PowerPoint game and caused distractions. Participated very little or not at all in PowerPoint game. Participated in the PowerPoint game. Had great participation and attitude during the PowerPoint game. /10 Quiz (20 problems) Missed 15-20 problems. Missed 10-14 problems. Missed 5-9 problems. Missed 0-4 problems. /30 Participation Didn’t participate and was not engaged during the lesson review. Participated very little or not at all in the lesson review. Participated in the lesson review. Had great participation and attitude during the lesson review /10 Total score: /100

University of Guam

Practice Text

Section 1
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.

Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.

Section 2
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.

Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.
Every good boy does fine. Every good boy does fine.


The University of Guam

Another Way to Lesson Plan: The ASSURE Way

The ASSURE model for lesson plans was very challenging for me. Since I started teaching, the lesson plan templates I had been given were quick and easy checklists. Write the objectives. Check which skill applies. Check which media used. Check accommodations for special needs students. Check type of assessment used. Check. Check. Check. For the math teacher the EEIC (Essential Elements of Instruction Checklist) was ideal. It was ideal because in the typical math classroom the same routine was always used. Go over the new lesson, work out some examples on the board, ask questions, practice problems and then give a quiz. This method has worked in the classroom for years, but that was years ago. A new age is dawning and old age methods might not work in the new age world. The ASSURE model for lesson planning provides a planning framework suitable for dealing with the ongoing changes of media and technology in the teaching and learning environment. (Office of Information Technology, 2003). With the ASSURE model, teachers are given the opportunity to incorporate these changes into the classroom environment.

The NETS*T standard I felt applied to the lesson plan assignment is NETS*T 2A: design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity (ISTE, 2008) . It was difficult planning a math lesson incorporating other forms of technology aside from a pencil and paper. In every math class I had, most of the time was spent practicing math problems on paper. Of course, it is important to use that type of media in a math classroom because how else can a student practice working out math problems? While I was designing this lesson, I also had to think about my learners. Let's face it: Most of our students spend more time in front of a computer screen than a math book. They would rather watch the movie than read the book. It's not that they're lazy or incapable. It's just that their minds are set to the "why do we have to memorize it when we can just look it up" mentality. Information is already at the tip of their fingertips so why spend so much time getting them to memorize something when we can use that to our advantage. But the best I could come up with is a PowerPoint Jeopardy game. (I was thinking about using the game as a template for them to perhaps make their own math game, but another factor is that some students don't have a computer at home to do this assignment.)

Using technology was not so difficult in completing this assignment. At first, I did not know how to go about writing a lesson plan using the ASSURE model. We went over the components of it in our last meeting, but how to write it was a completely different story. I did a lot of online research before I was able to formulate an idea of what I wanted to do. It really helped to have templates to model this lesson plan from.

I learned that lesson planning requires a lot of PLANNING. You can never come into a classroom expecting to reach the most number of students unprepared. If you don't consider their demographics or their prior knowledge, the lesson will be a failure because you didn't prepare your students. Incorporating a variety of media into your lessons will also help reach more students who are a different learners. In lesson planning, your goal is to find the best way to reach your students so that they are successful in learning the content.


Sources:
Office of Information Technology. (2010). Assure Learning Through the Use of the ASSURE Model. Retrieved February 4, 2010, from Valencia Community College.

ISTE: International Society for Technology in Education. (2008) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Retrieved February 5, 2o10, from ISTE.