Blog #9

In a flipped classroom, instruction occurs outside of class and the homework like activities occur inside of class, figuratively flipping the classroom. This works by students listening to instruction online at home to prepare for in-class activities and work that corresponds to the lesson. This gives the opportunity for students to be alongside the teacher and peers while doing their "homework," which in a flipped classroom turns into classwork. I believe this in theory a good idea but I do not think this could work with every subject. Subjects like math and science can be difficult to instruct in a flipped classroom, in my opinion. I do not think a classroom should be entirely flipped, rather should alternate between traditional and flipped classrooms. Here is a link to a source of educational videos: https://www.khanacademy.org

Khan Academy is the link I provided above and it is a web-based resource that provides video lessons for multiple subjects and breaks down the material to help students who are struggling with understanding the content. I had teachers who assigned us to watch these videos whenever they were absent. This was beneficial because substitute teachers usually fail to teach whenever a teacher is absent. With Khan Academy teachers can assign lectures that students must take notes on in order to be more prepared for the lesson when the teacher returns. This can prevent falling too behind from your initial lesson plan. I think another great web-based resource is Qualtrics because it can be used to measure things like student progress and understanding, teacher evaluation, and parent involvement. This is an online survey resource, which would most likely be used for older students, not elementary, who can accurately and honestly answer survey questions. Here is the link: https://fsu.qualtrics.com/ControlPanel/ 

I really enjoyed this assignment and I think this is my favorite one so far. It did take some time to create but I chose a topic that interested me so it was actually fun. I know that when I use this in the future I won't necessarily be creating quizzes or games on subjects that interest me this much, but I still see myself using this skill because the end result is very satisfying and I know the kids will love it. I think I can improve the amount of questions I put on these quiz games because I would most likely want the game to last longer and give all my students a chance to play. In my game I only gave players one chance to get the answer correct, however, I think in the future I may manipulate the hyperlinks to allow players multiple chances. I definitely practiced my PowerPoint skills and this assignment taught me new functions of PowerPoint that I never knew existed, like hyperlinking slides and disabling linear presentations. Here are screenshots of my quiz game called "The Fault In Our Stars" (P.S. The pictures are actually gifs but you cannot see that in the screenshots)

Blog #8

I believe gamification is a great technology advancement in education because it really does help the students remember the material they just learned. Teachers can project the game on the smart board and make it an entire class participation effort or separate the students in groups to play the game amongst themselves. The important thing about using gamification in the classroom is that the students must already be familiar with the material. Games are a form of practice and review, not a form of learning new information so they do not replace the job of the teacher.

 On the scale of the digital divide, I am on the side of people who do have access to these hardware, software, and internet devices. I went to private school for high school and all of the students were provided with the same iPad that we got to keep until graduation, which then you either give back to the school or pay to keep it. I think it was a great idea for all the students to be given the same device controlled under the same administrator because it made sure that we all had access to this technology and we all fell under the same side of the digital divide. I hope that when I become a teacher that the school will provide the students with the same technology so they each have an equal chance of gaining this access. It will also make my job easier because I know the kind of internet, software, and hardware access each of my kids have and I can create lesson plans a lot easier. If the school I work for is a BYOD system, I will just have to become familiar with my students and the side of the digital divide they fall under. I will try to provide alternatives and come up with back up plans for the students who have less access to these technologies. 

This assignment showed me how time consuming making a presentation can be. It did take me quite a while to put the presentation together because I tried to think of the best possible way to organize the information so my students would be able to understand and follow along easier. Doing this assignment helped me practice my skills with organizing information and providing a simple PowerPoint that is not loaded with too much information. I tried to keep it simple because I will be teaching this presentation to younger students. I liked the creative freedom of this project, but at the same time it did take me some time to think about what I wanted to teach. Now that I’ve finished it, I am pretty satisfied with how it came out. In the future I will most likely include more information to this lesson, but for now I think this is a pretty good start! 

Blog #7

Starting with the “remember” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, I would use repetitive slides and graphics on PowerPoint to help students remember the material. I can help them “understand” the material by making a different slide for each concept and within those slides go into detail and elaborate on each point or term. Doing this will help them get a better understanding of the material, apart from simply remembering. I would insert links to videos on the slides that serve as examples of the material, so students can “apply” the material to real life examples or situations. I would also insert graphs and charts on the slides, so the students can “analyze” the information by comparing/contrasting it to other pieces of information. Students can “evaluate” the material by openly discussing the material presented in the PowerPoint. Because of the PowerPoint and the discussion it led to, students can then “create” their own original work or idea related to the material. 

Adaptive technologies are used by students with physical or learning disabilities. These technologies help all students receive the equal education they deserve through assistive educational tools. Recorded books are an example of this type of tool because it allows students who are blind or students who have trouble reading follow along with the book. Other examples of adaptive technology include word-predication software, scan/read systems, alternative keyboards, etc. There are some challenges that come with using this assistive technology. One challenge is that it requires more time and training for teachers. Another challenge is integrating this technology into the lesson for these students who need the extra help. The teacher needs to think more creatively when it comes to using this technology in the classroom. 

This Web Page Design assignment helped me practice my creative skills with displaying information in a way that is easy to follow and understand. I really liked the creative freedom we had on this assignment because it allowed me to design the page however I liked and about whatever subject and grade level I wanted to focus on. I can improve the website by making it more aesthetically pleasing and adding more information that could benefit the parents and students who will be using my site. This assignment can help me for my future career because I can use it as a real website for my future class. It was surprisingly easy to navigate and I think it can be very useful for me, my students, and their parents in the future. Here are screenshots of my website, which you can find at melaniegonza.weebly.com :