This portion of my website includes a collaboration of activities, lesson plans, articles, and experiences that I have encountered with technology. I feel that technology is a very important aspect of learning and will better prepare students for their future professions!
My MIL Philosophy:
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Follow me on Twitter for Classroom Updates and Information:
@andrea_shoe
How I Use Social Media to Continue Learning About Education:
My Thoughts on Using Twitter as an EdChat:
* When I got onto the Twitter EdChat, I initially was confused because I could not see my tweets on the live feed. I soon realized that my profile was turned to private and I needed to be made public. I did not like that I had to make my whole profile public, but I can fix this by making a twitter specifically for my life as an educator and one separate from my personal life. I really liked that the EdChat gave me an opportunity to talk to other educators about a topic in a relaxed environment. Any of the elements that I did not like about the chat, I could easily fix the next time that I participate in one.
* Personal learning networks are very helpful when learning about new things that can benefit your teaching. Just within our small EdChat, I have had several random educators and companies associated with education favorite or retweet my tweets. I think it is important to compare opinions with other educators and learn as much as you possibly can in order to give your students the best learning experience possible. A major benefit is being able to communicate with other teachers that are not in your normal learning circle. Instead you are able to talk with educators from around the world, comparing opinions, scenarios, and experiences.
*A major challenge when using social media is technical difficulties. I think these are common and unavoidable. I found that when I was using my phone in the beginning of the chat, I did not have the best experience. Using the Twitter app on my phone did not allow me to view the conversation live where as my computer did. Another challenge that I could foresee is advertisements. How do individuals that are leading these discussions get the word out to many people? This is probably through their twitter, but how do they build reliability and other educators as followers and participants? How do you know, as a participant, that certain EdChats will be good ones to join in on? These are just questions to consider and could be potential challenges.
Sample Lesson Plans and Activities Implementing Technology:
TPACK Lesson:
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UDL Lesson Plan Adaptations:
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Coding Activity in the Classroom:
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Articles About Technology in the Classroom:
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Learn About Computational Thinking and My Thoughts on the Matter:* I took away a lot from this article. Not only did I learn what computational thinking was, but the article also laid out the ways that it could be implemented in the classroom for each subject area. I learned and agree that the more educators that promote and support computational thinking, the more likely it will be to see it working into curriculums. When I first began reading the article, I was a little confused because of its focus on computer science and I thought that would turn people away from computational thinking, including myself. As I continued reading I learned the value of using the ideas of computer science in conjunction with education. Looking at the chart on page 52, I recognized the little things that are important in not only educationally advancing an individual but also in everyday life. Tasks such as analyzing data, making graphs, designing presentations, etc, are all important for students to apply because they will be used in their future and they promote higher order thinking skills.
* I see CT as being very relevant in my teaching. I think there is much value in computational thinking but I also agree with the article’s point that it allows much room for creativity with students and for them to problem solve. As time goes on, preparing students for the real world goes much beyond the knowledge and information they learn in textbooks. Having the knowledge to even use documenting programs on the computer is helpful in their daily lives. Exposing them to articles online with various viewpoints and exploring our world through the internet, prepares them more appropriately for their future. I think it is important to consider that educators today have many more resources than those in the past, and using those resources to push students to analyze, question, explore, and truly learn something, gives them much more knowledge and insight than doing just another educational activity. It is important for students to be able to write outlines, build models, and make graphs, using their higher order knowledge while learning how to use technology that will only benefit them for their future. CT is so relevant to teaching, and reading the examples in the article laid out how important it is to consider these things when educating students. * I can think of many ways to implement CT in my future classroom. Something as simple as collecting data and placing it in an Excel document, turning that into a graph, and presenting the information in multiple ways, allows students to be creative in the way they present their data. It also gives them the opportunity to learn the skills involved in using Excel, working to individually problem solve or work with peers when complications arise. Another way to implement CT, particularly in history lessons, is to allow students to compile information, photos, and facts about a place from the internet, organize it in a model, and present the ultimate guide for visiting that location. Again, students have the ability to let their creativity shine through computational thinking as well because they can use their creativity in constructing various models and graphs. These are useful tools that students will need in their futures for both their educational and professional lives. Learning how to make an outline, a simple pie graph, and analyzing and collecting data, are simple and important skills students need in life. If classroom computers were not available for my students, I would provide many opportunities to go to the library or computer lab to incorporate CT skills into my class. Implementing these skills in even small portions of the lesson can go a long way. |
Technology Used in The Classroom:
There are various forms of technology that will be used in our classroom. Here is a list of a few of my favorites, as well as their links for easy access at home! The students enjoy all of these activities and may ask to interact with them at home!
Bunny Times Interactive Math Game: illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=6801
CrashCourse YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Win The White House: www.icivics.org/games/win-white-house
Student/Classroom Blog Example (We will be doing a similar one in our classroom, launch date TBD): yollis365project.blogspot.com
MindMeister: www.mindmeister.com/740388935?new=1