541: Final Blog Entry-Reflect and Assess

Final Reflection

As the course comes to an end, I have to look back and realize how much I have grown since the beginning of the semester.  I have enjoyed learning about so many different ways to use technology and creating projects to go with them.  Here are some of the highlights from this semester.

What I Have Learned:

• There needs to be a relative advantage to using technology in the classroom.
• There are so many software support tools that support both the teacher and the student.
• An iPad has so many accessibility features that I never realized it had.
• Social networking can be so valuable for authentic collaboration outside of the classroom.
• Every technology resource needs to be used intentionally and strategically for it to have a significant impact on student learning.

How Theory Guided Project and Assignment Development:

• I like to follow a mostly constructivist approach, so I try to step back to allow students to explore, discover, and create, while I facilitate and provide support when needed.
• This caused me to create projects and assignments where students are the focal point of the lesson and they can create meaning through doing.  
• I tried to create lessons that has little direct instruction.  The less I talk, the more students can do and learn.
• In most of my assessments, students have a lot of flexibility to create a project that suits their creative abilities.  I give them certain parameters that have to meet and how they go about meeting those parameters is up to them.

AECT Mastery:

• Standard 1: Content Knowledge: During the course I had to learn new ways to use technology.  Each module gave me an opportunity to become familiar with a different way to implement technology.  I had to read in the Roblyer book about the topic and final addition resources to back my opinions in my blogs.
• Standard 2: Content Pedagogy: I had to learn about a new ways to use technology to enhance my pedagogy and support student learning.  I was able to create different ways to implement the technology into my lessons and create ways to assess student learning.  I also had to be reflective and evaluate if the technology was effective and if it enhanced the lessons successful.  
• Standard 5: Research: At the beginning of the course I read about different learning theories that have shaped educational technology.  Throughout the rest of the course, I was always finding new resources and finding out what other experts had to say on each of the topics.  While I was gaining more content knowledge, I was researching the topics and referencing experts in my blogs.  Technology is always changing, so I know that it is important to stay up-to-date with the changes and innovations.  I am also collaborating with my peers in this class and viewing the research that they have found.

Professional Growth:

• I feel that I have vastly grown professionally over this course.
• I have been finding research to support how to implement technology in my classroom.
• I have expanded my content knowledge on education technology immensely.
• I have expanded my resources to enhance my astronomy pedagogy.  I can use simulations, games, tutorials, and drill-and-practice software to get students to a deeper level of learning.

Course Impacts on My Teaching:

• I have created new ways that I can facilitate learning and allow students to drive their learning.
• This will allow me serve as a support when students need help instead of stand at the front of the room and talk.
• I have learned accessibility tools on the iPads that I will use with students that need them.
• I will be able to bundle many different standards into the astronomy unit and technology will help make reaching these standards easier.
• I will also be intentional about picking technology resources and determine if there is a relative advantage before choosing it.

Self-Assessment of Blogs

Content

• The content of my blogs was full of detailed information that related to the module topic. I found other articles from educational magazines and journals to support and back up my thoughts on the topic. I provided personal situations when I had prior experience with it.  I also included links to examples of resources when available so that other classmates could utilize them as well.  (67/70)

Readings and Resources

• Every blog post had references from the reading in APA format.  Most of the blog posts also had APA references from other sources to support the blog topic. (20/20)

Timeliness

• All of the posts were posted early in the week to provide others a chance to reply.  I tried to get my readings and blogs done in the first two days of each module. (20/20)

Responses to Other Students

• I responded to at least two other classmates’ blogs for every module.  I tried to always provide a detailed response that supported a point that they made or to ask questions to probe for more information.  (28/30)

Total score for blogs: 135/140

541: Assistive Technology

The Accessibility of the iPad

An iPad, in and of itself can be assistive technology for students of all abilities.  It can assist students with different disabilities in numerous way using the iOS system.  “With these innovative technologies built right in, iOS devices become powerful and affordable assistive devices” (Apple, 2015).

Cognitive Disabilities/ASD

Roblyer, 2016, mentions impairments can range from  learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, and intellectual disabilities to moderate and severe cognitive disabilities (p. 410).  These students will need help with learning and lifestyles.  The iPad operating system has features to assist these individuals.

Siri, Apple’s intelligent assistant, allows the user to do everyday tasks.  You just have to double click the home button and ask Siri a question or to find something. “Siri can send messages, place phone calls, schedule meetings, and even turn on and off VoiceOver, Guided Access and Invert Colors. And because Siri is integrated with VoiceOver, you can ask where the nearest sushi restaurant is and hear the answer read out loud” (Apple, 2016).  This could allow a student to set reminders to help remember their schedule.  It could help give students visual instructions.  It could help them complete social tasks as well as academic tasks.  

Predictive Text predicts words that the user might be trying to type.  It gets to know the user and predicts words based on the way they type.  This would be beneficial to students who have a hard time spelling.  They would only need to type the first letter or two and the text would be predicted.

Physical Disabilities

According to Roblyer, 2016, a physical disability usually affects an individual’s mobility and agility.  This means that their fine and gross motor skills can be impaired. “Innovative iOS technologies make the Multi-Touch screen easily accessible to those with physical or motor challenges who find it hard to tap or use gestures” (Apple, 2015).

Siri can again be used for individuals who cannot type in a word processing app, or to open an app on the device. Students who struggle writing with and holding a pencil can get their words in the document without having to write.  Siri can also help the user navigate the device just by speaking.

Assistive Touch is another beneficial feature for individuals with physical disabilities.  This feature allows you to change setting for gestures that would tell the device to do certain commands.  When you pinch the screen of the iPad, it zooms out.  When you stretch your finger, it zooms in. If an individual struggles with this movement, the Assistive Touch feature allows them to tap the screen instead to give the device the same command. This can help students when they need to zoom in or out on the words or a picture.

Similar to the Assistive Touch, the iPad also has Touch Accommodations that determines how the screen responds to touch. “Control how long you touch before it’s recognized or whether repeat touches are ignored.  So you can put your finger down anywhere on the screen and move to the item you want without mistakenly performing an action” (Apple, 2015).  This could help students navigate the device without the frustration of the device responding in unfavorable ways.

Switch Control is a feature that allows you to navigate through onscreen items sequentially and completing actions using Bluetooth-enabled hardware.  It has a beginner and advanced setting.  You can customize actions or use the default ones. This will help a student highlight anything on the screen, point to anything, or move an item.

Sensory Disabilities

“Sensory disabilities involve impairments associated with the loss of hearing or vision” (Roblyer, 2016, p. 413).  iOs has many features to assist an individual with these impairments. “...you can use VoiceOver, an advanced screen read, to get the most from your iOS device.  And Siri and Dictation help you type, launch apps, and read your calendar” (Apple, 2015).

VoiceOver could help a student navigate a screen without seeing what is on it.  By simply touching the screen, the screen reader with read what is on the screen.  

Speak Screen is similar to VoiceOver.  “Turn on Speak Screen and swipe down from the top with two fingers, or just tell Siri to Speak Screen and have all the content of the page read back to you” (Apple, 2015). This could read the student emails, messages, and even books.  It can also be set to highlight words as it reads.  You can also set the dialect and speaking rate.

For students with visual impairments, there are features such as zoom, font adjustments, invert colors and grayscale, larger text, increase contrast, reduce motion, and labels.  These can be adjusted right from the general settings.

For students with hearing impairments, settings such as subtitles, captions, and audio descriptions can be used.  Another feature in the Mono Audio feature.  This beneficial if an individual is using headphones.  They may miss some audio when it is played in either the right or left channel audio track.  The Mono Audio feature plays the audio through both channels so that it is playing in both ears.  The balance and the volume can be adjust for either ear.  This would help students when listening to an audiobook or when they are using a screen reader.

Recently, Apple has developed a braille display for iOS.  This supports more than 50 Bluetooth braille displays.  You simple pair it with a device and it can work with the VoiceOver.  For more information about the braille display, go to this link from Apple: http://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/braille-display.html.

I always knew that iPads were great for motivating students, getting them to take pride in their work, and showing their creativity.  I also knew that they had features to benefit students of all abilities.  Before doing this assignment, I had know idea how many opportunities to help students with disabilities came in one little device.

References:

Apple. (2015). iOS. A wide range of features for a wide range of needs. In Accessibility-iOS. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Teaching and learning with technology in special education. In J, Johnston, (Ed.) Integrating educational technology into teaching (pp. 400-420). Boston: Pearson.

541: Obstacles of Integrating Technology Into the Arts

There are many obstacles when it comes to using technology.  Technology is something a teacher has to be passionate and strategic about.  You can not just give students a tool and expect them to create a masterpiece.  You have to be intentional and teach them the correct way to use it.  When it comes to the arts, technology can be very rewarding, but also challenging.

Problem:  In music, technology can be a wonderful tool, but there are many obstacles that need to be addressed.  The first one is illegally downloading music.  Although it is not as big of a problem as it was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Roblyer (2016, p. 358), states that software like Napster, Pirate Bay, and LimeWire allowed peer-to-peer sharing of files and downloading music illegally to become very popular.  

Solution:  Students must be taught digital citizenship in every content area.  This applies for music, and students must be taught the seriousness of downloading music illegally.  There are also sites where students can find music and use it for free.  The Free Music Archive is an interactive library of high-quality legal audio downloads inspired by the Creative Commons and Open Source movements.   Creative Commons Music Communities also provides websites for music sharing under one of the four creative commons licenses.

Problem:  When students are carrying out research or creating artwork on computers for websites or graphic design for art projects, they need access to images. Similar to students downloading music illegally, many students are using images illegally.  The internet has made it easy to find and use the images.  They are repurposing the images and plagiarizing (Roblyer, 2016, p. 366).  

Solution:  Again, going along with digital citizenship, students must be taught how to cite their sources.  “Discussions should take place about issues of copyright law and what constitutes infringement” (Roblyer, 2016, p. 366). Roblyer also provides some resources to help students learn about using electronic sources from the Library of Congress website and also Duke School of Law.  Easybib.com by Imagine Easy, (2014), is a Google Add-on that can be purchased for a school to use.  It helps making citing sources easier for students.

These are just a few of the obstacles that teachers are finding when integrating technology.  A solid foundation of digital citizenship can pave a way for students to be responsible and safe while using technology.

References:

Creative Commons. (n.d.). In Creative Commons Music Communities. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://creativecommons.org/music-communities

Imagine Easy Solution Inc. (2014). In EasyBIb. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://www.easybib.com/

Free Music Archive. (2009). Free Music Archive. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://freemusicarchive.org/

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Teaching and learning with technology in music and art. In J, Johnston, (Ed.) Integrating educational technology into teaching (pp. 352-377). Boston: Pearson.

541: Relative Advantage of Using Technology to Teach Astronomy

Science is a content area that lends its hand to seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom.  Science is an area that can be extremely abstract, especially when it comes to astronomy.  The students can see the sun and the moon.  They know that they are on earth, but that doesn’t mean that they can understand how the solar system works.  We can make this possible with the help of technology.

“Students often develop scientific understandings as a result of their own observations and what they can see to be true. This approach is problematic when the phenomena under investigation are unseen or at least unobservable in the confines of the classroom” (CITEd Research Center). Using pictures, videos, games, and simulations, students can see how the earth orbits the sun and how the moon orbits the sun. This would not be possible without the use of technology.  How can we expect young students to understand this without seeing a simulation or video? This simulation speeds up the process so that students can see how long it takes the moon and the earth to complete their orbits.

Students do not have the capability to see the planets and all of the stars.  They need technology to help them get a visual of the planets.  Games and simulations can help students learn about the characteristics of the planets.  This simulation from Gizmo can be used, with the activation code: FHJQHMGC22, to compare the planets.  They can also see the path that they take to orbit the sun.  Stellarium is an open source planetarium for the computer.  It shows the solar system in 3D, realistic shapes to give students a better understanding of what the objects actually look like.

By using social media, like Twitter and Facebook, students can find and collaborate with peers and experts about astronomy.  They can search for resources to learn more information.  They can also see videos of interviews with astronauts.  Without technology, it would not be very possible to interview an astronaut.  This video shows an astronaut with Mike Massimino.  Click on investigations to find the interview.

There are also some more obvious advantages to use technology to study astronomy.  Students have instant access to resources and websites online.  The school does not have to purchase as many books.  Students can research and take notes. According to Boundless, “Web 2.0 interaction involves not only sharing ideas and information with someone else but also receiving feedback”. Students are excited and motivated to work together and receive the feedback from peers.  They also try harder when they know that the work will be published or someone else will see it.

When it comes to abstract ideas such as astronomy, I believe that the only way to teach the content to students is to incorporate technology.  It would be a disservice to our students to not allow them to actually explore the solar system.


References:

Boundless. “Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom.” Boundless Education. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 04 Nov. 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/education/textbooks/boundless-education-textbook/technology-in-the-classroom-6/edtech-25/advantages-of-using-technology-in-the-classroom-77-13007/

CITEd Research Center. (n.d.). Using multimedia tools to help students learn science. Retrieved November 3, 2015, from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=148

541: Relative Advantage of Using Games for Content Area Learning

Instructional games are software products that give learning activities game-like rules and competition.  According to Roblyer (2016), the common characteristics that set instructional games apart from other types of software are game rules, elements of competition or challenge, and amusing or entertaining formats.  

There are many relative advantages to using games in the classroom.  One is to improve student achievement.  Robert Marzano (2010) states, “ ...using academic games in the classroom is associated with a 20 percentile point gain in student achievement. This is a relatively strong finding.”  In order for students to achieve more, the games have to be utilized strategically.  Marzano explains that in order to get the greatest gains from students, teachers must:

• use inconsequential competition
• target essential academic content
• debrief the game
• and have students revise their notes.

According to Divjak & Tomic (2011), “Computer games directly support learning by giving pupils an opportunity to develop knowledge and cognitive skills in an emotional way, to make decisions in critical situations by solving problems, to learn by researching and to experience situational learning." A study of the effect of using games in mathematical instruction showed that young students who played the games had better mathematical knowledge than students who did not play games.  “For them the first encounter with mathematical concepts was a game, a fun activity, so it can be assumed that dealing with mathematical concepts from that time on evoked positive feelings increasing their motivation for learning mathematics. In fact, if children have a positive attitude toward mathematics from an early age, which computer games also greatly contribute to, acquiring mathematical concepts in primary school will not be a problem and in that way mathematics will not be one of the most difficult subjects” (Divjak & Tomic, 2011, p. 21).

Another advantage to using games in the classroom is that it increases student motivation.  When students are motivated to play a game, they can become fully immersed in the game and participate in what is called “flow experience”. Matheiss,  Kickmeier-Rust, Steiner & Albert (2009) state, “The term ‘flow experience’ refers to a state of full immersion in an activity, which typically goes along with a loss of sense of time and no reflection on carrying out the action. The appearance of this ‘optimal experience’ is likely while interacting with a computer and perceived very positively...The concept of flow experience seems to be very fruitful in game-based learning and attempts to create ‘flow-based’ educational games were quite successful in inducing a flow experience and enhancing learning.” (p. 78-79).  They go on to state that in order to get a game to immerse a student like this there are certain goals that need to be followed:  

• “The challenge of the game should fit the ability of the player; otherwise she would experience either anxiety or boredom instead of a ‘flow’. By this means the player has the feeling of controlling the situation.
• The goals to be achieved should be clear at any point of the game, so that the player always knows what to do without exerted thinking about it. Also the provided feedback should be clear, appropriate, and immediate.
• The instructional game should be playful and composed of an action procedure, which is experienced as fluent. A good usability avoids that the player spends cognitive resources for inappropriate actions” (Matheiss et. al, 2011, p. 79).

There are many more relative advantages to using instructional goals in the classroom than what I discussed.  One commonality among each reference is that the design principles of the game need to meet the needs of the students and academic content.  You can not just throw any game on a student and expect them to make great gains.  You have to be very intentional about the games that you use and how you implement them.

References:

Divjak, B., & Tomic, D. (2011, February). The impact of game-based learning on the achievement of learning goals and motivation for learning mathematics - literature review [Electronic version]. Journal of information and organizational sciences, 35(1), 15-30.

Elke, M., Michael, K., Steiner, C., & Albert, D. (2009). Motivation in game-based learning: It’s more than ‘flow’. Retrieved from http://csskti.tugraz.at/research/cssarchive/publicdocs/publications/file1264407190.pdf

Marzano, R. J. (2010, February). The art and science of teaching / using games to enhance student achievement. Educational Leadership, 67(5), 71-72. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Using-Games-to-Enhance-Student-Achievement.aspx

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Instructional software for 21st century teaching. In J, Johnston, (Ed.) Integrating educational technology into teaching (pp. 72-105). Boston: Pearson.

541: Voicethread on Walled Gardens

Here is the link to my Social Media Voicethread.

References:

Bretag, R. (2007, July 19). Walled garden or open road: Student blogs [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.ryanbretag.com/blog/2007/07/walled-garden-or-open-road-student-blogs/

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (7 ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Watters, A. (2011, January 5). Google apps gives schools a better "walled garden" for student email. In Readwrite. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://readwrite.com/2011/01/05/google_apps_gives_schools_a_better_walled_garden_f

541: Acceptable Use Policies

Technology can make life easier and more efficient when used correctly.  It can also cause quite the headache and worry.  Are students accessing inappropriate materials?  Are they getting onto a social media site that isn’t blocked by the school? Will they open something that could cause a virus?  Are they plagiarising or cyber cheating?  Will they illegally download music, video, or documents?  When teachers are asking themselves these questions, how can they trust that students are doing the right thing? (Roblyer, 2016)

An Acceptable Use Policy should and can be taught to students so they know how to stay safe, respectful, and responsible while using technology. An Acceptable Use Policy outlines the guidelines for students to use technology at school.  It is in place to keep students safe.  It can create stress when a teacher is worrying what students will get into.  The use of the Acceptable Use Policy should help ease this worry.  Students are responsible for complying with the guidelines set by the school or district, and normally, both the parents and students sign the agreement.

Campbell County School District (the district I teach in) has a Technology Acceptable Use policy that includes using technology resources responsibly, unacceptable uses of technology resources, digital citizenship, communication and collaboration tools, and student images and products for educational use.  I like that it includes what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Parents, students, and staff members have to sign the agreement and there is a disclosure about how privileges can be revoked if misused.

Scarsdale Elementary School has a very simple Acceptable Use Policy.  It has bullets that discuss how students will only use the computers for school work and will not change settings.  Students are to handle equipment with care, the school will enforce copyright laws, and a few more bullets about cyber bullying and inappropriate material.  There is nothing for students, parents, or staff to sign.  I think that this policy could benefit from including more about digital citizenship and netiquette.

The Davis School District Technology Resources Acceptable Use Agreement is a very thorough agreement which separates the parent and student sections. It starts by introducing what the agreement is, explains that the purpose is to promote educational excellence and prepare students for success by using technology.  It explains how using technology resources is a privilege and not a right. Then in the student section, it discusses ways to stay safe, how to be polite and not cyber bully, follow copyright law, tell the teacher immediately if there is inappropriate material, and to not purchase anything online.  Both students and parents have to sign the agreement and it discusses disciplinary actions if violated.

The Independence School District has a very well put together Technology Acceptable Use policy for elementary students.  They discuss the places that students will be able to use technology in the school, digital citizenship, equipment and internet use, printing, and consequences of misuse.  The students and parent have to sign the policy.  I like that they include printing.  If students are using printing according to the directions given, they will be fine.  If students are printing in excess, they will be charged for the extra copies.  This is a great idea since students need to learn that printing is a huge expense for schools.

Each of these Acceptable Use Policies have components that make them unique and effective for each school.  I believe that the Independence School District’s policy contains the best components that are in kid-friendly terms.  I think it’s important that the students are able to read and understand the policy on their own.

Bibliography

Campbell County School District. (2015, August). 6150 R Technology Acceptable Use. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.campbellcountyschools.net/admin.cfm?subpage=115242

Davis School District. (n.d.). Technology resource use agreement. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/cms/lib09/UT01001306/Centricity/Domain/12/Forms/ EleStudentAUA.pdf

Independence School District. (2014). Technology acceptable use policy for elementary school students. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://sites.isdschools.org/technology_department/elem_auc

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (7 ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Scarsdale Public Schools. (2012). Acceptable use policy / Overview. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.scarsdaleschools.k12.ny.us/domain/1036

541: Video Blog: The Advantages of Using Multimedia in the Classroom

541: Relative Advantage of Using the Basic Suite for Learning

The basic software suite consists of three of the most widely used software support tools.  These tools are word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs.  These programs teach students 21st-century skills while making daily work more efficient and effective.

Word processing software allows people to type documents on a computer or other device.  It allows the user to save the document for another time, publish it as a web page, PDF files to save the formatting, or RTF files to remove the formatting.  

Word processing software’s biggest relative advantage is that is saves time writing text and makes changing the text easier and more flexible.  This allows students to make changes to their writing easily.  Students do not like to make changes when they hand-write a piece of writing.  Using word processing software lets students edit and revise with ease.  They are more willing to add to and fix up writing.  It also allows students to save and share documents, enhance the document appearance, and collaborate on documents.  Google Docs is a great app that allows students to work on a document simultaneously.  It also saves the revision history incase something is deleted or the teacher needs to check it.

Not only is there a relative advantage for students, word processing software has made teachers’ (and many other workplace environments) life much easier as well.  Teachers can create documents easily and efficiently, save and share documents with colleagues and parents, create and edit lesson plans, and enhance communication.  Teachers can also collaborate with students using word processing software.  Google Docs is also great for this.  Teachers can suggest or edit on the same document as students, leave typed comments, and even leave voice comments.

Spreadsheet software are designed to organize and manipulate numerical.  Spreadsheets store information in columns and rows, and formulas can be applied to the cells.  This software is another time-saver that can be used in the classroom and workplace.

Spreadsheets can save time by storing information and completing calculations and recalculations quickly and accurately.  This can make math or another subject area working with spreadsheets more motivating.  Information can be organized to design charts, schedules, attendance lists, dictionaries, and much more.  Students can store save the information and share it with other students or the teacher.  Students can use spreadsheets to help answer “what if” questions.  The automatic recalculation of numbers helps students see what happens when certain numbers are changes.  This helps them visualize the results.    

Teachers also reap the benefits of spreadsheets.  Teachers can also use spreadsheets to find calculations.  One common way teachers do this is to show student growth.  They can input data from the beginning, middle, and end of the year and use a formula to find the difference and show the amount of growth.  Spreadsheets can serve as anecdotal checklists, gradebooks, budgets, and much more.  Teachers can put a word wall into a spreadsheet and share it with students.

Presentation software is used to display information using a slideshow.  The information in the slideshow can include text, pictures, audio, and videos.  The most popular relative advantage of presentation software is supporting a speaker while presenting information to a listener.  Presentation software can also help people organizer their thinking about a topic, enhance the impact of the spoken information, and allow collaboration on presentations.  Students and teachers can contribute to the products in a variety of ways by choosing text, audio, images, or video.

Presentation software can be used in a number of ways.  Students or teachers could present a summary of information.  This could include book reports, informational reports, or persuasive reports.  They can also include hot spots in the slideshow that take the presentation to a link or site to receive more information. Slideshows could be used to give a brief tutorial.  Teachers could show students how to complete a math problem, a science experiment, or explanation of a concept.  Slideshows can be used for interactive storybooks or games, such as jeopardy.  These both motivate and engage students.

The basic software suite may be overlooked and thought of as simple, but there are so many uses that can create an amazing relative advantage for both students and teachers.  It is hard to think of how much more work there would be without word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.

Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Technology tools for 21st century teacher . In J, Johnston, (Ed.) Integrating educational technology into teaching (pp. 31-71). Boston: Pearson.