Technology Assessment #2

Over the course of this semester in ED271, I have been exposed to many new tools. Never in my life have I learned so much about technology and the Internet than I have in this class. In this assignment, I assessed eight different tools. Below is the point scale that I used to complete my assessment:

5 = Highly recommended! Make use of it!

4 = Recommended. Try it out! It's worth using.

3 = Usable. However, there are many other tools out there!

2 = Make this your last resort!

1 = You are wasting your time here!

Firefox   4 out of 5

          Prior to taking this class, I did not even know what Firefox was. I was simply plain-Jane using Internet Explorer, most of the time. Although I used Firefox, as well as Google Chrome, a couple of times, I never knew the names of these web browsers. I just always thought there was one web browser and that they just constantly changed the icon. Now that I've learned to use Firefox, I can clearly see the difference between it and other web browsers. Firefox is easy to use and free to download. I like how Firefox has the Google Search bar readily available, as well as its ability to block pop-ups. Another plus, for me, is that Firefox is faster than Internet Explorer. Most schools, such as the University of Guam, use Firefox as their main browser, which attests to its effectiveness. However, I prefer to use Google Chrome over other web browsers.

Moodle   5 out of 5

It is every student's dream to go to school while staying home! Well, for me, at least. Moodle offers every student that opportunity. Through Moodle, students are able to access copies of class work and other related documents, see their grades, keep track of their attendance, and post forums to communicate with classmates and instructors. I was introduced to Moodle in my second semester at the University of Guam. At first, I was hesitant to use it, simply because I did not trust online communication and work. All that changed when I saw the effectiveness and convenience of accessing class assignments and keeping myself on-track. One of my favorite things about Moodle are the reminders that automatically set on the calendar for assignments that are due. With the many things going on in a student's head, that would have to be a huge plus for this tool. I also like how everything is organized week by week to keep students on top of their game. Not a negative aspect, but maybe just a suggestion, Moodle could use some color and graphics to make it more appealing. Overall, I highly recommend teachers and students to make use of this awesome communication tool.

LiveBinders   4 out of 5

The Internet has so many resources I want to share and save! There are numerous websites that I use. Wouldn't it be easier if I could just gather and save it all in one place? Impossible? ABSOLUTELY NOT! LiveBinders is a free tool that allows you to compile content information and important websites as if it were a real 3-ring binder. This tool is great for teachers and students to compile important websites and class content to share with each other. One of the best things about LiveBinders is that you are able to create as many binders as you want and make them either private or public. Another awesome thing about this is that you can use it as a presentation tool. Are you still using powerpoint? If you are, get out of that Jurassic era! There are many other tools, such as LiveBinders, that can make your presentations more creative and easily accessible. However, there are some pet peeves. First of all, sometimes, certain websites are unable to link, or take forever to open up on LiveBinders. Secondly, adding content such as information text, pictures, or videos must fit a certain format, which makes it a bit irritating for users. Overall, LiveBinders is something I would definitely use in the future! It wouldn't hurt to try it out! See for yourself and access mine by clicking here.

Google Apps   5 out of 5

What can Google Apps do? The better question is, "What can Google Apps NOT do?"

Google is probably the god of the Internet! It can do just about everything imaginable. An entire blog is not enough to tell what Google can do. Google is probably best known for its extensive search engine. Someone could ask a simple or challenging, intellectual question, and the common tongue would say, "Google it!" Other than that, Google has numerous features that are useful to just about anyone. For teachers and students, Google Docs is a great way to share documents and work on it collaboratively, seeing what the other is writing in the process. Other features include instant messaging, Google Talk, a scholarly search engine, Google Translator, and many more. You can also create surveys and polls and send them out to get feedback! You name it, Google's got it! One of my favorite things about Google is its free blogs with the use of Blogger and Gmail. With Google Apps, everyone benefits: schools, businesses, government, etc. Use this Internet god to navigate, explore, discover, try, and create new things!

Wix.com   3 out of 5              

              Wix.com is a free website creator. As I have mentioned, until I took this class, being

creative with technology and the Internet was not my thing. When I first used Wix.com to create a website for one of my projects, I had fun using it, however, not without struggles. There were many neat template to choose from to create your own website. This also gave me some neat ideas to blend in creating my website. Although I had fun creating websites, I have to admit that I struggled quite a bit. Wix.com does not give you the option to create your own website from scratch. Well, maybe just in my experience with it. Also, the tutorial does not really give you all the information you need to make a legit website. Most of the time, I just had to keep playing with the different tools to learn, which was very time consuming and a bit annoying. However, I do have to give credit to this website. It was the first website creator I used, and many others like it a lot. All in all, not bad!

               

     

LiveText   5 out of 5    

In applying for admission into the School of Education this semester, LiveText is probably one of my best friends. I was first introduced to LiveText last semester when I took my Intro to Teaching course. In the School of Education, here, at the University of Guam, I believe all students under their programs must register for LiveText. There are many things that I like about LiveText. First of all, I like how it is like a portfolio for all your work throughout your college life. This is very important for me, as an Education major, since it will be used again to evaluate my performance in SOE. Another thing I like about it is that due dates are right there when you log in. This is very helpful for me, especially with the many things going on in my head for school. Another great thing about this is the feedback between students and teachers. I always appreciate feedback, and thankfully, many of my teachers have made use of this. LiveText will also be useful to me as a future teacher in creating lesson plans, worksheets, and other neat things. Since LiveText also acts as an electronic portfolio, it will come in handy when showcasing work to future employers. I would recommend more teachers to make use of LiveText in their classrooms.

Stormboard   2 out of 5 

Stormboard is an online communication tool that allows groups to collaborate with the use

of sticky notes. Of all the different online communication tools I exposed to this semester, Stormboard is my least favorite, for a couple of reasons. First of all, the board is so large that it gets tiring looking for a specific post you might want to read or respond to. Secondly, the prices are ridiculous. The free version allows you only to be in one storm at a time. The price gets higher if you want to add more features for just two storms or more. Another pet peeve for me is that the board and tools seem to busy on the screen. I believe Stormboard is more useful for business people rather than educators and students. I would recommend this tool as one of the last resorts. It's not all that bad, but I wouldn't use it.

Joomag   5 out of 5 

Joomag would have to be one of my favorite presentation tools that I was exposed to this semester. Presenters capture their audience through the use of creativity. Joomag does just that by organizing presentations in the form of an online magazine. You can upload photos, videos, and graphics and organize them quite flexibly in your Joomag magazine. Joomag is a creative, fun way to create workshop presentations, meeting agendas, school projects, and information guides. It is an attractive and professional-looking presentation tool. I would recommend everyone and anyone to try this out.

Digitally Competent, Digitally Safe!

                As technology advances day by day, we find ourselves entering the digital age. In this technological revolution, traditional methods of communication and gathering information are being tossed out the window. Nowadays, we use computers, the Internet, and cell phones just like the way our parents used pens, paper, telephones, and books. Of course, there is nothing wrong with adopting new methods. However, problems arise when these methods are manipulated and used in harmful ways to achieve identity theft, breach of personal privacy, or malicious slander. Digital safety has never been more imperative to teach students than it is in today’s world. 

                                                                                                       

                As future teachers, we must be experts in being digitally safe, not only for ourselves but for our students, as well.  For those of us teaching in secondary schools, the biggest challenges lie ahead of us. According to Santrock (2012), “Today’s youth live in a world in which they are encapsulated by media, and media use increases dramatically in adolescence (p. 410).” Once our students enter their teen years, they embrace all sorts of technology as if they were a significant other. In adolescence, it is common that teenagers are prompted by pubertal changes for the desire to explore. If not properly guided, their explorations can get them into serious trouble. Most of them will likely become victims of sexting, textual harassment, cyber bullying, or phishing and pharming scams. Sadly, some of them might even become the perpetrators. This is why it is important they learn to be digitally safe.

                Personally, as a future educator or even a parent, I worry about how our students easily fall prey to such things. The reason for that is easy accessibility. Information and communications technologies are “embedded in reception classrooms and is a constant and prevalent feature of school life; home access is on the increase, while connectivity from public locations such as libraries and youth clubs is now common place (“Safeguarding Children in a Digital World”, Becta, sec. 1 p. 1).” Anywhere a child goes, some sort of information or communications device exists. It is impossible to monitor their every move. That is precisely why we must teach students about digital early on in life. With our education system using all sorts of technology nowadays, I would advocate for a mandatory class for all students in primary and secondary schools that would teach about digital safety and the uses of technology. This would be the most effective way to protect students, in my belief. Naturally, parents should be the first teachers to shed light on this issue to their children.

                For my group, working on this project opened our eyes to things we never thought about. Most of us experienced instances of phishing and pharming but never really knew

what it was. When we did our research and began gathering information, we were able to make that connection like, “Oh, so that’s what it is!” We never knew how serious of a problem such things could be. It happens around us every day, and we hardly realize it. Definitely, we have become more aware of the digital world. Wiggio was useful to us by posting forums and communicating through chat on consolidating our information and putting our project together. A recommendation, however, that I would offer is to break groups into smaller sizes. There is much more that can be looked into regarding digital safety. Personally, I believe that in smaller groups, students maximize their research efforts. In larger groups, sometimes, one or two people might slack and the others might have to fill in the gap. This was not a problem in my group, since we equally divided the work load, and everyone met their part.

                To sum it up, the younger generation is becoming smarter than us when it comes to using all sorts of information and communication devices. However, they are not aware of dangers they pose, at times. According to Safeguarding Children in a Digital World by Becta, “While most children’s confidence and competence in using the technologies is high, their knowledge and understanding of the risks may be low (sec. 1 p. 1).” Technology is dominating traditional methods of getting things done, and there is nothing wrong with that. We just have to learn and teach our students to be safe in using them.

References

Becta. (n.d.). Safeguarding Children in a Digital World. United Kingdom. 

Santorck, John W. (2012). Adolescence (14^th ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill

Companies, Inc. 

Assistive Technology: Starts with Teachers

           In my philosophy of education, I state that it is my belief that students learn best through active participation and interaction with their peers and the instructor through the use of different teaching and learning strategies.  This should not only be my creed because it is something all educators must take into consideration. Every student who walks into the classroom has a preferred style of learning or some sort of need on the teacher’s part to assist them daily in the way they learn. Sometimes, certain students require more assistance than others due to disabilities. This is where the accommodations of Assistive Technology, commonly known as AT, plays a vital role. Getting access to such devices, however, is probably the biggest challenge for students with disabilities and those working with them.

            In the video, Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams, Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler of the University of Washington Disabilities Opportunities Internet-working and Technology Program says, “Even though there is a lot of technology available for people with disabilities, it isn’t implemented that much in our school systems today and there are a lot of reasons for that. One is that people who work with students with disabilities, this could be teachers, lab managers, parents, often aren’t aware of the technology that is available for them, and then technology is not always included in the planning process.” Assistive technology has been progressing at the same rate as other types of technology. The problem is that people who need them have no idea that such devices exist or where to even look for it. When this happens, students with disabilities are educated at a slower-rate and the contents of what they are learning are watered down to basics to accommodate them. It is my belief that the fault, in these situations, lie with the school system and its educators. Educators should be able to assess a student’s needs within the first few days to first few weeks of class and find appropriate accommodations.

Technology has different purposes, but its users are all equal. 

            In another sense, I believe that educators are sometimes not informed of the various AT devices available for their students. This is why I believe that a course that provides instruction

on assistive technologies and methodology for all teachers should be required. According to Terence Cavanaugh of the University of Florida, “To provide more extensive experience and education to instructional and educational technology specialists concerning assistive technology, a course should be devoted to the presentation of the basic concepts and applications of assistive technology.” When educators are familiar with AT devices and how to apply them in their classroom, students who are in need of them will be able to benefit from them. According to Special Education teacher Ann Marie Pulcini in the Assistive Technology: Powerful Solutionsfor Success preview video, AT devices empower students with disabilities because it accommodates them and makes things easier or more at their level.

            Once teachers become familiar with AT devices and how to incorporate them in their instruction, the earlier students can learn how to use them. In the video Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams, Redwood Heights Elementary School teacher, George Rehmet, asserts, “By introducing ids to technology early, it gets them better prepared and makes it easier down the road and then they can spend the later years of their school years focusing on content material and the curriculum.” This goes back to my belief that some teachers water down content material for students with disabilities because they have no AT devices to help their students grasp everything as efficiently and effectively as other students do. There is a need in our education system to detect early students with disabilities and get them the appropriate AT devices needed to help them learn so that they can begin learning how to use these devices at an early age. When this is achieved, the content material for students with disabilities would be at a higher level and students will be able to get more out of their education than just watered-down basics. Students with disabilities should not be treated any different than students without disabilities. If they need assistance, we should help them. However, they should never be made to feel like they have fewer opportunities than others do.

            I believe that teachers should be able to adjust their teaching strategies to accommodate the variety of learning needs their students have. Instead of just special education teachers, all teachers should be required to take some course that provides information and instruction on the use of AT devices in their classrooms. Teachers, together with parents, should work together in detecting each student’s needs, if any, at an early age to get them the necessary help for them to move forward in their education. Technology is moving the world forward, and we must not be held back to all traditional aspects of education. Students are more diverse than they were back then, so we must use technology to accommodate diversity, especially for special needs students. In the words of Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler, “Technology has changed all of our lives but for these students, technology truly changes their life and the opportunities that they’ll have in the future.”

References     

           

Cavanaugh, T. (n.d.). The Need for Assistive Technology in Educational 
            Technology. Jacksonville, FL: University of North Florida. Retrieved 
            from file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/article_17778.pdf

Edutopia. (2010, July 28). Assitive Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video file]. 
            Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXxdxck8Gic

Natprofes. (n.d.). Assistive Technology: Powerful Solutions for Success preview 
            [Video file] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faepVmPsRvQ

Reflection #1: Educational Online Game

       Teenagers and young adults, like myself, can browse all day through the Internet, go on different websites, play numerous online games, visit different social networks, and all at the same time, not pay attention to the features on each new page we come across. This is how I was until I started to take this class. Doing this project opened my eyes even more to the many tools one can use to create web pages. I love going on the Internet whenever I get the opportunity. Although, I never thought of myself as Internet savvy because I am not. I can honestly say that I am good when it comes to books and charts. However, when it comes to creating web pages, using online tools to create presentations, or using another search engine other than Google, I am the dumbest person in the room. Thank heavens for ED 271!

       I must admit that I would have never gotten through this project without my group. As I mentioned before, I am not the best at using online tools. Even at that, I am always open to learning new things, like how to create a website. I was thankful for the group that I had because we all had our different gifts to contribute in completing this project. Since I love charts and writing, I offered to take the lead in creating the rubric to evaluate our online game. The hardest part about creating our rubric was deciding what things we were going to evaluate depending on the online game we chose. Choosing the game had to be the hardest part of the project. Each member of our group found interesting and exciting games. Finally, we selected a game that was simple, enjoyable, and appropriate for our targeted age group. The overall characteristics of the game made our scoring much easier.

       As I have stated before, I am thankful for the group that I have. They were able to teach me a few things I did not know about creating websites and other neat things online. There was no problem regarding communication in our group. Our primary method of contact was through Wiggio. We did not make use of the web conference tool in Wiggio. We were very simple and just used the basic instant messaging and wall posts to communicate. The group decided to use Weebly to create our website since most of us in the group were familiar with it. Naturally, I was not, but I did learn. In the end, I was happy and content with the way our presentation turned out. The interaction with the class in playing the game was quite humorous. I look forward to learning more through collaboration with my group members.

       Doing this project got me thinking how I can use such tools in my classroom when I become a teacher. There are many neat things teachers and students can do online. Creating a blog to submit and showcase assignments, as we do in this class, is something I would like to do with my students. Blogs are probably old by now in the Internet world. That is why using a blog might be a bit troublesome though considering not many people use them anymore. According to Santrock (2012), fewer adolescents are blogging nowadays. In a survey in 2006, 28 percent of adolescents were blogging. By 2009, those numbers dropped by half to 14 percent. Although I would like to make use of blogs in my classroom, I need to find other online tools and methods that appeal to today's generation.

       The game that we chose, BalloonPop Subtraction, is in no way related to my content area. However, doing this project has given me ideas of how I can extend learning beyond the classroom for my students. For example, I could find games related to my content area that would help students study, learn, and give feedback. It is also my belief that more teachers should consider doing these extra steps to promote learning outside the classroom. However, the problem is that some teachers are hesitant to use the Internet for instructional purposes. "When a teacher is somewhat reluctant to use technology or views it in a negative way, pedagogy may suffer (Harper et al., 2004)." Teachers must find innovative ways to engage their students. I believe using the Internet more as a method of communication rather than just a source of information would be beneficial to student learning.

       In conclusion, this project was a creative and beneficial learning experience, at least for me. The work put into learning new tools as we have done in this project is definitely tedious and time consuming. However, it is rewarding seeing the many things one can do with today's technology. I am excited to learn more ways on all these technological and media resources can enhance my work as a student and future teacher.

References

Harper, K. C., Chen, K., & Yen, D. C. (2004). Distance learning, virtual
      classrooms, and teaching pedagogy in the Internet Environment. Oxford, OH:
      Miami University.

Santrock, J.W. (2012). Adolescence ( 14th Ed.). The Media and Technology
      (p. 415). New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

De Profundis

Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Out of the depths, I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice!

Lord, help me pass!

For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday. For the good of my future career as an educator, I pray to God I pass my Praxis Test on Friday.