Reflective Post

Made by Shelby Steuber with Canva

I went into this course with high expectations on how technology could be used in the classroom; however, at the time, I had no idea just how many options there were that could be incorporated. Social media, apps on tablets, and SmartBoard applications were about the only technological tools I could think of that could be used. But EME 2040 has been able to show me much more than I could have ever thought of without this course. And, while this course taught me a wide variety of Web 2.0 Tools, there are still many out there to learn about and find for myself. As I continue to pursue my goal of becoming an educator, I can ascertain the technological tools that I know are appropriate and benefit students to where they will not only be engaged and excited about learning, but also meet expected outcomes of the topic being discussed.

My teaching philosophy has developed quite a bit since the first time I had to think of one. Yet I know that it is still not complete, and I'll need experience before I can be comfortable with how I feel about teaching. I do know, however, that I cannot quit learning once I become a teacher. Since it is educators' responsibilities to guide and shape the foundation of students' learning, then educators must learn as they do. Being able to utilize the latest technology that students are so familiar with could assist their learning significantly. Therefore, in the future, I won't be afraid to search for my own online resources.

I especially had fun creating my own Teacher Web Page. I was able to include all of the items that I incorporated into this class, and it was very personalized. Additionally, it was a great experience creating something that I could almost certainly be creating for my future profession. And, although this may be a silly reason for being entertained by this project, I figured that this could be something that I might use on a resume for a teaching position that could display my initial skills in educational technology. If I do ever join the educational field, I know I will be using Weebly because it is user-friendly and is extremely easy to create a professional webpage.

Overall, I felt, not only satisfied, but fulfilled with the content in this course. I do not have many complaints about it, but if I were to give a suggestion for this class, I would probably ask for the discussion posts to include more instructor-to-class interaction. Maybe even just to add a comment or two on a few of the students' posts each week, and by the end of the course, each student has a comment from the professor on at least one of their discussion points. This could provide even deeper levels of thinking, since the student could respond to the teacher with other ideas they might have.

To finish, I'd like to leave this video of Kid President giving a motivational speech to both teachers and students. This video is endearing, and also rings true with many of the topics it discusses. I have watched this video nearly ten times, and it continues to remind me why I want to be a teacher.

Resources

Montague, B. & Novak R. [SoulPancake]. (2013, September 12). YouTube. Retrieved May 3, 2013 from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwlhUcSGqgs 

Steuber, Shelby. (2016, April 27). Welcome to Ms. Steuber's Algebra I Class! Webpage. Created with Weebly

Steuber, Shelby. (2016, May 3). Wrapping Up! Created with https://www.canva.com/

Digital Blog Post #F

One/Two/Three Time Activities
Automate or Informate
Developing a Technology-Leading Mindset

When integrating technologies into the classroom, teachers and other administrators often come across problems such as the participation gap, digital divide, and digital inequality. These situations arise when technological resources are limited, scarce, or nonexistent in educational areas, both inside and outside the classroom. There are, however, strategies that can assist teachers in negating these problems. One such strategy listed by Maloy, et al., is the practice of one/two/three time activities. This instructional method has teachers split the class into groups of two or three and has each group perform a separate activity. After a specific amount of time, the groups will switch to the next activity. Furthermore, one or two of the activities should utilize technology (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 309). I feel like this instructional method would be very beneficial in practice, especially with lower-income schools that do not have the resources to fuel every class's technological needs. Although not every group would be able to have someone advising them, one activity could be specifically designated for having the teacher help the students, or the teacher could be available for questions at a desk/ could be walking around the room asking the students their questions at each station. My only concern is the grading requirements and situations/problems that could arise while doing group work (one student is working more than the others, some students do not understand the activities and can't reach the teacher, etc.); however, this would not happen in every classroom. Therefore, I think this practice would be significant in teaching lower-income schools and classrooms; however, as with any group work, teachers would need to make specific individualized grades to ensure that each student is cooperating.

Changes to the way classrooms teach are necessary for incorporating technology into lessons. The authors state that Alan November has compared two different ways that people use technology in their lives: to automate or to informate. Automate is used to describe the incorporation of technology into a process to make a process easier, faster, or ultimately better. Using my "professional knowledge" in science (i.e. the knowledge I remember from my high school chemistry course), the piece of technology being used and integrated into a process is similar to a catalyst in the body; the catalyst does not change the process/reaction, but instead increases the rate at which the process is performed. On the other hand, utilizing technology to informate learning will alter the process to achieve higher outcomes than without the technology (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 311-312). I believe that introducing technology into the classroom to both automate and informate an activity is important to engage and stimulate the classroom in order to assist the learning process. I have made an example on Padlet (shown below) about how it can help automate and informate the journal-writing process in an English-classroom-like setting.

Created with Padlet

Because this my second to last Blogger post for my EME 2040 class, I wanted to talk about developing a technology-leading mindset, which was one of my personal goals for this class. A teacher with a technology-leading mindset means that you have to be willing to understand that incorporating technology into the classroom to give your students (and yourself!) an overall better educational experience. And just utilizing technology is not enough; teachers need to be able to continue learning about technology so that it can be used and have a function in  the classroom (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 321). I believe there are two parts of having a technology-leading mindset stated in the book that are the most significant. First, being able to comprehend that making mistakes, experimenting (and sometimes failing), and coming across glitches with technology is all important in building experience. An educator's mistakes could lead to a better understanding of technological material, and that educator will be able to teach that material with full confidence. The second part is knowing that teaching is not equivalent to never learning again. Just because a person becomes an educator, does not mean that they should quit learning and only stick to what they already know. While this concept applies to developing a technology-leading mindset in the book, it also should apply to any educator in any subject. Broadening your horizons might lead you to developing a new teaching style or finding a new tool to use in class. Technology is ever-changing and continuously enhancing, and in as little as ten years, the world will have technological advancements far beyond what we can imagine. Therefore, it will be necessary for educators to keep up with the technological world, be open-minded, and be willing to try new things.

Resources

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Steuber, S. (2016, April 22). Automate and Informate Using Padlet in the Classroom Created with Padlet http://padlet.com/shelbysteuber/3iojyxkwi7i9

Digital Blog Post #E

Information Presentation Design
Video in the Classroom
Democratic Schools and Classrooms

Utilizing different forms of media and technology is sometimes not enough in the classroom. When the technology being used is not visually appealing, whether it be too colorful and garish, or overly simplified an dull, the presentation will not attract the desired attention of the audience. Information presentation design is the creation of presentations (usually PowerPoint, but could be other presentations as well) that are visually appealing, both with text and images. The authors further state that information presentation design is important for engaging the classroom in the discussion topics, and creates memorable presentations for students (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 223). I find this topic extremely important, as I love most aspects of graphic design. Whenever I work with PowerPoint, I find myself taking almost too much time working on the visuals. A presentation is memorable when it has a background that matches the font color, the font type that matches the mood and tone of the presentation, and pictures that flow easily with the overall presentation. I even remember some of my classmates PowerPoint presentations in my public speaking course.

By Shelby Steuber | Made With Wordle

Another technological tool that assists in engaging students is video. Video in the classroom is beneficial to learning because it provides student interest, an abundance of resources and a unique learning experience. Additionally, there are multiple strategies for using videos within the classroom that creates the most productive learning environment (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 225-226). Because YouTube is such a common activity among younger generation, students would be more excited and focused to watch a video in class. I think videos are especially helpful at the beginning or ending of class. At the beginning of class, teachers could introduce the topic by providing a basic foundation of the learning outcomes with a video. Other times, a video could be used at the end of class as a summary and enforce the topic taught that day. Videos from Khan Academy are great for Introduction; they provide students with an abundance of information that can be taught further throughout the lesson. Furthermore, videos from the YouTube channel "Crash Course" can be used as an ending video; these videos are often fast-paced and provide a lot of information at once, and it would be better to play them once the student already knows the material and can follow along with the video.

The final topic that I found very interesting is about democratic schools and classrooms. According to the authors, this idea creates schools and classrooms where both administration and students make important decisions about the events and aspects of their education. And, while there are criticisms of this practice allowing students to make decisions and make school more about having fun, the practice ultimately has teachers/ administrators make final decisions (283-284). I really like this idea and practice. Students will be able to voice their opinions and be heard about problems they are having, solutions they have for those problems, and other ideas. Not only will this help students with problems, they can also develop decision-making, public speaking, and debating skills. If I were a teacher, I would definitely want to hear what my students have to say and offer for their education. Therefore, I would advocate for democratic schools and classrooms to be implemented more in schools.

Resources


Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Steuber, S. (2016, April 3). Untitled Word Cloud Created with http://www.wordle.net/*

*There is not/I can not find a specific URL that links directly to my graphic

Digital Blog Post #D

Educational Networking (Social Networking for Educators)
Twitter for Teachers
Interactive Electronic Storybooks

Social media has become a norm in people's lives around the world, so why not incorporate it into necessary parts of life such as education. Educational Networking, or Social Networking for Educators, is described by the authors as utilizing social media to assist education, and, rather than use it as a tool for entertainment, use it as an educational, supplementary tool (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 1188-189). This could assist teachers exceptionally well. Teachers can connect with students through Facebook or Instagram and post pictures of lab set-up, assignment pages, books to read, documentaries to watch, and much more. I have actually participated in this in college, once in a Comp. I class where I connected with my Professor's Facebook page that was used solely for her class. Another time I participated Educational Networking was not exactly a direct connection between myself and a teacher or professor, but instead an indirect connection on Tumblr for the Florida SouthWestern Writing Center. I say indirect because I never actually message them, but I always check up on their page, where they make posts to encourage deeper and more professional levels of vocabulary, MLA and APA help, and more. I really like this idea of Educational Networking because it creates a more personal and less professional level of interaction, and sometimes professional interaction can sometimes be intimidating for students.

Further supplying ideas about why Educational Networking could work is a section called Twitter for Teachers by the authors (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 199). This section speaks about why incorporating Twitter into education could be beneficial for students, teachers, and even parents, and I further discussed this in an infographic I made with Piktochart:

Like stated previously, I believe fusing education with social media is a great idea. I haven't personally used Twitter; however, I have used the hashtag elements on both Instagram and Tumblr, and I know the basics of how the site functions. Therefore, I believe that it would be incredibly beneficial to incorporate Twitter into education.

According to the authors, interactive electronic storybooks blend the use of sound effects and digital media with books and stories by technologies, such as apps, e-books, websites, and other medias. Different interactions can be made on each page of the book, such as hidden spots or responsive text. These types of storybooks can assist all students, including those with special needs, tremendously. The books are engaging and fun to read. However, some problems may arise with the technological aspects; they may eliminate the learning process by being "too fun," or they could allow for the students rely on the technology too much in order to figure out a problem (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 263). I think this idea, used in certain cases with topics to be learned from the student, is wonderful. I say in certain cases because it might not be appropriate for some grade levels and subjects. Electronic storybooks seem like they would work most effectively in a elementary school environment. Additionally, I say that there need to be required learning outcomes of topics from students to ensure that the student is actually learning. However, all in all, I do like this method of teaching. I remember my teachers allowing us to use either LeapPads or something similar in elementary school, and it was always so much fun. I do not remember much, but I do remember being able to listen to the story and read it at the same time, which helped me as an unrealized auditory (and hands-on) thinker. Therefore, I believe interactive electronic storybooks could be an effective piece of technology in certain classroom conditions, as long as students are regulated to meet certain  requirements for learning outcomes.

Resources

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Steuber, S. (2016, March 5). Twitter for Teachers! Created with http://piktochart.com/

Digital Blog Post #C

e-Books and e-Readers
Google Earth
Gamification

With the introduction of technology into adolescents' lives, there is less time available for children to spend reading. According to the authors, in age groups from 5 to 17, more time is spent reading material of all sorts online rather than reading from books (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 103). Being as though children are spending so much time reading online, it might be time for students to switch from a plethora of heavy books and textbooks to an e-reader. e-Readers are devices similar to tablets that can display e-books, digital copies of a (usually) tangible book (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 104). Personally, I love e-readers. My mother has one, and since she bought one, her reading has increased. She has told me how much easier it makes reading once you have all the books you could want on one single device. I think it would be great to advocate student boards to increase the use of e-readers in classrooms. Not only would it be less for a student to carry (no more freshman turtles with their gigantic backpack "homes" full of textbooks!), it might even encourage reading for fun in students.

Google Earth is a tool that allows viewers to see pictures of nearly everywhere on Earth from the monitor of their computer, phone, tablet, laptop, and more (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 166). The main reason I chose this topic was that it hold a very entertaining part in my high school life: Global Studies with Mr. Grinstead. Not only was this teacher goofy, dramatic, and caring, he made sure his students had fun while they were learning. Every few weeks, each class would hold a competition between groups divided among the class, and we would play "The Google Earth Challenge." Teams would choose other groups and ask them to try and pinpoint various exotic and unusual locations in a short amount of time using Google Earth. After that, each student would mark down the location on a packet that displayed many maps of regions on Earth. I learned so much about geography and how that affected societies at large, and I believe it was due to having so much interest in this game and software. I think that Google Earth is a fun and engaging tool that should be used in more classrooms. Even in a science class, teachers could show students latitude and longitude, and a location's coordinates affect on climate.

The final concept I would like to look at is Gamification. Described by the authors as a way to introduce  gaming like qualities into situations that would not normally be considered appropriate for games (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 169). Gamification sounds interesting and beneficial in theory, but it may not work with all classrooms and with certain students. In a gamification method that pits teams or individual against each other, students who are not necessarily competitive or outgoing may not be suited well to the competitive environment. Additionally, tougher subjects such as advance math subjects may cause a trivia-like game to last longer and be less beneficial to students than a typical review day. However, I do see the benefits of gamification. Like stated previously, my teacher would have me and my classmates participate in "The Google Earth Challenge," which can be seen as a style of gamification. Although I would describe myself as a quieter and less competitive individual, I enjoyed those classes a lot and learned from the game, so it was an effective method of gamification. Therefore, I think that in the right environment with students willing to participate, gamification could surely increase engagement and involvement with learning in classrooms.

Resources

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Steuber, S. (2016, February 19). Google Earth Saves the Day! Created with http://www.bitstripsforschools.com/

Digital Blog Post #B

Using Technology to Enhance Teaching- Instructional Practices
Active Learning
Online Problem-Solving Environments

According to the authors, there are two different categories that the use of technology to enhance learning in the classroom can fit into. One of the two categories mentioned by the authors is the use of technology for instructional practices, which is when technology is utilized during direct interaction between the teacher and students . I believe that technological instructional practices are significant in the classroom because it engages the students in the subject matter, which may also allow them to be entertained while learning rather than being inactive and doing worksheets. I made a Kahoot quiz as an example of the type of technology I would like to use in my classroom here. I made questions using information from the textbook (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 29-30). I also made a question asking about favorite types of music as a fun discussion before class officially started, as well as a question about the curriculum learned that day to see how well students understood the material.

Active learning, described as the act of students learning both "physically and cognitively," is another concept that is significant to the classroom (Maloy, et al, 2013, 48). This act goes beyond worksheets, lectures, note-taking, and textbook readings. I find active learning incredibly important. It can provide a solid foundation for students to build their knowledge upon, and it can be used in most, if not all, subjects. I also think that with the inclusion of technology throughout a lesson, active learning could be achieved easier, and possibly subconsciously, for students. In this article titled "Engaging Students with Active Learning," Waters states how active learning can be achieved through technologies that college students use as a staple in everyday life.

The last concept I want to talk about is online-problem solving environments. This concept is important for three reasons, as highlighted by the authors. It helps students accomplish tasks that are impossible without digital means, it can help students visualize or "experience" problems, and it can help mix learning about technology while also engaging in the subject matter (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 53). When I was in either elementary school or middle school, I remember my teachers telling me and my classmates to play on sites like Cool Math Games as a way to encourage us to learn math. While I believe that online-problem solving environments belong in all age groups, I am not sure i would include games like this in a high school setting unless there was a free day or a class was ahead of all the other classes.

These concepts really distinguish how technology can be used in the classroom, and in what context they could be used in. I personally love the concept of active learning, as I was not shown how to do it until the latter years of my high school education. I feel like this concept should be more prominent in early education, and it could encourage deeper and more meaningful learning for students.

Resources

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Steuber, S. (2016, January 7). Quiz for Digital Blog Post #B. Created with Kahoot https://getkahoot.com/

Waters, J. K. (2015, April 15). Engaging Students with Active Learning. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from https://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/04/15/engaging-students-with-active-learning.aspx

Digital Blog Post #A

iGeneration
Inside-the-Classroom Instructional Tools
Technology-Based Learning Environment

With the worlds rapid innovation of technological advancements, we have more children growing up learning how to perfectly function electronics. Since the late 90's, children have grown up in a world where electronics are habitual parts of their lives. This describes the iGeneration, according to Maloy, et al (2013, p. 3). Since I was born in 1998, I belong to this subculture of technology users, and I can understand what electronics mean to one born in this span of time. I believe this influx of technology into our society is a game-changer in the field of education. Another great explanation of the iGeneration can be found in this article, titled Welcome to the iGeneration, which maps out where it falls in time and exhibits data and graphs as to how this subculture is using technology. Something that I would like to be able to utilize with this generation of children is to incorporate some of the technology that they would use on a daily basis, like phones or tablets.

As stated previously, I would like to integrate technology that my students would commonly use during my class hours. Use of technology during school hours is specifically designated as inside-the-classroom instructional tools (Maloy, et al, 2013, p. 7). While I believe it is vital for teachers in a high school environment to include and provide technological features such as PowerPoint presentations and individual internet time for students, I also believe that students should be able to use technology they are already comfortable with. One activity that my professor provided at Florida SouthWestern State College was an interactive poll website called Poll Everywhere that worked like a clicker-question game. Students could either access the website with a laptop or tablet, or they could text a number and send their answer choices through their smartphones. This activity could be used to find out how well students are understanding the material, or even as a way to check for attendance. Accordingly, I believe that cellphone usage during class times should be embraced, as long as it does not become a hindrance.

While utilizing technology during school hours is important to education, using it outside of school is just as significant. Creating a technology-based learning environment could expand a student's understanding by providing technological resources after school hours, and this concept is explained by Maloy, et al (2013, p. 8). Unfortunately, not every student is willing to give up their video game playing, television watching, and hanging out with friends hours to do extra homework. However, I still believe it is necessary for an educator to provide a supplementary learning environment for students at home, which is a viewpoint I share with ExpandED Schools in the video below this paragraph. In my high school, I remember being sick for one of my higher level history courses, which was one of my worst subjects. I asked my sister (who, being my twin, is in the same grade) could ask the teacher if it would be possible to record the lesson, since what the teacher teaches does not always match up with the textbook. He apologetically said no. Because of this, and because I am able to compare what my high school teachers provided for after hours to what my professors in college have provided, I understand how necessary it is to supply extraneous technological tools for outside of the classroom. I especially want to be able to set up my own website to where my future high school students can access PowerPoints, podcasts, and assignments.

To conclude, I would like to say that I am excited to teach in the 21st century. Technology has become such a powerful tool, and to be able to utilize it in education is a huge privilege. It will be a challenge to use technology in an educating career to its full extent, but hopefully this class will assist in making that challenge manageable.

Resources

ExpandED Schools. (2012, February 1). Digital Learning Beyond School. Retrieved January 24, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUyxDi_Ppi0

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Rosen, L. (2010, March 27). Welcome to the iGeneration. Retrieved January 22, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rewired-the-psychology-technology/201003/welcome-the-igeneration