I decided to do my reflection from this course in a Powtoon presentation below to reflect on my experience and education through the Intro to Technology for Educators course.
(For the full effect, please enlarge the video screen)
Resources:
PowToon - Brings Awesomeness to your presentations. (n.d.). Retrieved May 02, 2016, from https://www.powtoon.com/
Textbook - 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.
One of the things that I have learned so far with using technology in the classroom is that you will have to be very adaptive in accepting whatever type of classroom you will have technology wise. Learning to use the technology you have in your classroom can be tough but also a humbling experience. After all, teaching is not all technology-based. If it were, we would have no reason for teachers. Some ways of being effective in this would be to see what other teachers are doing. What are they using and how are they using them. For the most part, there should be at least one or two computers in a classroom. Possibly, set up to a group of 2-3 students at a computer to do a WebQuest allowing a rotating schedule. Another way could be using inexpensive devices like digital cameras. They cost way less than providing a computer or laptop per student. They can be used in groups as well for collaborative group projects like digital story-telling or book reports to place on the school website or blogs. Although some classrooms may not have any student accessible computers available, there are computers in the library and computer labs. However, that can create time limits in classroom time as students would have to move from one place to another to have technology integrated into their learning. That is why I feel the small group work assigned to the minimum amount of computers in a classroom would be sufficient. All children in the class would be able to use one and be a part of an engaging learning experience.
Created by Jerri Thompson from Taxedo
There are two different patterns with the technology used in the classroom. Inclusion, computer and information technologies are used as a way to transfer information and practice skills (Maloy, 2013). When I think of this pattern used in school, I think of "computer lab" or a lesson on computers, rather than computers and technology as part of a lesson. Although I feel learning about computers is important, I feel it is segregated and not integrated. Infusion of computers and other information technologies are an ongoing feature of teaching and learning in all academic subjects at all grade levels (Maloy, 2013). When I think of this pattern in school, I think of 21st-century teaching. To infuse technology in the classroom is using them on a daily basis cultivated into lessons. For example, project-based learning through computers like the recently discusses Web Quest. Not only are students learning real-life applications in their learning but also using technology to complete it. Without having to teach a class on computers thoroughly, students can use the computer to learn how to use them. Computers aren't the only technology that can be used; any technology device can be infused in the classroom. Infusion Level of Technology Integration gives you characteristics and details about the infusion of technology into a curriculum for the classroom. This Technology Integration Matrix would be a great site to add to Delicious. The website as a whole has great information, and it would be an excellent source for 21st-century teaching. Below is an example of infusion of technology in a classroom where a student uses a mobile phone to create digital media.
In addition to an infusion of technology, I recently learned that there are stages of integrating technology and how important to first to evaluate yourself on the skill and of using technology in order to move forward to the next level (Maloy, 2013). This process characterized as from "dabbling" to "doing old things in old ways" to "doing old things in new ways" to "doing new things in new ways" (Prensky, 2005). A study done by Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Project (1995) has revealed that teachers are in one of these stages of technology use in their classroom. These ACOT Stages of Technology Integration are entry, adoption, adaption, appropriation, and invention. As a student myself, learning to become a 21st-century teacher, I would hope to see myself starting in stage 4, appropriation, where I would have students take more responsibility for their learning and make the internet their source for all learning.
Resources: ACOT Stages of Technology Integration [PDF]. (n.d.). PB Works.
Delicious. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://delicious.com/
Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). TIM: The Technology Integration Matrix | A video resource supporting the full integration of technology in Florida schools. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php
Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). TIM: The Technology Integration Matrix | A video resource supporting the full integration of technology in Florida schools. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/infusion.php 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.
Media Arts Center San Diego Digital Gym. (2014, October 21). Monarch School Mobile Stories. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/macsd/15595865015/in/photolist-pL9Tjp-9NCE48-7a7PVk-rKp8D-BDbr8-BDbsa-fhBT6-iEuZ2-4vUL9s-bn3RDM-qGDhuQ-dCGwv9-nC1t2H-3MrNPs-dAzxy5-4XaZvp-9tfKcz-9Cr3Ck-4bJw3K-E7hB8P-8mVc4V-nC1qJg-nC5ord-CtKYFe-9tiHYh-DomvwR-bFWMtF-6C2Ata-rKn2o-84xNQy-6Vj6wd-7FRGNy-nCipaK-dohQQ1-4Hef7v-2iKHD6-9tfyZ6-6Vj6x7-9tfKNM-aFbSi1-e3hcg4-nE5xbX-7FV6Ri-m9Pgq-hecZzL-7FMfbf-vvRS8f-9tfPZa-4Utwpe-8uKLGt/
J. T. (n.d.). Jerri Thompson's Bookmarks. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://delicious.com/coffeelady911
For this post, I created a presentation with Emaze. For a better experience of this presentation, please click the play button on the bottom left corner and the double arrows on the bottom right corner to expand the display screen.
Resources:
Thompson, J. (2016, April 3). Digital Blog Post #E. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from https://www.emaze.com/@ACLZQTIW/digital-blog-post-e
*All other resources are listed at the end of the presentation.
In reading Chapters 8 and 10 of Transforming Learning with New Technologies, I wanted to reflect on wikis as a collaborative learning strategy, differentiated instruction and universal design for learning, and interactive electronic storybooks and storybook apps (Maloy, 2013). Although the majority of the content was meaningful, I wanted to reflect on three that I felt would be best to discuss further on.
In chapter 8, wikis as a collaborative learning strategy (Maloy, 2013) was something I had never heard of before. I had only known of Wikipedias as a form of an encyclopedia but not other forms of wikis. Creating a Wiki page as a group helped me to understand the value in a collaborative project. I had the opportunity to work with my peers online in order to enhance our own individual ideas and make our page stronger and more meaningful. We all worked collectively on the wiki page to explain Marzano's instructional strategies. In creating a Wiki, I was able to see how technology can be used in a meaningful way. Having that experience helped me to see how appropriate this use of technology would be for students. It not only fostered growth in technological knowledge of how to create a wiki page but promotes a clearer understanding of the content. Collaborating with a group can allow other students to help each other on critiquing their work and it gives the student control over their work. It also helps the teacher know how much effort was put into the project and how well the group worked together in addition to how much they know about the content. However, before creating a wiki, I was in a bit of confusion.After some trial and error, I was able to create a page.I did have some issues with adding images and videos but was able to get help from some peers and my professor. Overall, it is a great tool for learning.
In Chapter 10, I was most intrigued by two frameworks called differentiated instruction (DI) and universal design for learning (UDL) (Hall, Meyer, Rose, 2012; Metcalf, 2010) which addresses the necessities of different students inside of the same class. With so many different learners with different needs, I believe it is important to focus on making a classroom engaging for every student as much as possible focusing on what each student's needs are and plan accordingly to meet those needs. In previous experience, I had worked in a preschool as a teacher's assistant. In our preschool (and in most preschools), it was split up into centers. Each center represented a nonlinguistic approach, giving each child an engaging learning experience whether it was taking a role in family living, creating a building out of wooden blocks, using paint in different forms, applying math skills using manipulatives, or drawing pictures as journaling. While the centers were active, this gave teachers a chance to watch and interact with children on an individual basis to see how they are learning and to catch any particular needs the child had. I can see how using differentiated instruction could benefit students (of all ages) in a classroom. Although, this method can be challenging as there is not enough time, resources, and tools necessary for some teachers. Therefore, after reading, 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do, noted that every educator as of now can integrate differentiated instruction (DI) for all learners in their classrooms (McCarthy, 2015). In addition to, universal design for learning (UDL) is another approach for schools to help all students. The reason for this is to make educating and learning circumstances that serve the requirements of the most stretched out scope of students without decreasing or lessening open doors for all learners (Hehir & Katzman, 2012). For more detailed explanation of this framework, visit this website and take the tour as well. As a parent, I can not emphasize enough on the lack of students' needs met. I can not speak for active teachers, but I can only imagine the frustration of trying to make every moment count for each child in their class. I would only hope that each teacher is applying this into their curriculum. Making accommodations through the use of technology for students with special needs not only gives them more opportunities for learning but also gives them a better feeling of acceptance. What child does not want to feel accepted? I know with any new approach or strategy there are downsides, but I believe a great teacher can create a classroom to fit most of their needs. As I have mentioned before in a previous post, using interactive whiteboards can be a great tool in the classroom as in other devices as explained in this video below.
By consolidating a book's words and pictures with sights and sounds, engaging activities, and playful cooperation like those found in computer games or other PC based learning encounters, electronic storybooks, and storybook applications make reading exciting (Maloy, 2013). Interactive electronic storybook and storybook apps I believe are ideal for students, especially younger ones like preschool through elementary. In the past (when my kids were toddlers), interactive storybooks came in CD-ROM. One in particular they loved was Jump Start Preschool CDs, which are still available. Recently, my youngest son (age 9) is into Magic Tree House book series. So to top off his love for the series, he can create his tree house, keep track of his reading with an online passport, enjoy visuals, and engage in other aspects of this book set by the use this site. Today, apps are the latest and greatest thing due to its accessibility on most devices we carry. With this generation, we see children as young as 1-year-old, holding their parent's smartphone or tablet playing interactive games, or engaging in interactive stories. For the most part, this is possibly being used in keeping a child still from running around at the doctor's office (to keep everyone happy). It could also be used as a time to play to replace boredom. It is not coincidental that these assistive tools can create a learning opportunity. Children are fascinated with pictures and interaction with stories. They typically want to be a part of the story in some way and love the sounds that the story brings, like a parent making sound effects for animals in a book. Why not implement this type of technology to help all types of learners in a classroom? It may only serve a purpose for a certain age group but it still has great benefits for young readers. Though, I still wonder about the consistent use of this type of technology. I created a StoryBird representing the advantages and disadvantages of storybooks (Maloy, 2013).
Resources:
Helping Hands Center. (2015, April 9). Technology in the Classroom | Helping Hand Center. Retrieved March 06, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rewlk1SFUyI
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
McCarthy, J. (2014, July 23). 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do. Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy
Penguin Random House LLC. (2016). About the Series. Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.magictreehouse.com/
Ruth, A. (2009, October 10). Wiki Pedagogy. Retrieved March 06, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/purple_academic/3999328669/
UDLCenter.org| What is Universal Design for Learning | National Center On Universal Design for Learning. (2014, July 31). Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl
Electronic note-taking in the classroom is a useful way to jot down relevant information. Not only is it another way to use technology in our everyday life (which people enjoy doing more and more these days), but it is also quite practical in many occasions. With electronic note-taking web tools like Evernote and OneNote, you do not have to worry about paper getting torn, lost, wet or eaten by your dog (remember those excuses?). It can all be stored in one small device which can be used throughout the day, wherever you are. Not only can all of your notes be easy, neatly and safely stored, but they can also transfer to other devices within seconds. Even though electronic note-taking is convenient and easily accessible, there are some criteria to think about in evaluating it as being beneficial for your students. In this website, The 4Ss of Note-Taking With Technology, you will find out ways to properly assess how electronic note-taking whether or not it can be useful. There will always be a fine line between regular handwritten note-taking and digital note-taking. The obvious one being some students may not have a computer or any other devices, or ones that are compatible (or updated). The biggest argument would be how well does your brain absorb that material using one technique over the other. I found a video that may help you understand a bit more about the controversy of using paper versus computers. I am curious to play around with some of these web tools and apps and would like to utilize them in my very own homeschool. Despite controversies, I feel this would be a useful tool for students and teachers. Below I created an infographic to give a quick outline of electronic note-taking ease of use. However, I could not get the videos within the picture to play.
Piktochart created by Jerri Thompson
(For a better view of the content, go to my infographic and see through the "Presentation Mode" for the best presentation from Piktochart.)
Google Earth and Google Maps are my most used tools on my phone and laptop. In the past, I have enjoyed using it for looking at our old house that we used to live in and see how it has changed over the years. I have used it for looking at properties that are for sale and to see what the acreage is like and how the neighborhood is. I pretty much live off of these tools on a daily basis as I take the kids on field trips and need to know where I am going. As I read through in Chapter 7 (Maloy, et al., 2013, p.166) about how both are used in the classroom, I was amazed. It makes perfect sense why Google Earth and Google Maps both can be utilized in an educational way. I found a video (it is about seven years old now but gives you an idea) where a class of fourth graders used Google Earth on a SMART Board to locate missions in a collaborative study. As you watch the video, notice how the children can navigate to areas on the map and click on dots showing pictures of buildings with information. I hope you are as intrigued by this video as I was. As you can see, students can use this for Science, Geography, and Math. What a unique way to give students a way to gather visual data. Some may feel this is an invasion of privacy due to actual homes and private properties shown. I can agree that would be an issue only if the information is misused. However, in a classroom, I cannot see a teacher doing anything of the sort other than looking at public places, landmarks, and areas of land and water. I am looking forward to seeing what all Google Earth and Google Maps can offer for students in the future. I am adding this to the list of web tools for our homeschool and future classroom use.
Game-based learning, or using games for learning, can be an excellent way to help students apply what they have learned by student involvement. In a generation that is enjoying games on a daily basis whether at home or anywhere accessible, it would only make sense to create something enjoyed by many and make it educational. Of course, making it not only educational but also enforcing student involvement.I found an interesting article that explains more in regards to game-based learning called Game-Based Learning: What it is, Why it Works, and Where it's Going. Years ago (before homeschooling), my children were already introduced to game-based learning at school. Educational games such as FunBrain, Poptropica (my kids' favorite), and Cool Math were played in their school. That was probably their favorite part of their school day. Now that they're homeschoolers, I allow games in the course of their educational needs because I believe that education should be fun and engaging for them. One day a week, we have “Computer Day” here at home. I created desktop folders for each of them. Inside each folder are more folders labeled with different subjects. These subject folders will take them to links to educational games (including the ones I just mentioned) that are related to that subject. Let's say that when they click in ‘Language Arts,' they will find 3-4 files (shortcuts to the website) to partake in learning online with game simulations and pop quizzes that offer instant responses for knowing where they went wrong. Their math folder would have math games, and the art folder would take them to a website where they can draw lines to make an object move across the screen. One example, my oldest wanted to play the roller coaster game where he had to draw lines and shapes to keep the roller coaster moving fast and get from one side to the other. If he could not get the lines in the right position, the roller coaster would fall off the cliff and blow up. It helped my son see where he needed to fix his thinking and create a better track. If I assigned a music lesson, I would then use a website like SFSKids so they can get a lesson on music and hear real sounds of instruments playing. Simulation games are interesting too. I tried one mentioned in the textbook called StopDisasters! seen in Figure 7.3 (Maloy, et al., 2013, pg. 172). I found this to be a good online learning game. I believe that students should learn their role in the community as an adult in helping in times of need and before/after natural disasters. I played the game to see how educationally it would be for learning. You can choose from 5 scenarios; the tsunami in South East Asia, a hurricane in the Caribbean, a wildfire in Central Australia, an earthquake in Eastern Medditieranean, and a flood in Eastern/Central Europe. I chose a wildfire in Central Australia. Once you click the scenario box, you are asked what difficulty level. I wanted the easy level as I had never played it before. A missions introduction pops up and explains what your mission is. You start off wth a budget of $50,000 and 25 minutes to complete the mission (useful for learning money and time management). The player has to destroy any fire hazards like dried grass, bushes, and trees which attract fires. As the player destroys those safety risks, one has to replace and add defenses like fresh green trees that hold in moisture. Also, add safe buildings for medical needs and shelter for safety which every city should have available. On the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, you can watch the current conditions, the probability of the natural disaster, so you can see the how much time you have in keeping the area safe. There was a lot to do with a small amount of time. Thankfully, I was able to maintain the city safe from the wildfire. My take on it was that for me as an adult, it seemed to be slightly challenging. I see where this can be used with older students but not sure about younger children in elementary school (unless they are better at these types of games than me which is possible). As a parent and home educator, I am grateful that learning can be a fun experience for them. As a future 21st century teacher, I would allow this in my classroom. As long as the content and time spent playing are being monitored, and they are gaining something from it, I cannot see why this would not be a great technology tool for the classroom.
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.
Evernote, The workspace for your life's work. (2016). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://evernote.com/?var=1
Microsoft OneNote | The digital note-taking app for your devices. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://www.onenote.com/
Frank, T. (2014, October 16). Should You Take Notes on Paper or on a Computer? - College Info Geek. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsb-U8bZpig
Thompson, J. (2016, February 20). Electronic Note-Taking by Jerri Thompson. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://magic.piktochart.com/output/11420159-electronic-note-taking-by-jerri-thompson
Google Earth. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://www.google.com/earth/
Google Maps. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from https://www.google.com/maps
Trybus, J. (n.d.). Game-Based Learning: What it is, Why it Works, and Where it's Going. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.newmedia.org/game-based-learning--what-it-is-why-it-works-and-where-its-going.html
FunBrain.com - The Internet's #1 Education Site for K-8 Kids and Teachers - Funbrain.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.funbrain.com/
Poptropica. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.poptropica.com/
Cool Math Games. (2016). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.coolmath-games.com/
SFS Kids: Fun & Games With Music! (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.sfskids.org/
Stop Disasters. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/
In Chapter 3, I have gained more perspective on different concepts and relevant topics that make it a bit difficult to reflect on only three. Each concept will be essential to my future classroom and my students. In my recent post, I emphasized on the Flipped Learning method. I have found more ideas in this chapter to be a great addition to that. Using a web tool from Module 4, I created a short slide, from Haikudeck.com, consisting of concepts that I will reflect on in this post.
From the four learning theories, I chose Constructionism, even though I feel they are all good ideas. This theory explains how children will desire to learn something more aggressively when they take a part in forming, constructing or molding what they are learning. I fully believe that this type of thinking would help me as an educator because I have seen for myself that taking part of an activity helps a child to learn a particular lesson. For example, my daughter started at the age of 5 using packets of muffin mix (the kind you just add water to) into a bowl to mix and bake. In our adult eyes, that seems like an easy, no-brain way to make muffins(I still love those muffin mixes). For her, at that stage in her life, it was an accomplishment, and she was learning basic math skills such as measuring and number of ingredients. As she has grown, she thought of ways to improve recipes and to make it her own. She has added onto that by making muffins (and many other baked goods) from scratch. When I tried having her do a "ditto" to learn the baking process (with some math concepts included because I thought I was attempting to teach a lesson here), she was bored and uninterested. I had to learn the hard way that all she ever wanted was hands-on learning from the start. I did not want to take away the desire to do something that helped her learn. Had I started with a worksheet first and then the muffin mix packet, she might have never loved baking as she does now ( I will never know). It has become a hobby for her. So, being that I have experienced this somewhat on my own, it would only make sense to reflect on it and say that I want to remind myself of this theory and continue to build on that now and in the future.
My second concept is groupwork and collaboration. I feel a this is a productive way of learning and would be a great addition to the flipped learning method as well. My children are in a 4-H homeschool group that meets once a month. After much collaboration with our children (students), we made our educational goal to learn to live happy and healthy lives in Florida. With that theme in mind for our group, each child has their curriculum book (that they chose themselves) to do activities in and learn about at home. They use our computers to research further into the activity and get visuals in correlation to what they are learning. Then, as we meet as a group, we come together and focus on that theme (our goal) and build on by applying what they learn from their individual curriculums. My youngest is learning hands-on in Entomology, my daughter is learning about her pet cat exploring all about their anatomy and particular needs, and my oldest son is learning about computer hardware. They bring with them their knowledge and integrate it into the group activities. This meeting a gentleman came in with sealed vials and shadow boxes with indigenous insects so they could see just how different in size they were compared to here in our country. The group asked him questions and shared what they had learned before the presentation.
Last but not least, digital citizenship. Digitial citizenship is a critical concept that needs to be taught not only in the classrooms but also adults (even in the workplace). In a technology-driven world full of social network sites and many websites, this is one concept that is abused all of the time. Could be due to ignorance or being led to believe that search engines and shared articles are the best (and fastest) way to look for information or get the latest news. I have fallen victim to this at random times and felt foolish of not finding the facts first before posting. It is important to me as I learn to become a 21st Century teacher (and now as a home educator) that I need to practice this. I plan to incorporate this into regular class assignments so that it becomes a natural routine. I hope to get better as I am going through each of the modules in this course.
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. Thompson, J (2016, February 7). Technology in the Classroom. Created with Bitstrips. http://www.bitstrips.com/user/XVX8KS/read.php?comic_id=P0NXK&subsection=1 Thompson, J (2016, February 7). Created with Canva.com. https://www.canva.com/design/DABqO_yj0AA/XUMZh4ouAvPKM2mlUAMlMg/edit ThinkExsist.com (2015). Retrieved February 7, 2016, from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the-role-of-the-teacher-is-to-create-the/391881.html Powtoon.com (2016) Digital Citizenship Post B. Retrieved February 7, 2016, from https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/ddUIDkbhZsh/digital-citizenship-post-b/
In chapter 1 of “Becoming a 21st Century Teacher”, I came across three concepts that I felt were important to share my thoughts on. I find it very important to acknowledge the fact that our youth is now known as the iGeneration. The fact that over 90% of all children from nursery to grade 12 use computers coupled with the fact that the average tween and teen used entertainment media on an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes a day (a study done by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation) should show us that our mass use of technology is not going away. Therefore, is important for us as teachers to embrace the use of technology in our classrooms. Since technology will be and already is such a huge part of our professional world, it only makes sense that we prepare our children with the use of the latest technology. With technology always changing, it’s important for teachers to keep themselves updated on what is out there and how to use it. I have found out for myself in my home-school that moderate technology has been very helpful for teaching my three children.
This brings me to the next concept that caught my attention called TPACK. I had never heard of it before and did not even know what pedagogical meant. With further reading and understanding of this concept, I see how important it is to integrate technology, content, and pedagogical knowledge into one teaching method. For centuries, teachers have relied on the content supplied to them and pedagogical knowledge. With the introduction of technology, teachers are not only able to bring in content from around the world within seconds, but they are able to bring in another form of teaching which introduces another avenue for students to use their brain. It has been said that some learn better from watching while some learn better from hearing and other learn better from doing. It would make sense that when you use all three of these learning methods at once, you will reach more students. I believe TPACK also works in a similar method. That is why when teachers can teach in all three methods of TPACK at the same time, they call it the “sweet spot”.
Furthermore, there are certain must-have technologies for students and teachers such as personal computers and internet access. Although we could function without these tools, they have become such a large part of our everyday living that it would not be beneficial to keep them out of the classroom. Moving past the essentials, there are other technologies that can be useful to students and teachers. Vodcasts, for example, have been very helpful for visual learners to gain more information while at home like Khan Academy, which is a great resource we use in our homeschool. Smartboards are another great tool for teachers. With these, teachers are able to quickly access data and display it for a whole class to see and use in an interactive way. One great free resource available for teachers now is Google for Education, amongst many others. I chose Google due to the overall database it provides. I also think tablets are going to be a huge part of future learning. Students can do their reading, writing and arithmetic where ever they are (given they are near a Wifi connection). If we get to the point where every student has one, teachers can start issuing assignments, podcasts/vodcasts, send links to helpful media and do so much more while not in front of the student. Who knows, perhaps in the future, we won't even have classrooms.
While I believe technology is a great thing for our children as the world changes, I still have a strong belief that using a pen and paper is something we cannot live without. With that being said, I plan to gain more understanding of what a 21st-century teacher is like so that I will prepare children to be able to handle the latest and greatest technology. I can start now by integrating it more into my own homeschool.
Resources:
Textbook- Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Website - Welcome to the iGeneraton, Larry Rosen Ph.D., Rewired: The Psychology of Technology (posted March 27, 2010) Retrieved January 20, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/rewired-the-psychology-technology/201003/welcome-the-igeneration
Website - Khan Academy (2016) Retrieved January 20, 2016, from https://www.khanacademy.org/
Website - Google for Education. Retrieved January 20, 2016, from https://www.google.com/edu/
Video Website - The Benefits of Using Technology in the Classroom, (published on Mar 16, 2015
-- Created using PowToon) Retrieved January 21, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rrKwyVU1DM
