Final Unit Plan

Blackboard is down currently. It is so frustrating when that happens especially during the end of class. I wonder why there are many problems like that. I guess it pays to do assignments as soon as they are posted. For our class at least most assignments are outside blackboard.

Final unit Plan

I got some good feedback as far as modifications and additions. Now I see how all of this tie in together in creating a unit plan. In comparison to you guys I got some work to do. I hope my final will be as good as you guys.

Elluminate Assignment

I thought that this technology was an excellent example of bringing the the classroom and live instruction directly to your front. The video I viewed was "Learning in the new world: Time to Overhaul Training", by Chris Majer, aired on 20100330. The video was about how their organization will come out and evaluate your methods of instruction. They will also give you feedback and advice on how to better run an organization. Well known organizations they assisted were the United States Army, AT&T and Colombia records. The theory actually worked because of the measures of effectiveness it had with the military. Just by changing the way of an organization works has positive and effective results.
The Pros of this technology is that you can have an audience from anywhere the internet is available. You can cover great distance and save money by attending a seminar. The cons of this is if you are in an area that can not pick up the internet service. Using this in the class room is great because you may have a student that is in the hospital or at home due to injury or illness. Communicating with parents is good when they are in the military and they can view in on a day of class.

Favorite Technology 2

Our instructor was disappointed about most of the class selecting power point as a favorite. I still like power point but the other technologies are interesting too. Power point is old and several versions have emerged but the technologies taught in this class are very usable in the classroom compared to power point.

Power Point

Power point is an interesting program because you can discover something new on it with each use. It is used for almost all presentaions today to deliver to students and audiences. You can create picture slide shows for personal viewing of for educating purposes.

Favorite Technology

Actually I have several favorites. I like them all that was introduce to us in this class because it was the first time I have ever used them. Now I know were to research and reference using the technology introduced to us in this class. Power Point was my pick because it was the very first thing I was forced to use with presentations and classes. So all introduced in this class has a little favortism in them.

Final Unit Plan

The final unit plan is different and new to me. I see how you can build your own personal reference with the collection of other plans by different people. I know that unit plans help you develop lesson plans and also orient lessons that week after the teaching of the unit plan.

1st Draft of Unit Plan

My draft for the unit plan will be an interesting experience. I get to compile all the assignments into one to complete my unit plan. I see that using this plan will assist me in the classroom and also with lesson planning. You can also add to or take away as needed to update the plan. You can pass it to others in the same field to use in their teachings. You can also use it to measure the knowledge you have learned since creation of the plan. In other words you can look back and see how far you have come with use of the programs to reference.

Webquest Thoughts

I just finished the webquest assignment. It wasn't so bad I just had to follow the steps to get it down. I notice that I have to do alot of opening and closing browsers which sometimes causes me to shut something that is important. I did have to retype my work over because I clicked save and continue and I looked up information and when I came back it didn't save. I would also backspace a few letters and it took time for it to respond. I guess it's my computer. I closed it out and started over with no problems.

Wiki Creation

I finally created my wiki URL. Now I have to figure out the webquest portion of it tonight. I'm looking up information on the cloud and water cycle. Most of the information is the same when I view different sites. I notice that there are different approaches on teaching the cycle. It all depends on the students age groups. I feel that it is important to tailor the instruction to that age.

Assisted Learning Technology

I checked out several of the other discussion boards on blackboard this week and read about different Assisted Learning Technologys. I then checked the list out. There are some interesting and amazing pieces of equipment and software outhere for use. Imagine the teachers and caregivers who do not poses this knowledges that these tools are out there for use or tools that are similar. Centers and schools are always up to standards but imagine the head supervisor stuck in old traditions and fail to use the new technology because of stuck in old ways. I imagine it would be tough as a new caregiver. If you are in that position you can either learn what to do and what not to do.

Assisted Learning Technology

Assisted learning has grown tremendously over the years. Inclusion within the classroom for children with disabilites is possible and they can be accomondated. There are many tools it is important to find the appropiate one to fit the intended student. The one program called"Clicker 4" is like a mini microsoft software. Children with disabilities with their hands or speech problems can utilize such a program. Information can be recorded with this software like a student taking notes.

Visual Design

The creator of visual design should keep it at a level that the children can understand. I'm talking about a level where the visuals are appropiate for the age. Younger childern watch cartoons and kid shows regulary, therefore visuals oriented to those characters can inspire children to listen and have undivided attention. I think keeping it simple visuals help children comprehend and helps them remember better.

Visual literacy

Visuals are used daily for all types of communication purposes. Combinding them together offers visual messages that are important to people and their safety. Input and output strategies help learners code and encode visuals to communicate with each other. Using this in education can help get your instruction across in a proven technique.

Coming Together

I know I'm the slow poke but I'm getting the hang of utilizing the instructional technology. I see how important it is to have knowledge of these applications because you never know when you need to use them. I think that exploring the web makes teaching more effective because you are not limited to the school you are in. You can explore the world and share other thoughts and ideas to tailor your own teaching style. So it's coming together for me. I'm not an expert but I have a foundation of what to look for. I'm know that you can google anything to help out. There is a how to for everybody on the many search engines. I'm also picking up on the lingo so don't laugh at me when I use some stale or old verbage.

Podcast Assignment

I checked out the podcast web and saw some really cool casts. I see now that each cast varies in length of time and information. I viewed the news portion and realized that I had the news at any time from different sources. In the search box I can type anything and find someone talking about the typed subject.

Podcast Experience (not the summary)

The podcast web has a lot of information that can be used in the classroom. Knowing that this reference tool is available can help in research and information for lesson plans. The cast that I listen too had lots of information. You have to take notes and extract information that is important to you. I can't believe all the accounts that have to be set up in order to complete assignments. I'm now affiliated with more accounts than I would like to have.

Podcast Summary

I set up an account and subscribed to podcast. Once logged on, I was immediately able to scan through the many subjects that are available. I searched for "integrating technology in the classroom" and came up with 8 matches. Out of the matches I choose the first one which was about cheating in the classroom. This podcast was 1 cast of several more and they were fairly long and lengthy. I felt as if I was listening to a talking encyclopedia with detailed examples and descriptions. I see me using this tool in the classroom to get advice or to compare to others who experience the same. Also I would use it to reference. I believe in simplicity and strait to the point. I think that the castings had more information than needed. I looked at a few others and they were different lengths. I could filter what the cast was about and it's point but there was a lot of information in the 3 hour cast to go through. This can be an alternative in listening rather than reading to gather and analyze.
Listening to the cast I found the information to be very detailed and full of examples. When the caster would talk, I could understand her clearly, but I was bored with the very detailed information. I felt that the caster could have made their point within 10 minutes compared to the 3 hour length. Having said this means that a lot of note taking is required. Another advantage is that the cast can be stopped and replayed over as many times as needed.

Learning Computers

I'm Figuring my way around on the computer now. I'm not a master, but I'm picking up alot of information. I feel so behind in the world. My own kids know more than I do. A few friends have computer knowledge, but not enough to give me advice. I feel I'm doing alright but I have a long ways to go. It is alot to soak in at one time so I just going to focus on schoolwork.

Word Processing

I think that sending a URL compared to an document is easier over the e-mail. A document can be to large and sometimes too large to send. With Google docs and Zoho writer you can send the URL which is way smaller in size compared to a saved document file.

Word Processing

That is real cool how there are other tools to use in writing besides MS Word. I was never aware thaqt these internet applications were out there. I have to get myself more familiar with the buttons on that tool. I had a hard time in modifing the written material. At different times I would write a word or even a single letter and it would aotomatically update at that moment which each time would would nvary. It's a type of freezing of the work. Anyway I will figure it out.

Clouds

When I was browsing the web I found alot of neat things about Clouds. I found out that about 200 years ago an Englishman classified clouds according to what they looked like to a person standing on the ground. He grouped them into 3 classes and gave them Latin names: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. These names along with other Latin words are used to identify cloud formations. By being familiar with the different cloud formations and what weather they portray can help you take appropriate actions when needed.

Wiki assignment

Wiki is a good tool for assignments where people are not together at a table but can join together through Wiki.

Workout

This semester has been a workout for my brain this year. Picking up on all the new web applications ha sopen up my knowledge of computers more than ever. Now I can pass on the knowledge I pick up and pass it to students so they can do the same.

Delicious - Finally

I finally got my computer settings corrected and now have a "links" toolbar to use delicious. I searched google until I found a set of step by step directions that worked. It was so simple. I have been looking all along for my "links" toolbar at the top of my browser when it was hidden at the bottom. Now imagine how I feel right now that I can utilize the assignments teachings. If I had never took this class I probably would never use blogs but now I have further expanded my knowledge of the internet.

Sor far in Review

So far this class is starting to come around for me. I know that I can research the internet to find almost a answer or "how to" to anything. I just got to get the settings on my laptop in order. I look up on google how to do certain functions but I can't find several actions on my computer. Without the correct settings I cant perform certain activities. I know it is something simple but I cant find it. Example: I can not find a links section on my toolbar menu in order to bookmark on delicious. I have created the account, but I cannot get the delicious icon to tag items. Also I see all you guys on the site but I cant communicate through the service with you. It's a real struggle because I know it's something simple to fix. I have basic computer knowledge so I feel I'm overlooking something. I have googled and got the steps but I can not find in on my laptop. I want to do well in this class so if you know the step I might be missing please tell me.

Slowly but Surely

I'm getting there slowly but I will make it. This is difficult work for me so the lingo is Chinese to me but you can guarantee that I will stick it through. I'm catching on. There are so many areas within in this blackboard that you have to check and give info that it's easy for me to overlook. I'm picking up on the method so my complaining will stop. The help forum is an excellent area to visit. If you had not open the help forum you should try it.

3D Unit Plan

Am I the only one that feels like I'm 25 years behind? Everything seems to be difficult to perform. With so many communication tools to utilize, it's a complete nightmare to keep up with it all. I feel after this class I will only stick to e-mail. It just seems redundant to have all these extensions of communication. I feel that e-mail is the best way to communicate. There are far more users of e-mail than than blogs and etc. This unit plan assignment appears difficult to do. I feel like I'm starting at step 3 without doing steps 1 and 2.

Collaboration Assignments

A classroom environment is the best for group assignments. Over the internet is OK, but too little participation. I know there reasons why people fail to participate that are excusable or unexcusable, but all groups should be able to function. I was reading our text and it expressed how useful these communication skills.

Barbara My Intro

Hello everyone. Please bare with me as I practice at using blogs. I am a mother of 9 kids and they keep me busy. I'm working towards an associates degree and this is one of my required classes. I'm glad I am taking the class because it forces me to utilize other means of communication. I was stumped at first in creating my first blog that I thought I was completely stupid. After burning the midnight oil I discovered that I had created 2 blog accounts with different log ins. The second one I created prevented me from adding blogs to the original. Once I figured that out I am able to maneuver some with the blogging. I look forward to blogging you all and have a wonderful semester.

Week 1, 4th blog

This is my 4th blog. I had to do 2 post on this day because I ran out of days due to late discovery of posting blogs. Wish me luck!

New troubles

Now that I can post a blog, I'm having trouble responding to people I'm following. I will keep trying until I get it Wish me luck.

I found it

Thank God I found how to post. Apparently I had created 2 accounts. I could never find the new post button until I realized I had 2 accounts. I hope I fixed my problem. I'm off now to explore this blog world. See you next blog. 

Goals for EDU 271

Hello my name is Barbara. My goal for this course is to gain as much knowledge about the technology innovations and applications to bring myself up to date. This is my first time ever using blogs and understanding the verbiage that goes along with that. I'm learning navigation of the Internet as I go through this class. I have no choice but facing new technology and applying it to everyday life.