To be honest (and I hope no one takes this offensively), I had mixed emotions about my experience in my UA Ed Tech class.  First, I would like that state that all of the resources taught and shared with me have POTENTIAL to be very helpful.  They make learning fun, different, applicable to real life, and most importantly it allows students to work at their own pace.  For all of the tools I have been shown, I am very grateful.  I also enjoyed working with many web 2.0 tools and especially learning about the different things that can be done with Google.  

I also had some negative feelings toward this class.  I think that teaching how to implement technology into the classroom was preached so heavily that it denounced and harshly criticized teachers who do not or can not use these tools in their class.  I was in a situation during my student teaching where technology was EXTREMELY limited (my classroom was given an outdated overhead projector), and the technology that we had was not up to date.  Using technology heavily in the classroom is a tremendous idea, don't think that I'm saying its not.  But teachers have to make use of the resources they are given.  There are plenty of effective, caring, and fun teachers in the world who use other methods.

Now that I have that off of my chest, I would like to state this....I would love to have as much technology in my classroom as possible.  I will do everything I can for this to happen.  And when the day comes, I will use this technology effectively.  Computers will not simply be used as word processors, or high tech typewriters.  Students will not just write essays and PRINT them out, when they can be submitted online.  Students will learn how to effectively use the technology.  This will make my classroom fun, a center of higher learning, and a place where students learn many skills that have real life applications.  Looking back at my original thoughts of this class, I stated that I had mixed emotions about taking this class.  I obviously did not want to take a Saturday morning class, along with my student teaching.  I also was not very interested in technology.  My interest has changed.  There have been so many amazing tools shown to me, that it would be a wasted if they were not used in the future.  I especially love GoogleDocs, Google Scholar, and Instagrok.

If you have not yet, check out MY WIKISPACE and the TeachersForTomorrow page

I have created a Wiki for this class.  The Wiki was created to teach a lesson on labor unions and wage rates for an economics class.  Check it out by clicking HERE!

The Wiki is a reflection of the material I have been teaching during my student teaching experience.  Although I did not teach this lesson exactly (these technologies were not used), I did teach all of this material and content.  I modified the lesson I taught to implement more technology.  My school is very limited in technology, therefore this lesson was completely hypothetical.  If the technology would have been available, this lesson would have been MUCH more effective and fun than the one I taught.  It required much more higher level thinking and cooperative learning.  I really wish our school had better computers and more available computers to support this technology.

Personally, I think creating this Wiki was a large workload.  I am trying to figure out whether it would save me time or not.  Although I would be doing less direct instruction, and putting learning into the students hands, the preparation for this website took a very long time.  Half of the problem was getting adjusted to using wikispaces, but a lot of the work was very tedious and monotonous.  Also, I honestly don't think this is something that would be very easy to teach kids.  I still am not very efficient with wikispaces.  Maybe I am just not good with technology (which is true to an extent), but I also think that this webpage was not the most user friendly.

Below are some examples of technology I used for the wiki.  

Technology Integration:

1.) Application-Students will create a quiz via GoogleDoc.  They will be expected to create a 10 question quiz that shows evidence of higher level thinking and efficient understanding of the subject.  Students will also be expected to create a Voki.  

The focus of class this week was on fun web tools.  Web tools are a various range of websites that can be used to facilitate learning, ease planning, help with grading, and more.  While searching around the internet and experimenting with various web tools, I was able to find a few that are very useful.

The first web tool that I found important was paperrater.com.  This is a website that can be helpful for both students and teachers.  As an educator, teaching your students how to use this website could dramatically improve the quality of their work.  The website provides a grammar and spell check, as well as an option for writing suggestions.  All students have to do is submit their assignment to the website, and it will perform these functions for free.  For teachers, it offeres a plagiarism check, to ensure that students are creating their own work.  Often, when students are conducting research, they have a habit to "borrow" what other people say.  This website will help students avoid that.

Another useful website I found was digitalvaults.org.  This website is very useful in the content area of social studies.  This website has a vast archive of historical information and artifacts, very much like the archives at a local library.  By conducting research on this website, students can create short historical movies.

Freeinfosociety.com is one of the last websites I explored, but probably my favorite.  It is highly tied to the social studies content, and could be very useful in a history or government class.  The website contains a large supply of media, including historical speeches, e-books, and historical articles.  Students could use this website easily to conduct research for a class experiment.

The focus of this weeks class was visual learners.  Many students are visual (spatial) learners, which means they prefer using images, pictures, graphs, maps and colors  to attain information.  With so many educators  delivering with audio learning styles, these students are often left behind.  There are many tools to help visual learners.  While many may immediately think of using a Powerpoint or SmartBoard as the only way to help these students, websites such as Tagxedo.com and Wordle.com can be very helpful.

Even if a student is not a visual learner, visuals may help students gain interest in the subject area.  Students learn more when they have interest in the topic.  Making learning fun is very important.  Visuals can do that.  Visuals will catch a students attention from the beginning, and draw them in.

Inquiry based learning can be a very effective form or teaching.  It involves questions generated from the interests, curiosities, and perspectives/experiences of the learner.  When learning is based off of your own inquiries and questions, learning is more enjoyable.  When learning is enjoyable and fun, it is effective (making learning fun is a consistent theme throughout my blogs).

Inquiry based learning will also take a lot of pressure off of the teacher.  As an educator, there is a tremendous amount of planning always involved.  This is especially true in the old school, boring, monotonous methods of direct teacher based instruction.  Preparing lecture for every day requires lots of work, and can be physically exhausting.  It will also bore your students to death.  Teachers should consider giving their students guidelines for research and class, and holding class discussions.  Students should play a significant part in their own learning, with the teacher being present for guidance, assistance, and to facilitate discussion.  

Using podcasts can be very effective for your classroom.  First off, there are tons of educational podcasts that can be used for the classroom.  I was unable to post a podcast within this blog, due to the limited technology of my ancient computer.  Regardless, students should be familiar with how to use and create podcasts.  Podcasts can be used in place of class presentations.  Many students are terrified to speak in front of people.  Having them create podcast could ease this fear.  Podcasts can also be used as prep for substitute teachers, engaging with parents, helping absent students, and making school announcements.   Thousands of free podcasts can be found here

1.) The first website visited was ISTE (International society of Technology in Education).  The website provides many different resources for teachers trying impliment technology into the classroom.  The website provides journals and books to help teachers.  Teachers can also visit NING, a social media website for teachers with blogs, videos and other resources.

The site also provides online standards for students and teachers



Student Standards:

• Demonstrate creativity and innovation- creative thinking, developing innovative products and processes using technology, creating original works as a means of personal/group expression
  
• Communicate and collaborate- using digital media to communicate and work collaboratively- developing cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures- contribute to project teams
  
• Conduct research and use information- locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
  
• Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions- identify authentic problems and significant questions for investigation, identify solutions and make informed decisions
  
• Dual citizenship- practice safe, legal, responsible use of information and technology, and personal responsibility for lifelong learning
  
• Use technology effectively and productively- select and use applications effectively and productively, transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies
  

Teacher Standards

• Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity
  
• Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessment
  
• Model digital-age work and learning
  
• Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
  
• Engage in professional growth and leadership

2.) The second area researched was the Ohio technology standards.  They are according to the Ohio Department of Education website.  They are as follows:

• Understand the nature of technology
• Recognize the interactions between society, environment and technology, also the history of technology
• Learn how to operate and use technology
• Use technology to communicate with multiple audiences,  share info and enhance learning
• Use internet and technology to expand knowledge (information literacy)
• Problem-solving strategies
• Understand technology’s products, services, future and career connections

3.) The third area researched was Ohio Etech.  As a teacher, it is very important that you stay up to date with teaching practices.  Teaching practices have changed so much over years, that teachers must always be keeping up with current standards.  An effective teacher attends workshops and does research on how to implement technology into the classroom.  This website helps teachers do that.  There is a conference held every year in Columbus for teachers, and grants offered for teachers.

4.) The final area of study was about netiquette.  Netiquette refers to online ethics.  Every school has an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) which helps define appropriate internet use.  Students must be safe online.  The internet is a playground for predators, identity thieves, hackers, and bullies.  While using the internet, students must be sure to not sent SPAM, be selective with posts, and avoid cyber bullying.

This week in class we worked with screencasting and Google Docs.  Both of these methods can be extremely helpful in the classroom.  Google Docs allows you to create text documents, presentations, and tests for your students to view online.  Below are examples of classroom materials I was able to create with Google Docs.

The first support material created is Google Docs version of a PowerPoint.  This is just a small sample of what can be done with the program, but if posted on Google Docs, or any website, students are able to view the presentation I create.  You are welcome to click through simple presentation created.

Another great aspect of Google Docs is the ability to create tests that your students can take online.  Go ahead and try mine!  This is just a simple test I created as a pre assessment for an American Revolution unit.  When anyone takes this test (even right here on my website), the results are sent to my Google Docs account.  I can see everyones responses in a simple, spreadsheet form.  This is a very effective resource to use in the classroom.

Below is a great tool for ANY classroom.  This website, screencast-o-matic.com, allows you to create your own "screencast" for the classroom.  With this, you can create a screen capture recording, with your voice recorded while you search the internet!  It is good for giving tutorials for how to work certain computer programs or websites, especially when you can not be there.  Also, this can be posted online so students can always go back and watch your screencast, and touch up on previous classes.  Below is a short tutorial on how to use Instagrok.

Creating a personal learning network in your classroom is very useful, but also a lot of fun.  I am a huge believer that students learn best when they are enjoying their work and having fun in the class room.  Students in today's world are linked to many different social networks, and are often more tech savvy than their educators and parents.  While social networking in the schools normally is frowned upon, Twitter and other programs such as Skype and Google Plus Hangouts can be used for many educational purposes.

Personally, I use Twitter every day.  I learn more about current events and issues from Twitter than any other resource.  If students are utilizing Twitter correctly, and are connecting themselves to the right people, it can be a very useful page to use.  On the other hand, video conferencing tools such as Skype is something I am not very familiar with.  As a teacher, using Skype and video conferencing software in the classroom can help do so many things.  Guest speakers no longer have to take time out of their busy day to come all the way to the classroom.  The fact that someone can communicate to your classroom via Skype will open the possibilities for guest speakers tremendously. 

Today the class will deal with searches, digital content and Diigo.

There are so many tools on the internet for students and educators to use, that the abundance of resources can be overwhelming.  While many only know the simple search tactics of Google and other search engines, there are so many more tools available, and so many interesting things you can do with these search engines.

Did you know that you can differentiate the reading level of a Google search?  This information was very surprising to me, as I had no ideas this could be done.  It can simply be done by going to "Advanced Search" on the right hand side, and setting your reading level options.  Another tool that I found useful that Google offers is Google Scholar, a website of scholarly material and resources for higher level research. 

For educators, the number tools and search engines available on the internet are remarkable.  One search engine that teachers should check out is Instagrok.com.  Instagrok is a visual friendly search engine that allows you to type in the term you would like to research, and spawns off information and terms related (as seen below).  From there you can click on the terms and topics to get more information, "pin" the items, and keep a journal. 

The website for this class will be learningfortoday.weebly.com






Technology has become a key learning tool in many classrooms in the world over the last several decades.  In the modern world, there are so many technological applications that teachers can use to effectively instruct students.  Not only is technology useful and fun, but it is important in every day life.  Making students familiar with technology can have many real life implications, and lead to successful careers.

Student learn more when they are having fun.  By using Youtube, Prezi presentations, Imovie, and other useful applications, teachers can create a fun, efficient learning environment for students.  The days boring, monotone lecture are in the past.  Teachers should avoid a classroom like the video below....