Week 4 - Multimedia

     Multimedia is everywhere. Today's students are fed a steady diet of mulitmedia in their daily lives. As classroom teachers, we must be able to include educational multimedia as part of that diet or student's will wither away. There is a huge supply of multimedia resources available to use in instruction. It can be an overwhelming task to determine how to incorporate mulitmedia into your classroom. I think the key is to start at a point that you feel comfortable with and build on this. I was very nervous about starting a blog. I had read many blogs, but had no idea how easy it would be to start one of your own. Now, I would definitely use a blog with my classroom. I found two good examples that I would like to model my blog after. These are Ms. Brown's Grade 2 Class (http://msbrownsgrade2class.blogspot.com ) and Sherry Becker's blog (http://sherrybecker.blogspot.com ). I have added Ms. Brown's blog to my google reader list. I think these are amazing examples of how you can communicate what you are doing in your classroom to parents. You can include pictures, videos, and running commentary of their child's school life. As a parent myself, I would love to see pictures and get updates of what is going on within my son's class. I would include weekly assignments, spelling lists, special activities, test dates. Parents could then respond to me without having to worry about whether or not I got their note.
     After seeing the glogs (http://www.glogster.com/ )that most of the class did on their Digital Citizenship project, I would also like to use glogs in my classroom.  A colleague of mine told me how she used a glog in her second grade science unit on the solar system. She made a glog about the solar system, the planets, moons, asteroids, etc.... She pulled in some uTube video clips and downloaded some children's songs about the planets. She introduced the glog to her students by putting it on her projector. She teased them by showing them how to use it, but didn't let them see the videos or hear the songs. She then had the glog on her computers for students to use as part of her centers. She also sent the url home with students so that they could pull it up at home. She said they absolutely loved it and begged her to do more glogs. I was excited to hear how I could incorporate this into my classroom.
          Another form of multimedia that I would really enjoy using in my classroom is the smartboard. I was able to use these some when I subbed. I know that I have had minimal use and have only seen a small portion of what smartboards are capable of, but it was exciting to think of all the ways that it could be used. The students were very excited about using them. It made lessons interactive. A good source of lessons for the smartboard is www.scholastic.com/interactivewhiteboards.
     There are so many amazing kinds of multimedia available to use in classrooms today. Teachers can be creative with their teaching in ways that weren't possible ten years ago. I can not imagine what the next ten years will bring.

Week 3 - Different Types of Instructional Software

     I have known that there is a massive supply of "educational" software and websites available to use in instruction. However, after reading our text, I got a much clearer picture of the kinds of software and how they should be used. The five categories of instructional software are: drill and practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional games, and problem-solving.
     The most commonly used is the drill and practice format. This can either be in a flashcard style or in what is known as branching format. The branching format will automatically move students to a higher level after they get so many answers correct or to a lower level after students get so many answers incorrect. The main function of drill and practice is exactly what is says: practice. It should not be used in place of instruction, but as a supplement to instruction. The program that I looked at for this was DreamBox Learning K-2 Math ( http://dreambox.com/). This can be purchased for a school's use or for an individual's use on a home computer. It is $5,000 for a school license and $60 a six month subscription for an individual. It also has the option of a 14-day free trial. I really liked this program because it doesn't have to be downloaded. You just go to the website and log in. It has over 500 activities that you can set to each individual's level. Correct answers are given feedback in a cheerful voice. Wrong answers are given another chance or a hint. The program covers counting, ordering numbers, comparing, addition, subtraction, and mental math strategies. This is a program that I would like to use in my classroom and I will be using with my five year old son.
      The next category is  tutorial software. It also has two formats: linear and branching. The linear format gives the same instruction to learners regardless of the different capabilities of the learners. The branching format can range in complexity and follows different paths depending on how students respond. I have used Starfall (http://www.starfall.com/) in my classroom. It is an excellent reading tutorial that I used with my lower reading students in first and second grade. It has tutorials on several subjects including the alphabet, left to right progression in reading, vowels, sh- blend, and silent -e. It teaches students how to make words that belong in the same family.  It gives students a blue ribbon and verbal praise when they make words correctly. It is very student friendly and students can navigate through the program with ease.  The best thing was this was a free program.
     Simulation software is used to teach about something or to teach how to do something. I found a three dimensional simulation of the solar system that I would use with my second graders when I taught my unit on the solar system. It is located at http://download.cnet.com/Solar-System-3D-simulator/3000-2054_4-10477538.html  This is an iterative simulation because it allows students to look at  model of the solar system and they can speed up or slow down the orbits and rotations. It displays the sun, the planets and their orbits, and the moon. The orbits can be tilted and rotated to different angles. It is simple enough to use with second graders, but can be adapted to make it difficult enough to use with a high school physics or astronomy class.
     Instructional Game Software ranks high in popularity. This is software that adds a game-like spin or competition to a learning activity. The popular feature is that it has the potential for "winning". It is meant to be entertaining. Tux of Math Command or Tux Math (http://www.tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/) can be downloaded for free. It is a program of free math games. I would use this with my second graders as a reward for doing well on math tests. It is like the old arcade game of asteroids. You are shooting at asteroids, but you can only fire after you answer the math problem correctly. The game speeds up as you go along. There are many instructional games available. Teachers need to be careful to look at software and see if it is meant to be just entertaining or if it really has any instructional/learning value to it.
      Last, but not least, is problem-solving software. This kind of software can be used to increase problem-solving skills in general or be used to solve problems in content areas. I found a problem-solving software progam called Gary Gadget: Building Cars. It is available at http://www.amazon.com/ for under ten dollars. Students have to assemble a car. Then they guide their car along different routes on a map. Some routes require students to redesign their car due to obstacles that are in their way. Students must find the parts they need to overcome the obstacles. I have used this program with my son. It is a fun way for him to develop problem-solving skills.
     As I said at the beginning, there is a massive supply of "educational" software available. Teachers need to think about the objective that they want to accomplish with the software before they do anything. Then they need to make sure that they have the appropriate kind of software. Is the software to be used as an instructional tool, a supplemental tool or as entertainment? I do feel that I will be more selective and more clear about what  I use the different kinds software for now.

Week 2 Blog - Integrating Technology into the Classroom

I chose this video by Marnie Grogan because it seemed to follow along with what I had read in chapters one and two. She talks about learning styles and how we should reflect on those as we integrate technology into our teaching. I thought it was really interesting that she made the comment that learning styles have changed. (I don't know if B.F.Skinner or Robert Gagne would agree with her on that.) I wonder if she meant that how we should teach has changed more than the student's learning styles. Our teaching must become more engaging and interactive. She talks about how we may need to redefine success for our students and to look at what skills they will need to be able to perform in the world today. She then talks about how students should be able to explore and investigate as a part of their learning. Students should share, collaborate and communicate. All of these would fall under the Constructivist Learning Theories. John Dewey felt learning should be hands-on and real-life and Jerome Bruner felt students learned by exploring and discovering for themselves. The Constructivist Learning Theories also realize that group projects or multimedia projects could be used to assess student's knowledge rather than the traditional methods of assessment. I would definitely put Ms. Grogan in the constructivist group. I thought Ms.Grogan's video was interesting and the fact that she is from Australia shows that how we integrate technology into the classroom is not just an issue that the teachers in the United States face.

Introduction

Hello! I would like to introduce myself. Obviously, my name is Amanda Foster. I was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I have lived in Tuscaloosa all of my life except for a one year stint in Huntsville, Alabama. I attended the University of Alabama where I received my bachelor's degree in mathematics. I worked with a research and development company in Huntsville for a year. At that point, I decided to return to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where I received my masters in Elementary Education. I taught first and second grade with the Tuscaloosa County School System for thirteen years. My husband and I then adopted our son from Guatemala. I have been a stay at home mom for the last five years. I would not trade the time with our son for anything in the world. Unfortunately, I have fallen behind on technology during this time. I am taking this course to renew my teaching certificate. I am VERY afraid of technology, but chose this course because I feel technology is a vital part of teaching now. I hope to return to the classroom in the fall and want to be as ready as possible for the challenges that teachers face. My favorite technology is email and facebook. I look forward to working with all of you in this course.