Technology Assessment

Rating Scale:

5 - Excellent (Can't live without it!)

4 - Great (Pretty cool, could do a little better.)
3 - Fair (Satisfying enough.)
2- Okay (Give it some credit because it's trying.)
1 - Poor (Nope, this is sad and won't do at all.)

Moodle (https://moodle.org/)

Rating: 4/5

Most students at UOG know what Moodle is. If they don’t, they will definitely learn about it in due time. Moodle is a free open source system that allows teachers to manage an online class. These online classes are usually only accessible by inputting the instructor’s enrollment key. Moodle has a variety a features that include a homepage that displays assignments, projects, files, exams, and quizzes that students can access at the click of a button. With this homepage, teachers can show assorted topics under which students can easily see what is meant to be done at a particular time. Moodle also has a calendar that instantly displays deadlines of assignments. The teacher's announcements are sent to every student's email so there is the advantage of convenience. However, even with this convenience and ease of access to information, it is ultimately the students' responsibility to check their emails and Moodle accounts regularly to keep track of assignments. One of the best things about Moodle that I personally like is that students can message their classmates under the “Participants” section. This message is instantly sent into that classmate’s email. I utilized this feature several times throughout this semester to get in touch with my classmates when I wasn't able to obtain their contact information.

 Chrome (https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/)

Rating: 4/5

When I first learned to use the computer, I used Internet Explorer for my main web browser since it came pre-installed. What a struggle. It was slow and crashed many times. I was not satisfied with it at all. Then Chrome came along. I’m sure that others will agree with me when I say that discovering Google Chrome felt like entering the gateway to heaven's racetrack. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but Chrome really is a good browser. It’s fast, free, and easy to use. Users can bookmark pages they find interesting and also adjust the settings according to their needs. Chrome is also available as a mobile app for smartphones. If I had to list a downside, it would be that upon logging into accounts of different websites, Chrome would ask to save your password and username. Now this is not a problem at all with personal laptops and desktops. However, as someone who utilizes the university’s computer center semi-frequently, I would rather not have my login information accidentally saved and available to other people. This is mostly just a slight annoyance. Chrome is a technology tool that everyone (particularly those who can't stand waiting over ten minutes for a page on how to solve a math problem or make an easy dish) should check out.

Google Apps (https://gmail.com)

Rating: 5/5

Google Apps is a life-saver. I don’t know if I’ll be able to properly express how much I love this tool but I’ll try. This technology tool is very user-friendly. Users can customize it to whatever preference they have. Love eye-popping designs? No problem, there’s a theme for that. Love quiet and more muted backgrounds (much like me)? That’s cool, too. Appearances aside, Gmail’s email message system is fast and easy. By extension, having a Gmail account also means that the users access several apps too. My favorite is Google Drive, which allows users to create documents, spreadsheets, and slideshows. With this tool, everything saves automatically so users are much less likely to lose important information (especially if, much like me again, you often forget to click “save”). Gmail is also downloadable as a smartphone application, so users can easily access their emails. Google Hangouts is also one of the available apps which allows for regular chatting as well as video chatting. If users download the mobile app, they can also keep in contact on the go. Blogger is one more application included in Google accounts. I have had Google accounts for a long time, but this was my first time ever user Blogger. As implied by its name, Blogger is a blogging platform where people can talk about absolutely anything. Within posts, users can also include multimedia such as videos. There exists a lot of blogging websites, but I feel that Blogger is best for professional purposes. Ultimately, with Google apps, users can access a wide variety for available features for different uses and I can assure new users that they will not regret making a Google account for themselves. It definitely earns its 5/5 rating in my book.

Emaze (www.emaze.com)

Rating: 3/5

Emaze is a free online presentation tool. There are many presentation options and designs that suit a wide variety of purposes whether its for education, business, or personal projects. Once the template a chosen, users add on their information and pictures and adjust the content according. Many graphics for applying visuals for statistics or other numerical data with charts, graphs, or tables. Users have the options of allowing their presentations to be open to the public or private. Emaze also has the convenient feature of importing an already existing Microsoft Powerpoint to convert it into an Emaze presentation. Unfortunately, this presentation tool is not as useful for group work because only the creator of the presentation is able to edit it. There is a feature for users to collaborate with each other but that is only accessible to those who have paid to upgrade their account. Emaze has its drawbacks, but I would still recommend it to students.

LiveBinders (http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/home)

Rating: 4/5

This was my first time ever using this tool, or even having heard of it for that matter. LiveBinders is fundamentally a way to bookmark websites and pages. If it seems simple, that’s because it is, and that’s what makes this a good resource for teachers. I talk about simplicity and easy accessibility a lot because I believe the faster it is for users to understand a tool, the better. LiveBinders allows for quick organization of websites by embedding links into tabs. Included are websites, teachers consider helpful to students. All that’s left is to provide the link of their “Binders,” which like a real binder are full of information, to the students.

Wix (www.wix.com)

Rating: 4/5

We don’t have to be complete technology experts to build a website. Truly remarkable, isn’t it? Until this course, I have never in my life created my own website. What I imagined was coming up with complex codes and intricate cyphers. Maybe this is the case for making some other websites, but not for Wix. Wix is available for free online. This tool provides the basic foundation and templates of different varieties. Users are bound to find a template they like and feel would suit their website’s purpose. Individual users as well as groups and corporations can create their own websites to promote their business or organizations. All that creators mainly have to do is get creative learn which buttons to fiddle with.

MightyBell (https://mightybell.com/)
Rating: 3/5
MightyBell is an social media website for professionals to create their own networks. One of MightBell's objectives is to create "niche networks" where users can set up their accounts and look for others who share the same interests, occupations, goals, and more. Users can access the profiles of networks where updates through photos, statuses, question polls, and even links are posted. The people managing the network can also see the activity levels of members which includes how many people have joined or left the group and how people respond to the administrator's posts. While the point of this tool is to create a specific niche (among the many available social media) for people, I feel that it can be very restricting because users would have to know specifically what they are looking for in order to find a page that suits their interest. As far as I have used it, there isn't much room for browsing the site. This tool also allows for a chat option where members can communicate with each other. There is no video chat option. This technology tool is also available as a mobile app in which users can download it into their phones and ipads or tablets. When my group used this tool on mobile, the app took a long time to load making it difficult to see new updates instantly. Another negative aspect of the mobile app was that it did not include a chat message option whereas on desktop the chat option was available.

Spaaze (http://www.spaaze.com/home)

Rating: 4/5

The slogan of “Infinite Virtual Cork Board” says it all. Spaaze is super helpful for brainstorming ideas. What is it people do when they brainstorm? They pull just about any information they can about a particular topic and jot it down. Spaaze utilizes little sticky notes, in which users can write down thoughts and ideas they don’t want to forget. But Spaaze isn’t just for brainstorming. Spaaze is another wonderful way of getting organized. On their virtual corkboards, users can add reminders of projects and assignments along with deadlines. Users can even add in videos from Youtube or Vimeo that they can watch on their cork board. But users should keep track of how many sticky notes or files they tack onto the board because these subtract from Spaaze’s “SpaazePoints.” Once 99 Spaazepoints have been used up, users have to buy additional points.

Digital Safety in the Classroom

It has been stated that the teacher’s duty is to the student. The teacher must ensure their students’ safety and well-being, particularly inside the classroom but extends to the home in the case of assignments and projects. When dealing with the internet, there are all sorts of possible dangers that students are exposed and vulnerable to. These dangers include financial scams, online predators, cyberbullying and many more. As technology gets more developed, the dangers also increase. Yet along the brighter side of this same line of technological advancement, there are ways for the teacher to protect themselves and their students from those threats. Protection and prevention are key skillsets that are increasingly necessary, and this assignment certainly highlighted topics I was both familiar with and knew nothing about. Of the topics discussed, I think all are necessary so I would not take any of the chosen topics away.

Everyone knows about bullying, and now everyone should know about cyberbullying. Bullying exists for many reasons, partly bc of heightened insecurities combined with the need to feel superior to another person. Muthler (2015) stated that “social media and text messages are vital to many students’ social lives.” Technology and socializing go hand in hand in the digital age. Since young teenagers are at the age where they typically begin to branch out according to their individual interests, their social lives are an especially fragile concern. A student who is a victim of cyberbullying is usually characterized to be socially isolated. Teachers should know how to identify signs of possible cyberbullying towards a student. The teacher should also be someone the possible victim could trust and talk to. From there on, they can develop solutions.

However, the responsibility should not only be placed on the teacher. When utilizing technology in the classroom, one of the very first lessons should be to address the issue of cyberbullying. The teacher should explain clearly what cyberbullying is and provide examples. To lessen and ideally prevent cyberbullying from ever occurring, rules and regulations are set in school handbooks. The teacher should ensure that students understand that cyberbullying is a serious, intolerable, and punishable offense. Of course, talking about the issue can only do so much. Enjoyable visuals are a tremendous help to get the message across. The Youtube video How to Beat Cyberbullies  illustrates method and solutions if one is ever a victim of cyberbullying, which includes blocking the cyber bully or even, if worse come to worst, deactivation one’s account. I believe that one of the most important aspects of this issue is to remind students that, in most cases, they have control over their accounts and they can choose who can access it. However, I am aware that, for young adolescents who are vulnerable to criticism and mean judgement from peers, it is difficult to stop using their accounts. This is where parents, teachers, and perhaps counselors should come in to to talk to victims of cyber-bullying.

My group used the website Emaze to create our online presentation. It was our first time using this technology tool. It was very easy to use and its functions were simple to understand. Emaze has a very eye-catching and attractive appeal to it. Most of the graphics were automatically added and we only had to input our information accordingly. Personally, the main downside to the website is the fact that the website is best for individual works. Emaze does not allow multiple people to log into the same account and make edits in one simultaneous session.

References

Muthler, S. (2015, April 4). Online safety: A teacher’s guide to dealing with cyberbullying, sexting, and student privacy. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/the-teachers-guide-to-keeping-students-safe-online/

[watchwellcast]. (2013, February 7). How to beat cyberbullies [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwu_7IqWh8Y

Enabling Dreams With Assistive Technology

In the classroom, teachers educate a variety of students. Students differ in ethnicity, background, skill sets and much more, so teachers must have the ability to adapt. One of the most important, parts of being a teacher is accommodating students with disabilities to ensure that they get a great education. As technology continues to progress, certain types of technology can be used to help students with disabilities. These are known as assistive technologies. In the video Assistive Technology: Enabling Dreams, Susanna Martini describes how her education as well as her livelihood depends on these assistive technologies. She explains that without access to them, she would not be who she is today. Other students throughout the video use different assistive technologies based on their disability and needs to do their schoolwork, projects, or to even go about their daily routines.

On Youtube there is a video series entitled Assistive Technology in Action that promotes the use of assistive technology for students with disabilities. Mason, who is visually impaired, uses the Mountbatten Brailler for written classwork. With the machine Mason is able to write things with the Braille alphabet, which other people can touch and read. This is another example of how assistive technology opens up new opportunities for students with disabilities. Mason can become a great novelist when he grows up.

Stanberry and Raskind, in Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities: An Overview, list assistive technologies for students who have learning disabilities. With these assistive technologies, students are able to  “use their abilities (strengths) to work around their disabilities (challenges).” In my experiences as a student in the classroom, several teachers would try to teach students with disabilities the same way as students without disabilities. The only major difference was the teacher gave the students with disabilities more time and simpler questions for their assignments. Looking back, I know now that this may seem like the teacher is accommodating the lesson for the student’s needs, but I question how effective this method was. Instead of allowing the students to use their strengths, the teacher only made the lesson less challenging and stimulating. Perhaps this method will work for some students, but students are not the same, especially students with different disabilities.

When creating a lesson plan, teachers should include opportunities for students with disabilities to be successful participants. The way to do this is to have consulted with the school and the student’s parents for an individualized education plan. As a teacher, I would be aware of the student’s particular needs and circumstances and take it into consideration under the “Analyze Learners” section of the lesson plan. Group collaboration, if the student is comfortable with working in close proximity to others, would also be a good way to involve the student. Next is where assistive technology comes into play. Like the videos mentioned earlier, students with disabilities can be active participants in their education if they have the tools. Students with speaking disabilities can use computer recording software or programs to structure sentences and voice it out loud. One particular technology also helped a student, whose only source of free mobility was his eyebrows, communicate his answers by selecting through rows and columns of different choices.

One of the major obstacles in providing students with disabilities the assistive technology to enhance their education is providing the funds to get the necessary tools. I recall some teachers talking about how there are devices that may help a student who has a disability such as blindness or difficulty hearing, but there is not enough money to purchase those devices. Unfortunately, this is the reason why so many students with disabilities are underserved in their education. Millstone has listed some suggestions in her post Who Pays for Assistive Technology? Parents or Schools? how students can be provided the assistive technology they need. Some options are health insurance companies, nonprofit organizations, or even donations by companies and corporations. However, these possibilities do not automatically ensure that the needs of every student with disabilities are met and accommodated. Sometimes an old-fashioned one to one aid is all that is afforded. That aid helps the student move around school, communicate with others, and complete the assignments. There is no doubt that providing assistive technology to students with disabilities may be difficult to achieve but they are still deserving of a good education. Teachers should try to do their best in incorporating and working with the needs of the student’s disabilities in the classroom.

References

[Edutopia]. (2010, July 28). Assistive technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXxdxck8Gic

Millstone, J. (n.d.). Who pays for assistive technology? Parents or schools? Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/assistive-technologies-basics/who-pays-for-assistive-technology-parents-or-schools

[pacercenter]. (Last updated on 2014, November 9). Assistive Technology in Action [Video Files]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMe9zDtTPTVe62Gb6b9Dkk_IPBUTGQHoD

Standberry, K. and Raskind. M. (2009). Assistive technology for kids with learning disabilities: An overview. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/assistive-technology-kids-learning-disabilities-overview

ASSURE Lesson Plan Reflection

As students, we get to experience a huge variety of teachers, teaching styles, and time management. The difference in teaching styles and time management likely has to do with the teacher’s lesson plan. I realized this when I observed different schools and educational levels. The classes taught by teachers who were organized followed stringent lesson plans. They gave me permission to look at their lesson plans, and I was amazed by how everything was structured so meticulously. The classroom activities were broken down into various time frames that the teacher followed. Even when the teacher had to deviate a little, the major parts of the lesson plan were followed and the objectives were met.

When the class was given the assignment, I realized how difficult creating a classroom lesson plan actually was. While we were encouraged to be creative in our lesson plan, the common feature that must be present in every student’s work was the inclusion of three cereals’ fat, salt, and sugar contents and a visual representation of the data. The subject I hope to teach is Social Studies at the secondary level, but I was not sure how to incorporate the nutrition facts of cereal into it. I made a connection later on because salt and sugar are resources, so I arranged the lesson plan to meet the GDOE Content Standards for seventh grade Social Studies, which included the topic.

My lesson plan ensured collaborative learning among the students. Alber stated in her blog post Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom is Key that “a teacher must find creative and effective ways to monitor multiple groups working at once in the classroom.” One of Alber’s suggestions is to assign roles to the students in the group. During one of my classroom observations, the teacher had her class divided into groups. She explained to me that this method allows her to better manage the class lesson since it is impossible for her to make sure that each individual student understands the lesson. Collaborative learning is also great teaching method because it allows students to help and teach each other instead of relying solely on their teacher for assistance. The video Collaborative Learning Builds Deeper Understanding by Edutopia on Youtube explains this method really well. The video demonstrates how students understand more, rely more on each other, and build confidence on their own opinions. The video states that collaborative learning results in higher student achievement, self-esteem, and motivation across different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

One thing I would have done differently if I were to create a similar lesson to the same group is have the students create a presentation on their findings of natural resources instead of a reflection. Had I done this, I could also introduce them to new online presentation tools that could give their presentation possibly better visuals. This also allows the student the ability to work with their preferences in what they choose to present. In accordance with Wilson, Wright, Inman, and Matherson’s (2011) article, “Retooling the Social Studies Classroom for the Current Generation,” incorporating technology enhances “student-centered instruction” and “readies them for the many aspects that they will encounter in the electronic world” (p. 71). The students can be more interactive with presentations too since they will be communicating their findings with their classmates. Having the students present about natural resources using different technology tools will help give them an advantage in using technology in the classroom since utilizing technology is prevalent.

In the end, I feel that creating a lesson plan is like creating a road map of the classroom. The teacher has to know which direction they want to steer their students. While the I am aware that sometimes collaborative learning seems like an old classroom method, I believe it is very effective when implemented and managed well. Incorporating technology will also help students as there are now a vast variety of resources online that students and teachers can access. Besides, using technology is now a prevalent occurrence even among children and especially teenagers. Teachers may as well use technology as a classroom advantage.

References

Alber, R. (2012, December 31). Deeper learning: A Collaborative Classroom is Key. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber

[Edutopia]. (2012, December 5). Collaborative Learning Builds Deeper Understanding. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEwv_qobpU

Guam Department of Education. (n.d.). Content Standards. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/a/gdoe.net/curriculum-and-instruction/home/content-standards-1

Wilson, E. K., Wright, V. H., Inman, C. T., & Matherson, L. H. (2011). Retooling the Social Studies Classroom for the Current Generation. Social Studies, 102(2), 65-72. doi:10.1080/00377996.2010.484445