Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I have to admit that going into education I didn't realize that so many different forms of technology could be incorporated into the teachings that occur day after day. At the beginning of the semester, I knew how to use the usual tools and technology that I grew up using such as PowerPoint, but I had no idea about the numerous tools and types of technology that not only helps students but teachers as well. With the idea of using social media websites for PLNs alone, one can reach out to so many different educators, bloggers, and in general ideas that we can use in the classrooms ourselves. Using twitter this semester was a new experience for me, and for the most part I still consider myself a novice user, but I understand the value and help I can get just by reaching out to other educators via twitter! Now that I am aware of these resources, it is in a way mind boggling that people aren't able to use these same resources simply because they are not aware of them.

I personally feel that finishing this course has definitely prepared me that much more to be a more knowledge, better prepared, and more efficient teacher that can teach 21st century learners for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I now know about the various tools and skills that I can improve as I grow, which as a result will make me a better educator. Also, the ability to communicate and reach out to so many other people throughout the world results in an endless amount of help and guidance these individuals can offer. By having these resources available, one can adapt and modify tools and tech that will make learning more fun, engaging, and beneficial to the students . Because the options are endless when it comes to tech tools and different types of technology, I know that anyone can incorporate these user friendly tools and skills in their own lives, which will furthermore prepare and guide educators.

As I had previously stated, going into the course I had no know real knowledge on these different types of technology that are available, so everything I learned in the course was something that really stood out to me as being useful. Through this course, I have learned a lot about education, technology that can be used in education, the issues and problems that educators must be aware of, and how to reach others for assistance. All of these factors play a huge role in how I will teach in the near future, but I am sure that because I am now familiar with these valuable resources, I will be a better teacher.

Media Literacy

Hi again,
Today in class we discussed and learned about media literacy, what it is, how it affects people, and how it’s used in class. I think using media literacy is a skill that everyone should be familiar with and really understand its purpose. I feel strong about this topic because I find that people often times misinterpret the meaning and purpose of certain types of media literacy, which alters the true meaning and message. For example, people watch something on TV, the internet, or any kind of media source for that matter and get a certain message that they think may be true, when in fact the creator meant something different. From there the person may share their view or message they got from that media source and can possibly create rumors or give altered meanings. For this very reason, I think that teaching media literacy is an important part of being an analytic, attentive, and informed student.

I think that the one piece in particular that stuck with me the most about the presentation in class is a video showing an African American man and describing a criminal that was accused of robbery, murder, assault, and rape. While watching the video, people generally said that they thought that the man in the video was that very person being accused of all of the crimes, when in fact he is the police lieutenant that apprehended the suspect being described. This example alone shows how people’s views can be manipulated in a way to think of something other than reality. This altered perception is exactly what should be corrected, because we will continue to see similar things in life in the same manner. We should teach students how to be aware of the meanings, the purpose of that particular piece, and overall to be better educated on media literacy.

QR Codes

Hello everyone,
Today I wanted to share with you a little activity I put together involving QR codes and art. What I had planned was to have students pick an influential artist throughout history, research their life, their successes, their style, and so on. Once the students have completed their research, they will be able to record themselves speak as if they were the artist. This video will then be uploaded to YouTube or another media site that plays videos. By creating a QR code that takes users to the video, students will automatically have access to the lives of artists throughout history! This QR code can be pasted to a portrait of the artist, and will play a life like video, as if the picture came to life! It may seem a little confusing, trying to explain it in text but below you can see how easy it would be in a classroom.

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Overall, I thought that QR codes are really simple to use, because of how popular they are. Everywhere we go we can see the codes on bags, merchandise, even price tags on items in stores. I've used them in the past, and have had a really great experience using them, so I am all for using these QR codes. There are countless websites that can generate QR codes for videos, audio, text, picture, and list goes on and on. Also, because the online generators are so easy to use and do all the work, teachers, parents, and even students could use them to complete projects, make assignments more engaging, and even connect with others. 

Wordle

Here’s another sample of one of my web 2.0 tech tools that I used in my education course. Wordles are a really cool resource for all kinds of teachers no matter the subject. Personally, I used it for a writing lesson, where students can choose a season of the year they really enjoy. Once they have chosen a season, they will then brainstorm and create a list of all the possible words that signify or resemble anything about the season. With this completed list, students can then create a short story using the main words that appear on the wordle. This can be a short story, a favorite memory, or whatever they would like to write about.

Similar to my previous post, this tech tool was really simple to use. All that is needed is a list of words, a few sentences, or even a paragraph of writing to get you started. Once you have added the writing or words, users can change colors and customize the appearance of the wordle which can be really fun. I know that any student would find this to be a really fun activity. Moreover, I have personally seen Wordles used in the past with great success. So, next time you’re planning a writing assignment or want something fun and easy to do, make a Wordle! This is my wordle I made on my favorite season of the year, fall. Try it out!

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Blabberize

For this tech sample, I created a blabberize video that could be taught at the 5^th grade level. Specifically, the blabber was on the food chain, which is such an important topic in school. Of course, this topic is typically taught across a number of grade levels as well.

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This blabber was created with the help of my sister, her friend, and my brother, but could certainly be done with a single person speaking. I asked for their help in order to make the video a bit more interesting and would certainly get students involved in a classroom. Overall, I thought the blabber went great and was very user friendly. The set up was easy to follow, instructions were clear, and anyone can basically make one! From what I read on the blabberize website, they have added a “new scene” feature which I found to be particularly useful. With this new feature, people are now able to add frames and make their video the way they’d like it. Thinking in terms of education, I think this would be an excellent resource to use in the classroom. Blabbers get students engaged, they get the material to the students, and they are just plain fun. I have included my sample I created in this post, click on it and check it out! If you have a blabber of your own, I would love to see it! 

Hey everyone,

This week I followed the #alg1chat that took place this weekend, and I have to say I learned a lot about some great tools teachers can use involving math. This week’s topic was the use of games in the classroom to motivate learning and was overall really good. There were many people throughout the U.S. asking questions, giving answers and opinions, and collaborating on what role games play in the class. Being a math major, I was particularly attracted to this chat, and I was really glad to learn about some great resources. One of the resources that I liked in particular was tweeted by David Wees (http://davidwees.com/content/teaching-probability - @davidwees), and was actually his personal education website.

What I really liked about his resource was that it was geared towards the material I was looking for and actually gave me some great ideas. Specifically, his tweet was to give a suggestion for a probability game that would get students engaged and motivated them to learn about probability. Throughout the chat, people asked whether others agreed or disagreed with the use of games to introduce a topic, and for the most part people felt that games helped their students a lot. I personally would agree that games do in fact get students involved and excited to learn (for the most part).

So, to sum up my experience with Twitter and PLN’s, I think they are a wonderful tool that all educators should consider and incorporate into their teachings. I have to say, I have learned about more tools and resources this semester than any other in school so far. By using twitter these past few weeks, I have gained useful knowledge that I know I will be able to use in the near future and will make me a more effective teacher. Attached below is my initial post on #alg1chat. Also, my twitter handle is @cardonajairo93 in case you cant make it out in the screen shot. I hope to see you all on this chat on Sundays 8-9 Eastern Time.

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Web Identity Search

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share my experience in using the internet to look for people whether we know them or not. Today we did a mini scavenger hunt looking for people that we did not know, but nonetheless found out who they are, where they live, occupations, relatives, ages, and the list goes on and on. This activity really did open my eyes as to what we put on the internet. Many people think that the information they put on the web simply vanishes or is “private,” but with the right know how and perseverance, people can ultimately find everything.Some of the websites we used that were great for this kind of research were, Spokeo, Pipl, PeekYou, and InstantCheckmate among many others. For my partner and me, we were assigned to research an individual which we had no previous knowledge of, but at the end of the day, we knew so much about them! It was shocking to be able to find that much information within less than an hour. We found out where she lived, her education and jobs, birthday, age, family members, even her address and phone number. As we researched the individuals, I started thinking about what I had posted in my past that others could possibly see. Thankfully I don’t go around posting anything I’ll regret or that is inappropriate, but either way we tend to get a little paranoid about what people can see on the web.

With my parents being older and not as experienced with technology as most of the newer generations, this type of research would certainly make them hesitant to put anything on the internet. I know this is not just with my parents but I've noticed that older generations feel this way. People are scared to even use Google to look something up, because someone might “hack” or “steal” their identity. On the other hand, the newer generations are most likely more aware of what they are putting up and that others can see their information.

With this being said, if I were a parent or in the near future an educator, I think this topic is one that should be shared with everyone, especially since internet users are younger and younger nowadays. Having the knowledge that people may have access to your information whether it’s an employer, teacher, or even your parents, will certainly make people think twice about what they share on the internet. It is important to know this and be aware of the risks we take while we share information on the computer. So think twice before posting things on the internet, and be knowledgeable of what you put out there.