Multimedia Lesson Plan Experience

The Multimedia Lesson Plan assignment, I feel, was one of the most difficult lessons we received in class.  With the fact that I have never made a lesson plan before, I found it challenging to come up with a topic.  Formulating the objectives to connect with the evaluation was also a difficult task to undertake.  However, with some student examples given as well as online examples, I was able to create a lesson plan following the ASSURE lesson plan model that I feel would be beneficial for all students, including ESL students and students with disabilities.  The ASSURE model “is helpful for designing courses using different kinds of media.  This model emphasizes teaching to students with different learning styles and constructivist learning where students are required to interact with their environment and not passively receive information" (Heinch, Molenda, Russell, Smaldino, 1996).

The NETS*T standard I feel that would apply to this assignment is standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  "Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress" (2008).

With editing and revising, I would make my lesson plan of creating a storyboard a bit more challenging for my students by utilizing more online tools.  Additionally, I would require my students to incorporate some audio into their storyboard to make it more engaging. 

What I liked least about this assignment was not having the background experience of creating a lesson plan to assist me with this lesson.  I also found it challenging of having class online rather than face-to-face.  However, it did compel me to be a more responsible and diligent student to get my assignment done on time. 

The best thing I liked about this assignment is the experience of actually creating my first lesson plan.  This assignment was simply a taste of what I will have to do for my future teaching profession.  Being introduced to the ASSURE model was an added bonus to integrate into lesson plans that I will need to generate in the future.

References

International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). Retrieved

       December 2, 2011, from

       http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Academy of Teaching Excellence. (2002). Retrieved

       December 2, 2011, from

       http://www.mscd.edu/~act2/courseconstruct/assure.html

Technology Assessment 2

Assessment of 8 technology tools:

          Moodle                      Prezi

      Google Apps                  Wix
          Firefox                    Blogger
            Jing                     Livebinder 

The rating scale is as follows:

Poor:  The tool is not effective and not easy to learn.

Fair:  The tool is somewhat effective and easy to learn.

Excellent:  The tool is very effective and user-friendly.

Moodle is a free web source that enables teachers and students to productively interact online.  All class information can be displayed on Moodle.  It allows educators to post lessons in advance and students to upload assignments in a timely manner.  It is also useful for online courses which are convenient for both educators and students.  Initially, it is a bit intimidating but the more you explore, the easier it gets.

   Rating: EXCELLENT

The most common and popular search engine.  The apps offered are user-friendly and handy, especially for students.  I found Google documents to be most valuable for school assignments.  It was a great way to interact with my group members to complete projects if we were unable to meet face-to-face. 

        

 Rating: EXCELLENT

 

I have always been loyal to Internet Explorer, but when I was introduced to Firefox, I found this web browser to be faster and more secure.  It is simple to navigate and easy enough to understand. 

Rating: EXCELLENT

 

   

Because I own a PC, I do not have the luxury of capturing images or videos on my screen like a Mac.  But since I was introduced to Jing, I automatically fell in love with this tool.  Jing is a great way to share images and videos to friends, family, classmates and colleagues.  Best of all, it is free, easy and quick to download.  You also have the option to upgrade to better features for a low annual fee.  

Rating: EXCELLENT

 

Wix is a website creator that is

simple enough to use.  I found this website creator

more user-friendly than others.  Uploading images

and videos were hassle-free and programming skills

were unnecessary.  My group and I used Wix for

our digital safety project and I think it turned out

better than what we had hoped for.

Rating: FAIR

Goodbye Powerpoint, Hello Prezi!  This online presentation tool makes creating presentations fun and exciting.  I found it entertaining for the audience and enjoyable for the presenter.  Prezi quickly uploads videos and images so there is no time wasted, zooms into and highlights important details and engages the audience to pay closer attention to the presentation at hand.

Rating: EXCELLENT

I never imagined I would be one of those people to create a BLOG online.  But since it was a requirement for class, I had to do it.  Surprisingly, using my blog to upload written assignments to share with my professor and classmates is actually a smart and effective way to communicate.  All that is required is a gmail account and you can start blogging.  Most importantly, it is free and paperless.  The site is easy to navigate and the tools are pretty straightforward. 

Rating: FAIR






Livebinder is a handy tool for teachers,

parents and students.  It is a 3-ring binder

that is located on the web.  This tool allows you to share your binder full of useful information to anyone and everyone.  This tool helps keep you organized and neat.  Say goodbye to messy papers and a stack full

of heavy binders that you once carried around with you.

Rating: FAIR



Digital Safety Group Work

This digital safety assignment was the most useful and informative lesson I received in class.  I learned essential information on Phishing and Pharming, Textual Harassment and Sexting, Cyberbullying, Fair User Practices and Copyright Issues, and Digital Safety and Privacy.

 

According to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, “Internet safety or online safety is the security of people and their information when using the Internet. Numerous groups, Internet sites and governments have expressed concerns over the safety of children using the Internet.”  He shares main issues concerning digital safety and provides tools on protection from becoming an online victim.  This assignment made me more aware of the dangers behind a computer and being safe should be a top priority to all Internet users.

I appreciated that instead of a class lecture, this assignment was student-centered and gave us the opportunity to learn while researching our group topics.  Allowing students to “teach” each other gives us the chance to learn effectively in a more fun and interesting environment.  My partner Chloe and I presented on the topic of Textual Harassment and Sexting.  As I conducted my research, I discovered valuable information that not only I could benefit from, but will definitely benefit my future students.  I learned it is important to be tech savvy in order to be safe while on the Internet. 

Designing a lesson for a digital safety activity for my future students would require further knowledge on all five topics.  As an educator, I would have to gather useful information to share with my students and briefly illustrate why these topics are important not only for educational purposes, but basically for life in general.  The lesson would include a group project to create a video/mini-movie on one of the topics that demonstrates valuable information that their fellow classmates could learn from.  Each student would then be required to write individual essays to reflect what they learned on their assigned digital safety topic and include what they contributed to the project. 

Although the Wiggio tool is an efficient and useful online tool, I feel that it is also necessary for students to meet face-to-face when working on group assignments.  I feel that there are some disadvantages to assigning group projects.  According to the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL), “It is difficult to accurately evaluate the contribution of individual students within group work. Valid and fair assessment of individual competence in the group setting is difficult.”  There can be a handful of students who do not contribute to group work/projects, so I would suggest including a short essay or response paper to what each student had contributed to the assignment.  Furthermore, with this group assessment paper, the teacher can give a fair and valid grade to each student.  Although there are some disadvantages to group work, I think the benefit does outweigh the disadvantages and educators simply need to be more diligent about it.  

References

Wale, Jimmy. (2011, October 20). Internet Safety. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_safety

Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. (2009). Group Assessment. Retrieved November 16, 2011 from http://ar.cetl.hku.hk/group.htm#3

Life Less Complicated

         Assistive Technology for students with disabilities does not simply help them manage with everyday life; it truly changes their lives to become independent, social and confident individuals.  If Guam public schools had the funding, implementing an Assistive Technology class would be beneficial for our special needs students as well as the educators.  Investing in this type of program will allow the students to participate in classroom activities, prepare them for the future, become more productive individuals and will not impede them from any type of passion they desire to achieve. 

           

Students with disabilities already have a challenging time participating in class.  Assistive Technology will give the students the confidence to get involved with class discussions and interactive activities.  According to the video Enabling Dreams, “The student’s disability prevents them from participating in school” (The George Lucas Foundation, 2005).  However, with these technological devices, it will provide them with a sense of belonging.  Susanna Sweeney-Martini, a student from University of Washington says,” Technology is my life, without it, I could not exist today" (The George Lucas Foundation, 2005).

Preparing a lesson plan for students with disabilities requires extensive research and background information of each student.  Sensitivity towards each of the individuals’ special needs is necessary to accomplish the goal of the learners.  It is essential to understand that each individual is different and the educator must consider revising lessons to accommodate every student.  With the use of Assistive Technology, accomplishing the instructions and/or lesson plans in class will be helpful to both student and teacher.  For instance, if a student has difficulty comprehending or utilizing written text books, audio books can be available to him through Assistive Technology.  The learner will be able to understand the lesson more effectively and the educator will be able to teach the lesson successfully.  Access to online educational tools for students with disabilities creates a profound and more elaborate way of communicating with their peers and educators.  The opportunity to utilize these tools makes learning easier for the students and the lessons are more fun and stimulating for the learner.  Additionally, educators should be fully trained to handle any situation that may arise (e.g. troubleshooting or technical issues) while working with technology devices.  According to Kids Together, Inc., “Bridging skills with goals is what Assistive Technology and related services provide.  There also needs to be an on-going cycle of evaluating and recommending, maintenance of technology, reviews of emerging needs, and upgrading of equipment when necessary.”

I initially wanted to major in Special Education (SPED) because I knew the demand for SPED teachers is high.  However, I was less than confident in my ability to assist students with disabilities.  I observed a SPED class last semester and it was certainly a challenging task that I felt only certain people could undertake.  If our schools offered Assistive Technology for students with disabilities, I would have chosen that route without hesitation.  Teaching would be less challenging and the students would have a better opportunity to effectively learn each lesson created specifically for them.  Basically, life would be a lot less complicated for both educator and student.

References

Kids Together, Inc. (2010). Assistive Technology. Retrieved October 18, 2011 from http://www.kidstogether.org/at.htm

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2005, February 02). Assistive-Technology: Enabling Dreams [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

 Photos provided by:

Enabling Dreams video and Google Images

 

Essential Skills for Students and Teachers

The first group project of creating a rubric from an online educational game and presenting it to the rest of the class was beneficial for me since I am aspiring to become a Secondary Education teacher in the field of English as a Second Language.  This project was essential because I acquired three skills that is useful in my educational career and will fundamentally become valuable in my professional career as a teacher.  These essential skills include the importance of group work, creating a rubric for an assignment and building the confidence to present in front of an audience. 

            Group work is vital not just for students or teachers, but for everyone.  People must have the skills to work with others in order to complete important tasks.  For students, group work is essential in school because it teaches the importance of cooperation, responsibility and fairness. According to John W. Santrock, “Vgotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) theory, which refers to the range tasks that are too difficult for an individual to master alone, but can be mastered with the guidance and assistance of adults or more-skilled peers, emphasizes the importance of social contexts of learning and the construction of knowledge through social interaction” (2010, p. 101).  For teachers, teaching the importance of group work to students is not only advantageous for the students, but for the teacher as well.  The educational profession is not an autonomous position in society.  Teachers are constantly sharing ideas with one another, interacting with the faculty, and cooperating with parents and the rest of the community.  Having the skills to work in groups makes reaching the common goal an easy and trouble-free task.

Learning how to create a rubric will definitely be valuable for my future profession as an educator.  Although it was challenging to decide what should be included in the rubric, I learned in class how to search for ideas online.  With the many tools that were introduced in class, my group and I were able to develop an educational online game rubric and successful create an engaging and fun presentation.  Because of this assignment, I now understand the importance of rubrics and can confidently create them for my classes when I begin my professional career as a teacher.  From the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*T), the objective of standard 2a is “design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity” (2011).  I strongly believe that this objective was right on target concerning this first group project for our ED271 class.

Confidence is certainly a great asset to have, especially if one decides to become a teacher.  Teachers must illustrate confidence to their students which eventually allows the students to have complete trust in them as well.  Teachers must assure their students that they know the content well enough to teach and demonstrate confidence in their students’ ability to learn.  They play a vital role in their students’ lives and having confidence only makes teachers better at what they do.

The three essential skills acquired from this assignment which includes group work, creating a rubric and confidence building are vital for both students and teachers.  These skills teach the students how to become self-sufficient adults and allow teachers to become more enriched and knowledgeable professionals.

References

Santrock, J.W. (2010). Adolescence. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2011). Retrieved

    September 30, 2011, from

    http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Practice

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.  UOG