Apply and Discover 11.1

Learning about technology integration has been one of the most exciting experiences of my journey at SNHU. The reality is that technology can be implemented into any subject and the possibilities are endless. Technology brings us closer together and enables us to visit and learn about remote places even beyond our planet. Student engagement increases if we skillfully incorporate technology into our lessons. Academic material is more accessible to students with limitations, breaking the barriers that prevent us from reaching the students and helping us deliver instruction more effectively. I think as educators we have to look out for opportunities to incorporate technology in the classroom and maintain our skills current by taking courses, reading and researching for new tech programs. We owe it to our "21st century learners" to find ways to connect with them using the same tools they like to use at home. Also, by incorporating the TPAK model and designing lessons that are rich in content and utilize a variety of methods to deliver instruction (such as technology) - suitable for multiple intelligences.

Apply and Discover 10.1 WebQuest Video Evaluations

I evaluated the following WebQuest videos:
1) Gabrien's Turner's video on Narrative Essays incorporates a clear and concise example of how to write an essay. Gabrien provides plenty of examples to assist the students with the assignment. The webquest also accommodates student's needs by allowing options for final task and differentiating between auditory and visual learners. The task offers a peer edit form in which students can get feedback from their classmates on improvement areas. There is also an option to publish the essay on the web to showcase their work and share it with classmates and parents. There is a variety of images and links available in the webquest. I think she did a very thorough job with this task.


2) Jenn Freeda's Webquest on the state's of matter was very good. My only concern was the age range, as my experience with kindergarteners is that their attention span is very limited. However, the resources used on this webquest are appropriate and engaging. Brain pop jr. activities are colorful, and pictures are used instead of words, which helps emerging readers. I think the lesson can be expanded to higher grades, first and second graders. Also liked how she incorporated recipes and images from clipart, this supports visual learners. The video showing the process of ice melting, turning into steam was excellent. I would love to share this webquest with the director of my son's kindergarten program, she runs an afterschool science program and has never used technology to supplement her lessons, this would be a great start. 


3) Tiffany Mathinson's Ms. M and M's Periodic Table webquest was very interesting. This would be a great introductory lesson for younger students. I loved the activities - element bingo, advertisement and element song. I think Tiffany did a great job, she's very knowledgeable about the content and was able to translate this into her lesson. It appears she has experience teaching and knows her students, this enables her to customize her lessons to meet student's needs, incorporate curriculum standards and the use of technology. Great job. If you don't mind, I may borrow some of your ideas for future use!

Apply and Discover 9.1

Providing equal access to students in the digital world requires that educators possess the necessary background knowledge of students to understand their needs, abilities and limitations. Educators must also have knowledge of the subject (content knowledge), familiarity and disposition to utilize technological resources as teaching medium. The TPACK model (Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge) describes how educators should be well rounded and increase their knowledge in the areas of pedagogy, technology and content material. As the CAST video and literature depicts students learn best when information is presented in a variety of formats and multiple avenues are used to deliver the instruction (i.e., visual, auditory and kinesthetic). If we want to provide valuable access to the digital world we need to take into account student's needs and abilities so that learning can take place.

Apply and Discover 3.2

Apply and Discover 3.2

Apply and Discover 2.2

In my short paper for module one I addressed the importance of having a differentiated plan for technology instruction. Thus, allowing educators to learn technology at their own pace, taking into account their background knowledge, abilities and limitations. Similarly, the UDL (Universal Design for Learning) approach outlines the importance of having a “curriculum that includes alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for students with different backgrounds, learning styles and abilities in widely varied learning contexts” (Gardner, Schweder & Wissick, 2004). Another facet of UDL is presented by Schrum and Levin (2009) when they describe the needs of  “Millenial learners”. According to the authors, this generation needs to be challenged and want to learn/work in an environment that supports collaboration, creativity, flexibility and entertaining. Technology allows us to meet these demands and support the needs of diverse learners. For instance, the article: Technology Applications that Support Diverse Learners (Gardner, Schweder & Wissick, 2004) offers accommodations alternatives, such as graphic organizers, for students that have limited memory, and attention/retention difficulties. There are many types of organizers available in the Internet for different applications, these can be customized with pictures, large font, bright color background etc… These can be further modified for students that require additional challenges. Other tools that I would implement in my classroom are alternative web browsers, such as the BrowseAloud tool, EReaders, optical character recognition software and text-to-speech such as the Mac TTS.  For students that exhibit a passive learning style or that have a tendency to lack motivation (may be due to issues at home, etc..) it is recommended to engage in interactive multimedia, this can be achieved by using artifacts such as the SmartBoard, see article: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4278772&page=1#.Txsyo5jgWFI. If this technology is not available, teachers can always create interactive lessons by incorporating computer games, videos that can be paused for group discussions, and online simulations or representation of concepts.