Tech Play 4 - Content Objects

Tech Play 4 

I selected “content objects” versus “information literacy” option because in my content area which is language I delighted using applications to teach and get my students engage. The students can enjoy the learning process while using technology as a platform for their learning.

For the “Tech Play 4” I explored different tools or web site as follow:

1. I used in my classroom https://conjuguemos.com/ which is an online workbook for languages. The students can practicing their lesson with activities, test, including they can do a quiz as we do recently. I used other teachers activities created as well as I adapted and create my own activities.

The main functions are: drill, test, practice and instructional games.

 

2. Another interesting web tool: https://lp.babbel.com

Which I will recommend to my students to review what they are learning. Is a tool to practice vocabulary and expressions and conversation, the students see a picture and under the picture is what it mean in English then, the student must select in Spanish the correct answer.

The main function is practice the language learned.

 

3. This tool “digital dialects” http://www.digitaldialects.com/Spanish.htm is fantastic. I will definitely use in my classroom.

The main function is instructional games.

4. Spanish-games.net is a tool to practice Spanish while playing. Is designer for children from 5 to 15 years old. http://www.spanish-games.net/

Main funtion is tutorial and instructional games.

5. My Spanish Games http://www.myspanishgames.com/Spanish-games.html is similar to the previous tool, however the target includes more older users. Includeds a “teacher’s corner”. I don’t like this web site because is distracted with a lot of advertising. I won’t be using this site in my classroom.

The main instructional game and tutoring.

Using the TPACK model I will keep using https://conjuguemos.com/ because the goals and objective of this web site is pedagogically structure to induct the children to practice and learn the language, not only Spanish but other languages that this web site teach as per example French and German. Technologically is affordable to the students because the school district paid for the use of it in class, the teacher set up an account and each student will have access to sign in through their teacher code and different classroom can be set up as well.

The total package of the TPACK model in this web site perfectly completed with the PCT (Pedagogy, Content and Technology) which is integrate, interdisciplinary and creative in one tool where the teacher and the students are benefits from the use.

The others web sites do not offer this fantastic resource to use in classroom privately for activities and lessons. Perhaps, the others tools explores for Tech Play 4 are limited to the user independently and not to assess for class purposed.

If I use a different tool, I will design the lesson through practicing while the students do an instructional game. After, they practicing the game and memorizing while they doing that, I will submitted a short quiz to evaluated and assess the learning process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After peer reviewed below is the current stage of my Educational Technology Philosophy Statement:

2nd Draft-

"I believe that technology is a major provider of education in the 21 century. I believe that the new generation net have a great potential to utilize technology in their own development and with the right guidelines they can discovery how big and global is our world and how small can be in a matter of our finger.

I believe that educators have the great responsibility to not only delivering education but to have an impact in the life of every children we touch. A day in my classroom is using multiple intelligence approach because I try to reach each students with different methods including lecture, visual, audio, and inter active activities. The technology is integrated in activities using a blog created specifically to work in our language class. Using pedagogy to guide the students during their learning process and to guide them to reach the objectives and goals setting for them to acquire new knowledge.

 I believe that technology will cross beyond barriers of culture and distance and each students can develop a self-respect and acceptance to each other by respecting each individual difference with tolerance and embrace the differences between each individual person. That and by discovering the global word through technology using internet the children of generation net and the futures one can open their mind into a global education where they can live a fascinating life by learning other languages, cultures and inter-exchange ideas through technology. Per example, my own classroom is a global environment because we have students with different backgrounds as per India, Mexico, Nepal, and have in the past students coming from Central America, as per as Americans coming from different States in Unite States. This type of environment teach them to be tolerant with each other and prepare them to be ready to work in a Global environment.

I believe that modeling education in this century is to teach students to be responsible, to respecting their peers and their instructors to learn to think with critical thinking to search for answers and change things. We the teachers have the responsibility to teach our students to discovery the world by promote curiosity. The student needs to explore the past to make sense the present and create a plan for the future. I remember a history student asked me why they have to study history and I answer back we need to have acknowledge of our past to live our present and appreciate it to plan for our future. If we don’t know where we come, how we will know where we want to go? History is one of my personal favorite subjects and I integrate history in my language class. History bring acknowledge of culture and background open the perspective of meaning to the students. Students are actively looking for meaning when they are learning. Many time I hear them say …”this do not make sense”, perhaps, I make sure everything they learn have a meaning and have a sense. I transfer their classroom learning with examples of their real daily life to connect the sense of what they are learning.

I believe that the role of educator using technology is to enrich and direct the parameters and guidelines to the students, perhaps they can focus in the benefit of education by avoiding distractions allowing the students to search intellectual content as well as utilizing their curiosity to discovery the world through the internet and utilizing the educational technology to learn in short time the same and more than their parents learn in long period of time. I believe in fostering cooperation and help every students with an inclusive classroom environment where the students with difficult learning can be helped using other resources and benefit with the technology in their hands. Educators are facilitators, curriculum framework creators, guidelines, monitoring and classroom educational materials providers with the mission or philosophy to create in the students the passion to learn using technology as a tool for education enrichment."

Tech Play 3: Creativity Tools - Week 4 April 20 to 26, 2015
 
Assignments for Week 5:

For the Tech Play 3 Assignment, you will explore creativity tools. We are defining a creativity tool as anything that allows a student to create or produce something. These are not necessarily tools that are associated with the fine arts type of creativity, although those tools are certainly fine if you are teaching art! These are also not tools that are typically associated with productivity as we are not necessarily concerned with efficiency. These are tools that students use to create something digital and shareable.

Please, go to the tap Tech Play 3: Creativity Tools or the link below: 

http://rochellemilleretec524class.blogspot.com/p/tech-play-3-creativity-tools.html

e-Portfolio - Week 4 April 13 to 19, 2015

Assignments for Week 4:

1. Write the first draft of your Educational Technology Philosophy Statement.

         My Philosophy:

         "I believe that technology is a major provider of education in the 21 century. I believe that the new generation net have a great potential to utilize technology in their own development and with the right guidelines they can discovery how big and global is our world and how small can be in a matter of our finger. I believe that technology will cross beyond barriers of culture and distance and each students can develop a self-respect and acceptance to each other by respecting each individual difference with tolerance and embrace the differences between each individual person. That and by discovering the global word through technology using internet the children of generation net and the futures one can open their mind into a global education where they can live a fascinating life by learning other languages, cultures and inter-exchange ideas through technology.

I believe that the role of educator in technology is to enrich and direct the parameters and guidelines to the students, perhaps they can focus in the benefit of education by avoiding distractions allowing the students to search intellectual content as well as utilizing their curiosity to discovery the world through the internet and utilizing the educational technology to learn in short time the same and more than their parents learn in long period of time. Educators are facilitators, curriculum framework creators, guidelines, monitoring and classroom educational materials providers with the mission or philosophy to create in the students the passion to learn using technology as a tool for education enrichment."

    2. Review the guidelines and expectations for the ETEC Eportfolio and get your eportfolio set up following these guidelines. Post a link to your ePortfolio on your TechPlay blog. Note that your ePortfolio does not have to be completed! You just need to decide where you will host the ePortfolio, get your pages/sections set up, and post the link. 

        The current status of my e-Portfolio:

     http://msmillerspanishtea.wix.com/rochelleimiller
 

e-Portfolio

Tech Play 2 Assignment

Instruction: Explore variety of tools to create an e-portfolio. Give some examples, and write a reflection.

1. For this week assignment I find different tools to create eportfolios listed in the tab "e-Portfolio".

2. My reflection on e-Portfolios or “folio thinking” is to incorporate traditional paper presentations, test, school projects or assessment into an electronic interactive replacement. We are living in the electronic era and the students in this generation are called “Gen Net”. They are very comfort using electronic and very savvy. The transfer or replacement in some case of the traditional paper to electronic is just a matter of time.

Goes beyond a classroom presentation or assessment, can open doors for future work. Employees are willing to see beyond a simple curriculum vitae but with the exposition of an e-Portfolio is more reliable to know the real talent of an individual.

What I personal learned about technology is that every day I enriched myself personal and professional. I have been using Google, YouTube, Digital audio, video, pictures, create my own videos, created my own web site and many other things that make me passionate about technology. I had been enriched class projects and professional presentation.

3. Annex

Definition of e-Portfolio:

“Is a Digitized collection of artifacts, including demonstration resources, and accomplishments that represent an individual, group, community organization, or institution. This collection can be comprised of text-based, graphic, or multimedia elements archived on a Web site or on other electronic media such as a CD-ROM or DVD.”

Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3001.pdf

“An e-portfolio is more than a simple collection, however, it can also administrative tool to manage and organize work created with different applications and control who can see or discuss the work.”

 Retrieved from https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3001.pdf

In this context, it is a perfect tool to use for students presentations, because they can set who can post for discussion and control who can see their work.

For my project I'm using the Pathbride (https://pathbrite.com/#maker) e-portfolio maker.

My Portfolio will be starting developing with the following criteria: Home, About me, Philosophy,

Informed Decision-Making, Communication Page, Design and Technology.

All these criteria are following the standard guidelines for the pages expecting for this project as follow:

• Home/Overview Page: explaining the purpose of the eportfolio, how it is organized, and how the viewer can navigate to its contents.
• About Me Page: telling the viewer a bit about you, your work experiences, academic achievements, awards and honors, etc. Include relevant artifacts, such as your resume, certificates, diplomas, etc.
• Philosophy Page: Provide a reflection on how you developed your Educational Technology Philosophy on this page and include the drafts of your philosophy as artifacts. You might also provide your teaching philosophy if you have one. 
• Informed Decision-Making Page: Reflect on your skills, abilities, and experiences in making informed decisions regarding teaching and learning, particularly teaching and learning with technology. How do you draw upon your abilities to research and identify best practices in making informed decisions about teaching, learning, and technology. Provide artifacts that demonstrate these skills and abilities.
• Communication Page: Reflect on your skills and abilities to communicate effectively in a variety of ways (written, oral, digital) using a variety of media (text, graphics, illustrations, tables, figures, charts, graphs, audio, video, etc). Provide artifacts that demonstrate these skills and abilities.
• Design & Technology Page: reflect on your skills and abilities in designing instruction using technology. Provide artifacts that demonstrate these skills and abilities.

The current status of my e-Portfolio:

http://msmillerspanishtea.wix.com/rochelleimiller

Conclusion:

After evaluated all these great resources to create a blog, I choose Google. For me, which I had been using Google for long time was very friendly and affordable.

In the other hand, Blog using Google "blogger" let me be creative with everything I need to be creative as pictures, videos, link. It’s have so many tools in the menu.

The presentation of a content in a blog is a great way to stimulate the students to use technology. We have iPads for students to use in class, so they can explores this facility to deliver what they are learning by posting their taught in the blog.

Remembering Howard Gardner (1983) and its “Theory of Multiple Intelligences” in the book title Frames of Mind. He wrote about that the students are learning in different ways. This fact challenge the teachers of this decades to use all recourse on hand to deliver their course and not only lecture like in the past.

Teachers are in need to be creative to utilize computer at first using MS Office with Word and Power Point, as well as the internet by using existing web sites to deliver the material in an appealing way to the students to make them engage and learn with technology.

As they are the Generation Net and they are very savvy with computers, electronic device and internet, the teachers are in need to be on top of new technology available as a tool to use to reaching out every student.

Play with Technology is a great way to deliver the content in a relaxed environment. While the students are playing they are learning.

How a teacher can create a blog? Is so many ways and different resources available, but for this project I choose Google as I said before, and I am sharing this tutorial video which teach “how to create a blog using google” to help anybody that would like to use Google.

Tutorial - How to create a blog using google blogger

 

 

Resource: https://youtu.be/Y4lqtiYLuJU

Tech Play 1

Introduction:

This week we must create a blog. We have to search different sources and then decide which one suit better the available options.

Overview:

To develop this project of “Technology Play-Testing” I research through different blogs, host and web sites.

My first one in my was Blog Spot by Google, which one I currently used. The second one in line was Word Press, which I created a blog but still didn’t used to post information. But, let’s review the different technologies, let’s start with Google then Word Press as well as other options:

1. Google https://www.blogger.com/home

I had been created about four blogs with Google in the past. I am very comfortable using Google and for me is the best option. It is free and is so wonderful giving you so many tools to be creative in the educational feel with technology. Yes! I select Google for my project of Technology Play testing.

 

2. Word Press (https://wordpress.com/website/ and https://wordpress.org/)

WordPress is the same platform used by CNN, the Rolling Stones and just about every major blogger in the world.

Wordpress is free but you have to install it with web hosting. WordPress.org Recommends Bluehost for under $5.

There are two: WordPress.org and Wordpress.com

WordPress.com offers an entry level package but it doesn't allow you to customize the name of the blog with your own domain name. It also shows ads on your blog. If you want your own domain name or to remove the ads it's $99 per year. Compare WordPress.com

WordPress.org is a free platform that is used by almost 20% of the entire internet. In order to use it, you'll buy Web Hosting with 1-click WordPress.org install. Some Web Hosting companies are cheaper and even offer goodies like a free custom domain! WordPress.org Recommends BlueHost. Their Web Hosting is easy to use with WordPress (1-click install) and offers a free domain name all for under $5 a month (under $60 per year).

Conclusion: Is not affordable if we need to consider cost involved. Meaning is not 100% free, perhaps not affordable.

3. Wix.com  http://www.wix.com/blog/

Wix is a web site free and friendly to the users. It is growing very fast in the web site builders community. Is free and even though the main product is to create a personal o business web site for free, anybody can create a blog as well.

Wix.com is a leading cloud-based web development platform with millions of users worldwide. We make it simple for everyone to create a beautiful, professional web presence. No creative limits, no coding skills
needed to get your business online.

Conclusion: Is good for this project, but not selected.

 4. Go Daddy.com https://www.godaddy.com

I am user of godaddy.com which is an excellent host, technology advance and friendly user if you want to create your own web site, which one you can do blog as well inside of your web site.

Conclusion: The inconvenience for this project is that is not free, you have to pay for your domain name as well as for the web site.

5. Merlot http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

I use and have Merlot. I like it a lot. You can post projects type web sites as I do for past global technology classes. It is free.

Conclusion: Have limitations through the educational community, is hosting as a program of the University of California.

6. Voice Thread https://voicethread.com/

Is a different way to post taught and get feedback or create a conversational community. You can post writing and voice, as well as videos. I used a lot for different projects. It is free.

Conclusion: Depending of what and how we want to deliver messages and instructions this is a great way to do it with slides typology instead of straight blogs. People can comment, record voice and videos on instance and reply immediately a life with their own videos or recording their voice and place a picture of themselves to identify who is talking with their own name as well.

7. Weebly http://www.weebly.com

I was looking at this web site, you can starting a blog for free, but they will always offer to upgrade to a start kit to pro for a fee.

Conclusion: Even though is a good resource to create a blog, still unaffordable as students for a college project.