Blog #10

     I enjoyed working on Assignment 5! I thought it was fun to pick whatever topic we wanted and we really got to be creative and free with it. One of the skills I learned was how to switch slides with a shape icon, and just press it for a trivia/jeopardy effect. I thought that was cool and really brought my trivia to life. For this assignment, I gave myself more time than the previous one, which is a goal I gave myself, and I really think it worked in my favor. Overall a fun project! 

    My favorite blog to read from everyone in the classroom was our first blog that we wrote. I thought it was cool to get to know my peers that I am with twice a week. It was nice to learn about their passions and what they overall want to do with their lives. I also liked how different everyone's blog homepage was. It  gave me insight into that person and I thought it was great! 

    A technology related skill I would like to learn next is how to use excel and google sheets. Thankfully, I have learned that this is something the class will be learning how to use when we return from the break. I used excel when I was taking biology and chemistry lab and absolutely hated it. It was something I feel we never got properly introduced to and were just thrown in to use it. I know in this class, excel will be thoroughly shown to us, so I will really understand it. 

Blog #9

    I have really enjoyed this course so far! To begin, I like how small and intimate our class is. It makes me more comfortable to engage with the class. I appreciate how the activities are very hands on. We always get very thorough explanations for all our assignments as well as time during our class to work on them. This is especially helpful if we have any questions on the work. I also love how great our teacher is. She is always very helpful when teaching us, as well as answering any question if we are confused! 

    Open Educational Resources are those resources used to gain knowledge that are public domain. They can be found on the internet on websites, videos, as well in the library as textbooks...etc. The open educational resource I choose is called "MERLOT." It is a California State University resource that provides about 35,000 open and free course material to anyone that wants to use it! I think this is an amazing website, as it allows those who aren't able to afford going to school or feel as if they are behind in their education to use. 

https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm

    Assignment four was not very difficult for me. I have been using powerpoint for years. I did though learn some new skills. For example, I have never recorded myself over the powerpoint. I thought it was a cool and useful tool for the future. I also thought how you could write notes on the slide was useful when recording. Next time, I feel as if I could have given myself a bit more time for this project. It was due on Halloween, which was a crazy time, but overall I should have separated more time to work on it. 

Bitmoji Classroom!

 

Learning related Meme

 

Blog #8

     I enjoyed the website assignment! I thought it was tedious, and definitely took time, but was worth it. It was nice to see my work layed out in front of me. The new skill I learned how to use, was how to add a link on the Weebly website. It was honestly a struggle for me and I was panicking, but once I figured it out I was relived and it was easy. I feel as if web design is very beneficial for my future career of teaching! I think a teacher website is not only useful for the students, but also for the parents. It allows teachers and their students/parents to communicate out of the classroom in a fun way! 

mrspereirasroom

    I had never heard of or used diigo before this class! I think it is a great website for teachers to have. I could see teachers who are teaching the same grade having their own group on diigo and sharing different articles or resources that could be helpful for them. Truly in any work situation, diigo could be great for sharing different assets to give everyone an upper-hand in their job. 

    This blog is one that would be useful for teachers to stay in the know with technology. It lists different ways and resources for them to still be updated as the years go on. I think it is important for teachers to be updated with the world of technology for their classroom. It gives not only them, but the students as well an advantage when learning. It could possibly make thinks easier for both parties. 

Teachers Essential Guide Teaching with Technology

Blog 7

 

    The school website I choose belongs to Canopy Oaks Elementary School. It is located here in Tallahassee, Florida. The schools page has a section that is dedicated to all of the teachers websites. Every teacher has identical websites, as they are just extensions of the initial elementary school page. It begins with a welcome segment, and on the left side there are different tabs that allow you to get to know the teacher, find student resources, important documents, class calendars and other resources. I think teacher websites are very informative for not only parents, but for students as well. It gives them more assets to be able to contact their teacher and to do well during the class time. 

https://www.leonschools.net/Page/2610

    I feel as if technology will be used in my classroom. The advancements that we have are allowing children to exceed and do wonders in the classroom. One that I do see myself using is the smart board. We learned about it during our trip to the technology sandbox this week. It was used to teach me in middle school and high school, but it seems as if it has been updated. I think it is a great tool, and allows teachers to share their content with their students. As well as it has different applications that are great resources for students. For example geography games, puzzles, etc... 

    For our second assignment I did not enjoy using canvas. I thought once you explained it to us, I got the hang of it, and it was perfectly fine. I just thought it was a bit complex, especially the rocket-ship icon, it really confused me. I feel as if there are other websites, that are easier to use for what we did. But at the end of the day, it was not the end of the world, and I wouldn't mind using it again. 

Blog #6

     Before this class, I had never heard of Diigo. At first it was intimidating, unfamiliar, and took a little bit of help to use. Once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it. I think it is a great resource to be able to share articles or any resources out with your peers, in a group. 

    I have enjoyed blogging so far! I think it is a great outlet to reflect on the week in the classroom. It gives us a space to give you our feedback with the assignments in the class too which is nice. It is one of the assignments I look forward too weekly! I do also really like the blogger website, it is very organized and pleasing to look at especially because we got to personalize our pages. 

    One web 2.0 tool I would use for students would be Instagram. So far in this class my main topic of interest has been English Language arts, specifically focused on the first grade. I would only use Instagram if I was teaching English to middle school or high school students. I feel as if it would be beneficial when we finish reading a book in class. I would have the kids do a project in which they choose a character from the book, and create an Instagram for them. It would allow them to really analyze the character they choose and get into their head. I choose Instagram because it is a very popular social media, and it is also very easy to use. It is one of my favorite social medias, so it would be cool to incorporate it into my classroom. I also feel as if the students would enjoy the mixture of school with one of their favorite social medias! 

https://www.instagram.com/

Blog #5

     I started using Twitter during my Junior year of high school, right when covid hit. I mainly used it to interact with my friends on a new social media platform, but to also get news on pop culture, and other peoples opinions on it. I truly used it for my own leisure. Now a days, I still have the app and my own personal twitter account, but I only use it about once or twice a month. For example, today I saw on Instagram that Spotify, the music service now has audiobooks, so I went on twitter to see everyone's opinion on that. I believe twitter can be beneficial for future careers. It can help us increase our personal learning network, and meet more people in our field. 

    The digital divide is a gap between people that have access to technology and advancements and those that don't. I would say I first noticed this divide during the time of covid. We went from having school in person to then strictly over zoom, and it was difficult for not only the teachers, but the students as well. You were required to have access to a computer and technology to be able to attend school during this time. Luckily, I didn't hear of this effecting any kids in my grade, but I can imagine how many kids struggled. I do know that the public library was open by my house, so this is a resource children were able to use. This digital divide during this time was definitely detrimental for some kids and there learning as this probably set them back in comparison to others. As a teacher, I would make sure that every kid does have some sort of way to be able to reach technology for class, if not they could be a given an alternative assignment possibly on paper. 

    I have enjoyed using canvas for our second assignment so far! It is cool to see what our teachers go through when making our class pages and assigning us work. I have struggled a bit, as it is slightly complex, from the teachers point of view, but I quickly got used to it. I feel as if it could be a bit easier to work with, especially with the rocket-ship icon on the top right corner, that got especially tricky. I do like how you can split your page into different subgroups. As a student I do believe canvas is easy to navigate, but as a teacher making the page it can get a bit confusing. As a K-12 teacher, I wouldn't see myself using canvas with my students. I was not introduced to canvas until my freshman year of college and I think that is how it should be! I would use other programs such as Edmodo, or Microsoft Teams. I could also make a newsletter weekly or monthly to send home with the children. 

    

Blog #4

         For the ELA technology center standards, I choose 1st grade, English Language Arts. The specific standard I am focusing on is "Standard ELA.1.R: Reading". This standard is split up into three sections including: "Reading Prose and Poetry", "Reading Informational Text" and "Reading Across Genres". Overall, the goal of this standard is to identify and describe certain words/phrases in texts, recall a text in oral form and compare and contrast two different works from the same topic. After reading and familiarizing myself with this standard, I would say I feel prepared to implement it to a class. I feel as these are basic skill sets that I have been practicing for a while now and would be able to teach it to children who have not learned it yet. 

    For this activity, I also choose 1st grade and English Language Arts. The resource I decided to use was a lesson plan, more specifically "Comprehension: The Main Event." This resource includes a game that allows students to organize the sequences of a story in chronological order. They would do this using a graphic organizer. I would use this resource because I feel as if it would be not only beneficial to the students, but since it is a game it would be fun and engaging for them. I feel as if when teaching younger children, it is important to keep them engaged, while having them also process the information they are being taught. 

    Internet searching is the act of searching for a specific outcome on the any website. This act is not only very beneficial for teachers, but as a student and a person, I use this feature a lot. Just the fact that it is so easy to search for something on the internet, and you can automatically get an answer. I think it is important to be a proficient internet searcher as a teacher, because the internet allows one to gain many resources, and these resources would be beneficial for the classroom. As a teacher, one of my favorite skills I have learned this week was when we internet searched for an image. When doing so, you can use the tools section and customize the search to be even more specific. You can choose the color and if you want it to be a gif... etc. I think this is an important and useful tools for teachers. For example, when they are making power-points or worksheets for the class. 

Blog #3

     Copyright is the legal right that gives the owner total authority to do what they would please with their material. They would be able to copy, distribute, use the work... etc. Fair use is an exception to copyright. It allows one to use copyrighted work without the owners consent for purposes such as teaching, news reporting, research.. etc. As a teacher, it is very hard to not have kids copy you and take your work. If they are taking notes, I would recommend they write them in their own words, or if they are writing an essay and quote my power-points or what I said in class, they should be able to cite it. That is obviously just a surface solution of the issue, but it truly is a start. 

    The two technology implementation issues I choose include were decreased productivity and cyberbullying. To begin, I am one of the students that gets distracted from being able to use technology in class, so I know this is a real issue. For this problem, I would implement that student's would have to put their phones away during the class time and pay attention.They would be able to use it when they them for an activity or an emergency. I have stopped using my phone in class as much, and while it is a little annoying, I retain the information we learned so much better. Next there I choose cyberbullying. A good way to halt this or decrease the amount of cyberbullying that happens is to create awareness in the classroom. I would inform the students that it is okay if this has happened to them and give them resources to help them. Bringing awareness to the topic would then decrease it. 

    I learned a lot of new skills from this newsletter. To begin, my favorite skill was the column tool. I just really liked that there was a feature that could enhance our newsletter and make it look more authentic. I also learned how to use word art which I thought was cool! I think I could improve my newsletter in the future by allowing myself more time to do it, and allow it to be the best of my ability. These skills could be useful in any career truly. The newsletter allowed us to explore the Microsoft Word application into depth, which is important for any track you may take. 

Blog #2

     I would say I have been familiar with Microsoft Word since middle school. Starting in 6th grade my peers and I began to use tablets, and more technology in the classroom. My mom is a journalist, so this application is also very familiar to her. She definitely helped me learn more about it in depth. I do prefer using Microsoft Word rather than using an alternative like google docs for example. I went through a phase where I really enjoyed using google docs, but that came to an end about after a year. I feel as if it is easier to just have the document already on your computer, rather than downloading it. And as I mentioned previously, I have been using Word for years now, therefore feeling more comfortable with it. 

    After reading all the standards for educators, I believe the most important one would be "The Collaborator." This standard states that educators spend time with their colleague and students to "improve, practice, discover and share resources, ideas and solve problems." I think it is very important that educators do collaborate with both their peers, and their students. This standard allows them to be able to join forces with others to not only share their ideas but also problem solve, which is principle in a classroom setting.

    A "digital native" is a phrase used to describe anyone who was born and brought up in the age of technology. Because of this they would then be familiar with the usage of it. I agree with the term "digital native" to an extent. I think there are many children who were raised in a technology proficient household, which causes them to be fluent in that world, so the term does apply to them. But there are others who were not raised like that, so they may not be as good at using the technology in the classroom. Those children, would not be considered digital natives. I believe it depends on your situation and how you grew up. I would say that most of my teachers are familiar with technology in the classroom, but there have been a few who have struggled. This just elongated the class a little longer, nothing really detrimental. As the years go on, students will continue to become more familiar with the technology around us, as well as there will be changes to it.  I would like to say I will be as confident in my skills of technology just like my students, but I don't think this is the case. Every new generation is getting smarter and adapting more skills than the last.