Week 14- Using Games for Teaching & Learning

This week's lesson was very interesting. In class we talked about the functions of games in the classroom. When I played games in school, like Oregon Trail, I did not think I was playing an "educational" game. Today, I see the skills it provided; historical knowledge, planning, and critical thinking. A new 3-D virtual world known as Second Life, offers many educational promises. Here you can hold conferences, lectures, and problems for students to solve. It is just another way that games enhance learning.

Games are definitely an asset in the classroom. I hope to offer students a variety of different educational games, rather than lecturing all day. I am also interested in setting up a classroom in Second Life. The kids would enjoy creating their own avatar and learning the material in a digital world. Listening to educationl conferences that I would not be able to attend in person would also be a benefit.

I obtained the following video from YouTube. It looks at the educational uses of Second Life. The video is especially helpful for those just starting out on Second Life. It shows teachers how to use the functions of the game to fit into their lesson plans. In depth descriptions are also given on how to operate the many applications on Second Life.

Week 13- Distance Education & Virtual Schooling

This week in class we discussed distance education and virtual schooling. Virtual schooling has been growing in popularity, compared to traditional schooling. Institutions like Florida Virtual School provide students with an excellence education via the computer and teacher communication. Opponents of distance education criticize that the students are learning strictly from a computer and not having any social interaction. On the contrary, most distance ed students have better communication and a relationship with their teachers, and have higher FCAT scores.

It is important to recognize virtual schooling in the education field. As a future educator, I must be able to adapt my teaching style to those students who have taken distance ed courses to better meet their needs. In addition, I might be a distance ed teacher in the future, so it is crucial that I know how to teach in that environment and stay in touch with the students on a daily basis.

Below is a video I located from YouTube. It deals with distance education at the elementary school level. The video also stresses the importance of accommodating special needs students who participate in virtual schooling. Many times the needs of these students go unnoticed, so it the job of the online teacher to make sure that they are comprehending the material.

Week 12- Creating a Professional Web Presence

This week was a lot of fun learning to create our own websites. The class watched a tutorial on how to create a website using Google Sites. The importance of having a personal website was discussed. It allows future employers to view your resume and get to know a little more about you. At the end of class we were able to begin our websites, and I was surprised at how easy Google Sites made it. I always thought a professional had to create a website for someone, but now I realize anyone can do it!

Having a web presence in education is important. It can be a valuable resource when job hunting. When I become a teacher, I would love to create a class website. There I could post links and videos, as well as homework reminders. I think the parents would enjoy a place where they could keep up to date with what is going on in the classroom.

Below is a video I located on YouTube. It deals with helping teachers create their own websites for the classroom. Rather than using Google Sites, it demonstrates using Wikispaces.It goes over different formats for creating an educational website. The video also provides information on embedding different applications into the website.

Week 11- Open Source Software

This week in class we learned about open source software. This software is unlike others, because it does not have a copyright. Instead, people can go in and make improvements and collaborate with others to make the program better. While copyright software can cost a lot of money, open source software is free to users. We looked at Gimp, which is an alternative to Photoshop. It has all the same functions as Photoshop, but zero the costs. I enjoyed working with Photoshop, but was not willing to pay hundreds of dollars on the software, so this is a great alternative.

Open source software is very useful as an education major. When I become a teacher, I will want to use programs such as Photoshop to enhance lessons. Thanks to open source software, I could create these presentations minus the extra costs. As a teacher I would also like to create podcasts for my students to listen to at home. I could do this using programs like Audacity.

Below is a video I located from YouTube. It deals with open source software for elementary teachers. The video provides a list of websites that have free software that relate to education. Many of the sites offer programs that enhance learning for the children, as well as tools for teachers, such as gradebooks.It also gives tips on how to locate more programs and how to download them.

Concept Map

Hey everyone!
Here is my example of a concept-map. I had a lot of fun creating it using webspiration. I can definitely see myself making concept maps in the education field because they are organized and easy to understand.

Week 9- Social Tools & Cloud Computing

This week in class we learned about cloud computing. Rather than having to constantly e-mail attatchments back and forth, cloud computing allows you to use server-based applications. We looked at Google Docs, which is a very useful tool. Docs allows everyone to collaborate and view a project or document, without the hassle of emailing. Social bookmarking applications, such as Delicious, takes the hassle away of constantly adding websites to your favorites list. Delicious makes bookmarking organized and easy to search for with tags.

As a future educator, I could definitely see myself using social tools and cloud computing. If I wanted my students to work on a project, I would use Google Docs to view their progress and add comments. Social bookmarking would also be useful in the education field. Teachers could show other teachers helpful websites that go hand-in-hand with their lesson plan using Delicious.

Below is a video I found on YouTube that deal with social bookmarking in education. It introduces Edtags, which is a website where people can share resources relevant to the field of education. It is a collaboration of students and teachers, who share documents and websites that could be useful in the classroom. It is similar to Delicious, but contains only education related resources.

Sound File

Sound File.wma - Megan Oftedal

Hey everyone! Above is my sound file that I recorded using Windows Sound Recorder. It's just me talking for a couple of seconds. I think the use of sound files would be very helpful in the education field, especially when creating presentations for students. Teachers must make lessons fun and interactive for children, and adding sounds will keep the kids' attention. I'm glad I have the knowledge to put sound files in presentations because it will help me be a more effective teacher when I graduate.