Blog C: Chapter 7 & Chapter 8

Blog C: Chapter 7 Exploring Problem Solving with Software, Apps and Games &

Chapter  8 Communicating ans Collaborating with Social Media


The first thing that really stuck in my mind is the Wiki.  WIKI....what in the world is a wiki?  A wiki is a collaborative blog.  Basically a wiki is a community site.  You can set up a wiki and many people can contribute to the site.  The nice part about this is the fact that you all do not need to be sitting together in the same area to work on this blog together.  Each person just needs the URL to the wiki and you can work together.

     For the classroom, the instructor can set up a wiki and open it to specific students with a join code.  These students then can work on the wiki.  This can be a great learning tool, as long as you have a way to make each student responsible for his/her piece.  Also, you want to be sure not to penalize others if another does not do their part.  Although, it is imperative the team tries to encourage all members to complete their part.

     As you know, we are all responsible to participate in a wiki project this week.  I am very interested to see how this works out.  This is the first time I have heard of this type of learning.  I can see in theory the value of a project, but I am interested to see an actual real-time outcome before I come to any conclusion.

     The next thing that caught my eye was Problem-based Learning.  We all know easy problem solving such as that in math.  You are presented with a problem and you find the answer.  The one and only possible answer.  The kind of problem-based learning I am talking about is real life problems.  Students are presented with real life situations and are instructed to come up with possible solutions.  There are no right and wrong answers.  But if done properly they will learn which solutions could possibly work and those that are destine to fail.  

     The steps to get started are as follows:

• Understand the problem.  The student must identify the problem.  They need to make sure they understand what the question is asking and what information they need to know to successfully answer the question.
• Using problem-solving strategies. Students will then start to implement problem-solving strategies.  They explore several different approaches and break the problem down.  They then decide on the best approach and apply it.
• Checking the results. Students now determine whether their solution is successful or not.  If unsuccessful then they are to go back and determine why their solution does not work and re-examine the situation.

I think this is a really great approach to teaching students to think in-depth.  There is value for students to work on real-life problems.  Especially since they hear about many problems daily at school and at home.  This gives them a voice in the situation.  Pus it helps them develop their problem solving skills, which they will use throughout life.  I feel you could implement this type of learning in elementary school as well as secondary teaching.  Obviously the complexity of problems would have to be age appropriate.

     The last topic that stuck with me is Computer Games as Learning Resources.  As we all know, most kids love video games, (adults like video games). Children spend many hours playing video games and applications on smartphones and iPads.  So what better way to get them engaged in learning but to bring learning in on the devices they love to use.  Computer games and simulations range from simple to more complex programs.  These programs are interactive and dynamic.  It is to an instructors advantage to incorporate these games into their learning curriculum.
     From my experience as a volunteer in an elementary classroom, I have seen first hand how well these games work.  We have a game on the computer called GoMath, the kids love using this site.  They ask daily if they can spend time at the site.  It have worked so well that most of the students are working well over the 1st grade level, most are at the tail-end of 2nd grade or the beginning of 3rd grade. The students I work with are 1st graders.  I would definitely incorporate computer game learning into my curriculum. 
     In conclusion, I continue to learn new technology.  Some I am eager to use in my future classroom.   Some I am unsure of.  I will need to work with those things more to become comfortable before I consider it for my classroom.  Bring on the learning!

Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

  Video Games and Learning. Youtube, 2013. Film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN0qRKjfX3s : moved to http://penny-arcade.com/patv/show/ext

Chapter 3 & 5 Blog post 2nd week assignment

                          Davis, L (2015, May 22). Chapter 3 & 5 Blog post 2nd week assignment. Created
                           with power point 2010.

Chapter 1 & 2 Introduction to Teaching and Technology

I have to admit when I first thought of this class I figured there wasn't much out there that I was unaware of.  Surprise!  There is definitely a wide range of technology I am unfamiliar with.  The first things that come to mind is wikis, Diigo, delicious, edmodo, microblogging and RSS feeds. I hate to admit this but, I had to google these items because I had no idea what they are.



http://www.toondoo.com/p


With the technology available to people today it is imperative for a teacher to be knowledgeable of what is out there.  There is no way you will be able to keep your students engaged if you do not use this technology in your classrooms.  Unfortunately, the only draw back that I currently see is the fact that the schools do not have as much resources as they should.  Currently, in the elementary school I volunteer in, they have smart boards.  Smart boards are really neat compared to the blackboard I had as a kid.  The problem is that most of the staff has minimal knowledge in the uses or capabilities of this technology.  Also, each classroom only has 3-5 computers available to the class.  Plus due to budget constraints they eliminated the technology class to the students. 

My plan will be to learn all that I can about the resources available to me.  I will also see what I can do to add what I can to my teaching.  I want to make it interesting and engaging.  If I am not engaged...how can my students be engaged!

In conclusion,  in order to tackle the issue of technology and teaching, the best thing I believe I can do is to learn.  To put myself out there and try some of the things out there that I am unfamiliar with.  To do research and get with people that have knowledge and experience.  Technology can be a real asset to teaching.  It can make life easier for me as a teacher but at the same time and more importantly, technology can help engage my students.  Having my students being engaged will lead to their success and mine as a teacher.


Davis, L.(2015, May 15). Tech Strip. Created with toondoo: http://www.toondoo.com/phttp://www.toondoo.com/p

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.