Multi-Media, PowerPoint, and Bloom's Taxonomy

I think that multi-media and PowerPoint is the most visible technology used in the classroom today. As a student I see PowerPoints in college almost daily from lectures online to tools for guiding in-class discussions. From a teacher’s perspective a PowerPoint is similar to an oversized cheat sheet in my eyes. Having a presentation on a computer that can be projected onto a screen not only gives the presenter a quick and easy outline but also an easy way to create printed hand outs for the students as well. Also, having a visual outline, such as PowerPoint, helps students to stay focused on the topics being discussed. Multi-media and PowerPoint can be used to improve teaching by having a set outline and direction or purpose to the presentation, while assisting students in seeing the main ideas, take notes, and benefits visual learners. In a typical college course that relies heavily on PowerPoint lecture, all types of learning styles are being met. First of all, visual learners see the presentation, auditory learners hear the presentation and kinesthetic learners can take notes and write down the presentation outline. In general, I foresee myself using multi-media and PowerPoint in my classroom as a teaching tool and for student projects and presentations.
Bloom’s Taxonomy is an interesting approach to me. I like the idea of categorizing with different levels, this makes learning and expectations easier to measure and understand. As a student the Learning Skills Program article showed me some insight into how to foresee what kinds of questions a professor may ask. As a teacher the taxonomy can assist in accomplishing true learning goals. If the goal of learning is just basic recall and regurgitation of information I would guide students towards knowledge only. If I want a students to learn the basic content of what is read or presented I would test on a comprehension cognitive level. On a deeper level, if students are to take they learning and relate it to a real world situation then application would be stressed. To take application further, I would expect on an analysis cognitive level to use personal experience to apply and understand knowledge. Synthesis of the information would be useful when students need to organize their learning or ideas. Finally, evaluation is the highest level consisting of judging and reflecting the information learned or read. These levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are all very different and very important. Since learning goals vary a great deal depending on the subject and ideas being taught this lays out the various levels of understanding to be expect and applied to student’s learning.

Mapping Student Minds

Once again the articles we are assigned really help in opening my eyes to the possible technology and tools we can use in our classrooms. I was never aware that a program such as Casual Mapper exists. This program seems like a great tool for the hands on learners in the classroom, like me. The first thing that struck me upon reading this article was the fact that usually technology is thought to replace teaching or allow teachers to be "lazy." In the article the teacher even mentioned that it made her have to go back and rethink her skills of learning something new, as well as struggle to not lead students to answers to really allow the students to find their errors and self correct or explain their reasoning. Allowing students to learn from their mistakes and self correct is hard to do, sitting back and watching children make errors, but a valuable and good learning experiance for the student. I really like the concept of using a program to connect the field trip information and data into cause and effect relationships. These are great cognitive skills for students to develop at young ages. Also, the students having to go back and revise their work and reevaluate are great skills in all aspects of life, the ability to rethink and adapt to changes needing to be made can be a hard task for many adults even! The final step in the project, presenting the material to City Council, is a great way to instill a sense of responsibility in students. Not only will students feel responsible for correctly gathering and analyzing their data, but also as members of their community trying to make a difference and make changes. Great article!

Week 3- Oh, The Changes We've Seen

Overall I was impressed with what the article had to say. The Programmers section was not as interesting and useful in my eyes, but the Collaborators section was! In this section the idea of students learning together and from each other was stressed. I have always been a supporter of inclusion of special needs studnents because I believe these two populations, mainstream and special education, can learn from one another equally. On page 9 of the article it goes into the benefits of collaboration. First of all, the idea of peer editing increasing student's motivation is extremely true. I know as a student in younger grades if I knew the teacher would read it I would do my best, but if I knew my peers would read it I would try even more. This idea of the effects of peers is along the same lines of the articles idea of writing to an audiance. If you know your peers will be reading your work it not only increases motivation, but it also increases student's interest in their work. Finally, the idea of connecting with other students and professionals in the "real-world" is great for students to further their understanding and learn about specific topics of interest. Overall, I think technology makes communication and learning between individuals more meaningful and easier to access.
As I began tackling the newsletter assignment I had no idea where to start. I began reviewing all the samples and the guidelines. Now that I have actually started creating my own newsletter I realized once I got started it is an easy, surprisingly, and quick way to get information out to parents. I also learned a few little tricks in Word, such as how to wrap around text. I have inserted graphics into text before but never knew that you could or how to wrap the text around so it does not stick out like a sore thumb! I hope to continue to learn and discover new skills and tricks with technology for my future and current goals!

Week Two Reflection

This weeks tools discussed in class seem useful for my future career. The tool I plan to use first and most is the yahoo groups. Being connected to an interest group where we can share ideas and lesson ideas will only make our teachers, especially myself as a new teacher, stronger. I also plan to look into the yahoo briefcase for picture posting more. It would be a neat idea to post student pictures of their work, activities, trips, and presentations for themselves and their parents to enjoy and reflect upon.
In regards to the reading, it really began to open my eyes to the technology available out there right now. I kept thinking to myself, I know there is a lot of technology out there but how can I use it to better my teacher and my students' learning or understanding. The Teaching for Understanding article really showed how technology allows students to assess themselevs and explore what they know, do not know, and what they thought they knew. Technology also allows students to think differently and in a wider persepctive. I like the idea that understanding was really emphasized not just memorizing because understanding will carry with our students throughout their life, memorizing only stays in their short term memory. Finally, not only can technology assist students, it also aides teachers in accurate assessment of students understanding.