Technology in the Classroom Using Wordle

Blog Post 5

I think it’s important for teachers to use technology in the classroom as a tool to communicate with students, parents and peers because of its effectiveness and efficiency. When teachers post class material or other coursework on a blog, webpage, or secure site (Edmodo) it allows their students to access the information at anytime and have a consistent source to “check-in” with. I think this, in and of itself makes students more involved in their learning and more in tune with what is going on in the classroom. Technology enables teachers to be more creative when presenting information to students and can use web applications such as Blogger to post announcements, present agenda’s, and list outside sources that are relevant to the course curriculum. By keeping a professional looking blog throughout a school year, parents can be involved in their child’s learning at home and see work the students have completed. Right now, I believe our education system doesn’t allow for learning to be easily carried over into the student’s homes and technology helps bridge that gap. In addition, successful teachers must feel comfortable using a variety of programs like Word, Excel, and Desktop Publisher to create worksheets, rubrics, etc. Overall, I would argue (and I think many people would agree) that technology is the future of education and must be incorporated into classrooms nation wide. Technology allows instant access to information and multiples ways to collaborate giving a new spin on our education system.

Reflecting on my personal experiences with teachers as well as information learned in this class I think blogs and email are the two best ways to communicate between teachers and students. I found our course blog to be extremely helpful this term and think more teachers should use something similar to help address any questions a student may have. I think in general blogs have more of an ability to improve communication compared to any other tool because it is a way to post students work, share updates, comment on or receive comments on current class work, and can also be used to structure lesson plans around. Current students want to be using technology because it plays such a large role in their life already and for that reason should be used more in day-to-day classroom activities. Another source of communication that can have a significant impact on parent-teacher relationships is the use of newsletters.

Overall, I think these tools greatly improve communication between students and teachers as well as with teachers and parents because of our fast access to Internet. Voicing concerns or asking questions in person has a right place but when using email or blogs responses are faster and feel less formal. I think this creates a more natural relationship and students feel more comfortable in doing so.

Blog Post 4

Video: I included a video on my blog that addresses how technology is positively used in the classroom. I felt by adding this video, my viewers would be able to see another opinion on the topic being discussed as well as have a visual aid to connect technology to the classroom.

ClustrMaps: I wanted to have a visitor map on my blog that showed the different areas people lived in who were viewing my blog. I choose to have this for personal interest as well as make inferences about our nation’s education system across the country. If viewers from a particular part of the country or world were agreeing or disagreeing with my posts, one could conclude that they experienced similar styles of education or desired change in how they were taught.

Blog List: Another gadget that I used on my blog was the “blog list” feature. I provided three links to other blogs that focused on the use of technology in the classroom and the digital divide. Not only was the content relevant to the material on my blog but it also serves as a way to write about new ideas and stay informed with issues in the Ed Tech world.

Polls: I used a poll on my blog to ask the question, “Should technology be used at all grade levels” to gauge how my viewers felt about computer, Smartboard, and clicker use in the schools. I felt by incorporating this component viewers could interact with my blog and think about their own experiences with technology in schools.

Picture: The picture I put at the bottom of my blog was used as a quick way to let my readers know what the blog is about. By placing the picture towards the end of the page, it serves as a nice visual to bring the blog together.

Links: Over the course of the term I have come across a few links that have discussed how technology has changed our society and education system. I thought it would be a helpful way to let my viewers read more and see what articles I have found beneficial.

Sustainability

Using the helpful tool VoiceTheard, we were able to view and comment on a slideshow that addressed the issue of sustainable technology in the classroom.

Classroom Activity

How does technology help or hurt educational efforts? (click to enlarge)

Blog Post 3

“Always Learning”

I found this blog to be one that “worked” for a variety of reasons. I thought the overall layout of the blog was nicely done and looked professional without over crowding the page. The blog gave the reader something to look at as well as think about with the quality of content on their page. The author, Kim Cofino, takes the time to explain why she is using a blog as well as why its important to reflect back on your personal teaching experiences. In terms of design, I thought this blog used white space to her advantage and presented the material in a logical and meaningful way. I thought the Kim’s blog was creative and user friendly, which made traveling around her page easy to do. The blog utilizes different tabs on the top of the page to separate different pages, which is why I think I enjoyed her blog so much. The material was separated into different categories and included links to other pages or resources. I thought at times the blog was a little text heavy but I don’t think it interfered with the overall quality of her page. As I was scrolling down Kim’s blog it seemed to be full of content, which tells me that she is serious about her blog and takes time to make it appealing to a variety of potential readers.

“State of Ohio Education”

This blog did not seem to ”work” in my opinion because of its design and layout flaws. At first I thought the page was nicely laid out, but as I scrolled down, the content became hard to read and felt crammed along the side. The author tried to include too much on their main page and actually hurt their blog by doing so. Going down the right side of the page there are links with different dates (blog archive) that looks repetitive and boring. I understand that the author, Colleen Grady, is trying to provide additional information and past work, but this way is not very appealing. I think it would be helpful for this blog to use more illustrations and/or pictures on their page to make it “come to life” and give the viewer something else to look at. I think the Colleen does use white space well on her blog but it can be excessive at times. After reading her blog, I would guess that Colleen is relatively new to blogger and only uses the basic features of the site. One aspect of her blog that I really enjoyed was her “recommended books” section, which allowed her to express her opinion on different authors or pieces of literature. I think that this blog has potential but needs to be slightly altered to appeal to more viewers.