What have you learned from this online class?
IT 648 was an enlightening class. I was able to work with class mates through asynchronous and synchronous learning tools. I have learned a multitude of new tools that I can begin to implement in my classroom, and in non-educational groups. I was able to develop 2 lessons to teach to my peers and I had the ability to learn 6 other new tools from my group members. By completing learning activities developed by my classmates I now have new tools to put in my education toolbox. The first group project that we completed allowed me to learn about Explain Everything, this program allows the instructor to create a screen cast (video) of a lesson. This free online learning tool allows the instructor to annotate, animate, narrate, import, and export, which creates an online interactive whiteboard. This tool can be used to in a classroom, if the teacher or the student is absent, because the teacher can create the lesson and then post it for the students to watch. This tool can also be used if a student is having issues, the students can just re-watch the lesson. The second tool that I was introduced to in project 1 was Twitter, this online news and social networking site is a tool that can be useful in and out of the classroom. Twitter only allows it user to create short messages of 280 characters, which is called a tweet. Twitter is used to connect people who have common interests. Instructors could incorporate Twitter into a class help students work on their summarization skills. Twitter allows the users to post tweets or just to follow other tweeters. In my opinion, twitter is a new way to people watch, without having to leave the comfort of your own home. My only drawback to using twitter in the classroom is that Twitter does not have a closed discussion forum. I do not think that this tool could be used with student in secondary education. This tool could lead to problems with students who are not mature enough to handle it. Edmodo was the 3rd tool that I was introduced to in the Project 1. Edmodo is a free social learning platform that allows students to access the course content uploaded by their instructors. This tool is very user friendly for the instructor, as well as from a student perspective. I feel that one of the reasons this tool is so user friendly is because of its similarities to Facebook. Edmodo main purpose is to provide a safe place for students and teachers to collaborate, discovery and share educational resources. Edmodo does have protect its users and does not allow just anyone to join a class. Students will gain access to a teacher’s classroom through a class code. This is a great feature that allows the classroom to be a safe environment for all enrolled. In project 2 I was fortunate to learn 3 more tools. Shane Seal introduced us to Apple Classroom. His tool was one that needed specific Apple (IPad or MacBook) devices to use. Unfortunately, not everyone in the group owned an apple device so he met us and brought the tools with him. We were able to complete the learning activity as a group and we provided feedback for his project. We discussed the pros and cons Apple Classroom. I really enjoyed working with this application and would love to have this in my school. Apple has really created a great tool for teachers to share resources with their students. Apple classroom also allows the students to project what they have on their IPad/MacBook’s onto the interactive board with Apple TV. This tool has so many possibilities. I just wish I could implement this in my classroom but our district does promote Apple products. After seeing Apple Classroom in action I would like to get my district administrators to re-evaluate their views. Apple Classroom could be effective in math and science classrooms across our district. The second tool was Google Classroom was presented by Brandon Warden. This platform allows teachers to create assignments for students in an online environment. Google Classroom allows classroom teachers to teach without paper. The class assignments can be digitized so that all work can be completed online. The teacher can even grade the assignments and provide feedback to the student. Google Classroom allows students the ability to collaborate with their peers on assignments. His learning activity asked each of us to create a class, share our codes, and join group member’s classes. Brandon demonstrated how he uses Google classroom and gave great examples of how others are implementing this program his list of 60 ways to use Google Classroom was very informative and it gave me ideas I had never thought about before. I thoroughly enjoy watching Brandon's tutorial it was well presented and creative. The only drawback that I can see to Google Classroom is that each student will need their own device. The third tool was Etherpad is the learning tool that Tian Meng has chosen to introduce to our group. Etherpad is an open-source, web-based word processing tool. This learning tool allows participants the ability to collaborate and edit documents simultaneously. This tool is very interesting because it allows the users to see real-time updates in the color of their choosing. This tool also allows the users to track changes, with the time slider, users can see all revisions and they can retrieve previous versions of the document. This program also has a built in chat feature which allows participants to discuss the document they are working on. This program could be used to collaborate or brainstorm with participants, this program has endless possibilities in an online classroom. What were your weak and strong points? I did discover that I did have a few weaknesses when it came to IT 648. I am not very good at creating and editing video content for lessons. This is a completely new area for me and one that I have little to no knowledge on. I have had to do a lot of research in this area and I have wasted a lot of time downloading free programs online that placed large watermarks all over my assignment. I also do not understand the resolution settings and why my videos are not as clear as they need to be. I also discovered that I absolutely hate to hear my own voice in a recording. As for my strengths, I am a good leader and I am a good team member. My group members and I were in constant communication throughout the entire course. I encouraged my group members and I also set reasonable time lines that we all agreed on. If I saw that anyone was missing content or items in an assignment, I let them know and I tried to assist them if they needed help. I feel that communication is key and that if you see a problem that you must address it not ignore it. How did you like the interaction between you and your peers, you and instructor? Group 2 which consisted of Shane Seal, Brandon Warden, Tian Meng and myself worked quite well together. The group successfully communicated through Google Docs, text messages and email. We collaborated throughout Project 1 and Project 2 in Google Docs, by creating learning activities as well as feedback worksheets. Group 2 was successful because all parts of the project were access by all any given time. This group worked well, we were fortunate to have met once at the Gulf Park Campus in April. Even though this was our first meeting we all felt at ease with one another because of our communication throughout the course. I have enjoyed working with this team. I also had great communication between myself and my instructor. If I had any questions or concerns, I could inbox message her through Canvas and she would reply in a timely manner. I do appreciate the ability to resubmit assignment. Dr. Wang was very accessible throughout the course. Reflect on the communication tools used in this class: email, discussion board, BigBlue button (conference room), and Blog. Throughout this class I have utilized, email, Group 2 discussion board, text, BigBlue button and my weekly Weebly Blog. All of the mentioned communication tools were helpful. Our group created a discussion thread on Canvas and that is how we initially made contact. We emailed each other when we needed to share Google Docs and when we needed to share our final Group 1 Project. We discovered that Google Docs was not user friendly when we wanted to ensure there were no formatting mistakes so we e-mailed the final draft to each other so we all could approve the assignment before it was submitted. The majority of our communication was through group text. We discovered that texting allowed us to communicate with each other easily. We each created a weekly Weebly blog and responded to each other’s blogs. This was a new communication tool that I had never used before. This platform gave us the ability to create a discussion outside of Canvas, it also allows its user to be creative. Other than our first discussion as a class I did not use BigBlue button in this class. While I appreciate the introduction to this tool our group did utilize this communication tool this semester. This tool needs everyone to designate a specific time to be online and with each of our group members having such a complicated schedule this tool was not able to be implemented. How helpful did you think the group work in this class was? Explain why? I feel that group work helped me complete this class and helped relieve some of my anxiety. I feel that our group all felt that the work was important and we all tried to be considerate of each other’s time. We set deadlines for our project and did out best to meet the deadline. I feel that by creating a group we created a small community of learners with the same goal. All of the group members brought their own unique skills to the projects and we assisted each other one of us had a problem I feel that by participating in the group we were able to help each other out and we could talk through any issues that arose. Our group members were comfortable enough with each other that when we saw an error we could point it out without stepping on each other’s toes. This is why I feel that my anxiety levels were lower. I felt that I had someone supporting me other than the instructor. This is why my experience in this class was successful. Thank you team for your support.
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Project 2 Reflection:
Group 2
Group 2 was a great group to work with, I really enjoyed getting to know my classmates. We were very fortunate to have met as a group in person at the Gulf Park Campus on April 22. Shane Seal wanted to share Apple Classroom in person. His tool is was one that needed specific Apple (Ipad or MacBook) devices to use. Unfortunately not everyone in the group owned an apple devices so he met us and brought the tools with him. We were able to complete the learning activity as a group and we provided feedback for his project. We discussed the pros and cons Apple Classroom. I really enjoyed working with this application and would love to have this in my school. Apple has really created a great tool for teachers to share resources with their students. Apple classroom also allows the students to project their Ipads/MacBooks onto the interactive board with Apple TV. This tool has so many possibilities. I just wish I could implement this in my classroom but our district does promote Apple products. After seeing Apple Classroom in action I would like to get my district administrators to re-evaluate their views. Apple Classroom could be effective in math and science classrooms across our district. Google Classroom was presented by Brandon Warden. This platform allows teachers to create assignments for students in an online environment. Google Classroom allows classroom teachers to teach without paper. The class assignments can be digitized so that all work can be completed online. The teacher can even grade the assignments and provide feedback to the student. Google Classroom allows students the ability to collaborate with their peers on assignments. His learning activity asked each of us to create a class, share our codes, and join group members classes. Brandon demonstrated how he uses Google classroom and gave great examples of how others are implementing this program his list of 60 ways to use Google Classroom was very informative and it gave me ideas I had never thought about before. I thoroughly enjoy watching Brandon's tutorial it was well presented and creative. The only drawback that I can see to Google Classroom is that each student will need their own device. Etherpad is the learning tool that Tian Meng has chosen to introduce to our group. Unfortunately her learning activity nor her tutorial was posted before this post was completed. I am unable to reflect on Tian's learning tool. Tian has been very helpful in all of the assignments and I look forward to looking at her tutorial site when it is completed. Group Members Tutorial Sites Shane Seal- Apple Classroom Brandon Warden-Google Classroom Tian Meng-EtherPad Gina Pepperman-Khan Academy Paper for Project 2 Their is a generational gap developing between the tech savvy and the non- tech generation. When this occurs there is a division that is created between students and instructors.. Most students are fascinated with new web applications and other digital device that connect them to digital world. But the instructors are not quite there they are too overwhelmed with the changing curriculum, and standards and they are finding it difficult to adapt to the constantly changing technology. Some teachers even see technology as a nuisance instead of a blessing. They can not quite grasp how technology can make their life easier.. For technology to be accepted and used in a classroom the teachers and students must come to a common ground and both must be receptive of new tools and how the tools are used. With the onset of E-learning teachers and students are now learning that the only way to facilitate this type of instruction is with the use of technology. The instructor must construct a course that allows the student to attain the intended learning goal and the student must be willing to complete the required course work on the time schedule that the instructor sets. The success of an online course is dependent on the learner and the instructor. It is important for the instructor to assist the learner in online classes. A great way to accomplish this is to preform a needs assessment at the beginning of the class. If the teacher understands the students abilities then they can ensure that the learning objectives can be targeted to the learners needs. It is also important for the instructor to assess when most students are online. If this assessment is made then a common meeting time could be planned and the creation of online office hours could be created in Google Hangout. By creating this open forum an online community of learners would then be able to discuss what was going on in the class and the instructor could help any students who seem to be falling behind. Online learning is a new style of learning that has really began to soar, this type of learning is really changing the landscape of education. More tools are being developed daily that allow online learners to connect. Online learning is not something that is going to disappear it really is where education is really going. Now anyone can be educated from anywhere they have an internet connection. This is amazing and I am so glad to be a part of this new world.
part I for the communication tool;
When completing an online course there must be 2 way communication with the instructor and student. It is important to find a platform that is easy to navigate and implement into your online course. I have choosen to introduce my group to Khan Academy. This tool is an interactive site that allows the teacher to assign lessons in specific topics that the class may need extra instruction on. Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization that provides free video tutorials and interactive exercises. Khan's mission is “changing education for the better by providing free world-class education to anyone anywhere.” The lessons are designed primarily for distance learning but are suitable for use in the classroom. Each concept or subject area presents lessons with tutorials presented in an informal style. The lessons are organized so that knowledge is built one concept or lesson at a time. Many lessons are delivered through an electronic blackboard and it is narrated by someone who is an expert. I choose this tool because this tool is very diverse. This tool can appeal to teachers and learners. https://www.khanacademy.org/ Part II Web 2.0 represents an important shift in the way digital information is created, shared, stored, distributed, and manipulated. These tools have made a significant impact on the creation of online applications that behave dynamically. The tools are also social, encouraging users to manipulate and interact with content in new ways. The creation of these tools have fueled online learning, Web 2.0 tools have made online learning possible. Classrooms are no longer housed in buildings, they can now be virtual. The platform that we all are most familiar with is Canvas,.This site is a landing and launching pad for instructors and learners, Instructors place modules and lessons on the site, learners connect, read and complete the lessons and then submit a final product to the instructor, There are also built in communication tools on canvas that allow, communication between the learner and instructor as well as communication between the students, The most common communication tool that allows the students to connect is the discussion board. Discussion boards allow the students to create connection virtually. Most of the time students are only asked to connect based on an assignment but in other cases students can create groups and collaborate on specific topics, There are other awesome tools that are used for educational collaboration, such as Google Classroom. Google Classroom can be implemented and it allows students to work on class assignment collaboratively. The ability to work on an assignment and not ever see your classmate is awesome when enrolled in an online course. Khan Academy is another tool that has been made possible with Wed 2.0. This tutorial site allows learners to connect with experts and learn skills that may not be available to them. These applications are great assets that were made possible by the concept of Web 2.0. This tool was presented as a learning activity to Group 2 in IT648 and all members agreed that the app was easy to use and the interface was user friendly. The members of the group did like the fact that you do not have to share personal numbers for the tool to work. The group appreciated that the tool was free with no hidden cost or advertisements. The tool also has a calendar that allows members to choose whether they are attending and event. If the user chooses yes then they app will send out a reminder. The members participating in the activity also liked that photos could be shared and that their photos could be made into a meme with the app. The group also found a few flaws in the tool. The app can become flooded with responses with a large group, which can be annoying, due to the constant notifications. Although the app does use Wi-Fi it can will also use data if Wi-Fi is not available which can cost the consumer if they are on a limited data plan. GroupME can be used in asynchronous classes for class announcement, peer to peer communication, group collaboration and can build a class community. This app can be utilized by the instructor to clear up assignment issues that a student may have. The instructor could allow his/her students to message questions and concerns to them about the course. These questions could be answered in real time and could clear up confusion for other students as well. The app could also be utilized solely by the students of a class. The students could use the app to ask each other questions or clarify assignments without having to ask the instructor. This would allow the students to be active participants in the class. The students could also share textual information as well as photos and video to assist them with group collaboration. This tool would allow members of the group to discuss ideas in real time and allow other members that were not available at the time to access the information at a later date and time. GroupME allows the users to create a threaded discussion just like an online discussion forum which in turn creates a community. As students find new apps and tools to connect with each other, it is important that instructors try the new tools so they can connect with their students. Because GroupME is easy to use and the features are so similiar to a discussion forum, this tool can easily create a class community. GroupME is a simple app that when incorporated correctly can have a big impact on its users. Updated Report Posted on 4/24/2019 Project 1 completed for Group 2-Link below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13vXZPQPBfajpMaqIP0sMlaHiEZunjgXv/view?usp=sharing The internet has created a new platform for learning. E-Learning allows students the ability to break-away from a traditional classroom that is "teacher-centered" and to enter a online community that is "learner-centered". This type of class allows the learner to complete self paced activities that are facilitated by an instructor who could be thousands of miles away. Schools and colleges around the world have opened their virtual doors by creating distance learning programs that put the student in the drivers seat of their education.
It goes without saying the development of an online course is time consuming for the instructor. The instructor must devise a course that is engaging and that allows the student to demonstrate they are gaining knowledge from the content presented. The delivery method of the content can include videos, readings, power points or recorded lectures to name a few. Students can be given a multitude of assignments that can demonstrate knowledge gained, but are the assignments engaging. In order to assist with the engagement of all students instructors can employ synchronous and asynchronous tools. This allows students the ability to work in groups to accomplish assignments. The use of asynchronous tools are vital for the success of an online classroom. The instructor and the learner are never in a classroom so communication is the key in this setting. Effective e-learning classes should employ both asynchronous and synchronous learning tools. Students and teachers alike, can benefit from the contrasting delivery configurations despite their schedules or preferred learning approach. There are draw backs to online courses. Most learners have only been exposed to traditional classroom settings. An online classroom and a virtual classroom are completely different and if the student is not mature enough to handle the demands of a traditional class then they definitely are not ready for an online class., Online classes even though they are self paced they still have due dates, guidelines and rubrics, If a student waits until the last minute to complete an assignment and has questions. It will not be easy to get immediate feedback from the teacher. In a regular class, you can have discussion at the end of a class meeting, but in an online class students usually discuss problems through email. Emails are answered when the instructor has time, and if a student has a problem at the last minute the instructor may not be able to answer as quickly as the student would prefer. 1. Social Network in Education
Discuss the pros and cons of using social networking communication tools, such as blog and wiki, in language classes. Social networking in education when dealing with secondary education is a slippery slope. I have not used wiki’s but I can see how they incorporating them into a class could be beneficial. Wiki’s allow the all users the ability to edit a post/site. By using wiki’s in the classroom it allows the students an active voice in the learning community. Students can contribute and collaborate with each other about projects and lessons. They can even give each other tips and tricks that can assist others if they are having issues. There is a downfall with wiki’s as well since anyone can edit or add information on a wiki site information on the site can be altered to alter the facts. For instance, most students are familiar with Wikipedia and it is usually the first site that appears when students are researching a topic. If students are not familiar with a topic they look at the information found there to be factual. Unfortunately, since the site is easily edited by others information can be alter and not can give misinformation. By teaching the students that wikis are editable you can help them understand why wiki sites might not be the best source for their research. Blogs are another tool that could be useful in a 1:1 classroom setting in ELA (English Language Arts), social studies, math, science, or computer science. Students could incorporate writing across the curriculum and could produce an online resource that will always be available to them. Writing is such an important skill that is now required on all state tests in 3rd-8th grade as well as proficiency tests at the high school level. By allowing the students to create a blog all teachers could help reinforce students writing and typing skills. 2. Audio and video conferencing for classrooms Asynchronous learning is the wave of the future. Distance learning is becoming more and more common because people have schedules that make it difficult to attend a traditional class. Tools such as Big Blue Button and Skype now allow teachers to communicate with their students even if the student is not in the same country. This type of technology only requires a computing device and access to the internet. It is now possible to sit at a baseball game and watch your child play and attend class at the same time. Canvas is a learning management system that creates asynchronous classroom. This is a site that allows an instructor to host a course that is built by them. The instructor then connects the course with their students. The students then complete all the assignments in the course according to a set time table. The teacher incorporates announcements, modules, assignments, discussion boards, conferences, collaborations and quizzes on the site to re-inforce the skills and knowledge gained. Students then can read the teachers announcements and complete the assignments and evaluations based on the syllabus and calendar. A course in canvas is similar to a traditional classroom but it is asynchronous. This type of learning system has become very beneficial to the e-learning community. The only drawback to this type of classroom is the loss of human connection. It is easy to communicate and ask the instructor questions via e-mail, the course in-box or conference call, but the instructor loses the ability to make a connection. Students become only names, relationships are difficult to build. I am in my first semester here at USM. I am working toward a Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education in the area of Social Science from the University of South Alabama in 1998. I have taught history to students in Alabama and Mississippi. In 2003 I decided that history did not challenge me so I decided I wanted to teach computers. I had to take several classes from Mississippi State RCU in order to teach Computer Discovery. I started teaching Computer Discovery at Bay Waveland Middle School in 2005. I have been a computer teacher, as well as a history teacher at BWMS for the last 13 years. I love teaching technology to my students. I am how helping pilot the new Cyber Foundations course that will replace ICT in the state of Mississippi.
Since I have taught the Computer Discovery and ICT 1 and 2 I am skilled in all of the Microsoft Office programs: Word, PowerPoint, Access, Database and Publisher. I also have experience teaching and using Photoshop and several other Adobe programs such as Flash, and Acrobat Distiller DC. I have also worked with and taught Model Smart which is a software program used to create 2D and 3D models, which is a very basic Auto Cad program. I have also taught HTML and CSS using Khan Academy. I am now in the process of implementing Code.org. It features a visual block-based programming language that allows students to build programs via a drag-and-drop interface in App Lab. It also allows the user to see the text based code as well in a side by side feature. The students are learning JAVA Script in the program. I use electronic based communication on a daily basis. I am very familiar with Canvas and I use it in my classroom with my students. I am also trying to implement Screencastify. This will allow me to record what I am projected on the screen so that students can refer back if they do not understand a concept or if they were absent. I have also tried to incorporate discussion boards into my classroom but it was tricky. Eighth graders, do not necessarily understand how to communicate tactfully with each other nor do they take constructive criticism positively. I love to incorporate new technology into my classroom and into my personal repertoire. I am familiar with pod casts, blogs and WIKI's but I have not used or incorporated them into my life or classroom. I love to incorporate video clips into my class as a motivator, they can be great attention grabbers for my students. I look forward to learning new skills that will help me advance as an instructor and leader in technology. I enjoy finding new programs that can assist me and my students. |