(1) ILP "Participation" - Lynda.com

I completed a Lynda.com tutorial for my second independent learning project. I chose to watch a video titled “Mike Hathorn: 3D Printing in the Classroom”(https://www.lynda.com/SketchUp-tutorials/Mike-Hathorn-3D-Printing-Classroom/185038-2.html). I did not only learn about the new emerging technology known as 3D printing and how it can be used in the classroom because this video had so much more to offer. Mike Hathorn is a new kind of teacher, whose success rates are flourishing. The way he interacts with his students is incredible, and so is the response of his past and present students themselves. He wants to turn consumers into creators, which does not nothing but benefit his students from all angles. The way he teaches and the respect he receives is all that I aspire to have as a future teacher. Using Lynda.com opened up all kinds of doors when it comes to inspiration and learning “how to”, and I can definitely see myself making use of this website in the future to better myself and my students down the road.

Notes:

Students today are extremely tech savvy when it comes to their cell phones

Students should not just be consumers of technology, but CREATORS

Your root and curriculum will always being changing based on students AND their teacher together

Mike Hathorn is a history teacher by trade, but now wants students to be cutting edge on a regular basis

Kids are taking Mike Hathorn’s courses because:

•       He is always there for them in and outside of the classroom
•        He values and supports their learning together
•        Gets down to his students’ level and communicates

·    

The 3D modeling and printing class

• ·      Kids come up with their own ideas
• ·      Never want to leave class because they are creating

Mike started off by doing 3D modeling of historical buildings on Google earth

• ·      Students digitize their own towns and upload to Google Earth
• ·      Embedded interviews from towns people who know history of the building using a program called “SketchUp”

3D printing came next when 3D modeling just was not enough

• ·      Mike’s grant proposal for printing machines was accepted

Wanted to be innovative with the way the classroom is built

• ·      Bright colored walls and interesting furniture choices to keep student’s engaged
• ·      No sitting, only standing because studies show their thought process is different while standing

Mr. Hathorn wants students to create the curriculum

• ·      Students love having freedom within in the classroom
• ·      Students are not all doing the same exact assignment

o   They create their own rules and guidelines

• ·      They’re all at their own place in classroom
• ·      Mike only makes suggestions as a teacher

o   Doesn’t want it to be his project

“In terms of support, its been what to do you want to do and how can I make sure I am out of your way.”

Students say it is cool to actually “make buildings”

• ·      Going into the future of technology

Learning this with this type of technology in high school is important and fun

• ·      All Mr. Hathorn’s students are successful in his classes because of the unique way he teaches

Changing view points on where their education is going

• ·      Tech Jam – tech expo in Birmingham, Vermont where students can showcase their work
• ·      Seeing kids play with technology rather than just using it in the classroom because then kids are actually learning how solve difficult problems

Putting kids in charge of their own learning will be something they will always look back on even when in their career

Students ambition changes everything because when you do what is best for your students you will end up somewhere down the right road.

Take my survey about Exercise!

https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1LddFsfq36VnEFf

10 - Reflection

The use of data collection will always be used in my future classroom. I feel as though it is vital to work off the feedback of students. I want to make sure that they are understanding the in and out of class information, and that the way I am teaching is beneficial to my students. As a future high school teacher of history, surveys will be used to ask anonymous questions, and to receive anonymous feedback. I do not want students who feel uncomfortable participating in classroom discussions or talking to teachers to feel left out, and their grade suffer because of it. SurveyMonkey is a great tool that my teachers made use of through my time in high school, and it was really effective. It was used within the classroom and school wide to collect information that was always beneficial to my own education.

The topics I found most interesting while blogging and searching through the blogs of my fellow classmates were always centered how they were going to incorporate technology within their own future classrooms. There would be times when someone would ride about a new program or a special skill in Microsoft that I didn't even know existed. I loved when that happened because it gave me the opportunity to explore things that I would definitely want to learn how to use for the future. I also found it interesting reading how they felt about the assignment due that week, and learning how they overcame struggles and how they made their experience enjoyable. Sometimes my work and design process would be very similar to a fellow classmates, which made me feel connected.

I am still looking to advance my skills in and knowledge of Excel. It is not something that has ever come easy to me no matter how many years I have been taught how to use the program. But, the way it Has been taught in EdTech has really helped me capture the basics once again, which I appreciate. It bothers me that I am practically a wizard with all other Microsoft program, and Excel still continues to give me a hard time. I want to be able to work with spreadsheets without any kind of struggle because they can be so beneficial in the classroom, especially for making me a more efficient teacher.

I want to be the best possible teacher I can be after I graduate. The reason I want to become a teacher is because I want to inspire, and not only doing that by teaching my students but by learning from them as well. I now believe that the best way to do that is to make school as enjoyable and efficient as possible, and that is through the use of modern technology. I want to continue to educate myself in new programs, and stay up to date with new technological advancements. I never want to fall behind, or be the teacher that doesn't bring kind of sparkle to her lectures or classroom activities. I will always want the best for my students so writing up grant proposals for something I know my students will clearly benefit from will always be an option. My students will grow and learn just as I do, and that is extremely important.

9 - Flipped Classroom

I love flipped classroom! The majority of my teachers in high school took advantage of this learning tool. The concept is really simple. Essentially, it is when students will listen and take notes on video lectures at home, and then in class the next day they will compete activities and discuss the new material they learned at home. The use of this distance delivery allows for greater time management which is very important during short class periods. This gives students ample time to really understand the information, and allow the teacher to have more time for questions and deeper explanation. Students will acquire a more independent learning style all while making use of adaptive technology, which will do them will in the future.

In high school my teachers used YouTube as platform for their "flipped classroom". Here is an example of my Chemistry teacher's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/RAZ112652/videos

I google searched using the string " teacher web resources for professional development" and came across a great site titled "Education World". It was made to direct teachers to what works best in the classroom. This resource is filled with news articles, lesson plans, and classroom activities. What I like best about it through is that it reviews classroom technology from apps to high definition tech products. Education World wants teachers to be the best educators they can be for their students so they provide them with all things professional development which is awesome!

http://www.educationworld.com

I really loved this assignment. It allowed me to get very creative, and explore all the different options and available programs I had to work with. I can see myself making great use of interactive powerpoint in my classroom because they seem to make everything enjoyable. The only thing about this assignment is that its hard to just limit it to 15 slides to it is time consuming, and so for next time I would like to be a bit more prepared before I start exploring and creating. In high school I always loved when teachers would create Jeopardy games for us because it was always to so intense and competitive, which made me a better learner, so I want that for my future students as well.

8 - Emerging Technology

Electronic paper! This sounds incredibly amazing, and is something I have never heard of before. This has great promise for future classrooms because of its inexpensive and easily accessible nature. It has all the capabilities of e-readers and tablets, but it is not as bulky and expensive. Its lightweight, flexible, and power saving components will allow students to use it all day during school without having to charge it or worry about fitting it inside their backpacks. As a future history teacher, my students will constantly be reading articles and making use of the textbook because I always found it beneficial during my time as student. Having easy access to this awesome technology in "tomorrow's classroom" will create a whole new attitude when it comes to textbook use and paper based activities because it will make it more innovative and interesting by actually engaging students.

The digital divide is a term that is used to describe those who and who do not have access to technology on a daily basis. It is not all about access, but also skills and use. Personally, I have always been given access to modern technology. Internet was always readily available at home, and at school to complete school work or just to use socially. My parents always provided me with the most modern technology to give me an advantage while completing schoolwork, and my schools have been providing me with computer education classes since kindergarten to learn all different kinds of adaptive skills. In high school, I always had a computer or iPad personally provided to me to use during class and at home to access my notes and textbooks. In my classroom, I will address the digital divide in my classroom by being knowledgeable and sensible when it comes knowing about my student's technology access and what kind of reasonable assignments they will be able to complete at home or even in the classroom. I will always make sure that not a single student will be left behind due to inability to have access to modern technology because that is not just.

The PowerPoint Presentation assignment gave me the hardest time. I never would've thought that I would struggle trying to use this application because I have been learning how to use it since Kindergarten. This assignment was very helpful in providing me with knowing the skills I need to improve on, especially creating a master slide. I did not like the master slide. It was a very difficult process, and even after research I still was not able to figure it out. But, I am very thankful for this assignment so I can sharpen my skills for the future. In my classroom, PowerPoint will be used on a daily basis so even the existence of the application will be extremely beneficial.

(2) ILP - Prezi

Using Prezi I designed a useful study tool to allow students to review the timeline of major events that occurred during World War II. It includes major dates, the title of event, and an image to help render a connection. The fun transition between pieces of information allows the student to feel more relaxed. The use of Prezi makes the look of learning a lot more appealing and creative, rather than studying off a crowded and basic PowerPoint.

http://prezi.com/iesfnhrwnegu/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

7 - PowerPoint

You can achieve the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy through the use of PowerPoint. There are effective ways to teach students to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create through the use of this program. This can be used while learning and reviewing novels. For "remember", students can use PowerPoint like a flashcard system linking new words found in our reading with their definitions. For "understand", I would add special effects and pictures to help students make connections with the characters and their physical characteristics and behaviors. For "apply", students can form their own groups making individual slides to create one large class-wide presentation that connects certain events and significant happenings in the novel. For "analyze", students can use PowerPoint to compare and contrast certain characters and their opposites by inputting a venn diagram. For "evaluate", students will be able to use PowerPoint to review and take my practice quizzes and tests before their final evaluation. Lastly, for "create", students will complete their own research and presentations on assigned topics as one of their final assessments of understanding.

Adaptive technologies are important to have access to when teaching those with disabilities how to access and use available technology. For student's with physical disabilities, holding pen or pencil, and even clicking a mouse is a difficult process. Programs such as "speech-to-text" allow children to interact with the technology, and complete assignments without having to lift a finger. This type of program can also be used the other way ("text-to-speech") around to benefit those with visual impairments. While, braille printers can benefit those with auditory impairments. Access to technology should be made easy for everyone who has access to it as our technological world is advancing. I have only seen adaptive technology in action once before as I witnessed an elementary school student who was visually impaired participate in "active reading time" by listening to an audio file. In the future the only thing I worry about when it comes to making use of adapt technology would be using it the most beneficial way possible for my students who need it. I do not want to deprive anyone from learning just because a disability is present in the classroom.

Making a Web page design was a lot of fun for me. I enjoyed being able to build up a website from scratch based on what I wanted my students and their parents to have access to. The software was simple and easy to use, especially when it came to getting to be creative and personal. The only thing I did not like about designing was that I felt limited when it came to choosing my page layouts. For next time, I would just like to better prepare myself for finding reliable links, and how everything was going to fit on my web page. As a teacher, it will be very important for me not only to keep my students in the loop, but their parents as well. I never want my students to miss out on any opportunity because they were "never told", and a great solution to that problem is an intriguing web page like the one made for this project.

http://msbrinkshistoryclass.weebly.com