#7 - Assistive Touch-ed My Heart

Adaptive technology is defined as technologies that help people with disabilities more effectively use computing equipment. A problem they could be facing is not being able to see the board or a demonstration to not even being able to move a computer mouse. I have not seen the use of assistive technology in a classroom of mine. But when I was younger and I volunteered with the kids in my school that were disabled I noticed that they spent a lot of time on their tablets. Perhaps they were listening to audio books because reading was a bit difficult for them. If an adaptive technology was needed in my classroom, a challenge I would see is learning a different way of maneuvering that technology and teaching it to the student. I would have to give myself a quick little lesson on how to work the tool.

Creating a Web Page Design was actually quite fun. I liked how I could make a whole website on my own and that I can control what my viewers see and how they get informed. I did not like how I was not that technologically advanced to know how to add the calendar feature on my own. That means I am lacking with my computer skills SMH. Next time I would probably add more features and pictures to make the page look more appealing. I would also add a new page for actual assignments that students could print out at home if they lost or forgot their papers.

Working with Diigo is fun but sort of complicated in my opinion. Maybe because in class we use the older version rather than the updated version? I do think that it is useful and helps keep track of different websites and important info on them. It taught me an easier way to annotate and bookmark a page. This could be useful in the classroom by checking the resources students use in their assignments and by easily tracking information online that I could possibly use in a presentation or lesson, as well as creating an educational forum for my students to use.

Ms. Garcia's Science Class

ILP Design - Prezi: Solar System

Learning About the Solar System
My ILP is in the medium of a Prezi and it covers the topic of the solar system and it is suitable for an elementary science class. Prezi is a fun tool to use in the classroom that makes a presentation a little more exciting and grabs the attention of the classroom better. The tool made it easy for me to display information properly and accordingly and it just overall looks super cool! I did enjoy using this tool and plan to use it in the classroom.

#6 - COOLEST SANDBOX EVER

As I traveled through the world of teacher's class pages I noticed a lot of different things. First off, a website shows how much a teacher cares about the way they present themselves to their class or the public even. It is noticeable when a teacher took time from their day to put effort into their website and if they just needed to satisfy a requirement. On the page you can see the teacher's expectations, classroom rules, the grading rubric, attendance policies, and even a picture of the teacher. On this page, the information is for high school students and their science classes.

As a teacher I would use technology to plan and document lessons, grade student work, and communicate with students, teachers, and parents according to the podcast. Technology would help me with record keeping or storing and sharing information that will be used multiple times with productivity tools. Being an organized teacher is apart of being an effective and efficient teacher. If everything is stored and processed, the following years will be easier and more fluent. For example, previous works can be introduced again in the classroom, exchanging work with a fellow teacher, and visiting previous works for correction or example is all made simpler with technology.

The technology sandbox was one of the coolest places I have ever stepped into while I have been a student here at Florida State. There were so many cool tools I couldn't wait to use in the future and with students. One tool that stood out to me was this application and camera set that I can't remember the name of. It was a competitive game that was also educational and interactive. The sensor that was attached to the tablet or iPad picked up on little tiles that had the entire alphabet and were separated by colors. The objective of the game is to try and solve the word and spell it out correctly before the other person solves the word. The game's purpose is to extend vocabulary and it could even be used to teach and learn new languages. How cool!

#5 - Got Any Games?

Web 2.0 is a more sophisticated version of a website that allows us to interact and share with each other. In the classroom, different types of web 2.0. websites that could be used would be social media, like Twitter to have quick exchanges between classmates or YouTube to share informational videos to students with their lessons. These uses are passive according to the podcast and there are better ways to involve students in using Web 2.0 tools. Personally, although they seem passive it depends on your lesson plan and how each teacher wants to customize their lesson and the Web 2.0 tools for their students. I believe something simple like Twitter still does help in the classroom even if it is a simple tool.
A Web 2.0 tool that is mentioned in the podcast that hasn't been used in our classroom is a blog platform called 21 classes and can be found here: https://www.21classes.com/ . This platform provides teacher controls to protect students safety and restricting access to student blogs while students are allowed to display their work to classmates and the professor. I would use this tool in my classroom to allow the students the opportunity to speak freely, delve deeper, and exchange thoughts about a topic with their classmates while maintaining a safe and secure environment even behind a computer screen. It would be incorporated into my lesson by introducing a topic in class and later having the students do a reflection piece on the topic.
I believe that the future of education relies heavily on technology. Right now, capturing the attention of students with interactive Smart boards and tablets is effective and insightful at the same time. An advancement that would benefit education overall would be "gamification". It is thrilling for the students and keeps them engaged while learning or practicing a topic and exciting their creativity. For example, as I was growing up I had one website that my teacher would let us go on if we had any free time or for recess, and that website was just a series of educational games. Now, a teacher can specify what he or she wants the students to be "playing" and learning in a game. That game could be a practice in or outside of the classroom for the current topic of the class. Creating a lesson and a curriculum that is fun yet educational is important, and in the future there would be many more games and tools to teach and involve students while doing so.

#4 - Love me, Love me, Please Retweet

Being on Twitter is nothing new to me. I have been apart of that social community ever since 2014. For this class, I think it is really cool that the course included an application that most students are use to and can familiarize themselves with. Throughout the course I have usually been retweeting the different educational twitter accounts, specifically ones that relate to educational technology. I retweet tweets that talk about new technologies in the classrooms or laws and policies being made in benefit to a better future for next generations of students. Eventually, working with Twitter is beneficial to me in the end because I might connect with someone through a tweet or it would make reaching someone easier, as well as leave me more disposable to anyone. It also gives me a look at what is popular in pop culture because everything and anything is posted onto Twitter.
A digital divide is the gap that divides the people who do and do not have access to technology. Access to technology increases a students potential for success in education. Without any access to technology, something as simple as a lack of a computer or even a smart phone hinders a child from advancing their knowledge. Even something as basic as educational games and simulations are useful applications that are involved in different curriculums, and if those are not available
When I am visiting a website for the first time I look at a lot of things. Specifically, how easy it is to go through the website and the pictures on their pages. I tend to like more websites that have more interactive features. For example, polls are fun and interactive and they give the website an idea of what their audience looks likes. I also like attractive and aesthetic pictures. They are appealing to the eye and capture my attention quickly. I also think that if a website is easier to maneuver through, the audience will be more open and less intimidated to search through it and find what they are looking for, as well as return!