Assessing Meaningful Learning With Technology

In this section we learned about rubrics, inspiration and clickers. I already knew about rubrics and think that they are the best way to grade a written paper. It helps to eliminate the bias while grading papers. It gives a clear value to each item that is graded. Inspiration is pretty cool also. It helps put ideas into a concept map in an easy way.  his would be a useful tool in any class. But, the tool that I thought would be most fun to use is the clickers. I think that this tool would make assessment of student knowledge quick and easy. It would help give the teacher an accurate start point according to the student understanding from the last lesson. Additionally, it would help the teacher determine how much the students are retaining from the class. A quick review can be given at the end of the class and then the same review at the beginning of the next class. Also this tool would be fun to compare the student’s opinion on certain points and compare them to state or national opinions.

I have found this to be a fun and interesting class. I learned about a lot of tools that are free online and that help give information to students in a fun and different way. I will use many of the items that I learned about in my classes when I'm a teacher. My students will be able to see other countries without leaving the classroom. They will be emerged in technology without even realizing it and I will teach them many things they do not know. I hope to continue learning about the different tools available to teachers. One of my favorite tools we learned about was prezi. Although it was a little difficult to work, it gives a new and interesting way to present information.  Another favorite that I hope to incorporate is wiki sites. I will allow the students to create their own study guides and this will be their daily homework. This way, I will know exactly how is working on the tasks and what they are retaining from the lessons.

Technology Application Standards

Technology Application Standards are important. They outline the basic knowledge and skills that begging teachers should already have on their first year of teaching. Teachers need to have a basic level of knowledge in technology in order to effectively teach all the different learning styles. Technology helps the teacher in providing alternative ways of presenting each lesson, other than simply standing in front of the class talking or having the students write mounds notes. Technology makes the teacher put more thought into her own presentation strategy and this is a good thing. Teachers should look at all the options that are available to her in today’s technological world and figuring out how to use as many of these tools as possible. These tools will aid the teacher in making sure that most of the students learning needs are met. If an item is explained in a spoken, written, visual, and kinetic way the chances that every student will understand this particular item is greatly increased. Teachers should always keep her eyes on the prize and giving the students lasting knowledge is the best reward.

126.33. Computer Science I: This class should provide students with the basic knowledge of computer programming. This class is essential for emerging technology students. They will gain the basic understanding of how computers work. They will learn the basic computer language that is needed to write computer programs. Students that take this class will surely come out of it with more confidence in their computer literacy than any person that has worked with computers for years. It will give them insider knowledge of how a computer works. In a technology driven world this confidence and knowledge will be invaluable. I wish I would have taken this class in high school… well I don’t even know if this class was available way back then. But, it’s a class that I will recommend my kids take.

114.22. Levels I and II - Novice Progress Checkpoint: Is the TEAK that would most apply to the class that I will teach. Language other than English is also referred to as LOTE. This is an important TEAK that applied to foreign languages. It specifies the basic knowledge that the students should know after finishing a Spanish one course. It says that the work should be age appropriate. I think that that statement is implied but they decided to include it in the TEAK. There must be a reason for that I guess. Additionally, they must be able to understand and produce words and short sentences, as well as create lists and recognize the main idea in a paragraph. I will surely teach these skills with technology. I will have power point presentations as well as videos from several sources, and maybe even a guest speaker from a foreign Spanish speaking country. I think that the students would like to see what it’s really like in a country other than their own.

Visualizing with Technologies

Visualizing with technologies is another way to teach. When planning a lesson a teacher should incorporate all kinds of different ways to explain each concept, that way she can cover different leaning styles and feel like she did all she can in teaching the concept. I think that technology is a great way to incorporate visuals into a lesson. There are so many different ways that technology can aid a teacher in class. There are plenty of free online programs designed for specific subjects (especially math and science).

Chapter 9: Visualizing with Technology gives a fun project for a foreign language class; the teacher to have the student’s video tape a favorite place or activity while narrating in the target language. Another variety for this project would be to create a story board using digital photographs. Animoto.com is a great site that teachers can introduce to her students for such a project.

Discovery Education Streaming (discoveryeducation.com) is another web site that teachers can use to create fun activities for her class. One thing that I found fun and interesting on that site is that you can create puzzles using your own vocabulary words.