Blog Journal #8

     Working on the Web Design assignment taught me how I should format a website while keeping in mind the C.R.A.P. principles so my website looks better and is easy to comprehend. I liked how the assignment prepared me for what I might have to do in the future as a teacher when I have to create a website. The assignment also let me think about what I should include on my website as a teacher in the future. I learned how to work with Google Sites with this assignment. The assignment was fun and let me show my creative side while creating a website that looks professional. There was nothing I disliked about the assignment, Google slides made creating a website easy. What I learned from the assignment can be implemented when I become a teacher and create my own website or have a page on the school's website. Link to my website

    Working with Diigo, I learned how to annotate directly on a website and share my annotations with others. With Diigo, I learned how to share important articles, comments, and highlights within a group. Since I want to be an elementary teacher I do not think I would input Diigo in my classroom, I would probably only utilize it for myself and maybe to link important websites to parents. Diigo would be helpful in my professional efforts as I could interact with others and share my ideas through Diigo in group settings. 

    One site that can help me stay up to date with technology trends is edutopia.org. Edutopia is a website with articles about technology trends in education and videos. The website includes videos as well as multiple topics to choose from about technology in education. Edutopia wishes to inform teachers of what works in education and how to efficiently implement technology in the classroom. Edutopia

Blog Journal #7

     I looked at the school website for my high school and one of my teachers, Mrs. Slater, pages on the website. On her page, she included course descriptions for the classes she teaches along with the certifications that will be satisfied once completing the courses. Also, there's a list of Remind codes for each period of her classes and links to important files needed for the classes. Her page also has different tabs which include the calendar for the school year, photo album, specific pages dedicated to the classes she teaches, and links to other information like her email.

Mrs. Slater's School Page

    I envision myself having a similar layout to Mrs. Slater for my page on my school's website. I plan on utilizing technology to help parents contact me efficiently so students can find resources needed for my class on my website just in case they miss class or do not get the information during class. I will use blogger, or something similar that has everything for my class, maybe my own website for the class that has all the information needed. I would also implement tools like Schoology, Remind, or Edmodo, for class announcements and assignment submissions. 

    I liked using Canvas for Assignment 2. Canvas made it easier for everything to be on the same page without having to go through extensive measures to make sure everyone has access to the Wiki page. Also, I liked how through Canvas we were able to work on a Google Doc through the collaborations page instead of having to create our own separate Google Doc by retrieving everyone's email. I liked how everything was in one place when using Canvas for Assignment 2. I disliked how we could not customize our Wiki page that much with different colors or images, but overall Canvas was a convenient and efficient way to work on Assignment 2 as a group. I would use Canvas for my future students for assignment submissions or as a calendar for the students to keep track of when homework is due. 

Blog Journal #6

     I like Diigo, it makes it easier to share with others the articles I find interesting through a Diigo group. I like that Diigo allows me to annotate the website and highlight different sections if I want to. I like how organized Diigo is where it collects all the shared articles and comments made by a person together in the group and how there a tags under the Diigo posts to help others know what the shared article might be about. Also, I like that Diigo can be added as a Google Chrome extension, to make sharing websites and making annotations easier for people. There was not much that I disliked about using Diigo, except that maybe the website could be a little easier to navigate and less cluttered in the Diigo groups.

    Blogging has been fun so far, it feels as if I actually have a blog that is not school-related and is shared with the world to see. Blogging is a new experience for me, but I like how I could customize my own blog page with different gadgets and templates. I like that I can easily access others' blogs too and that my blog posts are automatically saved and can be changed if needed. There is nothing I do not like about blogging yet, if my blog posts were not school-related I probably would like it more, and blogging feels like I am posting on social media. I learned how to create and edit blog posts and how to create my own blog website. I also learned how to insert different gadgets like my Twitter feed and Creative Commons License. 

    A Web 2.0 tool that I would incorporate into my classroom would be Schoology. I want to primarily teach Reading Language Arts to elementary students so I think this tool would help enhance in-class activities and overall efficiency for students to have access to assignments and announcements. Schoology allows teachers to create posts that students can comment on. Students just need to sign up for a Schoology account or their parents can create one using their email. Then, teachers need to create an access code for their class and once students download the app or go to the website and enter the access code, they have access to the teacher's Schoology page. Schoology also lets teachers upload files for assignments and for the assignments to be graded through the tool. Schoology helps students interact with each other and the teacher through posting and commenting. Schoology

Blog Journal #5

     I have past experience with Twitter, I originally made an account a year ago so I have become familiar with how to use the app. However, I have never used Twitter for educational purposes until now for this class. I have found using Twitter fun and interactive especially when chatting in Twitter chats for education. I have mainly been interacting with fellow educators through Twitter chats and have been getting notifications for any education-related topics that are happening on Twitter. Also, other teachers or educators have followed me on Twitter. I have found it beneficial especially when I joined the #WomenEdLeaders chat because it made me think about what I can do to improve education and develop my pedagogy. The questions and answers that were given in the Twitter chat made me learn new ideas and be exposed to others' approaches to teaching which I can use for inspiration when I become a teacher. 

    The digital divide can prevent students from keeping up with class material and with the rest of the students if they lack technology experience or do not have access at home. The digital divide can cause students to be out of touch with how to use the latest technology which could lead to the students spending more time struggling to use the technology than actually learning, affecting their success. Some causes of the digital divide are a lack of resources and not having enough trained teachers or experts on technology to help the students and teachers. Also, lack of funding can prevent students from all having the same technology in class, students may have to use school-provided devices while others use their personal devices, causing a divide because there may be technological differences. In my classroom, I might experience the digital divide as technology continues to change and if students' are lost when using the technology in class, I will have to shift my teaching strategies to account for the digital divide. I will teach both with and without technology on some days and try to help my students as much as I can to understand how to use the technology. 

    I would implement Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Docs in my future classroom. Microsoft PowerPoint is software to create slide-show presentations through Microsoft Office. Google Docs is a software that allows people to edit, create, and collaborate on online documents shared with one another through Google accounts. I would use PowerPoint with my future students for group projects where I want them to create a presentation on PowerPoint. Also, I would use PowerPoint to introduce different lessons I want to teach to the class. PowerPoint was one of the first academic software I learned how to use and it was through school and I find making PowerPoints fun so I hope that implementing it in my future classroom will improve engagement and make learning fun. I would use Google Docs with my future students so we can all share the same documents easily. Google Docs would also help make sure that all the students are following along with my lessons and can use it for assignments. 

Blog Journal #4

     I chose the standard for first grade. The LAFS.1.W.2.6 standard implies that teachers implement technology in the first-grade classroom through hands-on activities where the students can interact with the technology. The standard emphasizes that students use technology for class assignments with the teacher's assistance if needed. I feel prepared to implement this standard with my current skill set. The standard provides some ways I can implement the technology also I think I know a decent amount about how to work technology in schools and I think by the end of EME2040 I will have more experience with technology in the classroom so implementing the standard would not be a problem.

    The CPALMS standard I chose was for first grade ELA about identifying and describing the main story elements in a story. I think I can use these resources to help teach the standard ways. The resources provide lesson plans and tutorials that I can implement in the class. For instance, one of the lesson plans provides examples of some questions to ask the students to make them think through Model Eliciting Activities. So, I can use these resources to assist me in making sure that the students develop the standards and maybe take some inspiration from the resources and create my own classroom activities. 

    It is important to be a proficient internet searcher as a teacher because being a proficient internet searcher can help when trying to look up ideas for lesson plans or class activities in a narrow search. I think I will be using the google advanced search for an exact match, combining searches and narrowing down google image searches. I will use these internet searching skills the most in the future because I think they will help and make it easier for me to find what I specifically want to search for. There weren't any internet searching skills that weren't introduced in the course material this week. 

Blog Journal #3

     Copyright is someone's protection and rights they have for their work. Copyright can be creative or intellectual and is supposed to assist with protecting one's work when wanting to distribute the work. Fair use is how far someone can go by using another person's copyrighted work without permission and they won't get in trouble. Different situations can be considered fair use, like when the copyrighted work is used for educational reasons, not all of it is used, the use of the work is not harmful, and the way the work is used all are important factors in determining if something is fair use or not. As a teacher, I would make sure that my own instructional materials are protected and won't be taken advantage of or stolen. So, I would become informed about the difference between fair use and public domain. I would ensure that whatever I or my students create is safe or that it is protected by copyright. 

    In my future classroom, I would solve technology implementation issues such as lack of funding and decreased productivity. To solve the lack of funding schools have to implement technology in classrooms, in school I would help hold fundraisers or ask that the principal reorganize funding so that we could have technology in the classroom. Also, I would protest for the state to better fund schools rather than spend money on less important issues or for the school to reconsider where the money is going. For example, we can cut on things we do not need in the school like a new paint job or other superficial wants. Regarding the supposed decreased productivity problem with implementing technology, in my future classroom, I will only allow students to be on tablets for a short period and not use them all the time so they can be focused while in class and engaged. Also the technological devices they will be using in my future classroom will most likely not have anything distracting, only educational items to ensure that the students are productive in class. 

    I learned a lot of new skills from working on the Newsletter Design assignment. For instance, I learned how to create a shaded object like the permission slip and how to format the newsletter with two columns. I think I would make my newsletter more concise and colorful in the future. Also, I would probably include more information about what the lessons for the month will be about. I can use the skills I learned from the assignment to make more newsletters for my future students when I become an elementary teacher. I would use the skills to create other visual and informative papers I need to make for my students.

Blog Journal #2

         Good afternoon, I have had a good amount of experience with Microsoft Word (MS Word) throughout my school life, especially during high school and now in college. In school, I mainly used MS word for essays or when I was younger, I used it to type up whatever notes I needed or for group projects. At FSU I mainly use MS Word for assignments for classes like essay questions or when I need to submit a paper. I do not have another preference for word processing software besides MS Word. Since I grew up using MS Word and have used it longer than any other software, I feel more comfortable utilizing MS Word for whatever I need compared to other softwares like Google Docs despite them being easier or better for completing schoolwork. 

    The most meaningful standard to me is the 2.5 Designer standard. I think for most educators, being adaptable and making sure to teach in a way where every student feels included and can learn is important. Not every student learns the same so I think the designer standard emphasizes how educators should implement technology into the classroom in different ways and perhaps even step away from technology at times during lessons. Also, I think making classwork and activities interactive with technology can improve the efficiency of teaching lessons and make the information transferred to the students in a way where it is fun and engaging.

    I agree with the label digital native because there is a difference between people who grew up with technology. To be a digital native means that someone is experienced in technology and knowledgeable about it where it seems natural to them because either they grew up with technology or have just been well versed in electronics. However, the assumptions about digital natives and immigrants are too generalized and there are exceptions to the concept of digital natives and immigrants. I have seen differences between how I use technology as a digital native versus digital immigrants like my teachers. For example, there have been moments where the teacher is having technical difficulties that seem like a simple fix to me or my classmates but the teacher has trouble figuring out how to fix their technological issues. Also while in school, some of my teachers have tried implementing new ways to do assignments through a new website or software but do not know enough about the new technology that trying to incorporate it into lessons is difficult and the students eventually end up teaching the teacher how the software works. These experiences have made me lose focus while in class and then become frustrated with the new technology because my teacher did not set it up properly or we are just both clueless about how to work the technology. I think when I become a teacher there will be a difference between what I know about technology and what my students will know. I like to think that I know a decent amount of how to work electronics, but as technology is constantly changing, I think in the future I will use it differently than my students. 

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