Saturday, July 20, 2013

Reflection


Reflection
Fortunately, I am grateful for the experience I have had with Twitter it was great I have found that Twitter is an effective way to broaden participation in classes. Additionally, the ubiquity of laptops and smartphone has made the integration of Twitter a virtually bureaucracy-free endeavor. As I reflect back on using Twitter I have learn that it forced me to express my thoughts within 140 characters, improved my grammar skills, and based on this character limit, Twitter also helps establish rules for effective communication. It was a great way for me to follow classmates and other professionals whose interests align with the class being taught.
During this online class, as a student I have tweeted comments and had questions answered with the use of my laptop and cell phone it was an easy way to get answers to questions for class without embarrassing myself. Twitter has motivated me too participate academically while fostering communication with my online classmates. I did not know what hashtag was until taking this class (Educational Technology) I have learned that with the use of a hashtag (#), it was and is an incredibly easy way for the professor to follow the information that is associated with our class. In my mind I am saying “What an awesome way to use Twitter to keep up with students assignments.”
I have shared and received interesting links from my followers on Twitter. It’s a most common use for Twitter I’ve learned. I have also learned to use Twitter for my own advantage by saving links and tweeting interesting educational links to co-workers to read to help prepare for class in the coming months. The dynamic is that I have learned that students fall into their assignments and share contentious issues with one another which would otherwise end if they were in a traditional class, because discussion ends when class is over. Fortunately, Twitter has no time limit. In fact Twitter chatter during online class spills over into the student’s free time. As a result, I have learned that conversations have become productive as classmates were more willing to talk and be more respectful of others.
How can I use Twitter for my own professional development and or my classroom? I can use twitter, as a tool, giving students and co-workers an easy way to communicate that goes beyond the classroom hours. I will be able to send reminders using Twitter on my smartphone to ensure that students receive notification with the latest class news and instantaneous prepare student for their class ahead of time. I will use Twitter to encourage students who are more likely to keep quiet in a classroom to join the conversation which will help get them beyond the fear of speaking in class.
Furthermore, with the use of a simple hashtag (#), it will be easy to curate tweets, giving students an easy way to follow the information that is associated with specific class assignments. Alternatively, as a teacher I can create a Twitter account to list specific to a course that students can then follow, making it easy for them to find each other on Twitter. I now know that Twitter can also replace many tools I already use such as mailing lists through email or printing announcements. I like it how social media in general have completely changed the way that students submit and receive their assignments. As a teacher I can easily collaborate with my co-workers on Twitter too, exchanging ideas and teaching tools. Now that I understand hastag, it will be easy for a group of the teachers I work and communicate with to connect on Twitter.  Also hashtag will give me an instant access to links, thoughts, and tweets from educators from all over the world. Access to an instantaneous network using Twitter is invaluable, and definitely beats using meetings.
 

Three tweeters I found most helpful during this assignment and why are the following:
 

 
1. How Twitter Made Me A Better Teacher
 
I found this post helpful because I need to be kept up to date in my field. In the same way that you would want your car to be reliable when traveling on a long trip to get from point A to B which means you want a 2013 model which is dependable. Therefore, I need to be knowledgeable in new methods, treatments, and techniques, I want to be a teacher who is continually learning about the best my field has to offer and revising my practices accordingly. As stated above I will use Twitter to encourage students who are more likely to keep quiet in a classroom to join the conversation which will help get them beyond the fear of speaking in class.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>How Twitter Made Me A Better Teacher <a href="http://t.co/lcDNYCHZ8a">http://t.co/lcDNYCHZ8a</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23edchat&amp;src=hash">#edchat</a></p>&mdash; Edudemic (@Edudemic) <a href="https://twitter.com/Edudemic/statuses/358638854061830145">July 20, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



2. A Snapshot of How Technology is Used in Education 
I found this post helpful because there is no question about it technology has made changes to 21st century education through social media. Technology has made it possible for students and teachers to communicate during and after school. I will be able to send reminders using Twitter on my smartphone to ensure that students receive notification with the latest class news and instantaneous prepare student for their class ahead of time.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>I like how technology is being used . Please view! <a href="http://t.co/k604DvEPZ0">http://t.co/k604DvEPZ0</a>  <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ED505UWARAY&amp;src=hash">#ED505UWARAY</a></p>&mdash; Mary Ann Turner (@LadyturMary) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyturMary/statuses/352142383976169473">July 2, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



3. Technology for Children With Learning Disabilities
I found this post helpful because I am a special education teacher who work with children that have different types of physical and cognitive disabilities. Recent developed electronic have been transformed for education to help meet the educational needs of children with disabilities. Technology has provided opportunities for children with learning disabilities to be educated/learning, productivity, and be independence that otherwise would not be able without the use of technology.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/Mitchella8096">@Mitchella8096</a> &#10;Socialmedia aiding students with disabilities <a href="http://t.co/UdSzzfjW5q">http://t.co/UdSzzfjW5q</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ED505UWARAY&amp;src=hash">#ED505UWARAY</a></p>&mdash; Mary Ann Turner (@LadyturMary) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyturMary/statuses/354749699938463747">July 9, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Two of my own Post not included in my Blog:
I found these two post helpful because they both are helpful for teachers and student to enhance learning as a teacher and as a student. 
1. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/anne_j3">@anne_j3</a> Tech. tools transformed teaching/learning for students w/disabilities <a href="http://t.co/Yj4CcypA0F">http://t.co/Yj4CcypA0F</a> … <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ED505UWARAY&amp;src=hash">#ED505UWARAY</a></p>&mdash; Mary Ann Turner (@LadyturMary) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyturMary/statuses/357003194569736192">July 16, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

2. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Technology offers opportunity for individualized learning.<a href="http://t.co/whLnBGW5L0">http://t.co/whLnBGW5L0</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ED505UWARAY&amp;src=hash">#ED505UWARAY</a></p>&mdash; Mary Ann Turner (@LadyturMary) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyturMary/statuses/347189823582380032">June 19, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


 
 

 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 


 

 
 
 
 
 
 


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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

L2 Technology


L2 Technology

Area where listed as Endangered Oceans:

Whales and Dolphins

Scientific Name: Balaenoptera musclus

 

·         Video on Blue Whales



 

Researched information

The blue whale is the largest of all whales and is said to be the largest animal in Earth’s history. The average length of an adult blue whale is 79 to 88 feet and the average weight is 130 to 150 tons. Blue whites are blue to blue-gray and may sometimes appear to have a faint yellow skin color because of the many microorganisms that accumulate on their bodies as they travel through colder waters. Blue whites prefer cold waters and open seas and prefer not to venture near coastal areas. However, some whites have been seen off the coast of Peru.

The blue whale eats mostly krill (small shrimp-like crustaceans) by using its baleen plates lining its mouth to sieve krill from the water. It can consume several tons of krill daily. Researchers have believed that the blue whale only eats in the summer, seldom eating during the rest of the year. But recent research has suggested that some blue whales of the north may eat year-round and that blue whales found traveling with empty stomachs may stop eating during migration and resume feeding at wintering areas. Blue whales only mate in warmer waters and the gestation periods last 10 to 11 months. The females give birth to only one calf in the spring which gives the calf the entire summer to grow a layer of blubber needed to protect it when traveling through colder waters. The calves nurse for around seven months.

There are three subspecies of blue whites. The blue whites of the northern and southern henispheres generally come together for mating, but they are considered two separate subspecies, Balaenoptera musculus musculus and Balaenoptera musculus intermedia. The third subspecies, the pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), is smaller than the others, and it is found in the sub-Antarctic waters of the Indian Ocean and the southeast Atlantic Ocean. Over 350,000 whales have been hunted and killed, by the 1960’s blue whales were on the edge of extinction. There are probably only around 2500 blue whales left in the oceans and they are now legally protected despite opposition by the whaling industry.

 Twittering  
> #ED505UWARAY&mdash">https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ED505UWARAY&src=hash">#ED505UWARAY&mdash; Mary Ann Turner (@LadyturMary) July">https://twitter.com/LadyturMary/statuses/357601158879125505">July 17, 2013


More Links about the Blue Whale:

Reference Links:

Blue Whale- American Cetacean Society, http://www.earthsendangered.com/reference.asp#dis

Conservation Links:

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society,  http://www.wdcs.org/
 
 

Work Cite

 

Glenn, C. R. 2006. “Earth’s Endangered Creatures – Blue Whale Facts” (Online).

       Accessed 7/17/2013 at http://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=927&ID=10.

 
 
 
 
Watch the Video on steps to create a Blog
 

 
 
Watch the video on Twittering
 
 
Watch Video on Wiki


 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 
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Monday, July 15, 2013

Assistive Technologyt

ED 505 Technology and Education
 
Assistive Technology

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the (Public Law 05-17) mandates that every individualized education program team consider assistive technology (AT) to provide individuals with mild disabilities, moderate and severe disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, at-risk behaviors/situations and students gifted and talents opportunities be educated/learning, productivity, and be independence that otherwise would not be available http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module_outlines/ .
First, and for most, in order to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities as a teacher I must be educated and trained on how to implement and evaluate AT. One resource of assistive technology used to enhance a teacher’s knowledge is the STAR Legacy Modules Web-based instructional materials (https://bb.uwa.edu/webapps/portal/) that will provide knowledge on how to work with students with disabilities.

Second, the authors of Integrated Education Technology into Teaching provides information in meeting the needs of students with mild to severe cognitive disabilities teachers can use a strategy call reading skill software, such as text-to-speech products, and interactive story books, in the area of reading for student with mild disabilities (405). A resource can be the WizCom’s Quicktionary Reading Pen, http://www.wizcomthech.com.  On the other hand, using software to help teach reinforce functional skill like money management, daily living employ ability for student with severe cognitive disabilities.

Another educational device is the Equals a Pre K-12 curriculum that provides mathematics instruction for educators work with students in special education or in alternative education program. It encompasses pre-readiness math skills that includes: attending, cause and effect, fundamental math skills which includes numbers and operations, measurement, and estimation, and higher order math skills that includes data analysis, probability, spatial sense, geometry, algebra, and problem solving. Each lesson provides three levels of instruction for students with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities.

Third, resources and strategies to help students with physical disabilities educational need provide alternative methods of accessing keyboard, mouse, and monitors and determine the best placement of adaptive technologies, and provide training to ensure the student is able to operate in independently. The AbleNet’s (http://www.ablenetinc.com) Connect offers a wonderful device the iPad a mobile device for users with significant physical disabilities. Connect provides cutting edge accessibility, brilliant sound, and exceptional design to create a one of a kind solution for the iPad.
Fourth, resources and strategies to help meet the educational needs of student with sensory (students who have the loss of their hearing over vision and other learning disorders) an educator may consider using devices from the Enablemart a world leader in assistive technology such as: devices as large key and large print keyboards, Braille displays, alternative input devices, switches and amplified phones.  They also carry the Dragon Naturally Speaking, Edmark Reading and the Claro and Livescribe pens. Teachers can use resources such as the VoiceCue (http://www.visioncue.com) and the TeleSensory (http://www.telesensory.com) to aide in the educational need. A helpful strategy may be to use a computer that has a screen magnification control panel or close-circuit television magnification systems for the visually impaired. For the hearing impaired teachers may consider using a FM amplification system a listening device.

Fifth, At-risk behaviors/situations students who may lack of motivation to engage in school work will benefit from the strategies TrackStar (http://trackstar.a4teachears.org) or using Equals a PreK-12 curriculum that provides the best in mathematics instruction for educators who work with students in special education or students in an alternative education programs. Teachers should search for and locate software on websites that provide powerful and motivating opportunities to engage students in learning activities such as Brain Pop (http://.brainpop.com) online free an education resource for the classroom. It is an animated, curricular content that engages student in learning.
Six and last, how to meet the educational needs of gifted and talented student’s need through assistive technology. Teacher may want to use resources such as the Creativity Web, the center for Creative learning (http://www.creativelearning.com) or numerous distance-learning opportunities, such as Destination Imagination (http://www.destinationimagination.org). Geo Thentic (http://It.umn.edu/geothentic) and Alien Resource (http://aliencrescue.edb.utexas.edu
) student use technology to show off their knowledge through products such as using podcasts, the multimedia projects to documenting dramatization with technology.

 

Chapter 15

In studying and reading chapter fifteen about assistive technology it has been revealed, that individuals with mild disabilities, moderate and severe disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, at-risk behaviors/situations and students with gifts and talents have been provided through assistive technology the opportunities for education/learning, productivity, and be independent that otherwise would not be available. In order for students with disabilities to be successful in their education teacher must be educated and trained on how to implement and evaluate assistive technology. Furthermore, in studying chapter fifteen read that one way for teachers to understand or know their ability to implement technology in their classroom is to do an assessment known as the Tech-PACK a self-assessment of their knowledge to know where they are deficient and how they can improve their strengths. The authors, Roblyer & Doering (2012), writes of Integrating educational technology into teaching 6th edition, wrote, “To integrate technologies effectively, teachers must have a combination of physical education and health education content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological knowledge. Strategies for improving your Tech-Pack in physical education and health education are recommended.” (p.392)

 
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> #ED505UWARAY&mdash">https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ED505UWARAY&src=hash">#ED505UWARAY&mdash; Mary Ann Turner (@LadyturMary) July">https://twitter.com/LadyturMary/statuses/356998777829195778">July 16, 2013









 
 
Resource
 
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching  
        6th edition. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall.             
 
 





 







 

 

 

 
 

 
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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Web 2.0 Resources

    ED 505 Educational Technology

Web 2.0 Resources
 
Globster, Animoto, and Voice Thread

 
 
 
The Globster, Animoto, and Voice Thread to me are all considered wonderful educational tools.  As I reflect on all three Web tools I came to understand that they are resourceful tools for educators and students.  As a teacher’s tools the Globster and Animoto can contain whole teaching units, including text, linked video, and audio. They can link to resources or assignments stored on the internet. For students both Globster and Animoto will capture student’s excitement, and engage their learning by stimulating student’s creative self-expression and provide a rich multi-sensory outlet for expression. Also both the Globster and Aminoto are fun and imaginative and stimulate integrated learning experience. The Voice Thread also provides some of the functions as Globster and Animoto but with a few differences.  The Voice Thread is an interactive tool that allows for collaborating, sharing, and commenting, it is a free program that can be operated by students and easily monitored by teachers. I like it because it benefits the classroom where as teachers and students can use Voice Thread as a storytelling tool, a deep thinking tool, a research tool, a communication tool, and even an assessment tool.    
 
In chapter 6 the authors Roblyer & Doering (2012),writers of  Integrating educational technology into teaching 6th edition discusses how today’s 21st students are growing up in a digital world  and learning new and different ways therefore, education need new and creative ways to make learning real and significant. They define multimedia (means more than one media) and hypermedia (means linked media) of the mid 1945 to the 60’s were separated but joined over time. They both impact education through developed hypermedia interactive such as presentation software, video-based products, hypermedia programming software, audio, graphic images, text, and virtual environments.  According to Roblyer & Doering (2012), "The current widespread educational use of hypermedia systems appears to be fulfilling predictions that classrooms of the future will be increasingly multimedia environments. Educators recognize and use these systems when they see the powerful capabilities they offer to enhance classroom learning." (p.176) As a high school special education teacher I along with the general education teachers whom I work with and students whom I educate  using some of the above hypermedia programs in the classrooms and throughout the school to enhance education. For example, I help students with learning disabilities review their created presentations and help provide knowledge on creating research project. Today in this 21st century  classroom educational technology has made it possible for teachers and students to explore, communicate, and collaborate with the touch of a finger.  
In Chapter 7 & 8 the authors Roblyer & Doering discusses the history and current perspectives of education how the Internet has become more broad and evolved over time providing opportunity for education to be more intimate and personalized and more individualized through distance education. According to Roblyer & Doering (2012, "Most of us cannot remember a time when cell phones and text messaging were not the norm; when we couldn't "google" something we did not understand; or a time when emailing was not a daily activity. Technology is changing every aspect of society as we know it. The technological norms are no longer the typewriter and the telephone, but the laptop, tablet, and smart phone. Even in the rapid environment of technological evolution,   remarkable changes in communications, in particular, have come about with incredible speed." (p.204) Instructional activities have been developed using social networking and collaborative tools. This allows freedom to access information needed to empower them without having to travel. With some many advanced technology tools  such as the smart phone, iPhone, digital tables  there are applications (apps) that runs on mobile devices which has also added  to people making the choice to learn in a classroom or take the road to distance education all because of the more advanced Internet.



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Reference
 
 
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012), Intergrating educational technology into teaching 6th
         edition. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Prentice Hall.
 
 









 
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