Task 1 Deliverable

Part II:

• Prior to this activity did you use any of these software tools?  If so which ones.

I did not use any of the tools from this activity (google reader, diigo, twitter, igoogle), nor have I heard of them before.

• Do you plan to continue managing the news resources that you have gathered in your personal learning network?

I really like the igoogle homepage because it allows me to have all of my feeds up on one page; facebook, twitter, youtube, and cnn news. I also like the google reader because I get to choose the websites and news channels that I personally like and it automatically updates with any new news alerts.

• Do you think that a refined personal learning network would be valuable to a new teacher?

I think it can be useful but I dont think that I would use it for teaching purposes. 

• Share the web address url of your ScreenR presentation.
• http://www.screenr.com/user/JolieSam
• (igoogle)
• 
  

Self Introduction

Task #1 Milestone 1: Blog Self Introduction

Aloha everyone! My name is Jolie Sam and I am the author of this blog. This blog is mainly used for my online course at LCC, ED 279. My favorite technology gadget would have to be my cell phone because not only can you use it as a phone, but its able to access the internet, connect to my email and other important accounts, and have cool/fun apps. When it comes to school and work though, I would much rather prefer a laptop than my cell phone. My work style preference is actually working independently at my own pace which is why I have enjoyed my online courses; because I am able to work around my own schedule and fit everything in when I can. Here's an online video that addresses the need for teachers to address 21st century learners:

Task 2 Deliverable

Task 2 Deliverable

Part 1: Posted my favorite 2.0 web tool to my twitter account at https://twitter.com/J0LIESAM
(screenr itself: http://www.screenr.com/ske7)
<iframe src="http://www.screenr.com/embed/ske7" width="650" height="396" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Part 2:

• Having completed this review of a web 2.0 tool would you use this tool in your classroom?

I would definitly use Prezi in my classroom! Maybe my 3rd graders wouldnt know how to operate to well, but I as the instructor would! I like how you can zoom into parts of the presentation being shown and zoom out as well. It's more interesting than your average powerpoint presentation because in some aspects, it looks to be more 3D or more interactive for me and the audience.

• Prior to this activity, how did you typically select website or tools to use?

I would actually just stick to what we learned in school during my time; posters, reports, or powerpoint presentations, which I thought already was an upgrade until I saw Prezi. 

• Do you have any ideas, comments or feedback on improving the web 2.0 tool selection process?

No comments on improving the web 2.0 tool selection, but I would definitly suggest that you surf the web and see what other interesting web 2.0 tools there are so that you yourself can learn and be more computer savy in that aspect. You'll be suprised at what you find!

Week 13: Online Communication

Week 13: Online Communication

"Top 3 Most Effective Ways of Communicating with My Peers on this Online Course"

The internet is a wonderful medium for communicating and sharing with others and a critical element for our national infrastructure. There are many technologies for communicating online. Some might prefer live, multipoint, audio-video communications. This can make it seem like the other people are in the same room, and you can see facial expression and hear vocal inflection. It can be a great tool for making quick decisions in a group, for a series of questions and answers, or for providing social support.

However, among the drawbacks are that all users must be online at the same time, and they all have to have hardware, software, and bandwidth required. While archives can be stored, they are arranged chronologically rather than by idea or topic. And when the session is over, it is over, often with some comments and questions still left unsaid. Thus, for the bulk of one online communications, text-based systems might be used.

One key in improving technology to communicate, is to all communicate clearly and openly. For example, if you do not understand what I meant in an assignment, let me know. If you have some good feedback for other people, offer it. And, if someone else offers feedback, keep and open mind. The students in the class represent a variety of backgrounds, experience, and interests, and we can gain a lot from each other.

Here are our groups "top 3 effective ways of communicating with my peers on this online course."

1.Email

For our course, our email was also connected to our forums/discussion board, so whenever something new was posted in there, we would be alerted to go check that out, so through email, we were all kept up to date with eachothers posts. In online classes, emailing becomes a huge form of communicating but it does have to go both ways in the sense that the person you email, has to respond in an orderly fashion for it to be effective.

2. Face-to-Face

We feel that this is the best form of communication. The only struggle in this is that we have to make time for it that will fit into everyones schedule. Face-to-face doesnt neccessarily mean that we have to drive away from home to meet somewhere else to talk, nowadays, we have online tools such as skype, face time, etc. that we can use from our own home, but again, we all have to fit it into our own personal schedules, all at the same time, which may be inconvenient for those who are taking online courses for the reason of not needing to do that.

3. Cellphone/Telephone

If emails doesnt work, if meeting face to face doesnt work, a phone conversation is a great fallback. Lack of communication when put into groups in an online course is definitly not good. To make an online course successful for everyone, we all have to communicate effectively in anyway possible and make complete the group work as a team, and as a facilitator or teacher, the grading needs to be done fairly and equally.

Week # 10: Top 3 Computer Internet Skills that Children Should Develop

Research has shown that 3 and 4 year old children who use computers with supporting activities that reinforce the major objectives of the programs have significantly greater developmental gains when compared to children with or without computer knowledge, long term memory, manual dexterity, verbal skills, problem solving, abstraction, and conceptual skills. The benefits of providing computers to kindergarten and primary grade children vary depending upon the kind of computer experiences offered and how frequently children have access to computers. The potential gains for kindergarten and primary children are tremendous, including improved motor skills, enhanced mathematical thinking, increased creativity, higher scores on tests of critical thinking and problem solving. In addition, computers enhance children's self concept, and children demonstrate increasing levels of spoken communication and cooperation. Children then share leadership roles more frequently and develop positive attitudes towards learning.

For our Current Events assignment this week, we were asked to come up with our 

top three computer internet skills we felt were most important that children should develop.

1. Typing Skills: Mastering the basic typing skills will help students type as fast as they think.

There are many free websites and downloads that actually provide online tutoring or tests for people who want to practice and get better at their typing skills.

EX: www.typingtest.com

2. Computer language, Programs, and Shortcuts: Knowing how to use the function keys on the computer, knowing how to use programs such as the applications in Microsoft Office (Word, PPT, Excel, etc.), and the shortcuts to programs needed for class study. 

According to one of our group mates findings during her research, Word Processing is one of the most common activities on a computer! Which if you think about it, is true right! We use word for numerous assignments, reports, class projects, etc.

3. Internet Communication & Safety

We feel that while at school, students must adhere to the school's internet/computer policies and regulations that the administration sets. Computer use while at school should strictly be used for classwork related assignments only. We also feel that many children while at home may be allowed to spend time on the internet with little or no adult supervision and so, as a teacher, we should teach our students about safety while using the internet to help prevent children from the dangers that the world wide web possesses.We must also remind our students that what they post online can affect them and others in various ways and some things may actually not be able to be deleted off the web. Teaching them "netiquette" will keep our children safe because they will know how to properly communicate online to protect themselves, prevent cyber-bullying and privacy concerns.

2.0 WEB TOOL

PREZI IS A PRESENTATION TOOL THAT HELPS YOU ORGANIZE AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS.

Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software and storytelling tool for exploring and sharing ideas on a virtual canvas. Prezi is distinguished by its zooming user interface (ZUI) which enables users to zoom in and out of their presentation media. It allows users to display and navigate through info within a 2.5 D space on the Z-axis. 

Teachers and school systems worldwide-from kindergarten to university-are increasingly employing Prezi to augment and enhance their teaching. In primary education, Prezi is often used as an interactive medium to bridge non-linear exploratory learning and more-linear instructional learning. In higher education, Prezi is sometimes used to present complex thoughts, narratives or other visual information. Prezi can also be used by teachers and students to collaborate on presentations with multiple users having access and the ability to edit the same presentation. Prezi allows students to construct and present their knowledge which appeals to different learning styles. Prezi is also being used in the realms of e-learning. 

Initially developed by co-founder Adam Somlai-Fischer to show large architectural drawings and details, Prezi has many divers applications for the visualisation and presentation of information including:

-Data visualization

-Complex systems, process diagrams, and network diagrams

-In the realm of cognitive sciences, as a mind-mapping tool

-Collaborative design

-Resumes and portfolios

-Ecards and other individual expressions of creativity.

The reason why we like Prezi so much is because it gives a better approach in presenting things. We pretty much all know how to operate powerpoint and have seen it's linear text/picture presentations. Prezi is helping reinvent the art of presentation. Here is a great example

Example: Social Media 101

http://prezi.com/yb_rjdx1rgij/social-media-101/

WEEK 4: PLANNING YOUR CLASSROOM LAYOUT

Planning Your Classroom Layout

 

I believe that the most basic factor that governs the likelihood of students goofing off in a classroom, is their physical distance from your body. Put yourself in the students shoes and remember your own experience; when the teacher was standing right next to you or right in front of you, you "cooled it," and as soon as the teacher was on the farther side of the room, you talked with your friends or started texting on your phone again.

 

The most basic technique for managing the behavior of a group is called "working the audiance" or in this case, "working the crowd." You should definitly take the time to walk around the classroom to let your students know that you are paying attention to what they are doing.

 

The physical layout, on the other hand, can reflect your teaching style. for example, if you want your students to collaborate in small groups, organize them around tables or clusters of desks. If you plan on an individualized, self-paced curriculum, you might set up learning stations. Many teachers prefer to create different areas within the classroom, for example, a classroom might feature a quiet reading corner, a music are, a discussion are, a large table, spaces for messy projects, multimedia spaces, learning stations, and individual work areas. So really, you can be as creative or not as creative as you want to when it comes to your classroom layout.

 

I believe that desk arrangement is very important and that a teacher should definitly keep in mind that it's okay to change the arrangement as often as it is needed. There are also other important factors when it comes to the classroom layout. It's important to keep both well-lit and dimly-lit areas in the classroom and to provide opportunities for the children to move around instead of just sitting in their desks all day. I also think that the use of space can be effective too, for example, using a teaching platform, or having a skit area/puppet theater, to keep the classroom interesting.

 

There are websites such as http://classroom.4teachers.org/ that allow teachers or future teachers to create a cyber like map of what they want their classroom to look like, as far as placement of furniture (desks, tables, chairs, etc.) go. Another website I would suggest looking into is http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1435, which provides tips on planning a "positive environment," links that allow you to create a cyber map of what you want your classroom to look like, pictures of current teachers classrooms to spark ideas, and much more.