In the first section called "Evaluating Teachers", they tell you how the evaluation for teachers are done. Once you become a teacher, there is many ways that they get evaluated such as taking competency test or doing field observations. But besides those, they can also get evaluated by how they perform inside their classroom. Someone might come in and observe a teacher to see how and what they're doing. They're making sure you have the correct structure, you're following standards and that you have lesson plans. But just as a teacher gets evaluated, students do as well by their teachers. Students can get evaluated by their homework, journals, group projects and even self assessments.
The next section is called "Online Surveys for Preassessment". Preassessments are assessments done before introducing a new topic or lesson. Some example of assessments may be asking questions about the new topic you will teach or having them write a prompt or even doing a survey. Online surveys is an easy and fast way to get students involved, as a class, using their hand held devices. It also makes them feel more open to answering questions because their names or numbers don't pop up when they answer. For example, if you wanted to use an online survey, Kahoot is a start! You create your own survery with your own questions and you can also add pictures if you'd like! As a teacher, you can also go back and look at the results from your students so you can see where they're at on that topic.
Credit to ClkerFreeVectorImages on Pixabay
The last section is "Reason for Teaching with Clickers". I remember back in middle school, we had clickers and I loved using them as a student. Another way to take a quiz or a test in a more "tech savy" way would be using clickers. Each student has their own clicker that's numbered. The questions are on the board and when you have your answer, you click the button that matches your answer on your clicker and it shows on the board that you answered it. So then now you wait until your whole class is finished. Once done, you will see a bar graph of how many students answered certains answers and who was correct. This is also another great way to get students involved without feeling that students will know if they got the answer correct or wrong. It also engages active learning, student involvement, real-time feedback and question-driven instruction.
Resources:
- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
In chapter 4, the first section I tumbled upon was 'Technology Integration Stages and Issues'. In order to integrate technology the "correct way", you have to have experience. It's not something you go to school for and get a degree in. For teachers to make lessons and activities "fun", they have to know what they're doing and exactly how to integrate technology to liven it up. If a teacher uses technology, they might be defined as someone who makes informed choices, explores technology or promotes change. Technology isn't something to easily get use to if you have always taught without it before. But technology in classrooms is used in a lot of schools so I think we all should get on board with it.
The next section is called "Stages of Technology Integration". One of the first steps to integrate technology in a classroom, you as the teacher, have to know where you stand in one of these five stages: Entry which is when teachers are beginning to learn technology. Adoption which is when teachers have already blended some tech in their classrooms. Adaptation which is when teachers are fully adapting tech in their classrooms. Appropriation is when teachers are using tech inside the classroom, as well as outside the classroom. And lastly, invention is when teachers start experimenting with new tech inside and outside the classroom and start emerging tech into personal professional skills and practices. So once you have chosen where you are at as a teacher, the goal is to eventually get to the invention stage. Integrating technology in classroom is shown to prove that students improve problem-solving and collaboration skills along with many other skills.
The last section is "Technology Integration Issues". While we introduce something new to students, such as technology, we will always some has issues we have to work around. To start off, if you chose to integrate technology, it's best to have the support of your administrators and many resources! If a teacher is used to a 'teacher-centered' classroom, it may be difficult to get them to let the computer teach or help them teach lessons. As well as having them integrate technology at all in the classroom. Another problem I personally see in my Kindergarten classroom is students try to rush and finish work without effort to get on a computer and iPad and that can and it is an issue. If a student rushes work and it's easily noticed, I will send them back to their seat to finish it correctly and for that day, they won't be able to get onto a computer or an iPad. I know technology is very helpful to students as they learn, but students also have to realize that we can not always rely or "play" with technology. That is definitely another issue as well as teachers integrate technology into their classrooms.
Resources:
- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
In chapter 6, I read the section called 'Webquest and Virtual Field Trips'. In this small section, they mention how to get students into learning in a different approach. One way to do that would be creating a Webquest. A webquest is an online "lesson" where your teacher creates a lesson and you have to complete it via internet. Since we did one for this class, it was much easier to understand the process behind it. In the end, I can see how it can helps students who don't like the paper form of work and turn it into a project that's much more interactive. Webquests are meant to be meaningful and also useful the same way it would be in a classroom if you did it by the book and with worksheets. Personally, a webquest would be more effiecent in a higher level classroom.
Credit to DariszSankowski at Pixabay
The following section "videoconferencing" is similar to a "virtual field trip". Videoconferencing is when a group of students, or even a classroom, video chat with another classroom in a different location. By doing this, it can help students get involved with different students in the same age group. It can also help the teachers interact and give feedback on what they're doing in the classroom. For example, my school has a dual language program and K-1 have half a day in English and the other half in Spanish. Last week we had a video conference with another classroom in Palm Beach and the experience is amazing. It's an eye opener and also very nice to have that interaction with teachers and students who are also doing the same content we are.
The last section 'Educational Websites as Teaching Resources' mentions lots of helpful websites. For example, they list "lesson plan" websites to help a teacher makes lesson plans and they also mention "skills/practice" websites. In my classroom, we use "skills/practice" websites to help with centers. An example of a "skills/practice" website would be www.abcya.com. While the teacher and I meet in small groups, students alternate in centers and going on this website on the computer is one of them. But there is many websites besides the one I mentioned that could be used in a classroom. There is many other websites that can also help with exploration and discovery and with science/math work as well.
Resources:
- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
- Cruz, Danielle. November 4, 2015. Untitled Banner. Piktochart.com
