Claudia's EME2040 Blog

For my second Individual Learning Project, I decided to play around with Prezi. I have only used it once before so I did not have much experience with it, but using it for this project has been interesting. I am used to using Google Slides and PowerPoint so using something a little different than those two software was weird. It was like a simplified version of the two with a lot more unique options to choose from for templates and ways to present content. I found that a lot of the templates matched well with many of the topics people present on, which made creating a presentation of Freud's Iceberg of Personalities more interesting. For this project, I wanted to create a presentation on something that interested me and was not related so much to education, like my last project. In using Prezi, I was able to create a presentation with a background that matched the topic that I had searched. I experimented with the types of slides for the content I put in and the colors used for t...

As a kindergarten or first grade teacher, I will need to use tools like Microsoft Excel to keep track of the students grades. Using an online spreadsheet would be more effective than a physical grade-book. With an online spreadsheet, corrections can be easily made and saved, information would not have to be completely erased to be fixed, and can be accessed anywhere. It can be used for more information than just grades. I would be able to use it keep track of student and parent contact information. This way I will be able to store important things without worrying about losing them easily. ClassDojo is another reporting tool that I found many teachers use in their classrooms. With ClassDojo, teachers can create their own classroom rules and give or take away points on a students behavior. Parents are able to see these changes on their phones using the ClassDojo app. This is a quick and easy way for parents to see how their child is doing in class and can see the feedback the teacher is...

In a flipped classroom, instead of the traditional scene where the student sits and listens to a lecture then goes home to do homework, the student watches a prerecorded video lecture for homework the day before. The concept of a flipped classroom began with lectures being recorded for absent students and expanded from there. Since the students have already listened to the lecture, when they get to the classroom, they are able to become active learners and do hands-on work. This will help them understand and learn in a way that is more modern and a lot less boring than just listening to a teacher speak for a really long time. I think that flipped classrooms are a really cool but I think there could be some downsides to them. Knowing students, they would be too lazy to listen to the lecture and would not know what to do the next day which would cause that individual to be behind. Other than that, I see no problem with having a flipped classroom.  "Open" terms mentioned ...

Through individual efforts, I found that there area lot of discussion forums for teachers and students to use. What I found interesting was that there were a wide variety of forums for many different situations, subjects, and topics within those subjects that allow for more in-depth conversation on interesting areas. It is something I could see myself and other teachers using to get new ideas or see what other teachers have to say on a subject. It basically gives a fresh perspective that I and another teachers at my school might not have. From using Diigo and viewing bookmarks, I learned a little more about websites I already knew existed but never looked into. Some platforms for communication and sharing aren't always immediately thought of as resources for teachers and are typically more informal ways to communicate. So seeing those really opened my eyes to other possible uses. I also noticed some websites that were specifically for updating teachers on technology or teaching s...

On my own, I learned that there are so many different types of learners that I never really thought of because I didn't see them in my time as a student. I never had any classmates with major learning disabilities. As a teacher, I know that I will have to be able to recognize when a student is having more trouble with learning than the rest of my students. I learned that there are more technologies and software than just audio recorders and text-to-speech. From the presentations made by my peers, I learned that there are a multitude of new ways diverse learners can be helped. I learned that there are tools for reading such as reading guides and books that can be printed in Braille. For writing there are tools such as pencil weights and grips that make it easier for children to write. There are also sticky keys that help children type if their motor skills aren't as fast as other students. Other ways diverse students can learn is using technology such as an iPad to play educat...

There are a lot of new technologies that were made to accommodate learners with disabilities . A few for those that are fully blind or on their way to being fully blind are audio players and software such as text-to-speech that read out what is on a child's screen. They could also use audio recorders if they have trouble writing notes so that they can record their teacher's lessons. Another cool tool for children that have trouble focusing while reading are reading guides. Reading guides are when a book is read aloud and the words being read are highlighted, so it helps them focus on the words. Adaptive devices just help children learn in a way that is easier for them since the way people normally learn, isn't always so easy. I have never used adaptive technology and I do not think that I know someone that does. I feel like the pace classes go would be faster than the pace the adaptive technology can go. I wouldn't say its a burden but I haven't experienced much ...

Through individual efforts, I learned about a website that allows students to take learning to a whole new level. It allowed students to work at a pace that is beneficial to them, to do projects and use technology to record and submit the projects. Teachers are able to give immediate feedback and control the standards. It also allows parents to see their child's progress immediately too. It is an incredible tool that seems to be more student-centered, which tend to be pretty effective. What did you learn today viewing the bookmarks and annotations of others? When viewing the bookmarks and annotations of others, I realized that my peers see things a lot differently than I do. Sometimes I find that they see the uses for software and websites a lot differently than I do. Other times they annotate and highlight information I would've never thought to even look at or find useful. So being able to see what other people do on Diigo has been an eye-opening experience.

Using a "professional" twitter has been a positive experience. I have been able to see my peers different perspectives on similar topics and was able to find out about many teacher productivity resources through their tweets. I have also followed a few accounts that tweet updates on the use of technology in classrooms. The accounts I follow tweet everything education related, from game-based learning to protecting digital native students from cyber-bullying.  Twitter has helped me find several important websites that teachers are already using in their classrooms that have made it easier to keep students focused.  Although it is usually not used for education purposes, I have many links to helpful sites and perspectives on all kinds of topics at my fingertips. It is such an easy way to communicate with educators all around the world. I have never created a web page before so this is a totally new experience for me. I've had some difficulties doing all the assignment ...

Individual Learning Project Activity Log ILP “Participation”- Understanding Classroom Interaction MOOC. October 1: Module 1 Finally found a MOOC that related to the career I wanted to pursue. Began MOOC and worked on Module 1,  which was about classroom interaction, types of questions teachers ask their students and different forms of communication in the classroom. Greetings (ways you say hello and goodbye to different people): I will always say hello or maybe say it in spanish for any hispanic students. Names and nicknames you use for yourself and others: I probably wouldn’t use any nicknames for myself but if a student is more comfortable will being called by their nickname, then I will address them that way. Ways of addressing the professor and each other: The students should address me as Ms.Berroa and with respect. Popular culture references (TV, Social Media, Music, Movies, etc.): I might use social media, movies or music references to relate to m...

Claudia Berroa and Jazmin Murillo Mrs. McMahon Class Website Contrast The contrast is good. The background is white and allows for the text with darker fonts to easily be seen. Blue links also stand out, can be found quickly and do not clash with the white background.  Repetition The same font was used through-out the website so there would not be any confusion from the students or parents reading the website. The tabs, text, and links area consistent font.  Alignment The simple alignment makes it all easy to read. Similar elements are aligned and separated to represent a visual connection. Proximity All links and tabs are separate from the main text and are grouped with their similar elements to keep organization.  Again, easy to read and visually pleasing. 

Through the use of Diigo, I was able to see different kinds of  articles, software and applications that are beneficial to both teachers and students. I found software and articles I probably would have never found on my own through Diigo. It encourages collaboration and communication through annotations and comments. They help other students see other people's opinion on the same article they read and help them understand their thought process. It also allows students to share sources that they know can help someone else. Diigo can be used by teachers to share sources and ideas for new educational games, lesson plans, and other things that can be used in the classroom. I can see myself using Diigo in the future and might introduce it to my future students. It is really easy to use and very helpful.

I could not find a school that had course pages written by teachers but I did find a school that provided summaries of each course. Middleton High School has a pdf  on their website with all kinds of information on things such as how many credits students need to graduate and what classes they have the option to take. The school publicly provides information such as how many credits a course is and what the overall objective of the class is. Some subjects even include what materials might be needed. As an educator, I will have to be organized and precise with my responsibilities such as grading and lesson notes. I will also have to be able to effectively communicate with my colleagues. Using technology can sometimes be better than documenting lessons on paper. If my lesson plans and grades are documented on paper, there will be more room for error. Technology makes planning less difficult and word processed plans are much easier to revise. Another way technology can be more u...

Web 2.0 tools that would be useful in the classroom would be YouTube because it has plenty of videos that can be used for educational purposes such as tutorials and simulations. Twitter could be used specifically for a class as a way to share ideas with your peers and send feedback.  Blogs are also Web 2.0 tools that can be used in a classroom setting to keep track or log experiences with classmates and share what has been learned in an easy way. Diigo is another resource used by classes to bookmark useful websites and share them with other members in the class. It allows students to write short notes and descriptions about the website and the tags make it super easy to find a website you're looking for. Out of these tools, twitter could be the least effective because students could very easily become distracted and follow accounts that are not relevant to the course. One web 2.0 tool that I most likely will use while teaching would be MangaHigh. Its a free website that makes lea...

Just saw @allyballybee16 blog post about the use of SmartBoards in classrooms. Good stuff! #FSUEdTech — Claudia Berroa (@claudiabteachin) October 3, 2017

My Twitter experience so far has been a positive one. I have followed a few teachers and fellow students and they have given me so much insight on where I can find resources for my future students to effectively learn and they have shown me new software that I could use to teach my students. It is also an easy way to communicate with others to find new ideas or to ask for help when you do not understand something. In my future career, I could have my students summarize what they learned that day in a tweet, conduct an anonymous poll, and get opinions from other teachers.   A student with more access to technology might be more prepared and confident in their ability to use technology throughout their years in school and will more likely be able to apply the skills they already know when it comes to college and whatever future career they choose. Family income and region have a lot to do with the digital divide. A student that lives in a rural area and lives in a low inc...

Feeling The Fall Feeling The Fall  is a lesson that allows students to use their senses to describe the season of fall and shows them how to work cooperatively and practice fluency. http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/47388 When I become an educator, I would like to teach the first grade. Although I do believe that using technology in the classroom is a good idea, I do not believe that it should be used as often as older students may use it. This lesson is a good way to teach students how to use their senses to describe the world around them as well as teach them about the characteristics of fall. Technology is not incorporated as much as other lessons but that might be what I like about it. It allows students to be creative and use their expression to make connections. Students will also have to write about the fall season and use technology to publish their writing. One resource I can use with my students to publish their writing is KidBlog, which is a...

I think the ELA standards I will be most prepared to teach based on my existing knowledge would be "Multimedia:" literature, Integrate and Evaluate, Vocabulary, and Using Digital Media. I'm better at teaching and learning things that have to do with reading and writing while the ELA standards that deal heavily with math, science, history, and technology are not my strong suit. So the standards that would require more learning on my part would be multimedia for history and science. One software I would use while teaching would be Poll Everywhere, especially in my first years of teaching so that I will be able to find out what my students like and do not like about my teaching so that I will be able to make changes and make my teaching more effective. Although the application is used more for inspiration for food, clothing, and DIY projects, I think that Pinterest would be a good way to find educational games and projects with my students. I will also have to teach my stu...

While I was in high school, the school board recommended that students use Microsoft Word to do all of our essays and assignments. I have seen more teachers use it than students but it was mostly used to have written instructions for the day on the board.   For the most part, my teachers never cared whether we used Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Google Docs was easier for me to learn how to use and it was a lot more convenient, especially for group projects, because it made sharing documents and working simultaneously so much more efficient.  Many times while doing an essay or a report and evidence is found online or in a book, we forget to cite the source we received the information from. Copyright is serious and must be taken into account when finding evidence.  As a teacher, I will have to create my own teaching material and I will have to show my students how to create their own work. I expect myself and my students to look to other people's work for exam...

Hey! I created a professional twitter account. You should check out my tweets and follow me. https://twitter.com/claudiabteachin

Teachers must be able to use technology in the classroom to teach the generation of students that will be using it all their lives unlike the teachers who weren't exposed to it right away. They have to effectively prepare students for their future and they cannot do that if they cannot keep up with recent technology. Students all learn different ways and have different personalities. Some might need more review or one-on-one time than others. Educational technology provides that kind of reinforcement. There are programs and games that will further explain what students may not fully understand. The ISTE standards for educators consist of the many roles a teacher must take on to effectively teach students of the 21st century. As a teacher, I must also become a learner by exploring new ways to teach and find new ways to improve student learning. I must also show leadership skills that will lead to student success for all types of learners. Teachers will have to show students how th...