Just as you have been asked to reflect on your process through the various components of the course, we are asking you to now reflect on how we can make the experience more valuable and useful to our Ed Tech students (who happen to be the best!).

We know we asked you before what worked and what could have been better, but now that you have reached the finale, are there any further suggestions and ideas for future iterations of EDUC-511?

We appreciate your comments and feedback!


As a student of teaching I have wanted to know how technology is used in schools. If there were more examples of this presented in the Ed Tech program I believe it would be a great benefit to students. I am a digital native (have known how to use computer tech for more than 20 years) and have an easier time bridging the gap between what I know and learn of tech and how it can be used effectively in the classroom. I have noticed that teachers without the benefit of experience with tech have a great deal of trouble understanding how it can benefit their classroom.

Knowing how to apply the Raw Tech to the classroom curriculum is where the differences will be made that improve instruction to students. That is what I will strive for when I get a teaching job. I already understand how my Ed Tech classes can improve art instruction in high school. I would like to learn some effective and efficient applications of tech for all the grades. If something is successful in the lower grades I can take advantage of the prior experience of the student's experience.

I thought the use of Acrobat was incredible. I will use that as a stable communication between myself, other faculty, parents, and students. It is universal and capable. Information can be accessed from a great variety of resources if the student population doesn't have the money for personal computers.

The only aspect that I think would improve the class (511) and the entire program is a realistic application of tech to the classroom.

What types of activities and assignments do you like to do the best?

I enjoyed researching how technology works and determining how I can use it in the classroom.
For example this blog tech can be used as a communication platform between teachers and
students or students and students. Of course security and appropriate language would have to
be taken into consideration. The assignment I enjoyed the most would have to be learning
Acrobat Reader over the course of the class.

Which class interactions have been the most enjoyable for you in this class - synchronous, asynchronous, or face-to-face? Why?

I enjoy the face to face the most due to the efficiency of communication. Chatting online is all well and good, however the indirect communication through the keyboard is not to my preference. Asynchronous is nice when I need to get work done.

Web Search

I searched for "vocabulary builders" on these engines:
Google -
All the Web -
Ask - I recieved 274,100 results. I first noticed this engine gave me results that I can use in the classroom. They were directed towards kids and the classroom.
Pros: I liked the fact that Ask.com gave me the opportunity to narrow and expand my search if I did not like what initially showed up. I looked through the images offered by Ask.com and noticed books that could assist vocabulary building.
Cons: I like Ask.com so I have not found cons yet. It might be considered a con if the city link did not come up with any locations to find vocabulary building materials.

Alta Vista -
I came up with 780,000 results.
Pros: I found links to worldwide and USA locations to find information. Results are presented simply and in more abundance than Ask.com. I don't usually go past the first five pages to find information. I use a refined search as opposed to looking through 20 some odd pages. I found links and options to display links in other languages and from other languages. This would be helpful to students that need language support while learning english.
Cons: I would like a suggested refined search link. I am partial to search engines doing the work for me like Ask.com.

Excite -
I came up with 64 hits.
Pros: I like the page navigation at the top right hand corner of the page frame. Excite offers suggestions for searches. There are links to the yellow and white pages for further information. Information is presented in a neat and orderly fashion.
Cons: I didn't get any suggestions from my vocabulary builders search. I have to initiate another search to find any images and media. I get limited results from my search.

Parellels:
Vivisimo -
I got 15 million results. A nice thorough number that I will never be able to flip through.
Pros: A nice, neat interface that offers quick intuitive clicking spaces for efficient navigation. Clustered results serve specific informational links up to me if I am interested in jumping directly to a specialized source ( downloads, activities, commercial products, and relevant media).
Cons: Too much information is offered. This is an epidemic of most search engines. I don't think I could look through it all if I had all weekend. I frequently refine my searches to avoid getting lost in an overgrown forest of results.
MetaCrawler -
I got 92 results.
Pros: I like the limited results that I recieved because I can look through them efficiently. I can restrict my results to specific search engines.
Cons: I have a positive opinion of metacrawler. I would like to see suggested refinements to my search.
Dogpile -
I got 91 results.
Pros: Easy to use interface similar to metacrawler. Nice amount of results that someone can look through with out losing a significant amount of sanity. A link to add the search engine to firefox.
Cons: There were not suggestions to refine my search.

Vision Statement

School visions have several components, including the following:

• A vision features a compelling picture or image of what the school can become in the future.
• A vision is feasible and attainable.
• A vision is connected to and articulates deeper values and hopes for the future.
• A vision needs to be translated into actions and plans that can be and are implemented.
• A vision will die if it is not regularly communicated. Putting a mission statement into a drawer will achieve nothing and might be counterproductive.

www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidewww/vision.htm

www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidewww/howwill.htm

Where Do You Want To Go?

In this module you have spent some time focusing on the importance of articulating your educational vision. For this journal entry use the Web site we visited from NCRTEC at www.ncrtec.org/capacity/guidewww/vision.htm to more fully develop your vision for your professional practice. Please use the two major bullet points along with the subpoints as a guide.

A word of caution: this is harder to do than you might initially think when asked to write in a concise manner. We can talk fairly easily about what we want to do in our professional work, but it is much more difficult when putting it in writing. Take your time - and revisit it over several days before submitting the final version.

Here are some guiding questions about your practice that can help frame your Educational Vision statement and defining your goals and values for your students as well as yourself. We discussed these in our face-to-face meeting.

1. What is my professional practice?

My professional practice focuses on student comprehension. Based on the research in multiple intelligences and direct instruction I will aim to aide students in personal comprehension of the curricular content presented in my class. I will implement accurate and meaningful assessment that will help in determining the effective use of my teaching practices.

2. What are the values that are important to me as an educator?

The values I believe are important as an educator are effective and meaningful instruction followed by intense practice by the student and accurate assessment.

3. How do I want to improve my professional practice?

I wish to effectively implement my skills with technology and visual communication.

4. What are some possible research questions I can ask about my practice?

I would like to know how effective my practices are and how to make them more meaningful and effective. I want to find out how to implement effective comprehension and understanding aides to make my classroom a more productive environment for students.

Email your completed Vision Statement in a word document to me by Tuesday, October 2. Please focus your statement on YOU, not your whole school, and try to be succinct. Think about your vision for you as a teacher personally, think about your vision for your students, and think about your vision for your parents. Your statement should be no more than three paragraphs total.

Once your paper has been approved, convert the document into a PDF and post it to the doc sharing area here in our virtual classroom. (Make sure you share your document with the entire class.) This will provide the opportunity for us to share with each other what we deem important to us in our professional work.

Problem Statement

1. Identify your research question

How can I use technology to appropriately automate and assist students in their
personal educational journey. I would like to make every effort and implement
all of my resources to offer students every opportunity to gain advanced
comprehension skills.

1. Explore what others have already found out

In my walk through this program I have come across a great amount of helpful
research by leading educators. I have and plan to continue implementing
resources and teaching techniques aligned with the results of current educational
research.

1. Define how you will introduce your intervention into your practice and determine your method of data collection

I will implement what I have learned through a project that will be an aide for vocabulary comprehension. Data collection will happen through assessments I
give students determining their successful vocabulary comprehension.

1. Areas of my practice that are possible explorations -

The greatest application for this project will be through story vocabulary. This

project can also be applied to any area of comprehension that benefits from

visual, kinesthetic, or auditory learning styles.

2. Potential Research Questions:

• What... Increased (vocabulary, concept) comprehension.
  
• Will...
  
• How... Learning aides that capitalize on the visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learning preferences.
  
• To what extent... I would implement the successful aspects of this project throughout my curriculum.
  
• In what ways..

3. Strategies to implement to answer the question.

The major strategies I would use to implement a study and learning aide such as this would be in my direct instruction, independent and group practice by the student, and as an assessment of student progress. Implementation would be an ongoing process cycling until the student achieved the goals of the lessons this project is or will be a part.

4. How will I collect data to answer the Question? What data sources will I use?

I will collect data through ongoing assessment of student comprehension. More specifically I will use running records and traditional quizzes and examinations. I will also keep a vigilant eye out as an informal assessment of whether students understand the vocabulary or concept presented through this project.

Problem Reflection

Teachers rely on many resources and tools as they move through their instructional day. As you think on these things, honestly evaluate your own "teacher toolbox." What do you draw from when you are working with your students? What areas would you like to strengthen? Is there a new area that you would like to explore?


I try to draw on as many resources as I can to get the concept across to my students. To a great extent I strive to have my teacher toolbox full of every resource to complete the goal of imparting understanding to my students. If the most effective tool is technologically advanced or low tech realia the result needs to be student comprehension. I have explored most all areas and found the most effective tools are those implemented on a regular basis and in an efficient manner. The use of technology seems to help in many content areas of the classroom, but rarely have I seen it implemented effectively. I would like to strive towards an effective and efficient implementation of all my tools.

Now that I am here

now that I have enrolled in the Educational Technology Program, what are the expectations of myself and the program

My expectations have been to better my knowledge of the capabilities of technology and how I can use those capabilities in my teaching. I have been able to work my learning into my teaching with each successive class as well as further my own extensive knowledge of technology.