Reflective Blog Post

My semester in Intro to Technology for Educators was a little rough. I came into this class thinking it would be an easy A, it certainly was not. Even though I had a rough time, I learned a lot about technology integration in the classroom. I never realized that this integration involved more than just using computers for an assignment. The textbook showed me that technology can go way past an online assignment. The textbook showed me educators have so many resources online to help them in the classroom. I honestly never thought there would be an entire website for Rubrics! Wow! Not only is the technology there to help educators, but the technology is there to help both the students and their parents! If your classroom's parents are tech savvy then they will have a great time being involved with their child's learning experience!

Here is the link to one of my favorite websites this class helped me find! Also the one that surprised me the most!

WOW

This class surprised me in a lot of ways! I was surprised by not only the content I read about but also how easily I could put it into practice. When we were given the collaborative lesson plan project I was very nervous, but we all did a great job at coming together and making a very satisfactory product! Without technology and its wonderful ways of communicating we could not have done that! The discussions were very important also. I believe it is always important to view and respect the opinions of others. I love seeing things from the eyes of others and the discussions in this class helped me broaden my horizons.

This class was nice and a great foundation for a future educator to build upon! I struggled to keep up with this class and work frustrated me. I think it was because I am not as tech savvy as I'd like to think I am! All in all the class has very important content and information that I believe is constantly overlooked!

This video sums up what technology integration is all about! The video clearly shows what technology is for in the classroom and why we should continue to embrace the fast evolving technology in the classroom!

Digital Blog Post J

In school I never realized why I always had to a take "Pre-Test". I always thought Pre-Tests were stupid and a waste of time. Now looking at it in an educator's perspective, I see that assessing students in a topic not yet taught can actually help. When a student takes a Pre-Test, that allows us teachers to see what they already know, and that helps us figure out what to teach and how to teach. Not only does it help teachers, but taking a Pre-Test allows students to see how much they have grown in that area. Looking back, I wish I had taken the time to see how much I knew about the topic beforehand, and how much I knew after. My teachers always told me that the Pre-Tests never counted against me, therefore I did not take them seriously.

In Collier County, some middle schools have started to enforce the use of a digital portfolio. Some students enjoyed having a "digital archive", and  others did not care of to even upload or post anything on to it. Some teachers made "iPortfolio" a requirement for grades on some assignments, other teachers did not care for it either. I interviewed my younger sister and asked her about her experience and opinion on the enforcement of a digital portfolio at her school.

I absolutely loved that the textbook talked about "Teaching with Clickers", my favorite days in school were the days we used the Clickers. Clickers were such an easy way to review content before a chapter test, and to make sure you knew what was being taught. I absolutely loved using clickers in class, because I always worked with one of my classmates and made sure we got the correct answers. Sometimes, teachers allowed our scores with the clickers to replace our lowest quiz scores. The days we had clickers were the days the class was more engaged. Clickers have a way of bringing students together and taking them out of their academic shell.

Cabrera, M. (2016, November 06). IPortfolio

ESL Literacy (2012, March 19). Using Clickers in the ESL literacy classroom Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vbo7gDzuuE

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.

Digital Blog Post J

In school I never realized why I always had to a take "Pre-Test". I always thought Pre-Tests were stupid and a waste of time. Now looking at it in an educator's perspective, I see that assessing students in a topic not yet taught can actually help. When a student takes a Pre-Test, that allows us teachers to see what they already know, and that helps us figure out what to teach and how to teach. Not only does it help teachers, but taking a Pre-Test allows students to see how much they have grown in that area. Looking back, I wish I had taken the time to see how much I knew about the topic beforehand, and how much I knew after. My teachers always told me that the Pre-Tests never counted against me, therefore I did not take them seriously.

In Collier County, some middle schools have started to enforce the use of a digital portfolio. Some students enjoyed having a "digital archive", and  others did not care of to even upload or post anything on to it. Some teachers made "iPortfolio" a requirement for grades on some assignments, other teachers did not care for it either. I interviewed my younger sister and asked her about her experience and opinion on the enforcement of a digital portfolio at her school.

I absolutely loved that the textbook talked about "Teaching with Clickers", my favorite days in school were the days we used the Clickers. Clickers were such an easy way to review content before a chapter test, and to make sure you knew what was being taught. I absolutely loved using clickers in class, because I always worked with one of my classmates and made sure we got the correct answers. Sometimes, teachers allowed our scores with the clickers to replace our lowest quiz scores. The days we had clickers were the days the class was more engaged. Clickers have a way of bringing students together and taking them out of their academic shell.

Cabrera, M. (2016, November 06). IPortfolio

ESL Literacy (2012, March 19). Using Clickers in the ESL literacy classroom Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vbo7gDzuuE

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.

Digital Blog Post H

Powerpoint was always the easiest learning tool my teachers used, the program was easy for educators to relay information and easy for students to get the information. For me, sitting in a seat and solely listening to my teacher or professor talk at me was very difficult. I always needed a visual to help me understand or to stay connected with what was being taught. I will also never forget when powerpoint was first introduced to me back in elementary school. I had to learn its tricks and different themes to show that I was proficient in the program. Since then, Powerpoint was all that I used for any presentation. Recently I've become aware of Google Slides (similar to Powerpoint), and since it is a free program to those with Google accounts, Slides has become my best friend!

In class what do you prefer your teachers using? What's better for your learning style? click the link below and answer the poll!
Powerpoint?

In my senior year of high school I took a class called TV Production. I enjoyed this class so much it made me wish I had taken the class all four years of high school. In this class, I was required to make different videos such as Public Service Announcements, Informercials, Music Videos, Documentaries, or Intros for the School News. I absolutely enjoyed filming and editing all of these videos. The best part of my digital videos was getting to show off what a great product I had done all by myself. I enjoyed digital storytelling so much that I considered going to Film School. I learned so much by making all of my videos. My final for the class was to make a music video and out of all the videos I made that year, this one is the one I had the most fun making!

Sometimes, if I didn't understand something I would try to listen to podcasts to help me learn or comprehend better. Listening to podcasts never helped me at all. Soon enough, I realized that I was a visual learner and that I needed those visual aides to help me and to hook me into the content. Only listening was very hard for me because I just cannot learn through audio. Some students are able learn on just listening and others...not so much. That is why it is aways important to acknowledge every student's learning type!

Cabrera, M. (2016, May). Pizzagraph Retrieved from

Kahoot! | play this quiz now! (2016, October 22). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from Kahoot it, https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/1fb14137-bfe0-4c7c-b63e-9f9efe520e1
 Learning Styles. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://leadingedgetutors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Learning-Styles-243x300.jpg    
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. 

Digital Blog Post H

Powerpoint was always the easiest learning tool my teachers used, the program was easy for educators to relay information and easy for students to get the information. For me, sitting in a seat and solely listening to my teacher or professor talk at me was very difficult. I always needed a visual to help me understand or to stay connected with what was being taught. I will also never forget when powerpoint was first introduced to me back in elementary school. I had to learn its tricks and different themes to show that I was proficient in the program. Since then, Powerpoint was all that I used for any presentation. Recently I've become aware of Google Slides (similar to Powerpoint), and since it is a free program to those with Google accounts, Slides has become my best friend!

In class what do you prefer your teachers using? What's better for your learning style? click the link below and answer the poll!
Powerpoint?

In my senior year of high school I took a class called TV Production. I enjoyed this class so much it made me wish I had taken the class all four years of high school. In this class, I was required to make different videos such as Public Service Announcements, Informercials, Music Videos, Documentaries, or Intros for the School News. I absolutely enjoyed filming and editing all of these videos. The best part of my digital videos was getting to show off what a great product I had done all by myself. I enjoyed digital storytelling so much that I considered going to Film School. I learned so much by making all of my videos. My final for the class was to make a music video and out of all the videos I made that year, this one is the one I had the most fun making!

Sometimes, if I didn't understand something I would try to listen to podcasts to help me learn or comprehend better. Listening to podcasts never helped me at all. Soon enough, I realized that I was a visual learner and that I needed those visual aides to help me and to hook me into the content. Only listening was very hard for me because I just cannot learn through audio. Some students are able learn on just listening and others...not so much. That is why it is aways important to acknowledge every student's learning type!

Cabrera, M. (2016, May). Pizzagraph Retrieved from

Kahoot! | play this quiz now! (2016, October 22). Retrieved October 22, 2016, from Kahoot it, https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/1fb14137-bfe0-4c7c-b63e-9f9efe520e1
 Learning Styles. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from http://leadingedgetutors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Learning-Styles-243x300.jpg    

Digital Blog Post G

The textbook shows a scenario of a teacher who is struggling to meet the individual needs of his students. The book shows a great example of teachers who just want to move on to whatever is next for time's sake. I know many times as a student I would get frustrated because my teachers moved on quickly. I never understood the information or digested it as easily as others did, so naturally I failed some tests and quizzes. One thing educators need to think of when suggesting one on one time is that some students are very intimidated by their teachers. Teachers I believe, should be somewhat of a safe place to students. Students should feel okay to ask the teacher for help and one on one time, instead of silently struggling. Teachers should show a friendly attitude and helping attributes to help the student feel safe in asking questions. For the teacher and students' time together, they should feel comfortable enough to have that needed one on one time.

One thing most people don't realize is that, teachers learn from their students as well. There are often situations where teachers have had to learn a couple of words in a different language to talk to some of their students. It is not always students learning from their teachers but we as well can learn from out students. One time in the fourth grade, my teacher learned a couple of words in Creole to speak to one of my classmates. I always thought it was so cool that my Cuban teacher knew some words in Creole. In most cases teachers use different online resources to help them learn the new language.

My fourth grade teacher often times told my Haitian classmate to calm down and to "chita". Took me a while to figure out what it meant BUT google translate did help me. Click the link below to help  you figure out what chita means!

chita!

Assistive technology varies in it's forms. One specific form I would love to talk about are little machines that help verbally impaired students and or people in general. These machines are very useful when the person would love to communicate or get their point across. In the video below, the machine used is called "DynoVox", which helps her communicate to her family and others around her. In some of the special classes that I have volunteered in, some students use an iPad or Tablet, which served the same purpose. The student chooses and presses on what they want to say and the machine says it for them. I have always loved the idea of this form of assistive technology only because I would hate to think so much all the time and not be able to say what I want.

Assistive Technology in Action - Meet Elle. (2012, September 28). Retrieved October 16, 2016, from https://youtu.be/g95TO20hnmo

Cabrera, M. J. (2016, October 16). Teacher & Student [Photograph].

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. 

Digital Blog Post D

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/9f152bf1-c8fd-46f1-b59e-1f31adfbe18     Google has become the most popular Search Engines world wide. Not only does Google provide the ability to search anything at any time, but it provides a series of services. For example I use Google Drive, Slides, and Docs. Google basically provides a free word processor to those with a Google account. With Google's search engine, you can choose to use an "Advanced Search" to remove anything not related to what you are searching from the results. "Advanced Search" can be very useful to students who need to really hit the topic of their essay prompts. I really enjoy Google for various reasons. I don't have any reliable place to save photos, documents, or forms other than Google Drive. Drive lets me save anything I would like and my items are completely protected.


Google Service Poll!

     Growing up, Wikipedia was the one website I was NOT allowed to use for research. Wikipedia can be very resourceful and handy, but it can also be edited by anyone. The fact that Wikipedia can provide altered information from anyone on the internet is the reason I was not allowed to use it. My teachers did not trust Wikipedia and they thought I would learn facts that were false or facts that could harm me in my essay writing. At one point I was very confused, because some of my teachers loved Wikipedia and others absolutely hated it! Personally, I loved Wikipedia, but only for the sole reason of looking up familiar TV stars and see what other TV shows they appeared in. I rarely used Wikipedia for any school projects.
     In middle school and high school, I always had trouble citing my information in and out of text. Even now I still have trouble with citing my information! In high school, I was always accused of plagiarism, but in fact I just didn't know how to cite or make a bibliography. I don't think I was ever really taught the correct way to cite. Plagiarism is when you copy information from someone else's work and claim it as your own work. This goes hand in hand with cheating...if you try to pass off someone else's work as yours that is definitely cheating! I never plagiarized in high school or middle school, the moment I found out it was illegal, I was scared straight!

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.

Digital Blog Post C

When it comes to teaching, of course there are different actions and steps Educators take to instruct the best way they can. The textbook mentions “Teacher-Centered Approach” and “Student-Centered Approach”. These are methods of teaching and while they are different, they are both very effective. Teacher-Centered Approach is more hard facts, and teaching the same thing to every student so they all understand the same way. This approach is more instructing, and giving out the information.This is a more broad, all across the board type of teaching. No special tactics for different types of learning

    The Student-Centered Approach is more of extending the content and giving the students a way to engage and connect to the content. This method of teaching is more likely to be fixed or altered according to the group of students. When the students find a way to connect to the information given to them they tend to remember and keep that information stored in their head. The Student-Centered approach also helps the students find other ways of learning and they begin to think creatively

.

Teacher-Centered Approaches	Student-Centered Approaches
A view that learning is hard.	A view that learning is a natural process.
Learning happens best when content is broken down into small units of instruction.	Learning is best when content is integrated into real-world, problem-solving tasks and activities.
Whole-group instruction.	Whole-group, small group, and one-on-one instruction.
Seatwork by individual students.	Cooperative learning and group projects.
Discussions focusing on factual-recall answers.	Discussions stressing many possible solutions to problems.
Assessments based on worksheets, quizzes, and tests.	Assessments based on students’ projects, performances, and portfolios.

Watch this video on Teacher Feedback!

          Teacher feedback has been going on for years! Students submit an assignment, their teacher writes a comment or two, and is then handed back to the student. Students can either ignore their teacher or learn from their teacher. Feedback is one of the very effective ways students have gotten the opportunity to learn from their mistakes! The modern way of turning in assignments has made giving and receiving feedback a lot easier. Students now turn in their essays, or any other assignments online and they can have access to contacting their teacher without having to see them face to face. Teachers can now edit their students’ papers and e-mail the paper back to them on the same day.

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.

Digital Blog Post B

One section of the textbook talks about "Identifying Groups of Technology Users", the groups are actually kind of funny. I never thought about categorizing people based on their technological understanding. I like to think of myself as Digital Collaborator, this means that I have "online and mobile technology always ready to share information with others." I am always accessing some type website or photo to share with my family members. My mother on the other hand, claims she is an expert with her iPhone, but in reality she is a Desktop Veteran. My mother loves to use her Desktop computer for work, emails, online shopping, and Facebook. When its comes to her phone...texting and calling only. After reading this section I've been looking at the people around me and trying to figure out what category they fall under. If you're curious to see what category you fall under, look at the slideshow below!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10r-nfdjRjcxXO-vok0lxJ8XIGGnElCHnLTjc-EHUzeU

In the book, I read something that I always noticed in high school. My classes that were usually 90 minutes long always involved cutting the class into two sections. First section was learning material, and my teachers lecturing. The second half involved us using laptops or going to the computer lab to put what we used into practice. My shorter 45 minute classes were always more auditory and visual learning. The teachers lectured, or showed us videos and PowerPoints.  The teachers with shorter class time value the small time they have. They do not want to waste the little time they have with having to deal with technological issues. I remember my teachers always got so angry when a laptop didnt work, because that meant not everyone could participate or turn in a certain assignment. Basically, their time was wasted and they called themselves "Temporary Tech Support".

 Another form of categorizing people based on how tech savvy they are is dividing them into Digital Natives or Digital Immigrants. People born before 1980 are digital immigrants. They are immigrants in the technology world, because they are used to different means of communication or means of getting information. Whereas, Digital Natives are people born after 1980, these people were born into the world of instant messaging and interactive websites. I am obviously a Digital Natives and my parents are Digital Immigrants, recently learning the new cultures of instant messaging and web searches. I always have to help my parents fix something on their phone or the desktop computer. Technology comes almost as a second nature to me and to people my age.

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.

Cabrera, M (2016, September 11). Identifying Groups of Technology Users. Created with Google Slides www.google.com/slides 

Digital Badge #A - Chapter 1

  In recent times, most families have various forms of technology in their homes. These families most likely have at least a single computer and probably more than one TV per household. The advances in technology have really made an impact on children, therefore giving them "digital childhoods"(Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf, 2013, p. 3). Watching TV has been a regular activity for kids for quite some time now. Networks like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel have TV shows to help kids develop useful skills. Nick JR which broadcasts in the morning on weekdays has shows like Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer for younger viewers. When I was younger my first language was Spanish, but the more I viewed English television the more prepared I was to enter Kindergarten speaking fluent English. Although watching Dora explore unfamiliar lands with her sidekick "Boots" was fun, is it more helpful to learn from the TV or by being taught from a parent or a guardian? Would learning and education mean more to a child if it were embedded into them by someone close to them?
 The video shown below talks about parent's involvement in their child's development and how TV and current technology could harm their development.

  The idea of a Technology-Based Library sounds fun, and helpful. It is incredible to know that there are databases out there on any subject I would ever require as an educator. The issue of "harmful information" that was stated in the book still stands. Not all information on the internet is reliable and teachers will need to use other online tools and resources to assess the information given (Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf, 2013, p. 8). False information is not the only problem with receiving information or lesson plans from the online libraries. In high school many teachers handed out worksheets printed off of the internet. This led to students searching the exact name of the worksheet and finding the corresponding answers to the questions given to them on said worksheets. Some students were caught and others walked away free, BUT this still affected the class negatively and caused the teachers to believe that the students are understanding. This was the students' way of going around learning to just get a decent grade.
  One thing I did notice while being a middle school and high school student, is that in certain classes the access to technology is required and some students do not have that access. The completion of some assignments or tasks that are being asked of them can be nearly impossible. Lower income families are not able to connect to high speed internet access, giving us a "digital divide" (Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf, 2013, p. 4). I struggled to complete various tasks teachers asked of me because of the lack of technological resources in my home at the time. Schools and their teachers should show their students their different resources available (like the school library or public library) to help those students who aren't so technologically advanced due to their income. The link below gives a more indepth look at the digital divide involving low income families.
Digital Responsibilty

Maloy, R. W., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2013). Transforming Learning With New Technologies (2nd ed.). Pearson College Div.