Updated Practicum Hours for EDLD 5363 Dec 2013

I have been steadily working since last June to get many of my hours completed.  I have interviewed several key personal in the Central Offices of the Clear Creek ISD and on my campus.  I will have complete 60 hours as of January 6, 2014, after I instruct a staff development session at Bayside Intermediate.  In Feb. 2014, I have been selected to hold a session on Physics in the Classroom where I will co-present with a science teacher on my campus.  I know that in 10 Weeks I will need the 75 hours to be able to continue with my program and determined to have it done early.  No surprises for me.   

Video Conference Reflection for Multimedia Video Technology EDLD 5363

For EDLD 5363 I logged into the weekly video conference to understand what was needed from me. The assignments can be a little confusing with me not being sure what to submit and where.  I turned in an assignment late accidentally, because it was redundant to what I had put in the discussion area that week.  It cost me 5 points, not a lot in the total, but I expect more from myself.  Having the video conference is good, but it is mostly to clarify directions given in the assignments and not for enriching the class. Having directions for the assignments that are consistent and coherent for the assignments would allow the  video conference to be more beneficial to all of the students. I have to admit that the video conference is intimidating to ask questions in, as if can be frustrating for the Prof to have to respond in different manners to allow all students to understand, having the other students explain what they understood creates better understanding also.One of the things I would like to see, especially with TK20 submissions, is screenshots or sharing the desktop when explaining where and how to submit items. I did learn a lot in the class and appreciate the effort put into it, these suggestions are meant only to help the next set of students taking the class.

Reflection of Multimedia Video Technology - EDLD 5363

In Multimedia Video Technology, EDLD 5363 I have been immersed into the usage of video, audio, graphics and the combination of these to create original educational projects that are published via the Internet. The projects had to communicate to multiple types of audiences and be available in a variety of media types from podcast to an edited group video.

Each project we were required to produce meant time spent planning, communicating and executing skills that as a group we were building. We gained experience through using different programs. Each group member shared knowledge and skills with the group allowing for enhanced learning to occur.

The projects required us to understand the Creative Commons that protects our work while allowing for use of it to others as we desire.  Keeping the copyright laws in mind while allowing others to access the information and expand the subject matter.

The class required that we update our blog and upload our podcast and videos for public view. This was a new experience for me and I learned a great deal about the skills required to ensure a production that was useful for others.   

The Group Video for EDLD 5363 

Meet the Metrics

I have posted my video for the first week of EDLD 5363. This was not an easy assignment, opening up to others is not something that I do well. Creative Commons License The Journey by Terry Conaway is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

EDLD 5362_ENA_AP2 - Info Systems Mgmt Week 5 video

Just complete the Tech Plan for CCISD, a 15+ minute video.  This was a project that let me gain knowledge on what the district requires to allow for a true innovation in a change. We have this year initiated a one to one tech initiative that is going to be great for the districts students.

EDLD 5362 Week 1 - Technology Changing Classrooms

Technologies Changing Classrooms

As teachers technology has enhanced the educational process, with the ability to connect with student with more efficiency and with greater effect. In the article Impact of the internet on learning and teaching, it is stated that “There have been many technological dawns in the last 30 years, during which the desktop computer and the Internet have been developed; but there have been similar dawns throughout the 20th Century - film, radio, records, broadcast television, audiotape, videotape, programmed learning machines, etc.”, Arsham, H. (2002).  No advancement has made a greater impact in the classroom as the internet has. With this advancement students have access to the world of information at a keystroke, with graphics included.

The teaching practices have changed greatly with the access to the internet, with many changes in teacher habits being effected. Prior to the online capabilities everything was handwritten into logbooks, the grades were calculated with the aid of an adding machine recorded and retained in a written format, available for auditing when the need arose. (Titus, 2013) In today’s classroom teacher’s gradebooks are available to parents and students through different programs such as Self-Serve, Think Wave and Learn Boost that are either provided by the districts or available for teachers from internet sites that offer free and pay for programs.  This has allowed for parents and students to monitor the grades on a daily basis and the teachers grading more accountable. Lesson plans and activities are posted online with students accessing them on laptops, tablets and smart phones. The teacher evaluations are recorded with a hand held device where the lesson plans can be pulled up and compared with activities. Transparency in the classroom is the now and the future in teaching.

Today, the instructional strategies in the classrooms have progressed with great leaps to take advantage of the most recent technological developments. The extensive adoption of the Internet has fundamentally altered the way that people live their lives and classroom teachers are taking advantage of it to improve the way lessons are taught. The classrooms of today are almost unrecognizable from those of the 50's; now banks of computers line the walls and traditional blackboards and chalk are replaced with projectors that are attached to a laptop computer or tablet with a stylus allowing lessons to be interspersed with video and audio clips, all of which allows the teachers to keep lessons fresh and interesting. This is resulting in students that are more likely to remain alert and engaged with the class.

When looking at the characteristics of the students prior to the availability of the internet, consider that past students would get the vocabulary through a book or handout and then using a hard bound dictionary they would define the words and practice regurgitating the spelling and meanings of each term for a test at the end of the week. Today students have come to expect that the vocabulary will be posted on a tutorial site like Quizlet.com for practice in a gaming style format where they compete with each other on their ability to complete the game in a winning time.  If the teacher has not created the tutorial site, they will create their own to work with on the computers and smart phones. Activities in the classroom have also changed, no longer will students sit and listen to a lecture with visuals on a board or passed around they need interaction with the subject and are advancing faster in the knowledge because of the interaction. This is in all subjects they take, the internet has become part of who they are and how they process information. (Kearns, 2013).

Research and learning theories have changed as well, before behaviorism was standard giving stars and reward tokens for achievements. We learned to rely on drill and practice to succeed. Now we are asking our students to be creative, to analyses and evaluate. Students are taking their education in and having to develop individual thoughts while the teacher is there to guide them. Universal Designed Lessons are now used in most classrooms establishing that each child is able to learn with a level field no matter what their learning style or disability.

In conclusion, we can see how much improvement has been established by having the internet available and used in the classroom and everywhere.  Learning is become an around the clock activity, where students access information from many sources online and share their ideas using the same medium. What does the future hold? That remains to be seen, but it includes students using the internet and accessing information from around the world.  The teachers are no longer the holders of the knowledge, they are the guides that provide the direction and encouragement.

References

Arsham, H. (2002, March). Impact of the internet on learning and teaching. USDLA Journal, 16.3.  Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAR02_Issue/article01.html

Conner, M. L. (2007, August 10). A Primer on Educational Psychology. A Primer on Educational Psychology. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://agelesslearner.com/intros/edpsych.html

Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The internet and education: Findings of the pew internet and American life project. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf

Library Index. (n.d.). The Internet and Education - Elementary And Secondary Schools. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from www.libraryindex.com/pages/1459/Internet-Education-ELEMENTARY-SECONDARY-SCHOOLS.html ">The Internet and Education - Elementary And Secondary Schools