Digtal Blog Post # D - Chapter 5

     With technology being more and more popular in education now, it is important for 21st century teachers to know how to properly use technology inside their classrooms. Google offers a lot of tools that teachers are able to use in the classroom. For example, they can use Google to make groups where students can interact with each other as well as the teacher. Teachers can make their own blog so their students can keep up to date with the lessons and assignments the teacher assigns them.
   When using the internet, there is three ways to search the internet. The first one is free-text search which allows you to search for the title, keyword, and the description. Another way is called keyword/exact match search which it retrieves only the keyword or the exact match of your search. The last way to search the internet is Boolean search which uses the term AND, OR, and NOT to create more of a broad search.
   When you're evaluating a webpage it's very important to use these five criteria. 1.) Accuracy- you want to make sure the website provides a clear description of the site and the purposes. 2.) Authority- you want to make sure that the author has credibility and to see if it's commercial or not. 3.) Objectivity- determines if the website is fair and non biased. 4.) Currency- you want to make sure the website you are using is up-to-date with recent information and that the updated date is clearly noticeable. 5.) Coverage- you want to make sure the website has information on the site that is viewed without any difficulties.
   One important thing teachers need to teach students is what different URL's stand for. If you assign a student a research paper then you would want them to find their sources from reliable websites that end in .org/.edu and so on instead of .com. Websites that end in .com has a commercial purpose.Websites that end in .org is used by a nonprofit organization. Another very popular and familiar URL is .edu which are designates universities and colleges.
   I couldn't figure out how to embed my Kahoot quiz, so I attached the URL. Hope it works! It wasn't allowing me to insert the url. Have fun playing my little quiz.
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/8773e243-5fd5-4307-9c3c-bf842e965ffb
The video I have attached is a Kindergarten teach trying to encourage other teachers to use technology in here classroom. Using technology in the classroom gets the students to interactive with the lesson being taught. This teacher makes a very valid point about why technology is important in the classrooms today. I really admire when she said how the kids use technology at home, weather it be using the computer, to using their parents phones to watch videos, or playing a game on a device.
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.

Why You Should Use Technology In Your Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2015.

Digital Blog Post #C

    With technology transforming into teaching methods, it creates new ways to engage students into learning. You can pretty much use any type of technology form to further teaching a subject or just having the students interact with technology to further their knowledge. As teachers, you can use technology learning theories that vary from metacognitive skills to demonstrating. The main four theories mentioned in the textbook are the following: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and constructionism.  The theory I would use in my classroom would be the cognitivism because it deals with active learning, transferring of learning, comprehension, and metacognitive skills.
    There is different techniques to engage the students. These techniques vary from one-on-one tutoring with just the teacher and student to the students needs and knowledge. Learning groups which students can go into groups and discuss with each other their own explanation. Inquiry learning which deals with projects to further explore questions in a subject field. And finally, metacognitive thinking which shows students how to examine their own learning methods through self-explanation and self-explanation.
    While using technology in the classroom, you want to have ways to use technology for feedback. There is a lot of websites and software out there that will help a student out. BrainPop is a good website for students to interact with and to gain more knowledge by watching videos and playing games. Google Earth is an interactive map you can use in your classroom to actually show students what Europe looks like in person. Another way for feedback is having a profession chart in the classroom that students can look at anytime to see where they are at and what they have accomplish. 
    This video that I attach is pretty cute and funny because it's kids explaining what technology is and how it's used in the classroom. It's worth the watch. It's crazy how students are leaning with technology now because when I was in school we didn't have that much technology to even use in the classrooms.






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 - Chapter 2

   Becoming a 21st century teacher, you need to get comfortable with using technology because it can enhance the learning for the students. The three concepts I'm focused on is the groups of technology users (I would be consider  either a roving node or digital collaborator), Technology supports teachers that will help engage the students into the learning process, and the computer use in schools, such as using the internet for sources.
  Personally, I think being involved with technology is a great source to have because you will be familiar how to use it while being a 21st century teacher. No matter what day it is, I'm using technology. If i'm doing school work then I'm on my laptop. If i'm doing online shopping, I'm either on my laptop or on my phone. With technology, you can basically access anything with using a technology device that's up to date.
   Technology is a great way to give clean and organized presentations to students that can provide students with new or needed academic skills. You can manage the flow of information so every student can understand the material being taught.
   A lot of worksheets that teachers give to students are found right off the internet. There is even some software out there that allow the students to interact with so they could get the hands on experience. Students can go back to the information at any time and still be able to gain the same information as the first time.
This website talks about why technology in the classroom is beneficial to the blended learning. This helps address that technology is now important to use in the classroom. It helps the students to engage in learning more better than before.
http://www.nms.org/Blog/TabId/58/PostId/188/technology-in-the-classroom-the-benefits-of-b

Sources:

Textbook - 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.

Website: Huneycutt, T. (2013, October 8). TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: THE BENEFITS OF BLENDED LEARNING. Retrieved September 12, 2015.

Digital blog post #A Chapter 1

Technology has increased over these last few years. Nowadays, you can't go anywhere without being surrounded by technology. It has changed how the world works. You can talk to friends online, take an online class, shop online (my favorite thing to do), and so many other things. This new generation seems to know a lot more about technology because they use it in their daily lives. It seems like you can ask a five year old how to do something with new technology and they end up showing you things you never knew was possible. My fiancé younger sister who is six years old, goes on youtube all the time to watch these videos called "shartards" ( I believe that's how you spell it). She finds these videos by talking into the Ipad.I didn't even know you could do that on youtube.

    The first concept I thought is important is the iGeneration, which is youngsters who have been around technolongy their whole generation by using computers to go on the internet and cell phones. In this generation is when cell phones became high tech and you can basicly do anything on a cell phone, wether it be paying a bill to texting a friend. People who were born since the late 1990's are in this generation and myself is one of these people. In the textbook, it states that 95% of 12-17 year olds are online and 80% of these adolesecents use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media websites.  I use all the social media I know about to interact with people I know. Every morning, I check social media like it's the newspaper and I know I'm not the only one who does this.
    Another concept that I believe is important is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). This is very important while becoming a 21st century teacher because you can interact with your students using technology that they are familiar with. Teachers use three different forms of knowledge that are 1.) content knowledge which includes the essential academic subject matter that teachers use in elementary school 2.) Pedagogical knowledge which is all information that teachers know about different teaching methods, curriculum development, and instructional design 3.) Technological knowledge that includes knowing how to use different types of technology. Through out school, different teachers that I've had use different types of technology to help studdents learn wether it be youtube videos to explain a lesson more clearer to websites that allow you to interact to gain more knowledge. I've used websites that help me study for classes that do walk through on the assignment that is being taught. 
    The last concept that is also important is technology-based learning environment. This concept allows new possibilities to extend the classroom beyond the school day. This allows teachers to get students engaged into  the subject or lesson by relating it into something they know how to do nowadays, which is technology. Teachers can post notes, discussion questions, extra readings, and assignments that students can access to enhance their learning. Also, online tutors as well as videos to help the students who need that extra help. I've seen kids today that have homework to do online instead of homework on a piece of paper. This way of learning is more useful in my opinion because you can always go back to it and review it how often you need. 
   With technology forming so quickly, it's hard on some teachers that don't know that much about technology because it can help out their students who know how to use technology. It's important that teachers know how to engage their students in learning by relating it into something they know how to use which is technology. Becoming a 21st century teacher, you must know the basic concepts of technology and how to use it in your classrooms so the students can relate and can succeed by using sources that would be more helpful to them, like websites that help reteach the lesson. YouTube can help with a lot of lesson because students can watch videos and get a visual idea. 







Textbook - 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.