Educational Technology Adventures

I have discovered many things this semester concerning technology in education. Some things were fun and interesting , while others were hard and tedious . So I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on the journey I have been through this semester.  I was a little nervous and apprehensive at the beginning of this class, because – despite what others may think – I have never considered myself a tech guru. But over time in this class, I surprised myself with the scope of technology that I can use and what I have accomplished with it.  It was definitely  not easy   or a  “walk in the park,” and many times I had to go back over concepts, applications, and directions. There were many Ups and Downs and All-arounds Ups: ⮞When I first started doing my blog posts, I was FRUSTRATED that I had to learn a different way to write that was more personal than academic , in order to keep people ENGAGED. But as I kept doing blog posts and using VDT (Visually Diff

I have created a video highlighting my educational technology (see previous post). To create my video I used a 7-day free trial from LightWorks What I think about using LightWorks:  Because I have never done anything like this before, I was pretty nervous about making this video. There were many times that I was extremely frustrated because the program was not doing what I wanted and I did not know how to do it. But I eventually got the hang of it and once I figured many, many, many things out, I improved and it became easier. With LightWorks, if you do not know how to do something, then it is hard to figure out how to do it, but once you know how to do it, it is easy. My recommendation: Use the tutorial videos, and remember it takes time to learn how to do something well So do not get frustrated - just keep learning and doing your best I watched this basic tutorial video many times to help: QuickStart ⮞ ⮞ ⮞ While it did help, it went through key things

Below you will find "My Educational Philosophy." This briefly explains what I believe about education and being a teacher. Enjoy! My Educational Philosophy I believe learning is not just knowing the answers to test questions, but it is... Understanding new concepts, Practicing them, and Being able to apply them in life.  My role as a teacher is to facilitate learning and provide an appropriate learning environment for my students. Teaching involves expanding students’ minds and imparting deeper knowledge to students, thereby causing them to grow .   As a teacher, in this time when so many children and teens have lost their identities, I am called to speak God’s identity and love into my students and prepare them for His destiny for their lives.  My goals in education are... For students to understand God’s amazing creation and world around them, and  For students to live differently as God’s lights in that world. In order to shine in the darkne

Hey everyone! It's time ⏰ for some Q&A on Technology and Classroom Management . (Anyone else think I sound like a game show 🎤 host?)  But instead of you asking and me answering , I am going to ask AND answer. Feel free to post questions at the bottom and I will answer those too! 😀 Q1 : What day-to-day processes and procedures has technology made easier for you? What else might you use to help make routine tasks even easier? A1: Technology has definitely made lesson planning easier, because... I use the internet to find fun and interesting ideas I use Microsoft Word to type them out I also use Dropbox to store them online so I don’t lose them ⮞I think I could also use technology for routine tasks like grading and doing assessments in the future. I like the idea of tracking students’ data with technology and making charts comparing test scores or other things so students can be motivated to improve next time. 📊 Q2 : How do you see technology supp

  Yes 👍 ,  they both have boxes. Yes👍 , they both look confusing at first. But no👎 , they are not the same thing. So what am I talking about? I am talking about Rubrics NOT Rubik’s Cubes .  Rubrics’ boxes are not for moving around and adjusting like on a Rubik’s cube . But they are used to give students a score for certain assignments. Like the colors on a Rubik’s cube , the boxes on a rubric show students what the teacher’s expectations are and how they did. Rubrics have 3 main elements : Criteria – the main topics that are being examined in the project Descriptors – describe what each criteria should/could meet Performance scale – numbers that rate how students did in certain criteria Like how a Rubik’s cube can have 3x3 squares per side or 4x4 or 5x5, etc., so also a rubric can range from simple to complex. It really just depends on what the teacher prefers and needs for an assignment.✏  Here are some rubrics that I found for free on Tea

Communication is vital to life. And it is especially vital as a teacher working with students and their parents. 👪 Parents want to know how their students are doing, and communicating with parents benefits you as well as your students and parents. Involving parents in the learning process helps: Students be more motivated  Parents be more engaged Students achieve more Increase student accountability Form stronger relationships with the teacher Technology nowadays, provides teachers with shortcuts that help bridge  the communication gap between teachers and parents/students. 🍎 🌉 👪 Technology such as excel and google forms provide many benefits. Such as, Organized lists of parents, contact info, and when you contacted them  Reminders of who you need to contact Easy ways to send updates to parents And easy ways for parents to contact you  One way teachers can use technology to communicate is to create a parent contact log on an Excel

Even if you are not a technology genius (I'm in that club 🙋). You can still use a QR code. Now, if you are new to the technology game, you may be asking yourself as I did several weeks ago: "What is a QR code?" A QR code, similar to a bar code, contains an imbedded link or imbedded words. So when you scan the QR code, the words, web address, video, or file magically🎩 appear. QR stands for Quick Response and that's exactly what it is.  This QR code I made will take you to Populi 😉 These codes are super fun for students to use for many reasons: It gives students responsibility It saves time Students do not have to carefully type out a web address that the teacher dictates It gives younger students an opportunity to learn more individually as well You may be wondering, as I was, "How are QR codes created? Could I possibly do that?" The answer is "YES, YOU CAN!" Just follow these steps: First you find your website o

Green screen technology is a great way to get kids active in being creative, using technology, and expanding what they know about a topic. I would use green scree n technology in the classroom having kids explore using language arts more fluently by retelling a story, poem, or part of Scripture. These are the steps the students and I would follow: First I would put them in groups of 3-4 and let them choose what they are going to retell from a list of options. I would make sure that we have already examined and discussed these stories or poems in class. Their options would include poems, short stories, picture storybooks, sections of longer books, Bible stories, and passages of Scripture.  Then students would have to choose how they want to tell the story – such as by using a narrator and changing the backdrop pictures/videos or by acting it out and inserting different backgrounds. Once they have planned out their project, I would record the students in front of t

"Are you for or against technology in the classroom?" - This is a big question for educators. The following are articles, I have researched on both sides of this topic 🖳 Articles in support of technology in the classroom: Benefits of Technology in the Classroom Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students Articles against technology in the classroom" In Defense of the Traditional Classroom Why Some Teachers Are Against Technology in Education Throughout these articles I found some pros 👍 and cons  👎 of using technology in the classroom Pros 👍 - Technology in the classroom… Helps students develop tech skills for success outside of school in the future  Makes learning more interesting/fun Lets students learn at their own pace – according to abilities and needs  Puts students in an active role in the learning process  Gives students more motivation for school work – more ways in which students can excel Presents opportu

Using Technology Technology can be used in all different subject areas in school. History/Geography Science Language and Phonics Reading and Writing Math Art and Music  Even PE! And there are many online websites and resources available that can help teachers review student's knowledge on different subjects.  Math Game Websites  I tested out two Math Game websites to see what different subjects they had and how students could use them in the classroom. Here are the links if you want to try them and a little info about them.  Math Playground (click on for link) This website is organized by grade level or by category/subject you are teaching in math. There is a teacher section to give teachers ideas on how to use different games and the common core standards for different grade levels. Math Play   (click on for link) It h as games for higher grades as well including 7th-8th grades and Algebra topics. G ames are accordi

Hey everyone! This is the link to my unit reflection PowerPoint and paper: My Unit of Study Folder This will tell you some about the unit of study I created, the technology and apps used, and my thoughts about it. Sadly google slides does not do the correct formatting or voice over for the PowerPoint. So you will have to download it in order to view it correctly and hear my lovely voice ;)  For some reason on the fourth slide you have to click to continue, but the rest are automatic Hope you enjoy!

Hey everyone! I have created a unit of study using these apps: Multiplication Table Kids Math Sand Draw Sketch Drawing Pad: Creative Doodle Art My unit of study is focused on multiplication skills at the 3rd grade level. Here is the link to the Unit Plan, Lesson Plans, and additional resources I used: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18Z1X75z24majBqRZv5RJGlzzVLR2iiQ7?usp=sharing

Apps are a great way to further implement fun and creativity into schoolwork and the classroom. If I had a classroom and my school had just purchased Android Tablets for the students, these are 5 apps that I would integrate in my classroom! 1)       Kahoot! – Is a fun quiz app. Teachers can put in review sheets to make quiz games that can be played in class or at home if students have the app. Students can also challenge each other from different devices and by doing so make their own “study group.” 2)       Multiplication Table Kids Math – Can be for many ages from 2 nd -6 th grade. I remember writing my multiplication tables each day in elementary! This is a fun way for kids to review and study their multiplication skills. Kids can also duel each other by using a slit screen.     3)       Sand Draw Sketch Drawing Pad: Creative Doodle Art – Instead of getting out the paper and pencil, kids can use this app to “draw in the sand.” It can be used for ga