Final Reflection

Throughout this semester I have acquired many new tools that I cannot wait to use in my classroom in the future. I have learned more than I could have ever imagined and this course truly made it easy to apply these skills into real everyday lessons. 

Facebook was a great way to keep in touch with not only my classmates but the professor as well. Its nice to see what people do outside of the classroom and chose to share within their page. I also enjoyed looking at our group page and reading or watching links that were posted related to educational technology. Some of these new findings were really interesting and things I would not have accessed without this aspect of the class. Facebook was also a great tool to contact my classmates to ask questions related to class and receive and immediate response rather than waiting for an email.

Overall this course was one that I will not forget. Learning the foundations of technology has set me up for a future of success with furthering my education and continuing down the road to getting my Masters in Educational Technology. I cannot wait to see what I learn next it truly is an exciting field to be apart of!

Shapes and Candy...What else is the world made up of?

For my presentation I decided to focus on a topic that my Pre-Kindergarten class seems to struggle with, Math. Many of my students are still struggling with identifying shapes, so I decided I would do this lesson on shape recognition and counting the number of sides on each shape to help us identify the shape. As a class we are going to count the sides of a triangle, square, and circle together. I plan to have volunteers come up and help trace the sides of the shapes for me.

There is a quick song to help us remember how many sides these shapes has. It also explains that shapes are all around us; at home, in school, and in our environment. I am going to test your knowledge of shapes by playing a game of "I spy this shape" with the class. After our shapes are identified in the objects on the smart board we will continue to our final activity.

I wanted to make learning about shapes fun and exciting, so our students will sort out a bag of Hershey's, M&M's and Starburst onto a document with a circle, triangle and square on it. Recognizing which shape each candy is, and which shape it belongs in on their worksheet.
I hope you enjoy this presentation!

SmartBoard's

I can remember being in high school and SmartBoard's being installed into our classroom's and library. At the time, I remember thinking that they were intriguing, but I never understood how much of an impact they would have on education in the future. Little did I know that SmartBoard's would soon be installed into classrooms everywhere at all grade levels. I had no idea all of the functions that the SmartBoard offered, or how it could change learning.

Upon playing around with Smart Notebook I can see now why they were incorporated into learning at all levels. They are extremely useful for the teachers, and extremely engaging for the students. Smart Notebook was easy to use, and fun to play with. The function that I really liked was the activity function. Being able to click on certain objects and allow them to function in a specific way (for example a sorting task) allows the teacher to step back and allows the students to take a more hands-on, independent approach to learning.

Smart Notebook is a great for management as well. You can use it to take attendance and give responsibility to the students by asking them to drag their name onto the "in" side. You can also ask the students to use it to order lunch for the day, or give the weather forecast. The possibilities are endless. The interactivity of the SmartBoard is what makes it so unique, and so fun to use as a teacher as well as for the students.

Educational Apps Evaluation Forms

When playing around with new apps for the iPad in the classroom, I found that there were many different apps for similar topics. Exploring further, I found that some apps seemed to be much more beneficial than others. I also found that some apps that I seemed to enjoy or find the most intriguing and useful were not necessarily apps that I would want to incorporate into my classroom.

When looking at the two different evaluation forms, I found that one was more of a chart rubric (which I am used to seeing when looking at my own grades), and the other was a little bit more in depth about what it was looking for.

In the end, I believe that the critical evaluation of content-based mobile app evaluation is better rounded and overall a better evaluation of an educational app. The Evaluation Rubric for iPod Apps did not ask for a title of the app, a creator,  grade level, or even the content area. So basically, you don't know what you are looking at the evaluation for. Also the critical evaluation asked for 10 different components rather than the 6 asked in the other evaluation rubric. This made a huge difference because the critical evaluation questions asked for components to be evaluated that are more geared toward how they affect the learner (reporting, sound, instructions and support). I also loved how the critical evaluation asked for which topics of Bloom's Taxonomy were covered within the app.

After looking at the evaluations side by side decided to total up what the same app would have scored on both apps. On the evaluation rubric the app I evaluated scored a 54%, where as when I calculated the score on the critical evaluation it only scored a 40%. This difference is because of the amount of questions asked, as well as what was asked for on the form. The critical evaluation I believe will better weed out the most useful apps from others simply by asking more questions about how they will impact the student.

Websites

This week when beginning to think about making a website I have to admit that I initially thought it would be much harder. Google Sites made making a website incredibly easy. I loved how user friendly it was and how much freedom you had to create the website exactly how you wanted it to be. I decided to create my website as a Classroom website. Click here if you want to view it!

I really wanted my website to be free and fun when viewing it, but also visually appealing. Since I work in Early Childhood currently, freedom and exploration just made sense for my classroom site. I included what I thought were the most important pages: about me. assignments, calendar, and schedule. This way the parents would be able to get to know a little bit more about me and my background, as well as my teaching philosophy and beliefs. Assignments were more for parents as well. This page is intended to keep families engaged in their child's learning and to help them continue learning and practice at home. The calendar page is simply to keep families updated on current themes of the week or open house days. And lastly the schedule page is to give families a brief outline of our day. This way families are aware of what their child is doing an expected to be learning, and when.

Overall creating a website was incredibly fun and easy to do. I know I am going to be making more and I can honestly say that I am excited to do so!

The Use of Technology in the Classroom

When beginning research for this paper I wanted to find out where technology started in the classroom, where it was headed, and how it had impacted learning thus far. What I found were more questions. Of all the journals that I read, nothing was black and white. Although I understand that this topic is broad I still thought that there would be more back and forth on the issue. It seems that the general consensus is that we are still trying to explore technology and figure out not if it is beneficial but more, how can we use it so that it is beneficial.

Technology started as far back as the 1800's when the chalkboard was introduced into the classroom. From there it has obviously grown into something much more. The latest technology tool in education is the interactive mobile apps that we discussed a few weeks back. No one anticipated technology in education advancing this far this fast. I began to question where we would be in another 20 years from now, and I realized that since we have opened this door of wonder and exploration that we call technology, there is no way we are ever going back. I do believe that formal practice in schooling is still important because it holds the infrastructure of the idea of school together, as well as the relationship between teacher and student. However, there is no doubt in my mind that technology should also be incorporated into the classroom and will be in the future. Technology should be used as a tool not only to aid students with special needs, but also to guide diverse learners into engaging in the type of learning that best suits them as individuals. We have the access to knowledge all over the world and the capability to talk to anyone about it at any time. It is a miracle that we can even say that. What I found after all my research was that since the internet was launched (mainly Web 2.0) we have jump-started a new type of education process altogether. Since we are still in this "technology revolution" that is growing rapidly, it is hard to say how it will impact learning or where it will go next. I do feel that it will positively impact learners but to say how is impossible at this point because we haven't used it long enough to truly see. Technology is being updated more and more quickly so to try and guess where it will head next is nearly impossible. Ten years ago no one thought we would be where we are now,  it was unfathomable.

I am interested to continue to monitor the use of technology in schools and see how it does impact learning. I believe that we need to focus on educating teachers on how to properly incorporate technology into their classroom as a form of supplemental instruction because the longer we wait the further we will be behind. Technology is here to stay and understanding how to use technology in education so that it continues to remain beneficial needs to be explored further.

Learning Disabilities

When watching the F.A.T City Workshop video there were countless times that I sat back and felt empathy for children. It is so hard to understand what a child goes through in a day of schooling, let alone a child with a learning disability. After watching the video you realize what you are personally guilty of doing and it makes you reconsider how you talk, think, and act as an educator.

What really stuck me was the section about anxiety. Being the person standing in the front of the room it is easy to tell which children are struggling with nerves. I loved how he mentioned the "sudden interest in your shoes", it really is true and we are all guilty of doing it. When a teacher makes a child feel rushed or nervous they immediately shut down and feel incapable of doing the task. I will always reconsider how I am asking children to answer me after seeing this, it made me feel so sad that children are suffering and it is being blamed on laziness or lack of motivation.

The other main point that really struck my attention was the visual perception piece. When staring at that photograph I was confident that it was a little girl in a jacket looking at another child's shadow. When he showed the camera that it was the face of a cow I was shocked. Things truly are not as they seem or as simple as black or white. Sometimes there are children who need a little extra to feel comfortable and at ease in their classrooms, and it is the teacher's duty to find each and every one of them and help them to be successful.

Inspiration and Visual Learning

Inspiration just became my new best friend; I am the definition of a visual learner. This program is everything I ever wanted during my education, and everything I could hope to give to my future learners. Inspiration has such a wide variety of choices for visual learners such as: Graphic Organizers, Concept Mapping, Mind Mapping, Webbing, Outlining, and Plots and Graphs. I also love the variety of templates that Inspiration has given to the user, you can easily find a graphic organizer on almost any topic you need. On the other hand, I love how easy it is to make your own visual learning aid from scratch on Inspiration. My other favorite tool from Inspiration is the outlining option. Being able to see what you are learning on a Mind Map and then put all of that information into a outline with just the click of a button is outstanding. This way the educator can easily reach both kind of learners in their classroom.


Using technology for the student who is a visual learner, I will need to take into account how to best meet the needs of the visual learner as well as the non-visual learner simultaneously. Being a visual learner personally, I understand that visual learners like to see an organized, simple, and colorful diagram of the information they are trying to process. I also know that by creating the visual firsthand helps me retain the information and apply it accordingly, therefore I would give my students the option to use mine or create their own. It is important to remember that not everyone learns best this way. Giving your students an option ensures that all learning needs will be met. With that being said, when creating a visual aid for your class make sure it is not overwhelming, it should be clear and concise. 
I am so excited that Inspiration exists and I can't wait to use it with my students!

WebQuest

The concept of a WebQuest is one that is relevant for both students and educators. For educators, it can be used as an engaging tool for multiple subjects. For student's, it is an adventurous and independent approach to learning.

WebQuests are an intriguing way to invite students into learning. By introducing a specific objective to a class in a fun and entertaining way, you allow the student to be compelled to discover what the lesson is through guided learning.

Student's are given a hands on learning experience with WebQuests while the teacher has ultimately continued to set the boundaries on the lesson. They are a wonderful way to incorporate videos and websites that are teacher selected, and to find out information that is picked out from the educator while the student feels they are picking it out all on their own. Students using WebQuests are given a guideline of what they are ultimately supposed to discover and know by the end of their journey, but also given the freedom to find and express it in multiple options.

For educators, WebQuests are a great tool to teach independence in the classroom, as well as a nice change of pace from lectures and readings. Following the outline of Introduction, Task, Process, Resources, Evaluation, and Conclusion ensures that all elements of the lesson are being met. Being able to upload WebQuests is also an extremely useful way to see how educators nationwide are using and incorporating WebQuests into their own classroom. I really enjoy how you can use a WebQuest to gauge children's learning levels in a different way than just papers or testing, it is a more open form of an assessment that is nice to mix into a unit.

I am very excited to create my first WebQuest and use it in my Pre-Kindergarten room to see how my students respond to it. My WebQuest will obviously be more teacher guided rather than independent exploration because of their age group. I am confident that my little one's will be just as interested in exploring with me as I was in creating it!

Microsoft PowerPoint

Before beginning the tutorial for Microsoft PowerPoint's Do's and Don't, I was visualizing all of the "don'ts", which included: a highlighter colored background, a neon font, and text flying in from all corners of the screen with an obnoxious typewriter sound accompanying its entrance to the slide. Surely, when used appropriately motion and sound within a PowerPoint can be beneficial, but through the years of watching it being poorly used I have realized that there can truly be an art to using PowerPoint.

Upon beginning the tutorial I almost immediately had an "Ah-Ha" moment when reading about Master Slides. I had never known that this option existed and whenever I would make a PowerPoint I would go through and add a background to each slide individually. The Master slide is a huge time savor and helps convey a consistent theme throughout your slideshow.

The Charts option of PowerPoint was another interesting feature to read up on. When thinking of using PowerPoint I envision pictures and bullet points to make your points clear and concise. However, with the user friendliness of adding pictures it only make sense that you would also add charts and diagrams where appropriate. With over 20 different choices, charts can be used to give information to a slide without having to add any further explanation.

Animations and movies are another tool that can be used to add originality to your PowerPoint. When used correctly it can add some energy to a slideshow that can help capture and contain the viewers attention better than simple writing would. Lastly, and almost most importantly is the use of hyperlink. The possibilities with hyperlink are seemingly endless. Hyperlink is a great tool to help guide the viewer to specific slides within your slideshow without having to scroll through x number of slides. It is also a great tool to use to connect the viewer to a specific website, as used in WebQuests.

All of the features that Microsoft PowerPoint offers are extremely beneficial to education on both the student and teacher side. I hope that student's can become more knowledgeable on all of the aspects of PowerPoint and we can further the use of PowerPoint in the education field.

Microsoft Word in the Classroom

 When thinking of the uses of Microsoft Word, the first thing that pops into my mind are the endless papers I have written throughout my years of schooling. While documents may be the most common use of Microsoft Word, there are multiple ways in which this program can be used for education.

So let's begin with the benefits of Word documents. First off, Word allows the option of spell check, something that can be extremely useful for beginner spellers. Spell check helps the writer to edit and double check their work, as well as their grammar. A thesaurus can also be used within Word to help enhance the level of writing and promote a more diverse vocabulary. Being a long time Microsoft Word user, I felt as though I already knew a lot about the program. However, after further researching the capabilities of the program I have found that the ways in which Microsoft Word can be used is seemingly endless. There are various options on how to personalize your writing whether it be by changing the font, size, shape, or even color; all ensuring the uniqueness and originality of your document.

Besides using Microsoft Word for documents, it is easy to use for a variety of other tasks as well especially for education. We now have easy access to templates that can help with classroom assignments such as brochures, calendars, cards, flyer's,etc. We are also given the ability to help make a document interactive by inserting hyperlinks. Hyperlinks can be used in multiple ways: whether it be allowing the reader to click and connect to a webpage, or even using a hyperlink in a content Jeopardy! game connecting you to the correct answer.

Microsoft Word should be used in every classroom by both the teacher and the student. It allows an engaging way to learn and a hand's on involvement in the lesson. Microsoft Word opens doors for unique learning needs and fun, interactive learning. I am excited to put my new found knowledge into practice!

Web 2.0 and Social Media

When thinking of the Web, it is hard to imagine its existence before Web 2.0. Interaction among the internet is its most common use in today’s society. Almost any site you visit, there is a link for you to interact with others, or even chat directly with people. It’s as if we are so immune to this concept that we forget to appreciate how insanely helpful Web 2.0 truly is. Social media has the ability to help us connect to anywhere at any time. Consider how much time is being saved and applied elsewhere. The rate that news travels is unprecedented and can be contributed to the interconnectedness that Web 2.0 has allowed.

It is easy to see how these ideas can be criticized in the field of education. Having a forum where we can so easily reach out to others to communicate can be used incorrectly, and seen as a distraction in the eyes of many. But consider the vast numbers of people and places we are able to touch base with in just moments, and realize that there is a much bigger picture here to see.

Social media is used everywhere; whether it be a “like us on Facebook” or employers  reading into people’s pages during an interview process, what people write and post is being taken seriously. This unfortunately has been the downfall of many, and I believe it to be a reason why social media may put a bad taste in educator’s mouths. With so many children going home to login to their social media accounts, it may the last place that educators want to direct more time to. However, social media I believe is a wonderful means for learning to take place. Having your teacher and fellow students in a group and reachable at all times is only beneficial to learning. It is a great way for students to keep track of their education and stay updated on what is going on presently and what is to come. It is easily accessible for parents to be kept in the loop of what their children should be doing and when. It can even be used to download homework if you are sick or to ask questions to help you understand your studies. Web 2.0 and social media should definitely not be left out of education but rather the opposite. Integrating social media and interactive websites into education can help to ensure that all learners needs are being met at all hours of the day.

About Me

Hello everyone! My name is Janelle Lewis. I suppose I should start off with a brief introduction about who I am and what I want to become. I was born and raised here in Rochester, N.Y. (I know, how lucky am I?). I completed my undergraduate work at SUNY Cortland, besides the one random year that I went to Marshall University in the middle of West Virginia (ask McConaughey, he's been there). I received my degree in Childhood Education in 2012, and was lucky enough to have been able to student teach in Rochester. 

After completing my student teaching, I had a lot of questions. Can I really do this? Is this my calling? How am I going to survive on a income of sporadic student teaching jobs, and pay off the 1 million dollars that college cost me, even for a state school. So, I took the "easy way" out and accepted a corporate job. I was working 9-5 in sales, something steady and dependable and completely not for me. I only lasted 6 months before I realized how much I wanted to teach again.

 That brings us up to today, I am currently a Pre-K teacher at Doodle Bugs! Children Center. I've been teaching there for a year and I can't even begin to tell you know much I enjoy it. The best part for me when it comes to teaching, is seeing how much of an impact you are truly making. Although I teach these 4 and 5 year old's the fundamentals and building blocks of life and education, it is truly astonishing to step back and really how much they are teaching me too. 

This year my classroom was given 4 iPads to incorporate into curriculum using programs like ABC Mouse. Being able to watch my students pick up an iPad and instantly understand how to work it has blown my mind. But then I realized, of course they know how to use it, technology has been apart of their lives well, their entire life. So why is it so difficult for us to understand the basics of technology? Aren't we older? Wiser than a four or five year old? Maybe not, but that's when I knew that technology was something that I needed to further educate myself in. It isn't going to go anywhere, so why not try to master it and use it in every beneficial way possible? 

I am extremely excited and ready to begin this program at Nazareth and I look forward to meeting all of you as well.