Minds Map

NETS 3

Using popplet website I was able to create a minds map that has all the artifacts and the NETS standards it fulfills

Journal 7 PLN

Networking with colleagues is really important and essential to enhance your own career. As a future teacher it can be really beneficial to be part of a PNL because you can share new ideas and discuss current issues in education.  PLN stands for Professional Learning Network, which is a network where people interact and derive knowledge from a professional learning community.  I had the opportunity to use various tools to create my own PLN such as Diigo, Twitter, and Classroom 2.0.  I feel that being part of a PLN will benefit me as a teacher because I will be able to communicate and learn about different issues in education with people from all over the world. 

Within my tweeter experience I was able to learn how to use social media as a resource for my career.  I am currently following many educators from different places and learn form their tweets and have learned to tweet my own ideas.    I have tweeted my ideas on topics I have participated in on the chat for new teachers (ntchat) and also tweeted ideas that I agreed on or felt were helpful advice. 

Networking is really important especially in education, as future educators we need to be informed and create to ensure we are providing our students with the best resources.  By using Diigo, a website of social bookmarking that allows users to tag and bookmark web pages, bookmarking refers to a method for internet users to organize, store, and search for resources online.  I follow users that are in the same career path as I am and share the same interest as I do.  Some of the things I tagged were related to education, technology, and education 422. 

I recently joined classroom 2.0, which is a free community support network that helps you share ideas with people who share the same interests as you about your personal educational pathway.  The video I saw was called, “You can do anything” it was a short video about a little girl who is trying to inspire people to do anything you want just because you can.  She states in her video that people should believe on themselves and in each other.  She says that when everyone is connected, that means we all believe in each other.  I believe this is really powerful because as future teachers we should never forget that we can do what ever we want to, and to believe on ourselves as teachers.  Also I think it means that we should also believe on our students we start teaching and encourage them to accomplish whatever they want because they can.  

Journal 9 NETs 1-5

Summary

MOOCs stand for massive open online courses, they are changing higher education, but now it is also impacting grades k-12. The article goes on explaining each letter of the acronym, starting with M or massive, which refers to the number of participants.  MOOCs are attracting a variety number of students depending on the institution.  Also, O or open refers to anyone who wants to participate with cost or no cost depending on the institution.  According to the article, it can also mean the transparency of the course activity.  The other O, or online, means that the courses are most of the time offered online but also face-to-face. Now more teachers from grades k-12 are being trained for this type of programs.  It is interesting to learn about these new ways of teaching and how technology is impacting education.  Online courses are known to be for higher education, but it is important to understand that things are changing and as future teachers we should get familiar with this topic so we can be prepared. 

Q1: Is MOOCs free for all students?

A1: According to the article, Open generally means that anyone who wants to participate is allowed to at no cost. However, some institutions do charge participants who want to earn college credits for MOOCs, and this is likely to become more common.

Q2: What are the subcategories for MOOCs?

A2:  There are two different kinds of MOOCs which are the cMOOCs and the xMOOCs.  The cMOOCs are characterized by deep participation in per groups of facilitators and participants.  On the other hand, the xMOOCs are more independent large groups of participants and tend to focus on academic areas such as computer science or math. 

Fasimpaur, K. (n.d.). Massive and open. (2013). Learning and Leading with Technology,

40(6), 12-17. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/digitaledition/digital-edition-march-april-2013

Journal 8 Adaptive Technology

Communication:

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) includes all forms of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas.

A high tech device that can assist special needs students is the DynaVox Vmax+, this device is appropriate for students who require a large, and clear display that can be seen both in and outdoors.  Also for those students who require eye tracking to access their communication device.  It is for students who are learning or have mastered language, literacy, and communication skills.  Lastly, for those students who need a device that can be mounted on a wheelchair.  This device offers powerful communication for students with special needs in many ways.  The comprehensive, InterAACt, supports successful everyday communication as well as language and literacy development and use.  It also provides the right words for the right situation.  It has options for students to use such as symbols, photos, words, or letters, exclusively or in combination.  It organizes vocabulary consistently across communication pages to make it easy to compose messages quickly.  This device can easily be incorporated in class for students with special needs.  It is easy to use and it has a lot of great accessories and programs that can benefit both the student and the teacher because they will be able to communicate successfully. 

A low-tech device that can assist special needs students is the FL4SH.  This device can be activated by direct selection, with one or two switches, or by connecting one switch for each message location. It includes three scan modes, including Automatic Scan, Step Scan and Two-Switch Step Scan. Auditory scanning options are accessed by the touch of a button, with your choice of message, prompt or beep feedback.  It can be adapted to a variety of situations, both in and out of the classroom, or an AAC professional looking for a versatile assessment tool, FL4SH offers the functions you need and the features you want.  It includes activities for educators and students and a simple tutorial to get you up and running in less than five minutes.

Accessibility:

Input device: A device that can be used to insert data into a computer or other computational device.

A high tech input device I found was the Dragon Naturally Speaking.  This device allows students to speak to a computer normally with continuous speech. Students are also able to launch programs by voice and switch between applications simply by speaking.  Students are able to speak to a computer without pausing between words at a pace of up to 160 words per minute. They are able to state commands to create, edit, and format any word or phrase. This device has spelling, pronunciation, context recognition, and word usage information for 250,000 words.  It also quickly learns most individual pronunciations, dialects, and accents. You can also create and send e-mail by voice or listen to your messages as they are read aloud. 

A low tech input device I found was the BAT Keyboard, which is a one-handed, compact input device that replicates all the functions of a full-size keyboard, but with greater efficiency and convenience. The BAT makes it easier to make and learn letters, numbers, and commands.  It also has a unique ergonomic design that reduces hand strain and fatigue for greater comfort and productivity. 

This are the blogs of my peers that I visited:

Raihana

Julio

STORIFY: Journal 7 #nchat

Journal 6

Summary:

 This website information was very interesting to read. The whole article, Ten reasons to get Rid of Homework , literary stated ten different reasons why children should not have homework. John T. Spencer states reasons and then explains why tat is a good reason. I think it is a great way to persuade people, especially parents. Spencer creates this list and it seems he is looking for giving more free time to students. I have my personal opinion on that topic. I believe that homework is good for children and some of the reasons I believe are debatable just as Spencer’s reasons for not having homework are too. I don’t agree with the fact that homework should completely disappear, but maybe the quantity should not be a large amount. As a future educator, this issue concerns me because I think it would be more helpful for my students to review and practice at home in order to increase their understanding and learning of the topics learned.

 5 reasons we need homework:
 1. Students need to review and practice material learned in class on their own time to asses for understanding.

 2. Promotes responsibility among students, they learn that they have stuff to do and it has a deadline and helps them respect that

 3. Prepares them for college, students will learn that they need to finish homework to earn a grade as they work hard in class as well

 4. Children do not need that much “free time” it has them be on the streets more with a lot of different risks

 5. Keeps children busy and out of trouble

Spencer, J. (2011, September 19). Ten reasons to get rid of homework

(and five alternatives). Retrieved from http://www.educationrethink.com/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homework-and.html