Final Blog Reflection

IT 365 has been an amazingly helpful class. I have learned so much about computers and various resources I never knew existed for teachers. I will leave this class with a greater knowledge of how to be an organized, helpful, and resourceful teacher. Being shown how to use the free technology that is available on the internet was the most useful thing I learned in this class. The free online games, quizzes, and other websites will help me become an innovative first-year teacher. Learning how to change the settings of a computer to adapt them to a child with any disability was very beneficial as well. I did not even know those settings existed, and now I will be able to help any child learn on the computer. The movie maker and other applications that are offered on every computer, but not often used, are also great resources for teachers. I have had these applications on every computer I have ever owned, but never used them to their full potential. Now, I understand how to use them to my full advantage, and I will definitely be using them during my first year as a teacher.
I am a fast learner, so everything we did in this class came easily after I was shown how to use the program. However, I would not say that they are all my strong points. Using the internet to find resources and free tools is definitely a strong point, because I had to do some of that before this class. Using Movie Maker was definitely one of my strong points as well. I enjoyed creating the movie and presenting it to everyone, so I know that I will want to do the same for my students. Some of my weak points would definitely be changing the computer settings to adapt them to student’s disabilities and creating my web page. I have never had to do either of these things, so they came as a challenge to me. However, I am glad that I was introduced to both of these tools.
To improve my weak areas, I will study these tools until I master them. I was taught the basis of each of them, so now it is up to me to perfect them. I know that I will encounter students with disabilities when I become a teacher, so I need to know how to help them and give them a fair chance to further their education. I know that I will also want to create a web page for my students and parents to be able to visit, so I need to become familiar with them as soon as possible. I will continue working with the web page I created in IT 365 to help me understand and enhance my web page skills.
I intend to use everything I learned in IT 365 in my classroom when I become a teacher. This class has shown me even more that technology is the future. Not only did I learn about technology, but I learned how and when to integrate it into my lessons. Whether it is using Movie Maker, a course web site, or concept maps, I am going to use technology to further my student’s education. After learning about the gender gap, I also intend to make sure that every student is given a fair opportunity to use, understand, and hopefully love technology.

Reflection on Web Pages

Web pages support the NETS standard, Technology Operations and Concepts. Although students are told everything they need to know in class, often they will go home and forget important information, homework, or an upcoming event. By understanding how to use technology systems correctly, they can find all the information they need about their class online at the classroom web page. Most children will already know how to use a computer, and most likely, the internet, but showing them how to use a web page will support the standards by applying their current knowledge to the use of new technology. Having a web page will help the students and their parents keep up to date with everything going on in class, outside of class, and in the school. For this reason, everyone involved will be using this application effectively and productively, which is a NETS standard.
Using a web page will help me organize my work as a teacher because all of my class information will be in one place. I will be able to access my webpage from any computer at any time and update it with the proper information to inform my students and parents of upcoming dates and events. I will have all of the information that both students and parents need updated at all times on my webpage. By having this webpage, I will have a built-in calendar. By continuously updating it, I will not be able to forget anything important happening in my classroom. Also, depending on exactly what information is put on the webpage, it will be easy for me to have certain assignments together to print out when I need them. I can have links to certain lessons and assignments that I can access quickly, which requires no paper, and means easy organization. As long as everything is in one place, there is no better means for organization.

Reflection on Web Tools

Reflection on Web Tools
Online games support the NETS standard, Technology Operations and Concepts. By using these online games students have to present an understanding of technology systems. Then, they have to put them to use. They are also using these applications effectively and productively. Most importantly, they are transferring current knowledge to the learning of new technologies by applying what they already know about a subject to the game they are playing. Online games also support the NETS standard Digital Citizenship. Students are using the online games in a safe, legal, and responsible matter. They are learning in a positive way how to collaborate learning, technology, and fun!
Web tools are great for organization. By using the quiz makers and rubric makers, a teacher’s job is cut in half. By using these online tools, there is no mess, no paper, and no headache. All a teacher has to do is simply go to these sites, insert their information, save it to a file, and then print it out when needed. Technology and the web are making it a lot more efficient and easier to organize everything in one place.
Each web site is different, so the most difficult part about working with the web tools was trying to understand and work each site. Trying to create the same login and password was challenging too, because if I did not use the same email address, I would forget my login name. Over all I think that learning and understanding how each site works and how to navigate through to what you need was the most difficult part. However, once each site or game was understood and mastered, working with web tools was very easy and helpful.

Google Group Reflection

The NETS standard supported by the use of online class discussion boards is creativity and innovation and communication and collaboration. Students are creating their own ideas about existing knowledge and sharing them with other students. They are collaborating and sharing opinions with other students without worrying about who can see it and what others may think. This is a very useful tool for students; however, teachers should monitor what is posted because it is being used in a school environment.
The use of a discussion board is different from a Web page and a blog because anyone can comment or edit it. A blog or web page is just your individual thoughts and views on whatever the topic may be. However, when you join a discussion board, anything goes. There are some restrictions to a discussion board if the creator does not want anyone in the world to be able to join, they can change that setting. Also, if they want to monitor what people post, they have that right as well, but if the modify that setting, the point of a discussion board is kind of lost. Once people join, they are allowed to give their opinions on everything that is written in the discussions. So, if someone adds their opinion to your discussion page, it can be blamed on you, which is not fair and a fault of the discussion board. However, it is a great networking and social aspect for a classroom and anyone in the world.

Reflection on Plagiarism Activity

The NETS standard that is concerned with plagiarism is Digital Citizenship. If a student plagiarizes or a teacher lets a student slide with plagiarism, this standard has not been met. Plagiarism is not a legal and responsible use of information and technology, and should not be taken lightly. Teachers must uphold these standards and require every student to create and apply their own ideas for assignments. However, if a student is allowed to use other sources, they must be properly taught to cite that author or source.
Turnitin is a great tool to identify plagiarism. This site is very easy to use and it is free, which is great. Every student can submit their papers through this site with ease and automatically see if they have used too much of someone else’s work or ideas. As students turn in their work, they will be notified by the grader that is built into the site what percentage of their paper is plagiarized. If teachers want to use it, they can also sign up for an account and use it to submit student’s work, which makes a teacher’s busy life a lot easier. The less a teacher has to grade, the happier he/she is, so this will help teachers to identify plagiarism with ease. Overall, Turnitin is a great site for both students and teachers to use and help cut back on plagiarism.

Concept Map Reflection

I believe that every NETS standard is met with the concept map assignment. Students must use the computer and a new program to creatively map their ideas. If the teacher chose to, he/she could make this a group assignment, and then the NETS standard for group work is covered as well. This assignment also requires critical thinking, planning, and strategies, if it is completed correctly. The planning map was an extremely useful tool for teachers to use to help integrate technology into lessons. The planning maps allow teachers to start with one idea and possibly end up with twenty that stemmed from that. It is a great brainstorming tool for teachers, and it is technology. Brainstorming on the computer is a lot different than brainstorming on paper; because, teachers may use the computer as a resource for pictures, sounds, movies, and more while figuring out their lesson. This assignment taught me that it is easy to start with one idea and turn it into a lot of different great ideas. It also showed me that creating lesson plans can be fun and easy. The most important lesson I got from this assignment is to use my resources. I am on the computer working, so why not use the computer to my advantage. By me using the computer to work, I am integrating technology for myself and finding technology to integrate into my student’s lessons.

Movie Maker Reflection

The activity I would create for my students using Movie Maker would be a group assignment. I would choose a broad topic so that each group would have an equal opportunity to be creative and choose their own subtopic, without me telling them exactly what to do. Giving my students an opportunity to invent their own ideas supports the NETS standards because it allows them to apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas and create original works as a means of personal and group expression. This assignment will also enhance their use of technology and allow them to interact and collaborate with their peers. The students will be required to use various forms of media to enhance their movie and at the end of the assignment will show their movies to the entire class for peer review. Every NETS standard has been met with this assignment because overall it allows each student to be creative, collaborate with others, use variety of media, and show multiple audiences their project.