Blog Post #8

Last week, we visited the Sports Psych Lab and had the chance to to play around with some of their equipment: The Bio Feedback instrument caught my attention the most. This piece of equipment can be used for special need kids who find themselves frustrated when presented with a difficulty. the bio feedback device can tell the teacher exactly what is frustrating the student, based on signals the device receives from the body the student. This makes it easier for the both the teacher and the student, since most times special needs kids cannot properly communicate or express their feelings.

 Microsoft PowerPoint can be very useful if used in the right manner, followed by good teaching skills. The best way to know if you are using PowerPoint effectively is if you evaluate it based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Let’s take for example a presentation on a scene from novel The Giver. The first step would be to create the presentation. The second step would be to evaluate the information included in the presentation. You might ask yourself if all the information is relevant or would it confuse your students from the main point? After editing your presentation, the next steps happen during the presentation. When presenting the information to your class, you want to analyze, or breakdown the information for your students. Afterwards, you apply certain examples to a real-world situation or idea. In this case, you would want to relate the Utopian society in The Giver with real-world Utopian societies. Then, you stop and make sure that your students comprehend the material. This would be the time where you ask your students if they have any questions about the material. Finally, you end your presentation by summarizing key points in the presentation.

A useful website to stay updated with technology trends is CNET. This website informs you of the latest technology releases, network security, trending topics on Twitter, and reviews on certain products. The reviews can be helpful for teachers, when trying to decide what new technology to expose their students to. This website also includes articles on technology in education. This is especially beneficial to teachers who are looking for ways to incorporate technology in their classroom. 

Click here to go to CNET's website.

Blog Post #7

Assistive technologies are products designed to assist children with disabilities in completing their functional capabilities. For example, a student with dyslexia may use a spell check software to assist them when writing an essay, etc. I personally do not know someone who has used assistive technology, but I am sure that it is very helpful. However, there is one challenge I see with assistive technology: if the student and the teacher are both unfamiliar with the technology, that may affect the student’s learning and possibly put them behind.

At the start of creating my webpage, I had some difficulties understanding the process. However, once I got the hang of it, making the webpage was fun. I learned how to create different pages within your page and how to create a webpage layout. My page was quite simple but I hope for next time, I add more details to it. This assignment really gives you an insight on the many things teachers do to ensure they are doing the best that they can do to help their students.

Lastly, I think Diigo is very helpful. It makes bookmarking and annotating easier. Personally, I am using Diigo in one of my classes. I have to annotate scholarly articles, so instead of printing out a 20-page article to annotate it, I can just annotate it and save it using Diigo. It can also be very useful for teachers because they can easily bookmark websites they need to go along with their lessons, and find them easily by using tags.

Click here to go to my webpage.

Blog Post #6

In Mr. Ruzich’s classroom page, he introduces himself to his students and parents. He is a seventh and eighth grade practical math teacher at South Allegheny Middle School. Mr. Ruzich’s states his profession, and his extra-curricular involvement in the school. He is the Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach and the Assistant Varsity Track and Field Coach for South Allegheny. Then, he states his outside-of-school hobbies. Other than talking about himself, Mr. Ruzich talks about the daily activities expected in his class.

As a teacher, I can see myself using multiple technologies to assist my teaching. For example, Diigo could be very useful to sort the websites I need to go along with my lessons. Instead of bookmarking them to my history, Diigo saves and arranges them into specific categories based on tags. That way, it is easier for the teacher to find the website, without having to scroll around looking for it. Another tool I see myself using in the future is Microsoft PowerPoint. I can use this software to create presentations that go along with my lessons, instead of everything just being verbal. As a teacher, I will have to incorporate numerous technologies that are helpful for all my students, not just for me.

(I didn’t go on the Technology Sandbox field trip.)