Final Post
   When I first started EME 2040 I started off thinking it would be easy. After being in the class for a while I found out it would be more challenging than I thought. It made me think outside of the box. I think the hardest part of this class for me was trying to determine whether pictures were in a pubic domain or if I had to ask for permission. Then the hardest assignment for me had to be our last project to create a website. It tested my limits, normally I am a very creative person I do arts and crafts all the time with my students. Now to design the website I had a very hard time trying to make it creative, it definitely test my creative limits. I really enjoyed the blog post towards the end. I found it very easy to just let me thoughts flow easier in this way then I did when I had to write in a discussion post. It is also a great way for my to go back and look at how I developed as a teacher with my technology usage in my class. Also this class taught me how to be to work well with others when we all had different ideas on our group lesson plans, or the Wiki page, we all had a common goal it was just then trying to achieve it. I believe all this assignments did line up with the learn objectives and it taught me more than what I already thought I needed to know. It is funny one of my really good friends is a 5th grade teacher and when I told her I was taking this class she started asking for my help in her class with technology and giving her ideas. Before this class I never realized how big of an issue it is in the school district and how many teachers want to incorporate technology more into their class, but can't or do not know how. For this class I got an e-book (I figured it was appropriate). It was set up very differently then most text books. I liked how it would give an example at the beginning of the chapter from a teacher who is dealing with what the chapter is about. Then go into explaining it and give more examples through out the chapter.
   After this class I look at technology differently, especially in my classroom. With younger students I did not realize how much they are getting from the computer games until I sat down and watched them play and saw what they learned. This video is a perfect example of it as well. There are many different ways a student can learn using technology. Each child is different some of them learned by watching a video, others learned by using the smart board to match letters, other used the smart table to actually trace the letters with their hands. Without all this technology now students would all have to be taught the same way, which we all know not every student learns the same way.
 As a future educator in the school district, I definitely want to incorporate technology in as much as I can, because it really is a great learning tool for the students. This class helped me to expand my mind when it comes to teaching with technology. Also it showed me awesome different websites like Padlet to design things for my students(I am still learning how to do cool things with them).

Somethings I really liked about this course is every week the front page would change to what we were focusing on that week. I also liked how there was always more than enough examples on how to do things. Something I would suggestion changing is one the collaborative lesson plans have everyone do their own lesson plan but on the same topic that the group decides on. 
Resources:
 Grabowski, Jamie. "Remake of Final Blog Post." Padlet. Padlet, 10 Dec. 2016. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

Kindergarten Technology. Youtube. N.p., 18 Mar. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2016. 

 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park 
(2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Blog #K - Chapter 6
      The first concept I would like to talk about comes from the section "Managing information Electronically". I believe as a future educator if we are not constantly learning and keeping up with the new rules and regulations we would fall behind as teachers. For example at my daycare we are constantly taking new refresher classes to learn the new rules and research. The regulations are always changing and they are coming out with new discoveries about how children learn. For teachers to be update on these things they are able to give there students the best education. With having such access to the internet they are able to answer any questions their students ask right away. It also makes it easier to store files on their computers rather than stacks of papers and lesson plans. They can just go to the search bar and type in what file they are looking for and there it is, instead of searching through stacks of papers.
      The second concept I would like to talk about comes from the section " Building a Standard Connector". I feel like this could be something extremely useful for teachers. If they had one for every department in a school they all collaboratively work on it and put websites on there they found useful. I also feel like this is a great backup plan if computers went down you would not lose all your websites you found, because they would be backed up online. This could also be very beneficial if you went to a conference with lets say math teachers from all over. If they created one, then when all teachers got back to their schools they could all post on there with different ideas on how to teach something. This is a great way to get new ideas from other teachers on how they have been successful with certain topics.
      The third topic I would like to talk about comes from the section "Taking Virtual Field Trips".  I think this an amazing thing. This could be the most useful in a history or social studies class. When teachers are coming up with lesson plans sometimes students tend to tune out, but if the teacher took them on a virtual field trip they would not tune out. This may also help the teacher explain the different era of time they are studying. It may also help the students understand the architecture of buildings across the world that they may never be able to see. They could also use this tool as a part of a project. Assign a place to a group of students and have them take a tour of the place and do a report on it.

https://www.canva.com/design/DACEXpK-0ZI/OAg3h6wmBeQyjeKPYUzx5g/view?utm_content=DACEXpK-0ZI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton


Resources:
 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Blog Post #J- Chapter 11
      My first concept comes from the section "Test assessments and performance evaluations". I think from being an educator already that there are more ways then just the old fashion test and quizzes to evaluate a students progress. I know working with young students we are constantly evaluating our students in a non traditional way. I am always taking observations to make sure they are developing appropriately or are doing the same things as their classmates. We make it into fun little games to see if they can stand on one leg (to make sure their motor skills are there) see if they can throw and catch a ball when you throw it at them. I personally would rather evaluate my students in a fun way rather then always sitting them down for a paper test. It is not really the same for teacher evaluations. I remember back in high school the principal would always pop into classes just for a few minutes to make sure the class is going smoothly and the teachers are doing the right thing.
      For my second concept I would like to talk about comes from the section "Portfolios and refection". This to me seems like it is your resume and kid of like this blog. You get to talk yourself up in the portfolios to sound good for your future employee. For the refection you get to talk about what went good in your classroom what worked and what didn't. This is a great way for a teacher to keep track of different activities they did with the students and how they went over so for the next year you have an idea of how it will go. You can also use reflections to go back and see what you can fix for next time and why it did not work this time. It is a good way to keep all your projects and crafts in order and on track. It also can help if you have a challenging student to write about and then come back to it after you have calmed down and think about how you can change the situation for next time or what you could have done differently.
      For my last concept I would like to talk about comes from the section " Involving Students in Learning and Assessments". I am a firm believer that students will be more likely to do their work if you give them to options of what they want to do. I will agree with this section a classroom works better as a democracy. If you allow the students to decide if they are ready to take a test then odds are when you take the test the scores will be higher. Also what I have notices while doing homework with some of the school aged students at my daycare for their spelling homework they are given a paper with several different options on how they would like to do their spelling. The only rule is they have to pick three of the options and have them done by Friday. When I talked to the teachers they said they had seen a increase in students doing their homework this way. I think when students feel like they are also in charge they are willing to work with you and do what you need. In my classroom we use conscious discipline. This is were you give the students choices if they want to do one thing or another thing. This way you are not disciplining them in the old fashion way, but still are with allowing them to pick what they want.

Resources:
 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Blog Post #H - Chapter 9
  
     For the first concept I would like to talk about it comes from the very beginning of this chapter, section "Lights, Camera, History". I think doing a project like this class did it great. It allows not only for the students to learn more about history, but it helps them to work on their writing skills, technology, and creative skills. Doing a group project like this allows the students to pick what they want to do their video about and when you allow them to decide what they want to do it on they are normally more willing to do and have more fun with it. This project allows for the students to think outside of the box with how they want to present their skit and what they want to include and how would they write and direct a short film. I would not personally do this project often, but I would definitely do a project like this one at least once a year for a very weighted grade.
     The second concept I would like to talk about is from the section " Comparing minimum and multimedia Classroom Technology". I believe that the example they used about the water cycle is very true. If you just show a picture with all the arrows going every which way it is hard to understand. If you are in a classroom that is digitally advanced I believe showing a motion picture video about how the water cycle works along with the picture handout for them to write on is the best way to teach them. It lets them see how the cycle works in real motion instead of just the picture. This can also help teach different learners, before we had technology it was hard to teach to different learners. Now that we have this classrooms with interactive whiteboards and access to computers all the time it is easier to accommodate each student. This would have been very helpful when I was in school, because I learn better by seeing and being hands on.
     The third concept I would like to talk about comes from the section "Tech Tools 9.1 Digital Projects and Document Cameras." In high school this was our bestfriend when we had to present projects. It was so easy to switch between showing your presentation to showing the class an enlarged picture of something you brought in. This can be very helpful to teachers, by keeping the students engaged and paying attention. They can use the document camera when they are doing a class discussion and the teacher can write down exactly what the students say. It can also help with if the teacher brings something in that is small to show the class they can put it underneath the camera and enlarge it for everyone to see.
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Resources:

 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park

      (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson 

      Education, Inc.

Digital Blog Post #G - Chapter 10
             Our question is what is reflective writing? In my own opinion I believe reflective writing is when you read something and instead of summarizing it or taking notes. You think about what you have read and think about how it can relate back to you in some way. It makes you think critically and out of the box.
             I think reflective writing is more beneficial than summarizing or note taking. When you reflect you are able to connect it to what is going on in your life helping you remember what you read better. I use to use reflective writing in a lot of my classes like this one for example. When I read the chapter I think about how I can use the new technology in my class I currently have or in future classes. It is a good way to think about what you have done in class and how you can improve it with technology.
             The first concept I want to talk about is at the very beginning. When Dan has a dilemma, it is one that every teacher faces. How do we make our classroom so every child has a chance to learn without leaving one learning style behind? I face this issue everyday in my own classroom. Every single student you have is different and learn differently. This is something I struggle with to figure out. I think the best way for a teacher to accomplish teaching every student to their learning way is finding out which way they learn. Then splitting them into groups where they can work with other students who learn the same way as them.
             The next concept I would like to talk about is from the section "Multicultural Education in the 21st Century Schools". This section is basically talking about how when we teach a lesson we need to relate it back to different cultures. Even though schools have dedicated months to different cultures they need to talk about them more than just then. I remember back in high school my history teacher would take every opportunity he could to talk about what was going around in the world at that time period with different race. It is good for students to learn about their different traditions and what they have gone through.
            The third concept I would like to talk about comes from the section "Creating Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Instruction". It talks about how students remember things the best by when they can relate the things back to them. I remember back in high school I used to always complain about vocabulary words and how we had to put them into sentences we would remember. Still to this day I remember sentences he wanted us to write and the vocabulary words and each meant, because he allowed us to connect it to whatever we wanted. I think when teachers do this it helps to allow the students to relate it back to what they want and care about.

https://flipquiz.me/u/g-jamiexoxo/reflective-writing

Resources:

 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park

      (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson 

      Education, Inc.

Digital Blog post #D- Chapter 5

The first concept I want to talk about really bothers me, it comes from the section “e-Books and e-Readers”. I strongly feel that in this aspect the technology we have is ruining the fun of reading a book. The statistics are clearly stated that the percent of students not even picking up a book has increased. I feel like picking up a book at the end of a night is one of the most relaxing things to do. For young children it is better for them to have a hard book so they can actually turn the page look at the pictures more closely than if they were using an e-Book. Yes there are some beneficial sides to using an e-Book if it is hard to find that book in stores or a library, but otherwise reduce the amount of screen time a young child will have in anyways you can. I know growing up we always had the option to use e-Books for our textbooks, but I would always opt out and use the old fashion textbook, because I had learned better that way. I feel like if they made all students use e-Books it would not benefit the students who learn better from the textbook.

The second topic I would like to discuss comes from “Becoming Fluent with Technology”. I do agree that students learn better by doing hands on rather than learning it from a book. In high school I was put into a lever 2 T.V production class. I had never been in one before or knew how to work anything in the studio. By the time I graduated high school I was the best anchor they had and knew how to run everything in the studio. In some things students would rather do trial and error to figure things out rather than go by a manual. When you do trial and error you also find knew things on your electronic to do, which you normally wouldn’t find by going by the book. It also is more interesting to students when they can figure it out by themselves.

The third topic I would like to talk about is in the section “Electronic Note-Taking”. When I did classroom observations all the students had these computers called cromebooks. They were laptops the schools gave to the students for homework, classwork, projects, and note taking. I think in the day in age we live in that students can type up notes faster and use short hand, then later go back and retype their notes the correct way. Most students spend more time on their electronics then they do actually writing so they are faster at it. This could also help minimize the teachers issues of not being able to read the students handwriting. This also allows for the teachers to keep tract of the students notes and when assignments are due. It shows how many are turned in before the deadline and if students come into class and that number rises the teacher knows they are late.

Resources:

 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park

      (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson 

      Education, Inc.

 GoogleForEducation. "Chromebooks for Educators." Youtube. Google, 16 May 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 

      2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSbZQNJwPuI>.

  Digital Blog post #B- Chapter 2

     The first concept I would like to talk about is digital dialog 2.1. I feel like in today’s classroom the mobile computer lab is used way more than I ever got to use it in high school. Yes there are lots of benefits to using it. The students tend to stay more focused and do their work with them instead of using textbooks. On the other hand it is good for teachers to put the mobile labs away and do things the old fashion way. I remember in high school when teachers would drawl pictures on the board to help us remember things would sometimes work better then learning the things from the computer would. Also we know these students are using lots of technology outside of school. So why spend all day at school doing the same thing. I believe that when they are at school they should be socializing during the lesson (when it is appropriate) instead of having their face in a laptop. I think teachers should limit how many times they bring the mobile lab in down to once a week or every other week. Now with the being said I think how many times you bring it in should depend on how old the children are.

   The second concept I would like to talk about is What Motivates You to Use or to Consider Using Technologies in Teaching? When I was reading this section I thought about my time in high school. The gap between junior and senior year is the time I saw the most drop outs. I do agree with the textbook that it is because students get bored. At this time they just want to be done with high school and out in the real world. I think if teachers kept it interesting and involved their favorite thing technology into their class the students would be less likely to drop out. I remember even being a senior and getting excited when my teachers would tell us to meet them in the computer lab. Not much should change from when I was in high school to when I will be teaching. Teachers could also use these computer privileges as a token economy. If they used this as incentives if they come to class or do certain assignments they will get x amount of computer privileges.

   The third concept that really hit me was the digital divide. It makes sense that low income families do not have access to technology that is need for school. When you are actually in high school and assigned a group project you do not think about if your other group members have access to the technology they need. It is not always easy for these students to get to a library to work on these project or if they can the library many not have the most updated software they need. There is also not enough time in the day for the students to do it at school, because when I was in high school we were not allowed in the library on lunch. Then we had no other time during the day to go because we were in other core classes that mattered. I think a great way to solve this problem is if the teacher was able to plan for a day or two for the class to have the mobile lab or go to the computer lab so these students can work on their projects without feeling awkward for not being able to do the project for lack of technology at home. Most high schoolers do not like to admit the fact they do not have access to the technology they need and teachers know that so if it was possible to help these students out as much as they can without their classmates knowing.

 Resources:

 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park 

      (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson  

      Education, Inc.

Norris, Brenda. Quotes Gram. Quotesgram, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2016.

This Is How to Help Students Combat the Digital Divide. Dir. David Nazar. Youtube. 

      DavidNazarNews, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 9 Sept. 2016.