Game Play is Important for Learning

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This article is about a middle school in North Carolina who started a remedial math program called virtual math for 6th through 8th grade students. Students could volunteer for this course if they did not score very high on the state math proficiency test. This class uses a game called DimensionM, which is highly interactive. The player assumes the role of a college students who lands on an island and has to use math to get through all of the levels. The games uses both pre-algebra and algebra skills and concepts. After each mission the students take a quiz, which has been integrated into the story line of the game After taking a quiz they get mission scores and are rewarded with a gold, silver, or bronze medal. To asses the the results of the students,  before they started the practice mission they took a pretest on the concepts that were going to be in the first part of the game. After they completed the practice round they then took a posttest which shoed significant improvement. As the class went on the students began to make big improvements, some even passing the students in the normal math classes. It helped the lower performing math students feel more confident and upbeat about math.

As a future educator I think that this program could really help students who are struggling with math. I myself struggled with math and I think that if we did a program like this then it might have helped me learn the concepts easier. I think that if a program can help students catch up, or learn a different way, can really help students to feel more confident on the classroom and feel like they are achieving things instead of feeling helpless of dumb. Students need to be given the opportunity to learn things other ways since there are multiple different learning styles, teachers need to be able to work with each one and give everyone an equal opportunity to learn the different topics.

I looked through the ISTE standards and I am not sure which one fits with this topic. It might fit with standard number 3 for students. Standard 3 says evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

Gillispie, L., Parker, M., & Martin, F. (2010). Game Play is Important for Learning. Learning & Leading with Technology. 38(1), 28-30

Global Collaboration for Elementary Students

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The article Global Collaboration for Elementary Students, talked about a technology teacher who lives in Hawaii, and has integrated many technology programs. Some of the programs she has used in her class are Skype, edmodo and making videos. To introduce Skype to the students she did a mystery session and the students had to ask the students in the video questions and try to figure out where they were from. This made the kids very excited and they learned geography as well. They eventually figured out that the students were from Maryland. They continued their geography lessons by using edmodo for groups of 8 students to continue to post things such as "all about me" power points. The teacher talked about how there was an immense amount of learning and it had a purpose. The students in Hawaii wanted to create the best work they could to share with the buddies in Maryland. It was successful because it started out as a choice for the students and what they could do.

As a future educator I hope to be able to incorporate and many different types of technology as possible. As I read in the article the kids was so excited to learn and they really strived to do their best. I want my future students to have the same excitement to learn as the kids in the article did. I think it would be really fun to do mystery Skype sessions and have the kids have fun learning about new places. As an educator it is my job to teach the children, and if I can get creative with technology I feel the students will really strive to learn and do their best.

This article is best represented by ISTE standard number 2 for students. This standard states that students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students can learn a lot from other students at other schools around the world. Using new technology in classrooms like Skype can make the class more fun and interactive.

Richardson, C. (2012) Global Collaboration for Elementary Students. Learning & Leading with Technology, 40(1), 30-32

QR Codes in the Literature Classroom

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The teacher in this article teaches 12th grade British Literature classes. The students had just started reading a challenging book called The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, which can be challenging to understand all of the abstract ideas in the book. As the teacher was rereading the book she came up with an idea to use QR codes for a project which would connect the students to the story in a creative way. She then discussed the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality, the latter being a way to enhance our reality with technology. She goes on to describe QR codes as simple technology but effective. The students used QR codes to put their sources onto the way they they decorated, which in turn had to do with the book they were reading by C.S. Lewis. After all the students had added their codes to the wall the teacher was then able to take out her smartphone and test them. She would scan a code and be able to see the students sources and more background information about their topic. She really enjoyed doing this project because it wasn't just a boring poster project, but a fun interactive one that really helped the students to learn. 

As a future educator I think QR codes can be a great tool to use in the classroom. Unfortunately not everyone has a smartphone, especially the level of children that I want to teach, so this technique might be better used in a high school. It is great to be able to simply scan a code and find their source and more information, it makes learning more fun and exciting. If you always do things the same old boring way, students won't want to try, but give then technology and they will run with it.

The ISTE standards that are demonstrated in this article were standard number 6- understand and use technology systems and transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. Standard number 3 is also a good one which states that they locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources. They also followed standard number 2 which is about communication and collaboration. 

Source: Walden, H. (November 2011). QR Codes in the Literature Classroom. Learning & Leading With Technology, 39(3), 30-31. Retrieved from http://iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading.aspx

Social Media in the Math Classroom

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This article was very informative because it gave great real life examples of how technology can be incorporated into a math class. One of the ways the teacher included the two were using data visualizations. The students happened to be discussing the concept of area in class so the teacher took a map of Australia, and showed the extent of the 2012 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and how much space it would take up in their country. The students were both amazed and shocked at this. This made the students engage in deeper conversations and understanding of what area really means. It also showed the students that math is everywhere in the real world. The students were also given a project of using Google Earth to find the area of their homes. After finding their answers they posted their thoughts and ideas to the class page and had the ability to see other students work as well. 

As a future teacher I think this would be a wonderful way to incorporate the real world into math, especially with other students in middle and high schools. As a student I struggled with math and something like the projects mentioned above would have been really beneficial. This is a great way to get many different learning styles involved in learning a topic such as area. Google Earth will definitely be a tool I will use as a teacher in my classroom to make lessons more exciting and to get all learning styles engaged. 

I think that the ISTE standards they work well with this article are number 1which is creativity and innovation, number 2 which is communication and collaboration and number 6 which discusses technology operations and concepts. The students apply their existing knowledge of area to generate new ideas through the use of different programs such as google earth. This also shows their understanding and use of this technology system. 

Source: Casey, G. (November 2012) Social Media in the Math Classroom. Learning & Leading With Technology, 40(3), 36-37. Retrieved from http://iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading.aspx

Tech Integration in Social Studies

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Technology in classrooms is often a supplement to a lesson and not fully incorporated into the classroom. The article suggests that one way to integrate technology into the classroom is to focus on instructional planning. To match technology with how teachers plan instead of planning around technology. Some of the learning activity types focus on helping students build their knowledge of social studies content, concepts, and processes. There are activities in which students listen to audio files or engage in different simulations, they can also create a timeline, or even complete a review activity. There are many other activities such as creating a diary or even drawing a cartoon.

As a future teacher, I think some of these ideas would be great tools in the classroom to get kids excited about a lesson. I think mixing things up and not always doing the same things every day will keep the kids willing and excited to learn new things. I think that if you allow a child to be creative while learning, it helps them retain it better then just simply reading out of a book. Reading is important too, but it shouldn't be the only way to hear a story. 

I think this fits with the ISTE standard number 1, which describes applying existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products or processes. Also to create original works as a means of personal or group expression. Using models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues also fits nicely which is part of standard 1. 

Source: Hofer, M. & Harris, J. (Sept./Oct. 2009). Tech Integration in Social Studies. Learning & Leading With Technology, 37(2), 26-28.  Retrieved from http://iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading.aspx

Grounded Technology Integration: Physical Education

In today's classroom, all teachers are expected to be able to incorporate technology into their classroom. Technology can be a big benefit in helping children learn concepts in a fun an exciting way. The article recommended  matching technology integration strategies to how teachers plan, rather than asking them to design instruction around a particular tech- nological tool. There are many learning activity types (LATS), they have identified 56 different types. They also give lists of each one with different technologies to connect to each LAT. 

As a future teacher I am not sure I will be teaching Physical Education, but if I do have to, this is a great resource to use. K12IRC.org is a great tool with many different tools to help you plan great physical fitness lessons. 

This connects to ITSE standard number 1 which states that Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.  They apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

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Source: Juniu, S. & Harris, J. & Hofer, M. (Sept./Oct 2012). Grounded Technology Integration: Physical Education. Learning & Leading With Technology, 40(2), 35-36.  Retrieved from http://iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading.aspx

The Internet: How will you use it effectively?

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I will use Google and the advanced setting tool when searching for information. I will use techniques such as quotation marks and the boolean phrases to narrow my searches. I will also narrow down the type of website I look for such as .com, .org, and .edu.

To evaluate the credibility of a site I would first look at who published it and what their profession is. I would ask myself: Is this person an expert on this subject? Are they a teacher? etc. Then I would look to see what the type of media it is,whether it is a blog or a webpage. I would make sure that the information is up to date and if possible that it is peer reviewed, depending on the topic.

I wonder if trying to teach this in the elementary classroom is too much for them to handle at this age or not.