Sophia EME2040 Class Blog

So far in my edtech Twitter journey, I have found it interesting and rewarding. At the start, I was unsure of how it would work and the appropriateness of an educational Twitter; however, I now feel that this form of communication with other teachers is revolutionary and extremely useful. I have been following several teacher-based accounts, but my favorite one is the “EdTech K-12 Magazine”. This account posts everything from interactive quizzes about technology to interesting articles that note innovative classroom technology. One article that really caught my attention was about how teachers can make an immersive lesson using virtual reality, something I never would have thought about. I feel like this really shows its value to educators and my future career, sharing these unique ideas with the educational community so we can all move forward and progress as a unit. I might never have thought of using educational technology this way, and often times they tell you how to reach your t...

For this assignment, I chose to evaluate the ELA technology standards for 2nd grade, specifically the lesson plan from the CPALMS resource at this website  http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/41535  . I felt like this was a very thorough, but a little too rigid in its expectations of the students in the given amount of time. I also, think that the way to start the lesson, with the star and starless students, is a little too serious and negative for the young students. If I was implementing this lesson plan into my classroom, I would likely omit that introductory piece and add a group discussion about emotions of Seuss' "Sneetches"  instead, to make it a more inclusive activity. In terms of the technology elements, I think it would be better to have both a visual and audio recording of the students presentation of the book, instead of just an audio recording. I believe that having both recordings will allow students  to see the product of...

After reviewing the current ELA technology standard, I am rather surprised at how much I feel like I can already meet with my current skills. Specifically, I feel as though I am able to successfully meet the standards outlined in the “Producing” tech standards. I have already made many presentations that incorporate multimedia throughout my educational career, so I believe that my abilities to add graphics, figures, recordings, and images to enhance a presentation will easily meet the standards. Also, I have always been able to update my work to keep its quality and accessibility, so meeting that standard is second-hand for me. On the contrary, there were some standards that are going to require me to learn new skills and practices. One such standard requires me to explain how the structure of the technology adds to its overall effect. I don’t think that I can currently meet this standard because I am unsure how to use and locate some common elements of text structure, like sidebars. ...

As a student, I have used MS Word very frequently throughout my academic career. I utilized this application for everything from writing a paper to taking notes for class. Even now, I am using MS Word to create this post and to check my grammar and spelling, before posting it on the blog. In my experience, educators have used this application to create assignments, present notes, and formulate tests. I have also seen several teachers use Word to create graphics that they use for other projects and formulate graphs for easy presentation of data.             Understanding copyright and fair use regulations are essential in the classroom, as teachers and students alike often find themselves pulling from various sources in the creation of the materials used. Personally, my teachers have taught me the basic of these principals through lessons targeting it and through demonstration in their own work. For example, it was an expectatio...

The following link is to my corresponding education technology Twitter. If you are interested in keeping up with my experiences in education technology and my growing knowledge about it, feel free to check it out. https://twitter.com/sophia_eme_2040 

Teachers are heavily influenced to use technology in the classroom, because of state standards that require them to remain proficient in their ability to utilize technology within the classroom. The large budget for technology in education has led to the implementation of requirements for teachers to have basic knowledge of technology in order to receive job necessities, including certification and licensing and contract renewal. They are also encouraged to use technology in the classroom to aid in daily activities, such as taking attendance, keeping a grade book, and developing a calendar. Additionally, technology often improves the quality of how content is presented, thus resulting in a higher number of students understanding and engaging with the material. As for students, they are influenced to use technology in the classroom to help individualize their learning. The varying ways that different students learn can cause difficulty in adapting to all styles; however, technology all...