Lesson Plan 1 Plant Growth

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Lesson Plan 1 Plant Growth

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Going Beyond the Basics of Technology

Constructing the lesson plan with the implementation of multimedia was a little difficult in the beginning. First, I have to be knowledgeable in the tools that I am introducing, then have the ability to solve some technical concerns that may arise, and ensure that the lesson is achievable for students. Being that today’s society is on a technological pace, I, as a future educator need to be in sync with this technological time. With my multimedia lesson which concentrates on the content area of Social Studies titled “People and their Professions in the Community”, reflect the NETS*T (National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teacher) standards #3 (http://www.itse.org/) and it is stated as follows:

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a. demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations

b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation

c. communicates relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats

d. model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

In my multimedia lesson plan, students will be able to use digital tools in a way that is conducive and productive to their learning other than using the tools in leisure and socialistic way. The students will get to know their community better by conducting an interview of a person with a profession and hopefully this will have students to gain more insight and start thinking about their future. Overall, I believe that I have gained some competency in the use of technology tools involving multimedia.

Technology indeed has changed the ways of communication. It has become a part of life and learning for both teachers, students, and other people in society. As technology continues to change society, it also changes the goals of learning. Teachers need to be technological literate. However, the challenge will be keeping up with the rapid evolution of technology in order to maintain technology literacy. (Morrison, 2009, p.423)

References:

The ISTE National Education Technology Standards (NETS*T) and Performance Indicators
for Teachers. (2008). Retrieved November 23, 2009, from the ISTE:
Official Site Web site: http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers
/2008Standards/NETSTStandardsFinal.pdf

Morrison, George S. (2009). Chapter 12: Technology, Teaching, and Learning. Teaching in America 5^th Edition (p. 423). New Jersey: Pearson.

Lesson Plan 2 - Using Multimedia

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Lesson Plan 2 - Using Multimedia

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Technology Tools Assessment

I am among those who fall in the generation of witnessing an evolution in technology. From cassette tapes and vinyl discs to compact discs, Walkmans to Mp3 players and IPods, library research to Internet research. Almost anything can be done in the power of the fingertips! Since I have decided to return to school to pursue a degree in Elementary Education, I have been exposed to new tools. The following is an assessment of 8 tools that I have been introduced and their ratings:

1.) Tool: MOODLE
Rating: 4 out of 5
MOODLE is a course management system that teachers can use to let students know about
upcoming assignments on a weekly basis. The additional tools that Moodle have are chats, forums, knowing the participants either by groups or as a whole class. This reinforces the concept of going "green" due to the absence use of paper. Moodle is very easy to navigate and icons indicate what type of work is due. However, I was dissatisfied with the chat; I found it difficult for me to communicate with my group mates, because I constantly had to refresh the page.

2.) Tool: Delicious List (http://delicious.com/)
Rating: 5 out of 5
I really like this tool! It is a bookmarking website where I can save my favorite links without having to save it on my personal computer. Users can subscribe to other users and see their bookmarks. It can be personalized by arranging the list into categories and this allows it to be more practical when the account is revisited.

3.) Tool: Firefox browser (www.mozilla.com/firefox)

Rating: 5 out of 5

This browser is easy to use and it is faster. You can control the web pages by zooming in and out especially if the fonts are tiny and images are not big enough to see. It’s easy to bookmark a page by just clicking on the star icon, and there are lots of short cuts to save on navigation time.

4.) Tool: Google Suite Applications (http://www.google.com/apps/)

(Google Docs, Blog,)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Google Suite Apps has a lot to offer aside from email (Gmail). Just create an email account and one can have full access of the tools that Google has to offer such as Google Docs where teachers instantly create a quiz without having to design a format. All that is needed is to fill in the necessary questions and it is ready to print, or save and access the quiz later. Another tool that is useful is having immediate access to a blog. The Blog is also useful for journal writing and sharing ideas with other users who have the same interests. The entries can be saved as a draft and published later when ready. However, enhancing tools of the Blog are very limited such as fonts; there is difficulty in formatting the texts. The preview format may not look the same after the entries have been finally published. There is always a need to edit and reedit.

5.) Tool: Online Storage (www.mediafire.com)

Rating: 5 out of 5

This is another useful tool where I can upload and store my important documents. It was easy to register and most of all it is free. This can be used as a back up storage in the event documents could not be retrieved from personal computer and flash drives get lost. It’s very simple and not complicated; most of all Mediafire also helps free some memory space from my computer.

6.) Tool: Jing Project (http://www.jingproject.com/)

Rating: 5 out 5

The software was easy and fast to download. I liked the fact that I can crop my pictures repeatedly and still be able to keep the original format. The icon is conveniently located always on the screen so the icon is accessible every time and can instantly capture images on any part of the screen or website. Captions and texts can be inserted onto the image, and instantly save and link it through email.

7.) Tool: Picnik (http://www.picnik.com/)

Rating: 2 out of 3

Picnik is a website that photos can be edited online. Photos that are stored in other websites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Photobucket can easily be accessed and edited. Picnik offers a lot of effects that can enhance pictures; however it is very limited to the user. To use the “better” effects, the account needs to be upgraded to premium for a monthly fee.

8.) Tool: Prezi (http://prezi.com/)

Rating 4 out of 5

Prezi is another way of using power point without having to use slides. The information of the presentation is enhanced by zooming capabilities which captures the audience’s attention. Prezi allows the user to see an overall view all in one screen versus a basic installed power point in a computer whereas to see the overview, the user has to view the slides one by one by clicking on “slideshow” and literally keep pressing the “enter” button. The tutorials are very helpful and it is easy to follow but the background design choices are limited due to language support.

Enabling Dreams

After viewing the video of Edutopia's Enabling Dreams (http://www.edutopia.org), I have learned that anything is possible for students with disabilities with the aid of assistive technology. By adapting to their specific needs, students are able to learn, communicate, interact, and contribute in their own way.

As a future educator, I need to take into consideration that there will always be at least one student with a disability who will be included in a typical classroom and will be needing assistance in their learning. Changes in a lesson plan should be carefully considered and modified to ensure the learning is conducive to all students and by observing what the student with disability is able to do.

Observing how the student is able to work in groups, how the student is able to work alone, move around, write, read, listen, and see are some factors to bear in mind. For example, if the lesson is a discussion and requires oral participation by raising hands to answer, the student might use a buzzer as a indication that the student would like to answer the question.

The video has encouraged me to think differently about assistive technology by providing me awareness that there are solutions for students with disabilities. In cases when parents lose hope in their children, teachers can provide support by working with them, and find ways to make the student's learning more achievable.

Battling with ideas

Creating a lesson plan and integrating it with technology use was difficult for me. It was mind-bursting! However, thanks to the NETS*S standards I had some direction.
The NETS*T standards that I used to help me formulate my lesson plan with the use of technology are (http://www.iste.org/):

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources
to promote student learning and creativity.

c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.


d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

These standards apply towards my lesson plan because the students will be able to use and explore the computer system using a software. The students will gain experience and some knowledge that a computer has other uses besides accessing the Internet.

As I continue to think about ideas for my lesson plan, I have learned to always bear in mind the different types of learners in the classroom, especially for students with disabilities. Accommodating all types of learners will be challenging, but one of my goals are for students to participate in a lesson that requires a lot of interaction. This will help in the development of student's social skills. Because students who are well developed personally and socially achieve higher and enjoy school more than their less well-developed peers. (Eggen & Kauchak, 2007, p. 65)

Since I am fairly new to the world of technology, I used an unfamiliar search engine tool called Ujiko to optimized my search for the NETS*T standards for teachers and gain some ideas for my lesson plan as well as using my bookmarks from my delicious list. However, I would like to be less dependent on the Internet. I wanted the idea to come from my thinking. So I used another useful tool to help me list my ideas without having to use paper. It is called mind mapping which can be accessed through http://bubble.us. In the end I was able to create a lesson plan in which I labeled as "Plant Growth: Using Distilled, Mineral, and Purified water".

Going through the process of creating this lesson plan was challenging. Sometimes I would doubt myself, my thinking capabilities, and my sense of judgement. I had anxieties and excitements in making sure the use of the digital spreadsheet was workable for the students. I hope my lesson plan will serve its purpose. If it doesn't, then modifications need to be made. After all, there is always room for improvement.




References:

The ISTE National Education Technology Standards (NETS*T) and Performance Indicators
for Teachers. (2008). Retrieved September 18, 2009, from the ISTE:
Official Site Web site: http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers
/2008Standards/NETSTStandardsFinal.pdf


Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2007). Chapter 3: Personal, Social, and Emotional
Development. In Educational Psychology, Windows on Classroom
7th Edition (p. 65). New Jersey: Pearson.