Monday, September 29, 2014

Turnitin

I really enjoyed this assignment!  The first portion of the assignment was meant for showing us how the software works.  We copied and pasted materials to the document and saw how much it was similar to the original.  The main point of the assignment was to express how plagiarism can be caught with software such as Turnitin.  Plagiarism can cause a student to fail an assignment.  The second part of the assignment was to paraphrase the document into our own words and submit the work if it was less than 25% similar.  I think it was great exercise to show how easy it is to plagiarize without even knowing it.

Web Tools

I was not very fond of the software when I first started to create my concept map.  I guess it just took time to understand everything.  I think I will try to incorporate Kidspiration into my classroom because I think children would enjoy using it.  A child could create endless amounts of beneficial learning material.

The crossword puzzle had to be my favorite of the bunch.  I thoroughly enjoyed making one out of one of my favorite subjects: Anatomy.


Of course, I would not want to give this to first graders! Regardless, this would be fun for my friends who are also big fans of anatomy and physiology. 

Now, the Quiznet website is a phenomenal tool.  I could make great note cards and even test myself with a basic test format one would be familiar with in college.  It does all of the hard work for you.  It has definitely helped me out in my other classes to say the least. 







Monday, September 22, 2014

ISTE Standards

This section was a little difficult to understand , but I have a better understanding now. I used iste.org/standards


ISTE Standards: International Society for Technology in Education


Teachers: driven teachers strive to model and implement ISTE Standards for students while they assess, design, and implement experiences to engage students and aid in successful learning; provide positive models for each student, colleague, and community; and enrich professional practice.  All teachers should meet each of the standards listed below.

Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity:  Teachers utilize their knowledge of technology, teaching and learning, and subject matter to facilitate experiences that improve student learning, innovation, and creativity in both visual and face-to-face environments.
-Support, promote, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness
-Encourage students to explore real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.
-Support student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, creative processes, and thinking.
-Model collaborative knowledge construction by being involved in learning with colleagues, students, and others in virtual and face-to-face environments.

Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments:


-Create or adapt relevant learning experiences that include digital tools and resources to encourage student creativity and learning.
-Develop technology-filled learning environments that allow all students to pursue their individual goals and become involved in setting their own educational goals, assessing their own progress, and managing their own learning.
-Provide students with many formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards, and use resulting data to inform teaching and learning.
-Customize and personalize learning activities to aid in students' diverse learning styles, abilities, sand and working strategies using digital tools and resources.


Model digital age work and learning:


Teachers have knowledge, work processes, and skills representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital world.
-Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of knowledge to new technologies and systems.
-Collaborate with students, peers, and parents using many digital age media and formats.
-Facilitate and model effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, use, and evaluate information resources to support research and learning.


Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility:


Teachers exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices because they understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture.
-Model, advocate, and teach legal, safe, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, the appropriate documentation of resources, and intellectual property.
-Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
-Model and encourage digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.
-Create and model cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with colleagues and students of other cultures using digital age communication and collaboration tools.


Engage in professional growth and leadership:


Teachers always improve their professional practice, exhibit leadership, and model lifelong learning in their school and community.
-Participate in local and global learning communities to learn more about creative applications of technology to improve student learning.
-Show leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.
-Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice to make use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.
-Contribute to the vitality, effectiveness, and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Concept Mapping

The first time we worked on our concept maps I was having a difficult time. I did not quite understand, but the more we discussed the topic I think I have a better grasp on everything. I actually changed my topic that I began working on, so I have more work ahead of me. I like the software we use to create the concept maps. Most of my plans are already done. I just have to incorporate everything to make it tie in with each other. My topic is the five senses and I am so excited because there is a lot of information to be used. I will post a picture of my concept map whenever I finish.


***Note:  Since you actually need the program to see the actual concept map, all I could do was post a picture: