Week 3 Current Event "Technology for Different Learning Styles"

For Group 2 "The Greenfoots"

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/02/02/technology-empowers-differentiated-instruction/

     Here is an article about technology being used based upon the knowledge level of the students in the classroom.  According to the article this type of learning would be called "differentiated instruction".  Teachers have agreed that this learning environment is more engaging for the students, sparks their curiosity, and encourages them to become more actively involved with their own learning. Technology in differentiated instruction requires the teachers to first pre-assess their students through surveys, interviews, etc. and that leaves the students the freedom to choose their type of learning.  It had proven that differentiate instruction that offers multiple paths of learning satisfy the students' readiness level, interests, and learning profiles.
     One method the article suggested about choosing learning styles was through the tic-tac-toe board which consist of activities the students can choose from. As a result that gives the teacher options of teaching strategies upon the students' interests.  One example would be for the students to 'I-Search' to learn about earth explorers. Another technology tool would be WebQuests in which the students can work in groups to solve one single math problems posting up possible answers. The students then also learn about different subject areas. This article is a very good resource for teachers who definitely want to use technology for different learning styles.

Week 1

Hi everyone my name is Vanessa Goze.                                   

Favorite Technology

My favorite technology gadget that I have used so far is the Macbook Pro.  I really like this piece of technology because first of all I liked the size of it.  It was very easy to carry around and so light to take when I travel from home to school and back.  The Macbook Pro also had great speakers and the picture when playing videos on youtube came out very clear.  I also liked how the keyboard letters light up when the environment was dark around you.  That made it way easier to type when it was dark.  The speed of the Macbook was also very decent, there was never any problem where the system slowed down, was buffering, or was freezing a lot.  The Macbook Pro can also sustain long hours of battery usage even without it being plugged into the wall.

Working in Groups

Since we will be put into groups to work I would have to say my learning style is quite a mixture.  I am both a visual and auditory learner.  I like to see how a certain type of work should be done and hear how the instructions.  I do not mind however to read out the lesson and learning in that sense.  Most of all I would prefer visual and auditory learning.  I am not quite the techie person, but one thing that I can contribute to an online group is that I know how to make power point slides on Microsoft Office and make movie videos on Movie maker.  I am also capable of attaching documents onto email and Laulima.  I am open to learning new ways of using technology.

Here is a video that I thought intertwined education with technology...

One thing I liked about this video was that it clearly explained top 10 reasons why teachers today should use technology in the classroom.  It also shared the different types of technology that teachers can use in the classroom such as the My touch, Smart board, or the Amplivox.  That Amplivox is actually something I did not know about until I watched this video.  It is a piece of technology that teachers can use to catch the students attention a lot better with a better sound system from the front of class.  The video explains how technology makes it a lot easier for teachers and engages the students learning.

My Google Username is: VGoze689