Task 3-1 Reflection

1.       What roles did the members of your team have this week?

Natalie was our task leader for assignment 1 this week. She did a very good job on starting us off with the newsletter template and emailing it to all of us in time.  In addition Natalie and I had answered the question on how to address to parents that Problem-Based Learning was beneficial to their children.  Then Jasmin and Aaron contributed to answering the second question which was to identify the possible concerns students might have about Problem-Based Learning.

2.       Given your role in the group this week, how did you contribute to group?

For my role I contributed by answering the first question, which was to inform parents the benefits of Problem-Based Learning for their students.  I got most of my information from this site: http://ed.fnal.gov/trc_new/tutorial/pbl.html and found it very useful.  I typed up a paragraph of the information that I researched.  I chose this question to answer because I really wanted to learn what Problem-Based Learning was and why it is important to know.

3.       What worked well this week?

On this weeks’ assignment task I believe what worked well was that the tasks were evenly divided and there was a lot of input we came up with.  The communication was open, student friendly, and professional.  The newsletter turned out organized and informative.  We also completed the assignment on time.

4.       What will you do differently next time?

Next time I would want to explain more in depth of the information I research besides just restating it my own words on the document.  I would also ask questions if I was confused with any ideas or topics.  I would also check my email or forums more frequently that way I can keep updated with my group members with questions or information they want to share. All in all the Greenfoots is doing a great job being a team! Yes Teamwork!! :)

Task 2 Debrief Web 2.0 Tool

Edmondo.com

Having completed this review of a web 2.0 tool would you use this tool in your classroom?

I would definitely use this tool in my classroom because it could be quite a convenient way to keep communication open with parents, students, and fellow co-workers.  Besides having the typical facebook or twitter, Edmondo is a great substitution where school-environment connections can be kept professional and more focused on school-related concerns. 

Prior to this activity, how did you typically select website or tools to use?

Before this activity I had no sense on how to organize resources and make connections on a professional level.  I usually would just bookmark whatever webpage I thought would be useful in the future and have it stored into my internet files, which somewhat overloaded my computer.  I think having all this knowledge of different internet tools and education resources would help me a lot in my future classroom.

Do you have any ideas, comments or feedback on improving the web 2.0 tool selection process?

The way how I selected this web 2.0 Tool was just by testing it out and making an example out of it.  My first choice was Globalscholar.com, but when I came to Edmondo.com I found it more user-friendly and easier to work with. 

Task 1 Deliverable

Prior to this activity did you use any of these software tools?  If so which ones.

I had not used any of these software tools before.  I find it very effective to have knowledge to use these tools now because it helps me to organize resources that are useful and important to my life. 

Do you plan to continue managing the news resources that you have gathered in your personal learning network?

Yes I do plan on to continue managing news resources through these tools.  Before learning about these tools I had no way to keep track of different resources that I found important.  All I was doing was keeping them on the Bookmark tool on the side of my tab bars.  Having knowledge of these tools is a way that I can keep information stored somewhere else aside from hoarding all that information in my computer. 

Do you think that a refined personal learning network would be valuable to a new teacher?

Yes I believe that a refined personal learning network is valuable to a new teacher because it is like having a backbone to all these different educational resources.  A personal learning network opens doors to important current events that are relatable to the teacher-classroom environment.  It is also a great way for the new teacher to keep new information organized and filed based upon what improvements the teacher could make to the classroom.

Share the web address url of your ScreenR presentation.

Diigo Tool

Week 8 Current Event "Edmodo Web 2.0 Tool"

Hey everyone! 
For the Greenfoots, Edmodo.com is the website, Web 2.0 Tool that was selected.  This website seemed like the best choice because the tool is user friendly and convenient.  The tool can be retrieved from various technology devices, such as an Ipad, Iphone, or a computer.  It is pretty much a site tool for teachers and students to communicate academic situations.  The teacher sets up a homepage of the classroom and can add students, who use the tool with parental supervision, to check student grades, awards, concerns, and notices. Students can be able to converse with other students as well, with the supervision of parents and teachers.  The website also has different apps for different learning styles for students.  It is a very interesting Web 2.0 Tool to use for teachers. 

http://www.edmodo.com/?language=en&auto_selected_lang=true&logout=true

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