Revision of EDLD 5366 Week 5

What I have learned from this class, Desktop Publishing? I have learned CRAP and how to animate it! Hopefully I have your attention by now. I knew nothing about desktop publishing. I knew nothing about animating, nor did I ever think that I could build a website. I truly cannot say this about all my classes, but I learned so much in this class. The layout of a page on a website is very important. CRAP helps me remember—Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity, when creating a webpage. (Barry John. You Tube Video.2007) Stykz was a neat and fun way to animate. I will love using this in my lessons and I think my students will be happy. With a generation of gaming students, utilizing multimedia is very much a necessity for any classroom. (Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)). Other animating websites are: Animation Desk, Animoto, among others. When I compare what I have learned with what I already knew, there is a huge difference. I knew nothing like it was a new foreign language. I feel that I can actually go into school and teach about animations from these websites. I totally feel comfortable placing these animations on any of my all-ready made presentations. Because I was learning I was hooked. I think I enjoyed learning and became so involved with the class that I wanted to spend all my time doing my assignment. I can see why it is very important to have a hook in your class. Learn as a Learner. How I learned as a learner helps me be a better teacher. Having resources already to complete the assignment helps us teach. I know the particular weak places of the assignment, that would need more attention by completing the assignment ahead of the students. I did Google to find more information. I used social media to help with my assignment. I used collaboration with my peers. So having gone through the process of learning, it helps me teach students how to learn. I loved doing my work as I learned how. Assessing my work was a snap. I thought I had learned and completed the assignments with confidence, and a sense of pride. I also felt that through the collaboration with my peers, I had performed at my utmost for each assignment. Lifelong Learning Skills I learned that Google does not have all the answers. I am a very visual learner. So I need you tube videos and other how to videos to learn. I can read and follow directions. I just prefer to have a video. So I am a visual learner. With knowing, this part of information, I always try to make sure I can see what is going on. I will observe my colleagues and see how they learn. This will help me when dealing with my colleagues. If they are visual like myself, then they would respond better to paper agendas for team meetings, as well as training. When looking at myself as a life- long learner, I still question how brains are mapped. I can research this online and find some great authors on how the brain works. As far as implementing the use of websites in the PK-12 classroom, first, I would use websites in the classroom as a way to practice mathematic skills. There are many websites that allow students to practice different skills in math such as fractions, multiplication and division facts. Many websites are aligned to Common Core standards by grade level and report to the teacher the student's progress and accuracy. There are many websites to choose from. Most have a free version so cost is not a problem. (Richard Byrne. Free Technology for Teachers. 2013) I feel students having the option of practicing math on the computer, is more engaging for students rather than a worksheet with a pencil. I currently use websites like Think through Math, IXL, and one more that I will remember the minute I walk into school tomorrow. These websites give me feedback on the amount of time the student worked, as well as the percent correct. Just as important to have feedback of a traditional nature, I believe it is just as important for students to work without grades. Yes, a game!! Websites like Sum Dog. Math Games, offer a variety of games for students to practice math skills without a grade being recorded. (Dan Meyer. CAMT. 2013) Assessments are required. Importing my quiz or test on the That Quiz website, allows students to take their quiz or test online. The grade is configured, recorded and sent to me via email. Talk about immediate feedback? Finally, student blogs will give me more insight to see if they truly understand processes, concepts, and big ideas of mathematics. If a student can write about what they learn, then they have learned. (Dewey, 2013). Websites like Socrates, Edublogs, and other social media sites, allow options for student blogging

Week 4- Website

sites.google.com/site/ENT5366

EDLD 5366-Week Three

EDLD 5366-Week Three-Animations

EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics and Web Design

Week One-
Digitized Ancient Manuscripts were very neat to see online.  I loved the color of each title which helped separate each category.  I also noticed the ornate pictures of single letters, ( the letter was the opening letter to the paragraph). 
Contrast was used with the design of the title and subtitle.   Contrast is used with the beginning of each paragraph and the ornate picture of the first letter.
Repetition is used by the same font, size, and shape of each paragraph.
Alignment is used as the author of the manuscript made precise placement each key point.
Proximity was used to separate elements.
I truly believe that the C.R.A.P. model was created during these manuscripts were created. 

EDLD 5363--Week 4 and 5--Part Two

General Information
Name(s)		Nicholas De Dios, Tawnia King, Nikki Preston, Emily Powell
Project title		Project Lead The Way
Purpose		Curriculum geared toward preparing students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This will be an introductory video explaining how “Project Lead The Way” uses courses such as Math and Science to develop critical thinking skills through a hands on approach.
Audience		K-12 Teachers and students.
Program length		120 seconds
Costumes		Casual attire
Sets		Science and technology section of museum
Props		Various engineering item that reinforce hands-on math and science skills
Locations		Perot Museum and/or classrooms

Week 4 and 5 --Pat One

Name(s)		Nicholas De Dios, Tawnia King, Nikki Preston, Emily Powell
Project title		Project Lead The Way
Purpose		Curriculum geared toward preparing students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This will be an introductory video explaining how “Project Lead The Way” uses courses such as Math and Science to develop critical thinking skills through a hands on approach.
Audience		K-12 Teachers and students.
Program length		120 seconds

EDLD 5363 Week 4 and 5 ---Video Complete

Here is a link to my groups video.  I really like this program and the tools that I have learned to help create this.  Enjoy! 

http://youtu.be/1_kxkwspDPs

EDLD 5363 --Web conferences

Most of the time I could not get into a conference.  The other part of time I couldn't keep up with when they were.  So I listened and read web conferences.  I feel these are soo, soo important as it keeps you connected with the class, assignments, as well as interaction with the professor.  If I had a question about anything, I can ask and these are the only times unless you email that you can ask someone.  I have made connections with other classmates outside of web conferences and that has helped immensely. 
The greatest importance is the communication.  Web conferences are vital to the success of students in any course.

EDLD 5363 Week Two

A busy week with learning podcasts, creating videos using Windows Live Movie Maker, and the Creative Commons.  Learned lots and have much more to learn.

EDLD 5363--Week One

My digital story of transforming a Texas math teacher. Utilizing 21st Century Skills and Project Based Learning a Texas math class is changed from instructor lead to student lead class. http://youtu.be/8179rCqcQmA Some reflections about this week's assignments: 1) Never start this class late--if you aren't enrolled by Friday before the class starts--drop it and start it next time around. 2) A LOT of material the first week. 3) If you think it is all going to work right the 10th time---rethink. 4) I am learning so much by trial and error, seeking other's advice, and loving it when it comes together. 5) I am looking forward to putting more videos together and possibly finding a better way for linking the audio with the video. Used Windows movie maker and I just remember my Apple days with I movie being much easier to construct.

District Technology

District Technology Plan by Tawnia_King

Week Five-Conference

Quite a bit of information!  The most important was the assignment is not due until midnight 4/1/2013!!!  The awesome Dr Borel had mercy on us with Easter Sunday and gave a grace day ---YEAH!

Week Five-

What a week! What a whirlwind of a course!  This week in the readings and the videos the point that really stuck in my brain is reforming the school environment.  Seriously, I have been thinking about this for the last year.  I am also involved in a collaborative through my Region Service Center called Transformational Teacher Cadre. Through that cadre, I have learned about project based learning activities, creating a universal design lesson plan, as well as 'thinking outside the box' teacher.  This weeks lesson is about the 'thinking outside the box' facilitator and teacher.

 From what I have learned, I feel that it is through the 'project' the moves the learners to the skills found in our textbooks.  Rather than the teacher teaching from the 'book', it is the teacher presenting the problem or situation for students to solve. As James Paul Gee stated in his video, Big Thinkers:  James Paul Gee on grading with games, '...scientists learn the language of science by doing science...'.  To put our students in the problem situation of a mathematician, will create an environment of learning mathematics.  I cannot wait to rework the entire curriculum for next year!!


Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video

Week Four-Web-Conference

This week's web conference was very informational about this week's lesson.  Seems like there was quite a bit of conversation about what was being asked in assignment.  Questions about the ebook were also being asked. Personally, I really think that we needed the week three web conference.  I had a ton of questions and just had the rubric to go on and did the best I could with the help of my two members of the group.

Week Four-Reflection of Readings, Videos, Activities

There are times in your personal and working life that you go  'AHA!'.  I reached that moment this week.  As I was reading the selections, listening to the videos, reflecting over past workshops I have been in this year, links began for me as a teacher, facilitator and for my future classroom redesign.  Collaborating in google docs has wheels turning in my head about how I can make this happen in my math classroom.  I just need some lap tops or IPADS yes, about 10, well for now the work stations will have to do.  Assigning partners to work with not in the class, not in the school, but somewhere in the state to work on an assigned math project. So onward I pursue to find such students in the world and what project would I have them do.  I truly believe my students will love this.

Implementing math in collaboration will take some creative lesson planning.  I mean after all, we do teach math computation as an individual skill development.  I can see teaching probability and statistics collaboratively much easier than area and perimeter.  Maybe looking through some project based learning activities will give me some ideas.  

Week Three Learned Tinkerings

Another great week in learning, I think.  I feel like I may be dense, because I had to keep reading over and over to get the hang of what was needed for the desired requirements.  I like the structure to the UDL lesson template.  It is all encompassing and really individualizes education for students.  Learning all the components of the lesson as well as understanding what each part does to complete and prepare for the next step in learning.
I learned about the six big goals of technology.  I knew of these because we have state standard for technology that we are to be teaching in our regular content area.  I really love the ISTE simple list of technology goals.
I also learned how to move my way through the CAST website to make a lesson and an Ebook.  I do not like all the words on this website.  I really wish it was a lot simpler looking.  I just was overwhelmed with the words everywhere.  Cannot wait for another week this week!
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/download.php?op=download&book=73960&down=13379

Week Three-Teaching with Technology

Welcome Week Three!!  Oh MyLanta!!  So many questions, so much to do and google docs is a pretty neat little device...I am excited about what all I have learned and am learning...there was no web conference, but we (my Group) did meet about three times this week.  I have quickly learned I am the novice and the colors at the top of a Google Document are very important.  One must not change colors because it matches the colors of the viewers.  No! No!  One must follow the colors at the top of the document.  We had a bit of a misunderstanding due to me not having the right color text.
I really like Google Docs and learning to work within the document.
With the lesson done, the ebook complete, trying to figure out how to share is the next task.  Had a great week.

Week Two Findings from Web Conf Call

First important item I learned is always run your internship plan through Dr. Boral!! I am a fast learner, I knew this in the first 5 minutes of the web conference where we spent 20 minutes or so on this topic.  Second thing was to keep it simple!!  Now I have applied this theory in many areas of my life --but have now understood one more use for this theory.
The last item of importance I learned was this week --the third and the fourth require a large amount of collaboration with my project team.  AND no web conference this week..thank you for reading.

Teaching with Technology Week Two

Wow!  Hit the road running!  With information hitting me left and right, I am starting to get a feel for the Project and links to the Universal Designs for Learning, and the Assessment in a Rubric form, as well as working with diverse learners.  Center for Applied Special Technology Web site where the UDL is housed along with a host of resources.  I am amazed!!
Technology is entering classrooms at a much slower rate than the business world as stated in Technology Enriched Classrooms article.  And is there any question like why?  I am positive that the money issue has something to do with it's slow emergence.  Another factor, is educating teachers to use technology.  Many studies show that technology does help low socio- economic students.  I have experienced in class that technology increases   learning for all students.  Just try a Poll Everywhere question and the get your cell phones out to answer it, and see what happens--after the gasps of breaths and your reassuring nod!  
So many studies revealing the link of technology to student achievement. Schacter's article lists several studies done in the late 1990's of math scores increasing by 13 weeks, along with state test scores and national scores showing improvement.  With that knowledge, why have educators and leaders not made more of an emphasis on the use of technology?  

Teaching with Technology Week One

This week has been marked with a whole new world opening for me.  This world is a world I wanted to open but honestly just haven't made the time to explore and learn.  Funny how taking a class forces you to make those steps--guess I will die owing college loans then!!
In Week One -I learned of the different learning theories--Constructivism theory, Connectivisim theory, and the Cyborg Learning theory.
I can see many parents who posess the competitive nature for their child to be the smartest in the class definitely implanting the chips into the children so that they may have the top scores on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT.  Honestly, I think this is a bit radical and the beginning of robotic students that I find a bit inhuman.
Connectivism theory is possibly what has been current models of instruction during the late 1900's of education.  With learning a cloud outside a student's world, it is almost like a foreign planet that we go to visit every now and again.  I truly see a more personal experience with models of kinesthetic learning much more effective and less of a foreign planet.  When a student can hold it, see it, model it, is a root of education--yes connecting to it.  That connection might be through a video game of Angry Birds to model a parabolic function, or a combat video game to model factorials, or simply algebra tiles, or integer disks for students to master the concepts.  Whatever it might be, starting with the symbolic modality and working three or four problems is not the answer to learning.
Lastly, Constructivism, is my favorite, Knowledge is constructed in multiple ways, through a variety of tools, resources, experiences, and contexts. (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism. As I read this week, I placed into practice.  I have a class of 3 to 4 angels.  They truly are angels.  It was a casual conversation of jingles to commercials that spawned an example of an algebraic expression this week.  'Fishy, Fishy' was heard through out the hall of my school this past week.  By simply counting, the word 'fishy' and 'mc' a simple expression was created and linked to student's learning to english and math from their 'world'.  I thought to myself that wasn't in the lesson plan however, I sure had their attention and linked them to a different world of patterns and words though.  Also, instead of talking about somebody they were singing "Fishy, Fishy".  
Lastly, I found so affirming the Am I Doing My Job? article.  I love my job--I really love practices where is says it is okay for children to be the commander of their learning, aka constructivism theory.  

Can you say GOOGLE? 
Loved the simple world of google.  Google Docs and the Presentation site were fabulous.  Also did some exploring into creating a video for the opening of the presentation.  
Also explored into some research for the project, 'The Indelible Link',  and another article, 'Simulation Technologies in Higher Education:  Uses, Trends, and Implications.'  
Lots of Happy, Happy Happy going on here. Happy Learning that is.  Have a great week!