Even Professionals Need Practice

     This semester, in this technology class, I learned about Inspiration 8; a program that is used for making concept maps. A graduate student was doing her dissertation on the topic of concept maps and had us complete a couple assignments using Inspiration 8. While this program is useful for more efficiently conveying information to students, it also gets easier as well as more advanced the more you use it. Teachers and other professionals alike need always need to be learning more in order to advance their professionalism. Inspiration 8 is simple to use, even on the first time. Yet, the more you use it, the more advanced you can get with the concept maps. It allows for teachers to continue to think more and more outside of the box with each time that they use the program. This technology allows a teacher's creativity of how to present a concept map, which is crucial to a teacher's job, continue to grow and develop into a professional skill.
     From the couple times that I used Inspiration 8, my concept maps looked better with each new assignment. Granted, I didn't get to continue using the program but I feel confident that if I was in constant contact with the program, I would learn something new about it every day. This would enhance my skills and give me a more professional look when presenting my ideas to students. All it takes is practice.
     I have recently been looking into digital programs for the remediation projects I have in other classes. Storyboards are a technology that has caught my eye. There are numerous programs out there for creating storyboards, for example: Storyboard That. This is the program I have been playing around with and while it isn't necessarily a teaching tool by definition, it could definitely be used to teach a lesson in a different, interesting way. With the digital age comes boredom of the same lectures on the same programs such as Word and Powerpoint. I believe teaching in creative ways, such as through storyboards, are part of the future of learning and teaching.

Death to Unorganization

     I have talked about BlackBoard in previous posts, but before I discussed it's use as a communication tool. The greatest part about BlackBoard to me though, is the organization of class materials, grades, and courses. It allows for all of a student's classes, even from previous years, to be in one domain. The teachers can make any type of tab they would like on the side of their course page such as: Assignments, Course Library, Discussion Board (if it's used consistently), and so on. Different teachers use different tools in their classroom. For one, the Grades tab may need to be a main option for the student. Other teachers don't use BlackBoard for grades but they may assign homework to be turned into the Discussion Board tab. BlackBoard allows for flexibility while still keeping structure and organization. It's helpful for students because they don't have to search in numerous domains or pages for their classes. On the home page of BlackBoard, you have your current courses, access to your FSUID card, any recent announcements made by teachers, as well as the previous courses you've taken at Florida State. Overall, BlackBoard helps both students and teachers stay better organized.
     Though I have never been on the side of designing a course's page on BlackBoard, I feel that I could effectively create a page due to my constant use of this domain. I would like to explore other domains as well that are like BlackBoard, and see what options are out there. It would take a little getting used to to know how to create tabs and add documents to the page, but I firmly believe I would be more than capable of doing so.
     Blogger is a technology that I didn't think of as a teaching tool before this past year at Florida State. During the fall semester, one of my teachers created a blog and had us post two times a week. This was fun, and more like the blog side of it. This Spring semester though, I've had a teacher that had all assignments, group discussions, and group project discussions all on a blog that she created. This use of Blogger made it more than just a blog. It made it into a tool that was effective for keeping the class organized and gave more flexibility than even BlackBoard. Having our daily assignments posted ahead of time on the blog was extremely helpful for me as a student, and Bogger is easy to navigate. I would most definitely use this domain as a way to keep my students up to date on assignments and for engaging with them in discussion when not in the classroom.

Motivate Motivate Motivate

     In order to maintain a focused, enthusiastic classroom, teachers must create ways of engaging their students by use of technologies that motivate a student to do his or her work. These technologies can vary based on the intention of the teacher and the intention of the motivation. One example that I have come into contact with was during my sophomore year at Florida State. My Writing, Editing in Print and Online (WEPO) course was instructed by a professor who really enjoyed the creative part of this course. She went outside of the box in the very beginning and created a unique website that contained the same information as a regulation syllabus. As college students, we receive the same types of syllabi over and over again at the beginning of our courses...BORING. By creating her own, unique and interactive online syllabus, my professor created an immediate sense of creativity and motivation for the students in her course, including myself. The website being interactive was definitely a plus and much different than any other syllabus I had received. It honestly made the syllabus easier to navigate, versus going through each page to find the information you are searching for. Want to know what books you need? Just click the 'Books' tab in the main menu. I honestly wish more teachers would create their syllabi in various, technology-based ways.
     I think this is a use of technology in which I would excel. I have created a website for myself before, and love the openness that the domains and programs give you to create the way you want. Being a student that hates the regular, boring syllabus, I would be able to have an edge on knowing what students really want out of their teachers and course introductions. I would go into creating a website syllabus with the angle of wanting to motivate my students immediately. This way, I would always be keeping in mind how to make the website as useful, yet provocative as possible.
     Excel is not a program that is necessarily new to me. I have heard of it, seen it used by other people, yet I have never actually used it myself. That is, until this week in my technology class. It is much different than Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, but it is very useful in its own ways. It is especially handy for students in statistics classes and science classes. It allows for easy situating of data, which is harder to do in programs like Word and PowerPoint. It organizes them automatically and once you get into the swing of things, Excel allows you to create charts in a breeze. A student in a Biology Lab would benefit from the use of Excel quite a bit when conducting experiments with numerous trials. The program doesn't just stop at creating block charts...you are able to make graphs, of various kinds, as well. This is very useful for students needing variety in their data plotting. Overall, I am glad that I was finally made to explore the uses of Excel and plan to use it in future assignments.

Cha-Jing!

     Just this semester, I have had the experience of receiving feedback from a teacher via voice notes on the BlackBoard discussion board. I had never been evaluated this way, but I have to say I thought it was very useful and allowed for a better interaction. The tone of voice one uses when speaking says a lot about the point and the attitude that they are trying to get across. I could mistake a serious piece of feedback for something not-so-significant when the evaluation is just in writing or on a grading rubric versus the voice notes. She went through each part of our rubric in the voice notes, which allowed for me to hear which parts she really wanted me to work on more. The voice notes are the same as handwritten evaluations in the way that you can refer back to them at any time, but the voice notes are more useful because they will never get lost! Just log on to BlackBoard, and there they are. No hassle of keeping track of papers.
     I feel that it is important for me to learn skills such as using the voice notes for future classes. Even if I do not become a teacher, the world around us is constantly becoming more and more digital. We are moving into a time of digital learning, digital lectures, and so on. As of now, I do not know how to create a voice note, but would like to learn. I believe I would be able to catch on quickly and would like to explore other ways of digital teaching and evaluation.
     I recently learned about Jing, a way to conduct voice notes into a PowerPoint. I have not used it yet, but would like to try it out in future projects. It seems like a great way to guide your audience (or classroom) along with the PowerPoint, allowing a teacher to use the slides for more visual learning and leave the words for the audio, through Jing.

Blackboard or Die

      Many students, as well as teachers, curse at the name of Blackboard around Florida State's campus. It is true, there are many times where Blackboard will shut down due to overuse during times like drop-add week and sometimes even finals, when almost every student is attempting to access the site at once, in frantic need of passing their exams. I for one, actually find Blackboard useful. Though it can glitch, it works as a great communication tool among students, teachers, and parents. Teachers can post all assignments on Blackboard as well as send mass e-mails. Students are also able to send mass e-mails to students in the same class as them through the Student Tools page. Looking for notes that you missed one day and don't know anyone else in your class? This is the perfect tool to communicate effectively and efficiently with other students. Parents can also be involved on Blackboard if they control things like the accounts of students' FSU Cards. SunTrust Bank accounts can be used through FSU Cards, therefore parents can use Blackboard as an access to their child's funds.
     Using Blackboard throughout my four years at Florida State would allow me to be able to implement a domain area such as this one into a classroom. Depending on the grade level of my students, I would choose an age appropriate domain which would serve as a home access to everything going on in the class. I would model it after what I have seen on Blackboard, but gear it towards a younger age and make sure the glitches were minimal.
     Just this past year, I created my first Prezi. I really enjoyed using this program compared to Microsoft PowerPoint. It allowed for more creativity in design and animation throughout my project. I think this particular program is definitely a better choice for teachers, of elementary age especially, when giving presentations or lectures. It is more involved, which will capture the attention of younger students for longer periods of time. Constantly updating yourself on communication and learning technology will help you become a more effective teacher.

Enhancing the Classroom Experience

      Just this semester, I have had a teacher use a technology tool that I hadn't seen before. In one of my 4000 level classes, my teacher always uses SmartBoards, which are also very useful tools for teachers. The tool we used that I was not familiar with before, was using Google Docs. It allows for all of the students in the class to revise, add to, and edit the same document. This class is Rhetorical Theory and Practice, so being able to subtract and add to your ideas and theories is extremely useful and helpful. The use of this technology for this exercise showed the thought our professor put into creating it. She had to take into account our needs as students struggling through the material we were assigned; she had to know we would be changing our minds and used technology that could adapt.
     I believe that, if need be, I could research and find a technology that would suit the needs of students during their assignments. The saying goes here, practice makes perfect. As a teacher, you would have to incorporate technology into many of your assignments, this way you would always be searching therefore always discovering more technology that promotes productivity and creativity in your students.
     Inspiration 8 is the program we have started using in my EME2040 class in the past couple weeks and I have to say, I love it as for completing the given assignments. For creating a concept map, this is the absolute perfect program. It is simple to use while still being appealing to the eye. It allows for creativity with different fonts, colors, images, and tools that give your map a little extra. It allows you to easily convert your concept map into a Word document, which is necessary for teachers who need to put these attachments into an e-mail which can be accessed by practically everyone,The Inspiration 8 program is truly a breeze to operate. If I ever do have to create a concept map in the future, I can guarantee you I will be using Inspiration 8.

Let me Google it...

    We all know there's a difference in websites that are strictly fun and games and websites that are useful for the classroom and educational purposes. Saying that though, a teacher's goal is to make learning and the classroom environment as enjoyable as possible for his or her students. That's why Fun Brain is such a great tool for teachers to get their students involved with technology that teaches. Fun Brain is made for all types of students and has categories that will suit multiple interests, whether math or reading. It's very accessible, and the organization is wonderful! You can select games by grade level or by type of game such as: Word Games, Puzzles, Number Games, etc. (I have to say, the games are pretty fun! I always enjoyed them in school.) If you haven't tried Fun Brain, you're missing out, and so are your students. Introducing children to learning through technology better prepares them for their education in the future.

     Using web-based resources for student research can be extremely useful for teachers and for the skills of the student. I, personally, have written more research papers in the past 3 years then I can remember. Without being able to research the Internet, though it's possible, my papers would have taken triple the time and we all know there's no time to waste in the 21st century. The Internet also allows for massive amounts of information to be accessed by students; something that can't be done by searching through only one university's library for a day. Though, there is a time to use research and a time not to use the Internet in education. People have a problem now, in my opinion, of not discussing problems aloud and through cognitive thinking, but resort to the simple action of 'just Google it'. Students still need to talk through questions they have through their own minds and not just resort to what someone has said before them. It takes away from creativity and curiosity. It's better to incorporate research on the web with scholarly websites only, this keeps students from using websites that are not educational or truth/fact-based.

     In my experiences with writing research papers and completing research projects, my professors have always been clear about the kind of websites of which they require us to obtain our information. When I first had to use only scholarly articles in research, my eyes were opened to the difference in content and the way to evaluate legitimate websites from non-legitimate sites. That skill has served me well outside of the classroom as well, when it pertains to news articles and the like. I use some methods that the podcast talked about in the ABCD-T acronym the speaker talked about. I always read to see if the website is biased in any way as well as if the news is current. Knowing how to evaluate websites will allow you to gain more truthful knowledge and information as well as your students.