Two helpful resources for evaluating educational apps are the Critical Evaluation of a Content-Based Mobile App (2013) by Kathleen Schrock, and Evaluation Rubric for IPod Apps (2010) by Harry Walker. They are both very helpful because they list specific criteria pertaining to apps. However, I do prefer Kathleen Schrock's resource more because it has the evaluator think about how the app relates to Bloom's Taxonomy. In addition, at the bottom, the evaluator is asked to write a quick summary of the app. I think including a summary is very helpful because it helps a different reader know what the app is about. In addition, the evaluator can use this space to write specific explanations about why he/she would or would not recommend this app to another user rather than simply answering the yes/no statements listed above in the criteria section.
Both resources have similarly listed criteria used to evaluate the actual content and components of the app. For this section, however, I do prefer Harry Walker's rubric because his rubric has different levels for each component. Conversely, Schrock's evaluative tool only allows the evaluator to answer each criteria as a yes/no. Walker's rubric allows the evaluator to specifically address each component and how effective the app truly is. Even though I do like the specificity of Walker's rubric, as a whole I prefer Schrock's evaluative tool because it gives the evaluator a more comprehensive review of an app.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Microsoft Excel in the Classroom
Before tonight's class, I had no idea that Excel can be used in so many ways. I used to think that it is just a way to graph data and document statistical information. I never thought about the practical ways I could use it in a classroom, apart from recording science or mathematical data.
Excel can be used in a variety of ways for all subjects. Teachers can use it for their own personal use by creating grade books with multiple pages and/or seating charts. Students can use it to create timelines or to complete crossword puzzles. Personally, I found the timeline tutorial to be the most helpful. I am still a pen and ink type of person meaning that I prefer to record grades on paper and draw a seating chart by hand. However, I found the timeline to be useful because it is something that students can easily create once they have been taught how to use Excel. Students could create their own timelines or work in groups to create one mass timeline. In addition, timelines relate to any subject area. For example, students could graph the development of mathematical theories over time, the stages of photosynthesis, or a timeline of WWII events. There are many ways to display one's learning, and Excel has a variety of tools that allow students to demonstrate their understanding.
Excel can be used in a variety of ways for all subjects. Teachers can use it for their own personal use by creating grade books with multiple pages and/or seating charts. Students can use it to create timelines or to complete crossword puzzles. Personally, I found the timeline tutorial to be the most helpful. I am still a pen and ink type of person meaning that I prefer to record grades on paper and draw a seating chart by hand. However, I found the timeline to be useful because it is something that students can easily create once they have been taught how to use Excel. Students could create their own timelines or work in groups to create one mass timeline. In addition, timelines relate to any subject area. For example, students could graph the development of mathematical theories over time, the stages of photosynthesis, or a timeline of WWII events. There are many ways to display one's learning, and Excel has a variety of tools that allow students to demonstrate their understanding.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Effective Use of Technology with ELLs - Research Paper Reflection
Researching about how to effectively use technology with English Language Learners (ELLs) was very rewarding for me as an pre-service ESOL teacher. A lot of the benefits and advice that I discovered I had never considered before, which made the findings of my research very applicable to my own teaching. The things that stood out the most to me are found in the "considerations" portion of my paper. When using technology, teachers must consider some of the following things:
1) Make sure ELLs are familiar with the technological vocabulary. Since ELLs are unfamiliar with English vocabulary and most likely the vocabulary associated with technology, they must be explicitly taught the vocabulary that is associated with technology before they can be taught how to use technology. In one of the articles that I used in my paper, Kristina Robertson wrote about a teacher who referred to a "mouse." Her ELLs did not realize that she was referring to the computer "mouse" and therefore were confused because they thought she meant a real-live mouse! Simple terms such as a "mouse" must be defined for students. Until reading Robertson's article, I had never considered the importance of reviewing vocabulary and basics.
2) Not all students, especially ELLs, have had prior access to technology before coming to school. Therefore, as teachers, we must be sure to start with the basics of technology. Also, not all students have access to technology outside of school, so it is important to not always assign homework that requires a computer and/or the internet. We want to be sure that we are not automatically excluding students based upon their lack of resources.
3) Lastly, teachers must ensure that technology is used as an aid to instruction and that it has a purpose. In my paper I quoted Professor Margaret Hawkins who wrote, "When you sit a kid one-on-one at a computer, it’s not a very good use of anybody’s time." What she meant by this is to not stick a student in front of a computer without giving them a purposeful task. Her statement made me reflect upon my own experiences, and I realized that sometimes teachers who do not know how to teach ELLs or students with disabilities will unfortunately stick the student in front of a computer in the hopes that they will learn. Computers and technology are great instructional tools, but they cannot be divorced from a teacher's instruction and a purposeful meaning.
Before starting my research, I knew about the numerous benefits of using educational technology, but I had never considered the limitations that it can have on students if it is not used properly. Therefore, I am grateful to have learned about these limitations because now I am able to see a more complete picture of how to effectively use technology with my future ELLs.
1) Make sure ELLs are familiar with the technological vocabulary. Since ELLs are unfamiliar with English vocabulary and most likely the vocabulary associated with technology, they must be explicitly taught the vocabulary that is associated with technology before they can be taught how to use technology. In one of the articles that I used in my paper, Kristina Robertson wrote about a teacher who referred to a "mouse." Her ELLs did not realize that she was referring to the computer "mouse" and therefore were confused because they thought she meant a real-live mouse! Simple terms such as a "mouse" must be defined for students. Until reading Robertson's article, I had never considered the importance of reviewing vocabulary and basics.
2) Not all students, especially ELLs, have had prior access to technology before coming to school. Therefore, as teachers, we must be sure to start with the basics of technology. Also, not all students have access to technology outside of school, so it is important to not always assign homework that requires a computer and/or the internet. We want to be sure that we are not automatically excluding students based upon their lack of resources.
3) Lastly, teachers must ensure that technology is used as an aid to instruction and that it has a purpose. In my paper I quoted Professor Margaret Hawkins who wrote, "When you sit a kid one-on-one at a computer, it’s not a very good use of anybody’s time." What she meant by this is to not stick a student in front of a computer without giving them a purposeful task. Her statement made me reflect upon my own experiences, and I realized that sometimes teachers who do not know how to teach ELLs or students with disabilities will unfortunately stick the student in front of a computer in the hopes that they will learn. Computers and technology are great instructional tools, but they cannot be divorced from a teacher's instruction and a purposeful meaning.
Before starting my research, I knew about the numerous benefits of using educational technology, but I had never considered the limitations that it can have on students if it is not used properly. Therefore, I am grateful to have learned about these limitations because now I am able to see a more complete picture of how to effectively use technology with my future ELLs.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
"Fat city how difficult can this be"
This video about the educational experience of a student with a learning disability is extremely fascinating. I have never been keen about simulations because at the end of the day those in simulation can remove the disability and it seems as if a disability is nothing permanent. That being said though, I found this video to be very informative as a teacher because it helped me see ways in which I can improve my instruction.
Even though the whole video was very eye-opening, the part that stood out the most to me was that in which the speaker spoke about processing. The main thing that stood out to me was the realization that everyone can have difficulty processing depending on the situation. In the simulation, "normal" adults had a very difficult time processing due to the pressure and anxiety created by the teacher. Therefore, if we as teachers make a conscious effort to help lower a student's affective filter and give them the needed support, then he/she should be able to process without too much difficulty. My second realization in relation to processing is that students who are classified with a learning disability can generally come up with the correct answer if they are given the time to process a question. What happens though in most classrooms is that the student with a learning disability is often still thinking about the teacher's first question when the class has already moved onto the next question's answer. Therefore, as a teacher, I should make sure I repeat my question and give enough wait time between the question and its answer so that students with learning disabilities can at least keep up with the rest of the class.
Lastly, as I was watching this video from the perspective of a future ESOL teacher, I kept thinking of English Language Learners (ELLs) instead of students with learning disabilities. Many of the difficulties that students with learning disabilities encounter are also shared by ELLs. ELLs may not have a learning disability, but the language barrier often acts like a disability. ELLs require extra processing time, especially those who have little to no experience with the new language. Imagine being asked a content area question about the Revolutionary War and not having the language needed to first comprehend the question and let alone answer it? The response from this ELL might be similar to that of a student with a disability who has difficulty processing and/or remembering facts. I would imagine that the ELL would have similar feelings to the student with a disability. Sometimes, ELLs are even wrongly classified as having a learning disability because the language barrier looks so similar to a learning disability on the surface. Teachers must be careful to correctly identify the difference between a true learning disability and language interference because depending on the situation, the student will need to be supported in different ways.
Even though the whole video was very eye-opening, the part that stood out the most to me was that in which the speaker spoke about processing. The main thing that stood out to me was the realization that everyone can have difficulty processing depending on the situation. In the simulation, "normal" adults had a very difficult time processing due to the pressure and anxiety created by the teacher. Therefore, if we as teachers make a conscious effort to help lower a student's affective filter and give them the needed support, then he/she should be able to process without too much difficulty. My second realization in relation to processing is that students who are classified with a learning disability can generally come up with the correct answer if they are given the time to process a question. What happens though in most classrooms is that the student with a learning disability is often still thinking about the teacher's first question when the class has already moved onto the next question's answer. Therefore, as a teacher, I should make sure I repeat my question and give enough wait time between the question and its answer so that students with learning disabilities can at least keep up with the rest of the class.
Lastly, as I was watching this video from the perspective of a future ESOL teacher, I kept thinking of English Language Learners (ELLs) instead of students with learning disabilities. Many of the difficulties that students with learning disabilities encounter are also shared by ELLs. ELLs may not have a learning disability, but the language barrier often acts like a disability. ELLs require extra processing time, especially those who have little to no experience with the new language. Imagine being asked a content area question about the Revolutionary War and not having the language needed to first comprehend the question and let alone answer it? The response from this ELL might be similar to that of a student with a disability who has difficulty processing and/or remembering facts. I would imagine that the ELL would have similar feelings to the student with a disability. Sometimes, ELLs are even wrongly classified as having a learning disability because the language barrier looks so similar to a learning disability on the surface. Teachers must be careful to correctly identify the difference between a true learning disability and language interference because depending on the situation, the student will need to be supported in different ways.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Using Technology with the Visual Learner
Technology can be a great classroom tool, especially for the visual learner! However, if you are trying to align the technology to the learner's visual learning style then you must ensure that the presentation within the technology is visually appealing. The images and text used within technology should be age appropriate, large enough to be easily seen, and laid out in an organizational way. For example, when using PowerPoint it is imperative that you do not put too much text onto one slide and that the size, style, and color of the font does not make reading difficult. If you are using Inspiration or designing a web-quest, make sure the organization of the project is logical so your users can easily navigate it to obtain the information that they need. Also, be sure to incorporate visuals into your presentations to make it more attractive to the student which will help them stay engaged. Visuals also help clarify information for students, especially those who are visual learners. For example, if you are talking about immigration statistics, it may be helpful to include a diagram that illustrates recent immigration trends. Any form of educational technology has many ways to appeal to the visual learner. It is just up to the user as to how effective these tools will be utilized within instruction. Therefore, it would be wise to explore the different educational technological options available for teachers such as: Inspiration, Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, Mindmeister, and Gliffy.
Below, I have attached an example of a diagram I created using Inspiration on the topic of immigration. It is very simple, but can be as intricate as you desire. Please feel free to take a look!
Below, I have attached an example of a diagram I created using Inspiration on the topic of immigration. It is very simple, but can be as intricate as you desire. Please feel free to take a look!
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