Chapter 7 Discussion

There is no question that technology has become a major part of day to day life. It has branched into almost every profession, and that includes teaching. The question of how far should teachers go to close the gap between technology in the classroom and technology used by the students is a difficult question to answer clearly. I think that we as future teachers should try to stay up to date with current technology, but trying to always being using the new tools every time one is available might be a little naive. That would be impossible because of how often the technology is changing. What I would suggest is to use programs that will give teachers at least 4 or 5 years to use them before changing. Find ways to integrate these great tools that are available whenever it can be of good use.

Online chats and instant messaging can be useful in the classroom. Although there is not a lot of different ways it could be useful, I can think of a few. One way it can be used would be for test taking. Another could be used as a simple measure of the understanding of the material the students are learning. Can be a great way for teachers to check for understanding. Online chats are "in" the classroom kinda takes away from developing social skills, but can be great for outside of classroom.

There are many advantages to both asynchronous as well as synchronous communication when it comes to learning. First lets look at face-to-face, or synchronous communication and how it can enhance learning. Advantages to this type include the presence of communication cues such as body language, tone of voice, accents, pace, pauses, and dialects. Another advantage is that students can receive instant feedback on questions and discussions. This is the ideal type of communication that is more suited for "in class" instruction. Asynchronous communication has its advantages as well. One advantage would be the freedom a student feels when they have the opportunity to express their opinions without interruption. It gives them a forum in which they can have a voice. Also, when involved in a on-line discussion it forces students to get involved therefore learning is enhanced.

Do podcast really enhance learning? Of course, it can be very helpful in learning. To depend on strictly a podcast to learn might be challenging, but it can be used as a strong reinforcement of material. If it is used in addition to in class lectures as well as power points, it is great to have a podcast to reemphasize information.

I agree with the article in that video gaming can enhance learning. Although I don't feel as strongly as the author, it can be a great tool that can be used sparingly. The article states that gaming allows students to learn by doing and being, through performance. I can see how this argument may be true. Personally, I wouldn't want to use games in my classroom very much because it would probably become a distraction, and may take away from the other part of the classroom learning. I would not let my children play video games everyday. I am a strong believer in exercise and activity. This is one reason our society has become increasingly more obese in the last 20 years.

MY PERSONALITY

After doin the personality test I was put into the Executive personality group. It was initialled ENTJ, whatever that means. I am classified in many ways. It says I am moderatley expressed extravert, moderately expressed thinking personality, slightly intuitive, and have a slightly judging personality. I think the test is not perfect and may not be true in all areas. Some of the things they say about my personality is true, but not all. I definately think that personality type can be a factor in how students learn in the classroom. People who have the personality of wanting to learn, and who are self-motivating are more likely to learn more. I don't know if knowing my own personality type can help me be a better teacher....I've lived for 30 years, don't know if I can change now, or that I want to.

Spread Sheets

For me I have mixed feelings about spreadsheet. I think its great for some things and not so great in other areas. I think it is a very good tool for doing any kind of analyzing numbers, making charts, and can helpful for almost everybody. One of the things I would not use it for is to make worksheets for the classroom or lesson plans. There is no doubt it is a very well designed program that provides tools that are user friendly. It is great for math and is much more sophisticated and user friendly than a calculator. All the formulas to work the problems are already on there for you. And the greatest thing is that once you have the first set of numbers calculated using the formula, all you have to do is click and drag and it automatically does the other problems for you. I have had some experience using excel spreadsheet so I feel I have a pretty good understanding of how to use it, but it takes time and practice. I will definitely use it in my areas of teaching and coaching as well. I can see how this program will make my life easier and would suggest it to anybody.

Week 4

The Inspiration video is really neat. I am amazed how this program works, it is really cool. I think this program will become very popular in the classroom not only with students but also with teachers. It seems like a great tool to use to make worksheets and outlines for students to follow. It can also be used by the students to organize their ideas, and be great for brainstorming prior to writing papers. This program seem really great and hope we get the opportunity to try it out in this class.

There are many activities that make good use of technology in the classroom. I think the Inspiration program can be very useful. As stated earlier it can be used in many different ways to help students and teachers. One of the most used technology inside the classroom would be Power Point. This is definitely the most popular among current teachers. It really is great for presentation of notes to be taken by students. The great thing about Power Point is that it is paper-less. Pretty soon technology will take over in almost all areas of education. Technology tools that can support feedback among fellow students include blogs and discussions that are set up through websites with feedback links. This is a very easy, effective way for students to communicate and provide feedback to other students. I have found that many of the classes I have taken recently have opted to use the discussions through their websites on ecollege and it has been very effective.

There is no question that teaching is a very powerful learning experience as well. Not only does the person teaching learn more about the subject their teaching, but also learn more about better ways to teach them. For example, I was teaching my brother algebra a few years back and initially it was challenging. But after teaching him for a little while I began to learn how he learns and I adapted my style. This allowed me to learn more about teaching and different approaches to teaching. Teaching is definitely a learning process as well.

Inspiration Post 1

Wow, I am very impressed with the Inspiration software, it is amazing! This is the greatest tool for teaching I think I have ever seen. The way it can organize information make it so easy to use, or atleast it seems to be easy. Of course I haven't used it yet I am anxious to. I even went as far as checking the price on the program online. What I found is that you can download Inspiration 8.0 for $69. If I'm not mistaken the video I watched was for Inspiration 9.0?...If so then the price is probably a little more expensive. IDK but I hope we get the chance to use this in class, would love to really try it out. I am truly Inspired!

My name is Marc Musser. I am a senior in college at Texas A & M-Commerce and will be graduating in December of 2010. My major is Kinesiology otherwise known as Physical Education. I have two brothers named Jay and Blake, and a older sister named Teresa. I enjoy water sports, basketball, and watching my favorite Dallas area professional teams. I plan on coaching basketball, football, and track when I graduate. These are just a few things about me...