Tools and Functions

Ethernet Noose by Dan Solo http://www.flickr.com/photos/donsolo/2855854548/

My experience so far with applying technology in an educational environment has lead me to the conclusion that in order for the technology to impact the student's learning, it needs a well structured lesson plan and adequate supporting content for it to stand on. While technology plays an important role in what is used to interact and engage the students, it is not necessarily the motivation or the how and why it is used in a specific content area. The class and content goals would dictate the latter. With that in mind, it is easier to narrow down the options of what technologies are able to help us achieve these goals. It would help determine which online or offline tools will help in innovating a lesson that will motivate the students into cooperating to achieve learning.
As a technology coordinator, my role has been to study the different arrays of technologies available, and help facilitate instructors in incorporating the appropriate one into their lessons and help improve the students develop their skills. So far my contributions have been in multiple content areas, each requiring different functions from technology. One size does not always fit all, therefore I keep an open mind when suggesting technologies, but maintain objectivity to ensure the lesson's goal is not blurred by the bells and whistles of the "tool".

Each of the resources mentioned in the Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline have offered me, at one point or another, a platform on which to help teachers plan engaging activities in their different content areas. Wikis and electronic portfolios have been the two that I believe have been more effective. Wikis, in my experience, have been a great way for students to participate in collaborative group work, where they engage their content directly by doing research, organizing content, and publishing their cumulative work. This has specially been helpful in science courses. The electronic portfolio has been a way for students to publish their best and strongest proof of their work. Using Google Sites has facilitated this at my school, allowing each student to initiate a log of their work from when they enroll, until they graduate. Currently this is implemented in ninth grade, where students incorporate work from various content areas, although it primarily promotes literacy and reinforces knowledge taught in their English course.

Through the use of wikis and electronic portfolios, teachers can practice a multitude of strategies. Scaffolding is an important part of wikis, where students are made to think further about the topics they are involved in, and synthesize from their research and experiences. It is also a great way for students to work on similarities and differentiation from their research, a great way to help them compile their final thoughts on a topic. In helping students design and create their online portfolio, modeling and independent instruction are prevalent as teaching strategies. Modeling to the class by either metaphoric or by hands-on example are common ways to broadcast the information to large groups, while independent instruction is more effective for those target students that need additional attention. Both are teaching strategies that are familiar to non-tech teaching.

I am not sure that there is a specific resource listed that would be harder to implement from the other. Each online resource has a different function and might not fit all required aspects of a specific content. Since I float around from one content area to another, I have to assess the strengths and weaknesses depending on whichever content I am focused on at the moment. Though for all intents and purposes, I would say that online projects in general offer obstacles. Whatever the platform, wiki, online research, online simulations, or interactive online collaborations all offer their own characteristics that can come with obstacles that can make it hard to incorporate initially.  Planning how to educate the students on their proper uses and practices would be a key component in deciding which tool is the more difficult to implement. By focusing on the needs of the content area, it is more possible to better choose the right tools for the job. Hence, not allowing to get wrapped up in a technological noose over instruction.

Wikis

Wikis have become an incredibly popular term in the ed tech community, and at first it was a something that educators steered their students away from as valid references, because of the lack of authenticity. Though as time has passed the security measures taken to ensure that the information is valid, have changed the way some educators look at these resources. While the wiki plays two roles at once, a collaboration platform and an information resource, it also promotes some much more important principles, honor and trust. The ability to be, if I may, "open-sourced", makes the users rely solely on trusting one another with both their work, and their credibility.

I personally use wikis as both a source of information, and a way to allow students and teachers to work together on common projects.

Here are a few screen captures of this week's labs:

The university I attended before MSU had a focus on computer science degrees, though they have now expanded their academic reach by opening a charter high school with curriculum centered around technology. I visited the university's wiki page, and saw that there were no links to their new venture, so I added it under "External links". Here is a link to the page: Coleman University's Wiki

Without link

Wikipedia's "Edit Page" interface

New "External link" added

I chose to create a new PB workspace as I have used it a bit in the past. Hopefully I will keep adding more material to this new one. http://mrgonzalezedtech.pbworks.com

UDL

Learning about UDL this week was an incredible mind opening experience. I particularly loved how we dove into how the brain works and how it processes different types of information and how it is vital that this is taken into account when creating a lesson plan to engage a diverse student population with varying learning styles and disabilities.

I enjoyed revising my lesson plan and seeing where it could improve to provide a better experience to these diverse learners. Here is a link to my check list listing where I think the lesson is strong and where it lacks strength.

http://msu.edu/~gonza473/GuidelineEdChklstAGonzalez.doc

Evaluating MERLOT Resource

Original image acquired from: Flikr with appropriate sharing rights. Question mark added.

No, not the wine. Although, there is much to indulge on in MERLOT, it is in digital, not liquid form. MERLOT offers a single interface that houses a repository from its collectively open community of resources from contributing educators. The site offers educational resources submitted by its registered users, for both educators and students to access and gain knowledge about the subject.

While searching for resources that I may learn from for my StAIR project, I came across a submission of the very popular Common Craft video series, focusing on Google Docs.  Here is a link to the MERLOT posting: Google Docs in Plain English.

The presentation of the video by Common Craft follows their signature style of presenting concepts and theory by use of paper cut-outs to create animated videos. This specific video presented the concept of Google Docs and how it works. The presentation and content of the tutorial were valid in their own right. It followed a well crafted flow of information and modeled the use of the subject technology in an efficient manner. The video had a level of educational value in various ways. The verbal explanations were clear and focused, and the accompanying animations depicted in sync with the narration. This video would be a great resource at the explanation level of a lesson. From a student standpoint, I would expect the content in the video to be quite engaging and introduce the use of Google Docs at a level in which students should be able to synthesize or at least explain what the processes are for Google Docs. While it being a multimedia video, it could be used in various settings, for example in an online classroom, or as part of a teacher's presentation at the beginning of a lesson pertaining to Google Apps, by default being a benefit to be able to be readily incorporated into the curriculum. The videos clear objectives can be appreciated as it visualizes them as it introduces them verbally, allowing for learners to grasp onto the goals and consume the content. From this video a lesson could incorporate assignments in which they use this video as an accessible resource while they review the use of Google Apps in accessing and creating their own online documents.

This resource is linked to the YouTube version of the video, not Common Craft's official website. This can be both a benefit and an issue. While the familiarity of YouTube is something that can add to the ease of use of the software to access the content, it can also cause some issues. If the web filtering policies for the school district are set to filter traffic away from YouTube, teachers and students might not be able to reach this resource. If access to YouTube is allowed, teachers might have to ensure that the focus is maintained on the desired content and not non-related content that is hosted by YouTube, which could lead to learners getting lost or distracted from the initial content. While there is no feedback or extensive documentation, it presents information in a familiar and engaging way that is flexible through its online nature.