Assignment #5

I am applying for the Meadows Education Foundation grant of $10,000 to buy supplies for my classroom. I would be very grateful to receive this grant because it would allow me to purchase better resources to teach my students. If I were awarded this grant of $10,000, I would use it to purchase educational technology that will work along side my teaching to help my students learn.

The first thing that I would purchase for my classroom would be a 21.5-inch iMac desktop computer. The model has a 2.5GH processor that would be very fast online when researching or playing teaching games as a class. This computer contains 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive that would be a sufficient amount for storing everything from my classes. By buying an iMac, I will have a computer that will last for a long time and be safe from viruses. iMacs have everything built into the monitor, which allows for a more compact computer. This piece of technology contains all Microsoft office programs, like word and PowerPoint. It would benefit the students because they would have access to up to date technology that it easy to work with. My iMac desktop computer would be used in my classroom to enter grades, make worksheets and PowerPoints, and do interactive things with my class.

The most important purchase I would make for my classroom is a smart board. The specific model is called a SMART board 685ix and offers high quality interactivity for users. This smart board has a built in projector; this will help me cut down costs and installation. This is basically a smart whiteboard that allows you to write on it with a stylus and save what you have written to your computer. It also has other features similar to touch screen technology that require a stylus to be used. I would use this smart board in all of my lessons: I would use it as a dry erase board when writing important information on the board and I would use it as a projector when playing movies for my students or performing math problems on the ELMO. This would benefit my student because it will give them the opportunity to personally interact with their subject. The SMART Board 685ix would be a costly, but valuable purchase to help me teach my students in an effective way.

After making the large purchases, I would buy accessories for my computer and smart board. I would also purchase an Epson Stylus NX430 Small-in-One Color Inkjet Printer to go with my computer. This printer is compact enough to fit on my desk with the computer. The printer is also wireless which will cut down on the amount of wires on my desk. I would use this printer to print out handouts that would consist of worksheets, notes, and outlines. Next, I would purchase a speaker system so we would be able to hear audio when projecting movies and videos through the smart board. This system would specifically be the Dayton Audio Classroom Speaker System because it is inexpensive and is made for classrooms. This speaker system features clear, crisp sound that fills the room that it is in. With the funds I would also buy an ELMO TT-12 Document Camera; this is basically a mounted color camera. This piece of technology would allow me to write things on paper at my desk and it be projected up in front of the class. An ELMO would be a great technology for math lessons and it would be very easy for my students to follow along. The last technological accessory would be the i>clicker2. This is a small handheld remote with buttons and an LCD screen that allows students to answer multiple choice and text entry questions that are then recorded onto the computer and graded. This could be used to quiz my students on any subject. I would purchase 20 of these items so each of my students could have one.

I would use the remaining funds to purchase supplies for my classroom. I would need to purchase a large amount of black and color printer ink in order to be able to print handouts for the entire school year. I would purchase Epson 124 Black and Color ink cartridges to fit with my Epson Stylus NX430 printer. I would buy 10 black inks because black is used the most for handouts, and then 5 color inks. To print on and also do any other type of project, I would purchase 2 boxes of Staples multipurpose paper. Each box contains 5,000 sheets of paper; this will be plenty of paper to last me one school year. Lastly, I would purchase 2 boxes of Crayola Classpack Washable Markers. Each box contains 200 markers, 25 of each color: red, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple, black, and brown. My students would use these when completing any assignment involving pictures and color.

Assignment #3

           For assignment 3, we were instructed to take two tests, a cognitive style test, which shows how one thinks, and a learning style test, which shows how one learns. I chose to take the Myers- Briggs Personality Test for my cognitive test and the Index of Learning Styles. The results for these types of test are not always the same each time you take them; they can easily change based on how you answer one single question.

            I chose the to take Myers-Briggs Personality Test because I am very familiar with it; me and my friends commonly talk about ours and other people’s letters. My Myers-Briggs results gave me the letters ESFJ; E stands for extrovert, S stands for sensing, F stands for feeling, and J stands for Judging. For each letter I was given a percent that represents the strength in which I am each type. The results deemed me 1% extroverted, meaning that I concentrate my energy outward, rather than concentrating on my inner self. Extroverts enjoy social situations and interaction with the outside world. I was given a 38% for sensing. I am slightly sensing because I rely on facts and past experiences rather than theories and improvisation. I received a 38% for feeling, because I let my feelings control my decisions rather than my thoughts. I received feeling also because I am sensitive to other people’s needs and feelings. Lastly, I received 33% for judging which basically means that I like to plan details and cannot just look at the big picture.

            The Index of Learning Styles is a quiz that has four scales of learning styles, each having two different learning preferences within it. The scales are sensory or intuitive, visual or verbal, active or reflective, and sequential and global. When I took the Index of Learning Styles, I received 1-3 for each scale, meaning that I am somewhat balanced on the two dimensions within. My results were sensory, visual, reflective, and sequential. Sensory learners prefer facts and procedures rather than theoretical information. Visual learners need to see visual representations and diagrams in order to understand concepts. People that learn reflectively like to think things through before trying to do it. Sequential learners need their information presented linearly and orderly and understand details before they understand the big picture.

            I think that the results of both of the tests are a somewhat accurate description of myself. I think that Myers-Briggs was mostly right when it deemed me an ESFJ, but I do not think that I am limited to these letters. Even though I am considered an extrovert by my results, I require alone time in order to recharge, which is a characteristic of an introvert. I also think that in addition to sensing, I am somewhat intuititive because I commonly come up with possibilities for the future. With the Index of Learning Styles, I feel that my results seem limiting also. It considered me as a reflective learner but I consider myself more of an active learner, meaning that I like to experiment and try things out. I think the rest of the results are accurate of my learning style.

            The Myers-Briggs and the Index of Learning Styles quizzes are similar with their results and types of styles. I can use my results from both of the quizzes to help me as a teacher and a learner. By looking at my results for both quizzes I can come up with the conclusion that I more effectively learn when I’m alone, prefer to learn facts, and need to focus on details and visuals. How one teaches directly corresponds with how one learns for themselves. Sense I effectively learn in a specific way, I must also teach in that way to teach effectively.

            After taking the Myers-Briggs Personality Test and the Index of Learning Style, I think they have helped me to learn more about myself. I now know in which way I think and learn. Now that I know how I think and learn effectively, I now know in which way I can effectively teach as well.

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes1.htm http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

Assignment #1

            Educational technology has recently begun to evolve into something prevalently used in schools around the country. With educational technology becoming more popular, teachers old and new are developing a life-long learning mentality in order to keep up with technology growth. I have experienced educational technology many times throughout my school years and it has become something that I have begun to learn about.

As I student, I have a lot of experience with technology being used in school. I have experienced learning through technology inside the classroom and out. Like most students, I have been through many PowerPoint presentations, but unlike other students, I have been through a Prezi presentation. Prezi is a new technology developed to work as a form of presentation similar to PowerPoint. I think that the Prezi makes listening to lectures more interesting because it is more interactive. I also experienced educational technology when I was a junior in high school and my English class was one of the first classes in the county to try out the new smartboards. These smartboards doubled as a digital dry erase board and a projector screen. The technology of the smartboard allowed us to learn by being able to look at and correct sentences that our teacher projected onto the screen from her computer. Outside of the classroom, I have attended the Mcwane Center multiple times throughout my grade school career. The Mcwane Center is an interactive, hands-on museum for kids. Children, and even parents, learn new things about technology and the world around them. Because of my first hand experience with educational technology, I think that using technology while learning in school was very beneficial for me because I was better able to obtain and maintain the information that I learned.

Educational technology is defined in various ways by various types of people; for instance, our textbook says that technologists define educational technology as “any hardware that is used in the classroom.” I define educational technology similar to “computer-oriented educators;” as the textbook explains they “confine educational technology to computers, computer peripherals, and related software used in teaching and learning.” In addition to computers used in learning, I believe that educational technology is so much more. My definition of it is an expanded and elaborate version of this. I think that educational technology is anything that aids in students learning through new means, that con involve media but is not limited to it. For instance, I think the Mcwane center has a good example of educational technology because they incorporate hands-on activities that allow the students to interact with technology and learn for themselves.

The role of technology in teaching and learning is very similar. The role in teaching is the various ways in which technology can be incorporated into teaching lessons and activities. Some specific ways that educators teach through technology are through computers, posters, smartboards, overhead projectors, and photographs. How these types of technology are used and their effectiveness becomes the role of technology in learning. The role of technology in learning is how the use of technology affects the children after they have learned; do they remember what they were taught because of an effective use of technology or did they have trouble learning anything at all? Children cannot effectively learn if technology is ineffectively used in teaching. It is evident that the role of technology in teaching and the role of technology in learning go hand-in-hand, all affecting what the child receives from the lesson.

The use of technology in the classroom can be a controversial topic but I think that it has both its advantages and disadvantages. Technology is evolving so much everyday that it is becoming one of the most relevant things of this time; therefore, it is advantageous that we begin to introduce education into learning, so that learning stays relevant. Something that can be seen as a disadvantage is thinking about what will happen later in time. Specifically, some people could be concerned about what will happen once technology becomes a part of everything we do; will there be something else that we will have to adapt to help keep children entertained and focused? Even though the advantages and the disadvantages are conflicting, I feel that adopting technology in the classroom is the best choice for the present time.

To conclude, educational technology is taking over our old way of learning and teachers are taking the challenge of learning to adapt to it. I think that educational technology is a good thing for everyone because it allows teachers to learn new things to keep up with the younger generations and it also helps children stay interested in learning.