Week 13 Blog Posting for Chapt 8 & 9

   When teachers act as designers, they have courses that find design challenges where you would expect the class to learn technology education, computer programing, music and science, sometimes mathematics and media art. Designing is also taking to center stage in a informal education setting. 
   SketchUp is a software that helps users build solid models of houses and their interiors from which blueprint-styled floor plans can be printed. It also helps designers visualize the buildings or rooms they created "from ground up" specifically by starting with basic 2-D shapes. You can use sketchup in the classroom by getting the students into groups and telling them to create a building they wish to build and place it in a city of their choice so basically create a fantasy place. 
   Digital Storytelling students use their creative skills to create a storyboard on a paper, use a camera to shoot their video, and finally edit their video on a computer using some type of software. I don't think digital storytelling would work in my classroom because I'm going to be teaching in a gym based atmosphere that really doesn't require a computer making movies. Maybe in a computer or a class were you have to use Microsoft word or excel. 
   Some other methods of making mathematics more real is is the new programs such as Mathematica, MathLab, Statistical Analysis System, and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences are often used to visually represent mathematical relationships in problems so that learners can SEE the effects of any problem manipulation.
   It is definitely possible to learn something merely from watching TV instructions, for example, people cook daily by watching the TV celebrity Rachael Ray who cooks and does it slow enough so that her watchers can go along with her. Another example is the great exercise workout plan called Insanity its a workout DVD that helps you lose weight and build a strong core body frame. I think visual learners learn quicker than a person who learners by reading. You can get more people involved if a DVD is playing rather than a instructor at the front of class talking.  

References

Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassens, D., Marra, R. M. (2008).  Meaningful

learning with technology. Columbus: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall.

VoiceThreads Blog

The voice thread site seems like it could be a great tool for students. I know some subjects it might be hard to use in some classroom settings but with a little work I can see the benefits for the students. Since I am going to teach physical education I can't see me using this in my lessons.

I wouldn't use this in my high school class. If it were used for an actual learning purpose, it would be most useful on a college web based course. If I need to play a video, I will just get the video and allow my class to watch it then discussion would take place afterwards.

Using voice thread would be great for students with special needs in the classroom. Since the voice thread do not require much as for expenses there is no reason why schools could not take advantage of this software. I know I will use this program not only will it benefit my students but this program will allow me to work with special needs students in a true classroom setting with their peers and that is the best kind of leaning, working with your peers.

REFERENCE: http://voicethread.com/

Gee's principle Blog Posting

The "Discovery Principle" is, in my opinion, one of the most important principle in learning. When a learner takes their current knowledge and explores a subject to find out its depths, information is a little easier to hold on to; it has more meaning to the learner. The "Practice Principle" is important because it reinforces the "Discovery Principle". When a student can practice a routine that is not boring to them, they get better and more experienced at the skill being learned. The "Probing Principle" I believe coordinates well with the other two principles I have chosen because while a student may discover new information, if there is no reflection on it, no new ideas can come out of it. A student has to probe the information to think about approaches in the subject that may not have been thought of before.

I would support a simulation that worked from the existing knowledge of my students at a given point in the teaching of a new concept and allowed them to discover, probe and reflect on that information to come up with theories of their own. It would be great for them to simulate those theories and be able to prove them, but this approach may be better for science courses.

Conclusion

I believe the above three principles to be aligned with what most students in middle school are capable of doing. If I could find a simulation that enabled my students to learn the English language, that would be fantastic. I think more applications for these principles lie in the science-related courses, other than my selected major of kinesiology.

References

Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassens, D., Marra, R. M. (2008).  Meaningful

learning with technology. Columbus: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall.

Chapter 4 post

     I would use a more hands on writing activity because I'm a kenisiology major and getting the students involved in the assignment helps them learn the how to of the assignment. When I was in school I've been called a hands on learner, I think its easier to learn if you actually go through what the teach is talking about. So you can get it down pack.

     I'd try to keep the PowerPoint topic to a passing grade when it needs to presented so it will be animated but not to the point where everybody watching the presentation slides instead of listening to me as I go through the slides. But then they say if your presentation isn't interesting they wouldn't pay attention, so here it would be a win, loose type of PowerPoint. 

Following the guidelines from the textbook should be something easy to do and will allow for a very affective presentation  But overall I find that this would be easy to follow.

    Power points in the classroom nowadays are like teaching us and taking notes. I feel like some classes don't even need teachers from the way they read the slides and end class the way they do. But it also allows the class to be their own teachers study what that think is important for the tests and actually know the material because they wrote it down, I say what you write down you remember it even if you haven't studied for a exam.

 

 References

JONASSEN, DAVID, HOWLAND, JANE, MARRA, ROSE M, & CRISMOND, DAVID. (1999). Meaningful learning with technology 3rd edition . New Jersy,New York: Pearson.

Inspiration Quick Tour and Webspiration Classroom

    According to the website I found that this program is the what our education is, all online type work and studies that involve the computer. We are becoming a paperless world. The most interesting thing I found was that you don't have to download it so you don't have to attend class to do it. I'd use it in the classroom only if someone properly teaching the students how to use it, because to me it seems like everybody has to be on point with their work no slacking and thats a problem because everybody doesn't think or work the same that might be my biggest issue on both of them but overall they are both good programs for 5-12 graders.
   The best type of writing activties that would be best used in the classroom would be writing organization and planning its good to plan and organize your writing activities because if you learn early you can do it later in life when you get to college and farther your education. Students can get involved by doing a peer review segment, which is where students write a rough draft and switch papers with a classmate so the classmate can go over the paper to make corrects and give the writer some ideas. When I first taught I knew what I was teaching becuase it was football I know football like the back of my hand so it was fairly easy to get started and didn't stop until my time was up.
   In conclusion, what and how we are teaching our students of today is way more non hands on type teaching because you do not have to be in a classroom to get a lesson taught you can just teach online have to student get used to checking their email and writing on blogs its because that's what the world is turning into so I always love change so that's what I'm going with.


References
http://www.inspiration.com/webspirationclassroom
http://www.inspiration.com/videos/Inspiration
Jonassen, David H., and David H. Jonassen. Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008.

Blog Assignment

   I think using blogs are a fun and creative way to communicate, show news reports, tell stories, and poems and just meet new people. Blogs being used in education there are tons of ways they can be used a few for example blogs can make class meetings more on the classroom settings you can set up a blog account and have the class go in on class days and do there assigned work just as we do in this class. Less meetings for class saves gas money for the people who do commute to school or the people who are sick do have to physically show up just virtually.

     For people who think using blogs is a waste of time I think its become a must in education because of the technology we are heading into we might not have mandatory classroom meetings in the future so learning blogs now will help you teach others to use them.
     Chapter six teaches you the many way we use technology we used in the classroom. In the book the students knew how to create a blog, use them and has become very important in the classroom.


Reference
Blog in Plain English
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN2I1pWXjXI

"Amazon.com: Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd Edition) (9780132393959): David H. Jonassen, Jane L. Howland, Rose M. Marra, David P. Crismond: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 31 Jan. 2011. <http://www.amazon.com/Meaningful-Learning-Technology-David-Jonassen/dp/0132393956>.

Introduction

Whats good everyone, my name is Thris Greer I'm a junior here at Texas A&M University - Commerce. My major is Kenisiology All Levels. I love to play sports like football, basketball, baseball, soccer just to name a few, I'm 6'3 nice looking nice smile and I love to meet new people so that means its very easy for me to network. My teacher in ETEC calls me "T" because she cannot pronounce my name she was calling role and called me Ears. So hopefully people see and read my blogs because I will be posting them.