https://lec.usm.edu/thinkcenter/

BOUNDLESS TEACHER BLOG REFLECTION

Over the course of the IT 365 course, presented by Dr. Donna Parker, I have experienced the opportunity to complete a professional introduction, a reference to the ISTE-T Standards, web tool projects involving Rubistar, Quizlet, ABC Teach, and Eclipsecrossword projects, Google group projects that included a collaborative story and presentation, Inspiration Software projects, a Windows Movie Maker project, a Google Website, a report that included an exploration of social, ethical, and legal issues; while experimenting with Turn-It-In Software, and a Power Point Presentation focused on Assistive Technology.

Completing these projects has provided me with the strengths of technological resourcefulness, communication skills, and reflective learning. My weaknesses include time management, professional production and design skills. I believe that the more that technology is used, the better one can become at selecting a wider variety of uses and production of better quality materials. For these reasons the structure of this course provided me strengthening exercises which, in turn, provided such strengths in technology, communication, and reflective learning. Time management weaknesses existed previously and though I may have gotten better due to the structural expectations of the course, I do see a greater opportunity to continue to work on those time management skills. I also, in the future would like to take an opportunity to gain a greater knowledge in production and design skills. I believe that learning these skills would allow be to produce better work in the future.

For the future I plan to make a commitment to provide full integration of technology into the classroom utilizing the various resources and skills that I have learned in this course. I truly believe that as an instructor of lifelong learners that it is imperative that I also provide technological education and integration for my students. Providing technological education and integration to my students will help provide useful classroom engagement and assist in preparing them for future careers in any field of study that they may pursue in the future. I also intend to continue to develop all of the materials that I have created within this classroom curriculum for the betterment of my future as an instructor of lifelong learners.

QUICKLINKS

1. INTRODUCTION
2. ISTE(T) STANDARDS
3. WEB TOOLS
     a. RUBRIC - 60 Second Elevator Pitch
     b. QUIZ - Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model
     c. WORKSHEET - Science Goals
     d. CROSSWORD PUZZLE, Key & Hints
4. GOOGLE GROUPS
     a. STORY - Ichabod
     b. PRESENTATION - FBIR
5. CONCEPT MAP
6. MOVIE STORY
7. GOOGLE WEBSITE
8. TURN-IT-IN / SOCIAL, ETHICAL, & LEGAL ISSUES REPORT
9. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY POWER POINT PRESENTATION

My Inspiration

Vast Uses for Windows Movie Maker in Teaching

Windows Move Maker is one tool designed for the production of movies. This tool can be used in a variety of ways within the classroom. It can be used, by the instructor, as a presentation tool for introduction, demonstration, or supplement, for classroom materials. It can also be used by students for the development of their own demonstration of a personal mastery of classroom materials. One way that I have used this tool is to provide a purposeful introduction as an invitation to participate in a certificate course in Family Business Interdisciplinary Research, which is a program developed utilizing the Instructional Interdisciplinary Research Development Model. Challenges that I faced included a condensation of relevant materials into an appropriate timeframe and the exploration and application of the wide variety of features offered in the program; specifically with the narration timing and consistency. The program is an excellent one and the more I use this program the easier the production and the better quality of video I expect.

In this blog, the reader should expect to directly understand how the tools presented, such as Windows Movie Maker, can directly meet instructional standards according to the International Society for Technology in Education, or ISTE. I have also made a professional commitment to attempt to tie each of the five standards to each tool presented, therefore, to (1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, as an instructor, I would routinely assign usage of this tool for student demonstration of learning. For standard (2), design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, I will frequently present material examples by incorporation of Windows Movie Maker and test student comprehension by movie project assignments. To (3) Model digital age work and learning, I will routinely merge previously presented materials for constructivist application within the classroom. To (4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, it will always be standard to include all relevant sources and credits of any materials using Windows Movie Maker. To (5) Engage in professional growth and leadership, I will promote portfolio building usage of any Windows Movie Maker projects, and the maintenance of credential spreadsheets for future network and source building.

The Endless Opportunities of Web Tools

Utilizing web tools can exponentially improve the instructional capability to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, design and develop digital aged learning experiences and assessments, model digital age work and learning, promote digital citizenship and responsibility, and engage in professional growth and leadership. I have added four new web tools, Rubistar, Quizlet, ABCTeach, and Eclipsecrossword.com, to my portfolio of technology resources. These assignments allowed me to demonstrate my ability to perform instructional tasks aligned with the ISTE*T Standards. The uses of these tools allowed me to provide integrative and collaborative technological assignments for classroom use. It is challenging to learn new programs, however when providing time for a learning curve, the benefits definitatley outweigh the initial lag of productivity. I hope to improve my capabilities for instruction by assigning standard expectations for each of the newly mastered tools. By doing this, in the future, I will expect to be able to browse a list of tools and pick and choose a variety useful for engagement, creativity, assessment, modeling, and responsibility promotion.

Turnitin Report Assignment

A plagiarism tool commonly used in the classroom for evaluation of integrated assessments, and designed to meet international and national standards of instruction, is called Turnitin.  This is tool designed to help curb the capability of students to use the work of others as their own. This tool measures the percentage of similarity in the submitted documents, in comparison of other online sources. I have utilized Turnitin to, as a student, recognized that inspiration, creativity, and honesty are demanded of this exercise.  In order to (1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, as an instructor, I would consistently demand usage of this tool.  For fulfillment of standard (2), design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, I will incorporate this tool in my classroom to promote experiences and assessments that hold a higher standard of accountability, and thought.  To fulfill (3) Model digital age work and learning, I will ask that students site all works to include an active link to each online source.  To (4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, I will encourage student copyright of intellectual materials, following Turnitin submission.  Finally, to (5) Engage in professional growth and leadership.  I will encourage adding a relative network contact within each sources body of knowledge.

 

The topic for my report is the Promotion of the Computer Science Industry.  The topic was unexpected, because this assignment required a restriction of source materials.  The topic was very interesting and offered a lot of resources,  I found quickly that there was an abundance of resources and that easily you could be sourcing another type of information that requires a different method of citation.  Another challenge I faced was to, using the varied sources, need to unify a topic that addresses both the questions presented and the focus of the report.  Needing to respond to the Turnitin evaluation I needed find creative ways to restate common terms or combinations of words.  Also I was challenged to creatively adapt and translate the data and data sources into one unified report.  The Turnitin Assignment definitely inspired learning and creativity, provided digital aged learning and experiences, an assessment tool that enhanced the objective impact.  This assignment definitely inspired creative thought based on a modeled assignment.  I was challenged to accept responsibility for assignment comprehension; or risk plagiarism report.  I felt empowered with the instructional resources that were provided in this assignment that will assist in building a network of stakeholders with the same goal of growth and leadership.  I, in a search for excellence will always seek to tie each assignment into each of the five standards, for the purpose of enhanced education, experience, and application. 

 

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Kidspiration, An Interactive and Creative Assessment Tool

A tool commonly used in the classroom for the integration of technology, and designed to meet international and national standards of instruction, is a concept map.  A concept map is a visual learning tool.  I have utilized Kidspiration, an application that offers the concept map tool, to meet the standards set forth for demonstration of a capacity to (1) Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity, (2) design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, (3) Model digital age work and learning, (4) Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility, and (5) Engage in professional growth and leadership. 

The topic of my Concept Map, or Web Activity, is Ergonomics.  This web activity is designed for all ages, particularly office workers.  The strategy is to inspire learning and creativity by offering an opportunity to record a unique account of expectation on each of the defined elements of the assignment.  The digital age learning experience is an assessment tool topical comprehension.  The development of this assignment provides a creative model to inspire creative thought when completing the assignment.  This assignment encourages the student to accept responsibility for understanding of safety requirements.  By taking ownership of, and creating the knowledge content, the student is expected to obtain growth and leadership in practicing what they have learned. 

The biggest challenge of this assignment is content development.  The biggest success is creating an interactive and collaborative learning assessment.  My goal for improvement is to expand on the presented content and develop similar assessments for other courses.

Delores Goudy