In the beginning of class today we started by talking about our iPad powerpoint presentations. Apparently not many of us understood the point of the assignment as we now have some extra time to re-do our presentations. I don't really mind as I was not completely happy with my finished product and it will be nice to get the opportunity to add more notes and photos to my presentation, since it was kind of boring. We also talked about how it is important to add statistics and other factual information. In order to insert facts and statistics we went over how to insert bar graphs and charts into the power point.
After talking about PowerPoint we moved onto talking about Microsoft publisher to make a flyer to go with our presentation. At first it seemed like it would be difficult to use, but I actually got the hang of it and managed to finish my flyer in pretty good time.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Class#12: eBooks and Project C.
To start off class we discussed one of our past topics on the discussion board: Always being plugged in. The opinions on this topic still vary, and I still maintain that always being plugged in via mobile devices isn't healthy for anyone. We then went over how well our submission of Project B went, the general consesus being that most people were able to turn in their projects with little difficulty.
Then our discussion turned to the topic of eBooks, which I am actually a fan of, as my kindle is one of my most prized possessions. According to the professor eBooks are becoming more and more popular, with the notion of textbooks potentially being available in an eBook in the future as well as kindle now having a "rent" option instead of bying the book. I think that this is a good change because it will make information even more accesible, and I must admit I think my life would be a bit easier if I could access my heavy mathbook on my unassuming kindle. Another student also shared a benefit of using eBooks, which is that students that are lower readers can use a kindle or other device to read a book at their level, without being embarrassed that they are unable to read the chapter books that their other classmates can read. Furthermore potential authors can publish their book into an eBook directly, instead of most likely getting rejected by several different book publishers. I think that this is beneficial especially for good writers who don't have the connections to get a publisher, but it also means that there is potentially a lot of crap authors out there who can also easily get their writing circulated as well.
After this we discussed our upcoming assignment: Project C. I am actually looking forward to developing and presenting this because I think it will be fun to create on the smartboard, and it will be a good chance to show what I have learned.
We concluded class with some work time, which I used to start working on my Project C presentation.
Then our discussion turned to the topic of eBooks, which I am actually a fan of, as my kindle is one of my most prized possessions. According to the professor eBooks are becoming more and more popular, with the notion of textbooks potentially being available in an eBook in the future as well as kindle now having a "rent" option instead of bying the book. I think that this is a good change because it will make information even more accesible, and I must admit I think my life would be a bit easier if I could access my heavy mathbook on my unassuming kindle. Another student also shared a benefit of using eBooks, which is that students that are lower readers can use a kindle or other device to read a book at their level, without being embarrassed that they are unable to read the chapter books that their other classmates can read. Furthermore potential authors can publish their book into an eBook directly, instead of most likely getting rejected by several different book publishers. I think that this is beneficial especially for good writers who don't have the connections to get a publisher, but it also means that there is potentially a lot of crap authors out there who can also easily get their writing circulated as well.
After this we discussed our upcoming assignment: Project C. I am actually looking forward to developing and presenting this because I think it will be fun to create on the smartboard, and it will be a good chance to show what I have learned.
We concluded class with some work time, which I used to start working on my Project C presentation.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Class #11: Project B Discussion, and other things
Right away in class today we started talking about our Project B. This to me was a nice way to start class because it cleared up a lot of questions that I had about it, and was happy to hear that we do not need to have our activity done until Project C, as Project B is just the lesson plan. Then we posted our Project B drafts to our site, which I am happy to say I have got the hang of pretty well. After sharing our URLs with the professor we moved on to a discussion of lesson planning and showing different examples of lesson plans
After this we got into small groups and talked with each other about the lesson plans that we created. This was really helpful because we were able to get one-on-one advice from one of our peers about the different changes we could make to our lesson plans. It was also nice to talk to everyone else and see the different common core standards that everyone else had, and the different ideas that other people had for a technology-integrated lesson.
We also had time in class to ask the professor questions, or ask other students who might know the answer.
After we asked questions and discussed about our lesson plans we had some time to get used to the Smartboard. For this we presented some of the different Smartboard activities that we developed earlier in the class. This was helpful because it gave me a chance to show what I could do and also get used to using the smartboard. It was also nice to see the other activities that people created and how they incorporated their major into the lessons.
After this we got into small groups and talked with each other about the lesson plans that we created. This was really helpful because we were able to get one-on-one advice from one of our peers about the different changes we could make to our lesson plans. It was also nice to talk to everyone else and see the different common core standards that everyone else had, and the different ideas that other people had for a technology-integrated lesson.
We also had time in class to ask the professor questions, or ask other students who might know the answer.
After we asked questions and discussed about our lesson plans we had some time to get used to the Smartboard. For this we presented some of the different Smartboard activities that we developed earlier in the class. This was helpful because it gave me a chance to show what I could do and also get used to using the smartboard. It was also nice to see the other activities that people created and how they incorporated their major into the lessons.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Class #10: iPads and Confusing QR's
Today's class started out by going over how well the homework went over the previous week. Due to the extended due dates it was much easier for me to get my homework in on time, although I still heard of some people not completing it. It seems as though some people think that they should be able to complete the homework in class the day its due. Then, to kill some time we viewed a prezi presentation titled "60 apps in 60 minutes", which was built in the shape of a clock. Although despite the clever design I still find prezi presentations that are not my own to be quite difficult to navigate.
We then moved on to a discussion about QR (Quick Response) codes, which I have been noticing are more and more poplular on mobile devices. For this discussion we each selected an iPad, unless we brought our own, and tried out scanning a QR code. While the iPad I was using was being difficult and wouldn't connect to the internet, I still got the jist of it, and I can see how that could be really handy in the classroom. This could be particularily useful for students with special needs, as you can maybe hide hints inside the codes, or even have the code lead to a social story for certain social situations that students with autism could use. Unfortunately using and creating these QR codes proved to be much easier said then done. Creating an activity to link to a QR code is still something I am completely lost on (what program should we use? how do you create an activity that isn't multiple choice in google docs?). However I was able to figure out how to convert a url to a QR code and add that code to a word document. I guess progress is progress however small it may be. We then posted the different QR codes we created to our sites. That at least I have managed to get the hang of.
Next we got into small groups to discuss the homework (iPad articles and reflections), and compile a list of five strategies that were listed in the articles. We then verbally presented our finding to the class. This was followed up with a short lecture on the use of iPads in a classroom, and what ages they will benefit the most.
To conclude our class we talked about lesson planning, which we discussed in order to complete our Project B.
We then moved on to a discussion about QR (Quick Response) codes, which I have been noticing are more and more poplular on mobile devices. For this discussion we each selected an iPad, unless we brought our own, and tried out scanning a QR code. While the iPad I was using was being difficult and wouldn't connect to the internet, I still got the jist of it, and I can see how that could be really handy in the classroom. This could be particularily useful for students with special needs, as you can maybe hide hints inside the codes, or even have the code lead to a social story for certain social situations that students with autism could use. Unfortunately using and creating these QR codes proved to be much easier said then done. Creating an activity to link to a QR code is still something I am completely lost on (what program should we use? how do you create an activity that isn't multiple choice in google docs?). However I was able to figure out how to convert a url to a QR code and add that code to a word document. I guess progress is progress however small it may be. We then posted the different QR codes we created to our sites. That at least I have managed to get the hang of.
Next we got into small groups to discuss the homework (iPad articles and reflections), and compile a list of five strategies that were listed in the articles. We then verbally presented our finding to the class. This was followed up with a short lecture on the use of iPads in a classroom, and what ages they will benefit the most.
To conclude our class we talked about lesson planning, which we discussed in order to complete our Project B.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Class #9: Mobile devices and immovable opinions.
Class today began with a barrage of questions directed at the professor regarding the our google sites and blogs. While I must admit that I am one of the many who are somewhat flustered by this, I feel that I have a relativiely firm grasp on the concepts, and was also happy to find that I am not the only person who isn't 100% savvy with this.
We then moved onto the discussion of mobile devices. Devices such as smartphones, ipads, tablets, digital cameras, and even portable gaming devices. This led to an assignment to read an article about Digital Devices and their effect on people in the workforce, who work through their phones even when away from the desk, part of which I read during class. This part sort of scared me because it is becoming even more popular for people to be expected to be available for work, even when they are clocked out. Not my idea of a happy and fulfilling career. The article also mentioned that as of now about 2/3 of the U.S. population owns a smartphone, which again, made me uncomfortable as I do not own a smartphone, nor do I wish to. I do not like the idea of being so dependent on a phone, as many people are, and I often enjoy distancing myself from technology and being completely unreachable and secluded, however morose that may sound.
The next activity was to take our discussion on mobile devices and direct it towards smartphones, and the different versions of them. We then created a smart notebook presentation of them. This was at first difficult because I was very confused as to the expectations of the short assignment, and also I hate cellphones and don't really know much about them, nor can I tell any brand apart from each other. But with some help from the professor I pretty much got it down, along with the help of interet photos of phones with their brands obviously visible in the photo.
Finally in class we were supplied with ipads to use and our professor went over an introduction of its functions. I hadn't really used one before, other than holding the one my cousins owned, so I found it quite enjoyable to get used to one. And I drew a tree. Maybe owning one of these wouldn't be so terrible.
We then moved onto the discussion of mobile devices. Devices such as smartphones, ipads, tablets, digital cameras, and even portable gaming devices. This led to an assignment to read an article about Digital Devices and their effect on people in the workforce, who work through their phones even when away from the desk, part of which I read during class. This part sort of scared me because it is becoming even more popular for people to be expected to be available for work, even when they are clocked out. Not my idea of a happy and fulfilling career. The article also mentioned that as of now about 2/3 of the U.S. population owns a smartphone, which again, made me uncomfortable as I do not own a smartphone, nor do I wish to. I do not like the idea of being so dependent on a phone, as many people are, and I often enjoy distancing myself from technology and being completely unreachable and secluded, however morose that may sound.
The next activity was to take our discussion on mobile devices and direct it towards smartphones, and the different versions of them. We then created a smart notebook presentation of them. This was at first difficult because I was very confused as to the expectations of the short assignment, and also I hate cellphones and don't really know much about them, nor can I tell any brand apart from each other. But with some help from the professor I pretty much got it down, along with the help of interet photos of phones with their brands obviously visible in the photo.
Finally in class we were supplied with ipads to use and our professor went over an introduction of its functions. I hadn't really used one before, other than holding the one my cousins owned, so I found it quite enjoyable to get used to one. And I drew a tree. Maybe owning one of these wouldn't be so terrible.
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