Technology Assessment

 

 

 

*Design by Grace Cuenco

**Logos obtained from Google Images

Creating a Lesson Plan and then Some

Creating a lesson plan is one thing and creating a multimedia lesson plan is just another step towards the 21^st century and all the technology it has to offer.

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, multimedia is defined as “a technique (as the combining of sound, video, and text) for expressing ideas (as in communication, entertainment, or art) in which several media are employed” (“Multimedia,” 2011) . With these requirements, my group members and I wanted to create a lesson plan that would involve all of these types of media. We also wanted to expose our students to some powerful, modern software that are actually being used now all over the world, which also includes them.
 

We decided to do a lesson on continents because through this lesson we will be able to incorporate the use of Google Earth, which is one modern tool that we wanted to introduce to our students. This satisfies the second point of the NETS•T Standards: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. In detail, “teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•T” (“NETS for Teachers,” 2008). We want to show our students that the globe is not the only tool that can be used to learn about the earth and its continents; now, we have satellites and programs to capture real-time data and images.

Other than Google Earth, this lesson plan can easily be modified to be more challenging or to accommodate the different needs of the students. If we feel that our students need a little bit more challenge from this lesson, we could also combine the lesson with learning the four oceans of the earth. We will still use the same tools as before, but this time the students will learn the majority of what makes up the surface of the earth.

This is also a great lesson to teach to English language learners because it is an introductory lesson to numerous terms that mainstream students may not know as well. As specified in the website, English language learners can write down the name of these continents in their first language in order for this lesson to be more memorable and relatable to them. Also, if the students are not proficient enough in the written English language, the test can be easily administered orally because this lesson involves much more images than words.

This lesson can also be effective with deaf/hard-of-hearing students because, as previously mentioned, it involves a lot of images. The teacher can learn the sign language for each continent combined with some help from the translators can really help these students learn and feel that this lesson was made with them in mind.

In conclusion, this project allowed me to see even more tools that I know will be highly useful when I become a teacher, like the website creator. I really enjoyed putting the website together because the creator that I used, Wix.com, was free and extremely easy to use. And because of this experience, I will definitely have a class website because now I know it is not hard to create and this is a great way of communicating to students and parents the assignments and different events that is happening in the classroom. And even though I did not enjoy filling out the ASSURE model as much because it required a lot of detailed thinking, I know that this it is important to know exactly the who, what, when where, and how of a lesson, plus there is an actual model to follow to insure that you are answering all these questions.

Multimedia. (2011). Merriam-webster dictionary. Retrieved April 29, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multimedia?show=1&t=1304165598

Nets for teachers 2008. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

Continents

Multimedia Lesson Plan Website: http://www.wix.com/gracecuenco1/continents

Sexting and Textual Harassment

WHAT IS SEXTING?

When people take and send sexually revealing pictures of themselves or send sexually explicit messages via text message.

WHAT IS TEXTUAL HARASSMENT?

Repeatedly texting one’s cell phone to the point of harassment.

STATISTICS

• 33% of teen boys and 25% of teen girls say they have had nude/semi nude images – originally meant to be private- shared with them
• 3 in 10 young people have been involved in sexting
• 61% of those who sent a sext of themselves have been pressured to do so at least once
• Nearly 1 in 5 sext recipients have passed the sext along to someone else
• More than 50% of those who shared a sext shared with multiple people 
• Sexters are 4x more likely to consider suicide in the past years than those who don’t

~ National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy

~ MTV’s A Thin Line- Sexting Facts (http://www.atthinline.org/facts/sexting)

PREVENTION

• THINK about the consequences of taking, sending, or forwarding a sexual picture of someone underage, even if it is you.
  BECAUSE you could…
  Get kicked off your sports team, become humiliated, lose opportunities, or get in trouble with the law.
• NEVER take photos of yourself that you wouldn’t want everyone to see
  LIKE your parents, your teachers, your classmates, etc.
• BE CAREFUL. If you forward a sexual picture of someone underage, you are responsible for this image as the ORIGINAL sender.
  EVENTUALLY you could face child pornography charges, go to jail, and have to register as a sex offender. 
• WAIT. Before hitting send always remember that you cannot control where the image goes and who sees.
  BECAUSE what you send your boyfriend or girlfriend could end up with your friend, his friend, his auntie, your uncle, etc… YIKES! 
• REPORT any nude pictures you receive on your cell phone to an adult you trust.
  DO NOT delete the message. Get your parents/guardians, school counselors involved IMMEDIATELY.

  http://www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/sextingprevention.pdf

 

TIPS FOR PARENTS/TEACHERS 

• DON’T WAIT for an incident to happen to your child/student or your child’s/student’s friends before you talk about the consequences of sexting.  
• REMIND your kids/students that once an image is sent, it can never be retrieved—and they will lose control of it.  
• TALK about the pressures to send revealing photos. Let teens know that you understand how they can be pushed or dared into sending something. Tell them that no matter how big the social pressure is, the potential social humiliation can be hundreds of times worse.
• TEACH your children/students that the buck stops with them. If someone sends them a photo, they should delete it immediately. It’s better to be a part of the solution than the problem. Besides, if they send it on, they’re distributing pornography – and that is against the law. 
• CHECK OUT thatsnotcool.com. It’s a fabulous site that gives kids the language and support to take texting and cell phone power back into their own hands. It’s also a great resource for parents who are uncomfortable dealing directly with this issue.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k17RngMAITY

Exceptionally Able

Technology is all around us. It has definitely made life more convenient and has opened an entirely new dimension for us in which communication across the globe is only a click/call away and news updates are always up-to-the-minute, and even up-to-the-second. Technology has really enabled us to do amazing things, and it pleases me to know that individuals with exceptionalities are greatly benefitting from technology as well through assistive technology—“any item, piece of equipment, or product system...that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities” ("What is assistive," 2011).

“Enabling Dreams,” a video about assistive technology in the classroom, opened my eyes to what technology has to offer to all of our students. I saw in the video how teachers integrated the use of technology in their lesson in order to make learning more accessible to students with disabilities (Ellis, 2005). I saw how important it was for disabled students to have the right tools, whether it be a laptop, a touch screen device, or even a joystick-controlled horn, in order to be successful participants. Without these accommodations, these students will feel that they cannot do much in this world, which is very untrue because many of them are as equally brilliant as a “normal” person.

This caused me to think back to the different lessons I learned in class and even lesson plans I have written and realized that not many of these lessons accommodate all types of learners. What if a student was vision impaired? Hearing impaired? Then, they could not have participated much in the lesson and activity, which means they may not have gained much from the lesson as well.

It is saddening to think that teachers exclude disabled students because they are ignorant of what is available for these students. I do not want to repeat the same mistake, so I searched online and found this great site: Assistive Technology to Meet K-12 Student Needs. It has a list of alternatives according to the different needs of the students. If a student is blind or has low vision, assistive devices such as audio books and Braille printers are some great tools to help them. If a student has trouble with verbal communication, devices such as simple-voice outputs or talking word processors are some options that can be used. However, some of these tools are not readily available, so the website also suggested low-technology tools, such as incorporating more pictures and text to accommodate the deaf and hard-of-hearing (“Assistive technology to”, 2004).

Now that I am more aware of assistive technology, I want to find out what type of technology is available to my students before I create a revised activity because I want to be able to do an activity in which this tool can be fully utilized. I found that the Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education located at the University of Guam loans out different devices for free ("Guam system for," 2009). I will use the U.S. Department of Education’s Modified Academic Achievement Standards to check if my revised lesson/activity meets the requirements. One requirement indicates that the student must meet “goals that are based on the academic content standards for the grade in which the student is enrolled,” and if my revision meets this along with a few other requirements, then I know I am doing it correctly (U.S. Department, 2007).

In conclusion, although it may take more time and effort to create lesson plans that include all learners, it is the only way educators can empower each and every student with the knowledge and skill they need to prepare them for the future. 

Assistive technology to meet k-12 student needs. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te7assist.htm

Ellis, K. (Director). (2005). Assistive-technology: Enabling dreams [Web]. Available from http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Guam system for assistive technology. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.gsatcedders.org/lending_library.html

U. S. Departement of Education, Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. (2007). Modified academic achievment standards Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/modachieve-summary.html

What is assistive technology?. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/special_ed/asstive_tech/

Image from: http://www.disaboom.com/assistive-technology-general/top-6-assistive-communication-technology

Behind the Scenes of "Fractions and Brownies"

Throughout my entire grade school, I have written numerous stories, acted in a couple of plays, and even took part in a puppet show, but this was my first time having to create a digital story. “Digital story?” I asked myself, “Where do I begin and what will I use?”

Almost overwhelmed by this daunting new task, Dr. Cyrus showed us a sample digital story from last semester. I saw that at the beginning, a small dilemma was introduced in order for the lesson to connect with the story. I also saw that the lesson must be short and simple enough so that everything can be understood within three minutes. Gaining some insight from this example, I was able to have more direction for where I want my story to go.

Since I am a math major, I knew I had to teach something about math, but the subject is quite broad, so I did not really know what to teach just yet. However, when we were given a brainstorm session in which we could discuss with our fellow classmates about our story ideas, I was finally able to decided what to base my story on. Since I like baking brownies and recently purchased a new and innovate baking pan, called the Perfect Brownie^TM Pan, I thought why not incorporate baking brownies to teach simple fractions. With this idea in mind, I started the actual work.

At first, I just wanted to take the pictures right away, but I needed help from my sister because I needed her to take my pictures. Then she asked where my storyline sketch was, and I told her that I had it all in my mind. However, she said it would make my life much easier if I had a sketch of my story, even on paper. Hesitantly and hurriedly, I created a storyboard on paper (and what a great decision that was). Then, I ended up having to create a storyboard with PowerPoint in class.

I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. just trying to get the right pictures because somehow the pictures kept on coming out blurry and waiting for my brownies to actually finish baking. I really thought that this was the hardest part of the process, but then I started editing.

I would say that editing was the most challenging part of the project for me because I have never used iMovie before. I had to quickly learn what iMovie could do and could not do. The editing process was very meticulous. I had to enhance every picture using iPhoto to lessen the blurriness and improve lighting, ensure the pictures flowed smoothly by setting where every picture would start and stop panning, and also ensure that the text does not play too fast. I even had to edit my background music so that the ending did not just stop abrubtly. I relied on my storyboard a lot during because I was not able to edit everything in one sitting, so I kept referring back to my storyboard to where my story was going. I am so glad I listened to my sister and Dr. Cyrus and created a storyboard; it gave me one less thing to have to remember.

iMovie, iPhoto, and YouTube can be used across the curriculum, but one tool I used in my digital story that I believe that would really be beneficial to math teachers is Microsoft’s Equation Editor. I used this tool to create all of the fractions and equations in the story. This tool has all of the logical symbols, Greek letters, and other mathematical symbols I have ever used in my entire mathematical career thus far.

Another important lesson I learned from creating this digital story is how can I make this topic of adding simple fractions understandable to others? To my future students? Since I’m so used to working with fractions, I had to make sure that I could still explain the basics of fractions to someone who may have never worked with fractions before. Creating this digital story helped me evaluate and word my lesson in a way that can easily be understood.

I believe having students create a digital story that teaches a topic we learned in the classroom is a great way to assess their understanding because if they explain a procedure wrong, then they might not have really understood the lesson. In another light, students can present the lesson in a different context or explain what helped the individual understand the particular topic can really help others in the class who may not have understood the lesson before.

In conclusion, I am really glad that I have been exposed to this kind of work because I was able to use different kinds of technological tools that I have never used before. I would definitely give this assignment when I become an educator in the future. I would definitely require my students to create a storyboard first because it was a great help to me while doing this project. Also since I was not able to include voice over in my project, I would require my students to include different elements, such as voice over, other animation besides picture-panning, and a small video embedded in their project in order to make it much better than mine and to expose them to even more tools.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9JDSV6BCbQ

     

Rubric for Online Game

Rubric for Online Game

Name of website: Arcademic Skill Builders

Name of game: Grand Prix Multiplication

CRITERIA	POOR(0)	SATISFACTORY(3)	EXCELLENT(5)	SCORE
Accessibility	The game is difficult and confusing to find in the website, additional download was required and difficult to install	Some accessibility is unclear, additional download was required and easy to install	The game can easily be found in the website with no additional download	5
Visual Elements	There are few or no visual elements, layout is not appealing. Visuals have nothing to do with concept of the game.	There are some visual elements, layout is somewhat appealing. Visuals is somewhat related to the concept.	There are many visual elements and layout is very appealing. Visuals help students understand concept.	3
Navigation	Navigating the game is confusing and information cannot be found easily.	Some navigation is unclear, resulting in a few places where students can become lost.	The game is well organized and easy to navigate. Students can clearly understand where they are and where to go next.	3
Rules	Rules are not clearly stated.	Some rules are given, but there is missing information. Students might be confused.	Every rule is clearly stated.	5
Goals	Goals are vague or incomplete.	Goals are at least partially described.	Goals are clearly stated and measure what students must know and be able to do to accomplish the game.	3
Subject	The subject or topic of the game is vague or incomplete.	The subject or topic of the game is at least partially described.	The subject or topic of the game is clearly stated.	5
Difficulty Level	The game’s difficulty levels cannot be changed to fit the student’s ability.	The game’s difficulty levels can be changed, but it is difficult to do so.	The game’s difficulty levels can be easily changed to fit the student’s ability.	3
Feedback	There are few or no opportunities for students to receive feedback on their performance.	There are some opportunities for students to receive feedback on their performance.	There are frequent opportunities for students to receive timely feedback on their performance.	5

Total points:      32                Poor                        Satisfactory                        Excellent

Rating:

Poor: 0-23 points

Satisfactory: 24-32 points

Excellent: 33-40 points 

Additional Comments:

There is no pause button. It is hard to exit the game. There was immediate feedback while playing the game as well as overall feedback at the end. 

**Prezi presentation: http://prezi.com/5hlgu1m3qkqw/online-game-rubric/