Taya Breden

Overall my experiences being enrolled in Intro to Teaching Technology For Educators has helped me gain a better understanding of how to use technology within the classroom. In the beginning I was a little nervous to take the course because this was my first online class. As stated in the syllabus this course includes a hands-on experience with educational media and emerging technologies.  The course textbook " Transforming Learning with New Technologies " was a great resource throughout the semester. It was a great guide to help with assignments and discussions such as  Digital Blog Posts and  the four discussions assignments Introductory biography, Educational Best Practices/ Resources, Assistive/Adaptive Technology for Students & Technology Tools for ELL Students, and Legal & Ethical Issues.  Each assignment assigned in the course helped me reach a learning outcome. By partaking in the Collaborative Lesson Plan, Website Review, Discussion Posts, a...

Concept 1) Digital Portfolio In Tech Tools 11.1 the authors demonstrate the use of Digital Portfolios. Since I am a very hands on person I would use the Webshots app or website to have all photos in one place. The app lets you share your own photos and order prints. This would be a great feature to have in my future classroom or teacher portfolio to represent my work. Some common things found in a Digital portfolio include a resume of personal attributes and talents, philosophy of education and references, experience, etc. In cooperating digital portfolios for students can also be a great resource. A Digital portfolio may contain all the material usually found in a paper bound portfolio, but multimedia technologies are used to present the material (Jones & Shelton, 2011; Montgomery & Wiley, 2008). Changing from paper to digital portfolios represents significant shift in how students can communicate information. This would be a cool resource to one day use in my future c...

Concept 1- Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) are powerful new software programs that promote inquiry learning through computer responses to student actions.  When a student answers a question the computer records all responses and makes relevant predictions about what users already know and what they need to work on. Having a computer based tutor can promote practices to become better learners and test takers. Intelligent tutoring systems have been shown to be effective in improving student learning, especially in mathematics ( Beal, Arroyo, Cohen, & Woolf, 2010; Beal, Walles, Arroyo, & Woolf, 2007; Maloy, Razzaq, & Edwards, forthcoming.)  According  to Saga Briggs ITS are very beneficial. They can be  available  any time of the day, p rovide  real-time data instructors   and developers looking to refine teaching methods,r educe the dependence on human resources, h elp students better understand material by allowing them to first exp...

Chap 8 Concept 1 ) The first concept I will reflect upon is the use of  Skype . As stated in the book Skype turns a computer into a telephone and a video conference at the same time. Skype makes it possible for classroom teachers to make connections with other students and teachers from all over the world. I think that is a great way for students to learn about other cultures around the world. It gives them a opportunity to visually and virtually see how other cultures work.  Here is a short clip that I watched that really gave me an insight on how Skype really works between the two classrooms. I currently work at a preschool that offers a Spanish Immersion Program and I think this would be a great attribute to the class.  Concept 2) The second concept I will reflect upon is Media Literacy,  which is where students learn ways to think critically about their experiences with entertainment and social media (Hobbs,2011). Media literacy promotes a visual le...

The three concepts to reflect upon re: Chapter 1 1) The first concept I will reflect upon is the use of  Tech Tools  which include Tablets,Smartphones and Laptops in the classroom. Technology plays a big part in today's society. As stated in the book when you enter teaching you will quickly find that every part of the job is tied to computers and the information they help you access,manage, and share with students. After working at a preschool for almost a year I defiantly agree with this as I have witnessed it first hand. In the VPK program I work in we are required to do the teaching strategies GOLD assessments. After each assessment is completed we have to log everything into an online program to track students individual progress. This includes taking videos and pictures of the students to show the kinds of activities participated in. The way we document everything is buy using Tablets and Laptops in the classroom. Each VPK class is assigned a personal Tablet to take pi...