Computer Lab Seating Chart example

I used Microsoft Excel to create a seating chart. The main benefit to using Excel for a seating chart is the structure and order of a table is easy to create and use. I enjoy the structure it gives my seating chart, with discernible rows and columns, which is how I will seat children, in rows.
One limitation of using Excel for a seating chart is the lack of character and personality. Though you can add pictures or graphics to aid a substitute teacher the rigid structure of tables may not work for all layouts of different classrooms.

Assignment 5

For my 9^th grade English Language Arts class I would like to get a nice computer to use as a teacher. This computer would be a Mac Book Pro 15 inch screen 2.0 Ghz processor. This mac book has a 4 Gb hard-drive, a built in battery with 7 hours battery life, and a graphics card. This laptop computer costs $1799 on the Mac website. I would load Windows 7 on this computer to have the option of both a mac and windows computer for all students needs and to be able to use a wider variety of programs. This computer would be for my use as a teacher to create and develop lesson plans. It will be in laptop form so that it is portable for me to take home and to use hooked up to a projector system or any other system at any location in the school.

In addition to the laptop for the teacher, each student will get a classroom response system, or a “clicker”. I will use the turning point technology brand clicker model response card RF. These clickers will help me, the teacher, in taking attendance and tracking participation and quizzes. I will take daily attendance and have class participation points through the class to make sure the students are participating and paying attention. The response system will also help me give quizzes more efficiently, and grade quizzes more efficiently. They will also help me make quizzes and participation paperless, since most schools budgets are lowering and cutbacks are being drawn on in every area.

For the classroom I would also like to have a flip camera. A flip camera would give me the option and ability as a teacher to connect with parents and the community as well as get students interested in their school and school work. The camera could be used by me as a teacher to record events during the day and then put them on a blog or website for parents to see their childs' progress and work. The students could also use the camera for their school projects since it is extremely easy to use, has built in software, and a usb portal built in for easy uploading to a computer. Students could use the camera to record projects, school and local news. Flip cameras are sold for $80 at best buy and have a 1 hour recording time. I would need to also buy a tripod and extra batteries for this camera.

Assignment 3

            I have taken the MBTI test officially through the University of Alabama Career Center in January of this year. The results of this test came to say that I was an INFJ. I turned out to have moderate introversion, moderate intuition, moderate feeling and slight judging personality. I feel like this assessment was accurate in how my personality is. Just for good measure, I retook the free MBTI online to see if since January my personality type has changed or differentiated in any way. When I retook the test online my results were ISTJ. I was Moderately introverted, slightly sensing, very slightly thinking, and extremely judging personality type. These changes surprised me but are only slight from where I was. These results seem to be accurate for my personality. I enjoy working alone rather than groups, prefer to think before I act, like order and an established way of doing things, enjoy organizing, and enjoy pleasing people rather than displeasing people. These qualities will help me as a special education teacher because organization and scheduling is key in a struggling students life. As a learner these results can help me find the best ways and practces for my learning styles. They show that I would do better with individual work not group work and could encourage me to work harder when placed in a group to try and make it easier for myself.

            My learning style test results were 40% Visual, 40% audio, and 20% Kinesthetic. These results are not surprising for me because I could never figure out if I was more a visual or audio learner, but always knew I was not really a kinesthetic learner. Now I know that I can improve my learning and studying skills by using a good combination of audio and visual techniques. As a teacher, understanding that all students have different learning styles and teachers can use this information to better serve each student in their teaching styles. Teachers can either use this knowledge to teach to the majority in the classroom or try to individualize and differentiate instruction for all students.

http://www.howtolearn.com/cgi-bin/score.pl

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

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Educational Technology: definition, uses, purpose, and reflectons

To accurately understand and appropriately apply technology in the classroom we must first understand what educational technology is. Any technology used to enhance the ability to learn and the ability to effectively teach to any person is what I consider educational technology. Educational technology is an interesting new way for teachers and students of any nature to improve their educational goals of teaching and learning.

Teachers can effectively use technology to help their students ability to learn increase. Even the best teachers can not force a child to learn, they can only provide the appropriate and necessary tools for children who want to be students to learn. These appropriate and necessary tools must include certain aspects of technology for students in today’s time and society to succeed. Teachers can use these tools most importantly to collaborate with other teachers to creatively solve the poblems they may encounter in the classroom. I am a strong supporter of collaboration and sharing between peers, mentors, teachers, and community members. This collaboration helps even the best teachers solve problems or just get new ideas to spice up their usual lesson plan routine.

More importantly students can use technology to foster deeper learning and improve their education experience. I have witnessed the impact that technology has on a different type of student. In a special education school for children called RISE, technology was effectively utilized to promote social growth for students. Some of the young four year old children were unable to communicate effectively with classmates and teachers because of various learning disabilities and even sometimes just being shy. So to help classmates connect and learn about each other the teacher would send a voice recorder home with some students each weekend. The students would then record the events of their weekend including any progress they made in physical or emotional therapy and any special activities they did. If the child was unable to communicate with speech their parents would record what they did for the class to hear. Then, in a group setting, everyone in the class would sit in a circle and share what they did over the weekend, including the students who would not normally be able or willing to share in this group setting. This innovative technique utilizes some common technology, a voice recorder, to improve the social and behavioral mood of special needs children so they are more open and receptive to learning.

This is the epitome of what technology is supposed to do in the classroom, help and improve the learning experience. Though sometimes technology can not help, but hinder the learning experience. There are downsides to using too much technology in a classroom setting, but overall I believe that technology, when utilized in appropriate uses and times can be more helpful than hurtful. The main time when technology would be a hindrance is in the initial introduction of new technology to students who are then in awe of the technology and distracted by the technology and loose sight of the use and importance of the assignments or uses. The only other time when technology would not improve a classroom is when the technology fails to work. An example of this is would be the tape recorders not recording or not playing back when it was needed. These setbacks or negatives of technology are greatly overshadowed by the important and useful advantages it offers teachers and most importantly students.