Module 6: Mobile Devices

Kahoot!

This week I learned about mobile devices and how to implement them into the classroom and the lessons. Kahoot! would be a very fun and helpful tool to utilize in the classroom. Kahoot! is an online resource/app that allows you to create and give quizzes all at one time. The quiz is online, so students can get their phones or computers and join via the quiz code. The questions and answer choices on the quiz are given on the main screen, which can be the smartboard in the classroom. Then the students can choose and submit their answers from their phone or computer. There is also a scoreboard that encourages students to compete and try to get the answers correct. 

One challenge that you might face could be with low SES students. If there are students without mobile phones or personal computers, they would not be able to join and participate in the quiz. Some classrooms have computers, but some do not. If you are in a classroom that does not have computers for the students to use, the students without a phone or computer will not be able to participate.

It is important to know your school district/workplace's policies when dealing with mobile devices. If you are not careful, you may violate these policies and then you could get in trouble. You also have to make sure that students stay on task when using mobile devices. The school district may allow you to use Kahoot!, but if your students get off task then you could still get in trouble. If you violate these policies, you could ruin the opportunity to introduce and utilize more technology for others in the school district, as well as for yourself.

 Module 5: Multimedia

PowerPoint Recording

This week I learned about PowerPoint Recording. This would be a very useful tool in the classroom, especially when dealing with presentations. I can use this to record my lectures and allow students to watch them on their own time. I could also have my students use this wonderful feature. If my students were preparing a presentation to share with the class, I could offer for them to use PowerPoint Recording to help with their presentation. I could have students pre-record their presentations to share with the class. This would allow me to still give their presentation even if the student wasn't in class for some reason. I could also allow students to use this instead of getting up and presenting in front of a live audience. I know that some students struggle with presenting in front of a group of people. This would allow them to still present and give all of their information without having to stand in front of a class. 

One challenge that I would have to consider would be the availability of computers and webcams/microphones. If a student does not have access to a computer or a webcam and microphone, then they will not be able to use PowerPoint Recording. This would make it difficult for students to work on their presentations. They would have to work on it at school, which can be extremely difficult if you are trying to record video and audio of yourself. We would have to find a private space and time for students to work on their presentations at school.

 Module 4: Desktop Publishing

Sway

This week, I learned about Microsoft Sway and the different uses that it has. First, I created a brochure, a flyer, and a newsletter. After creating these, I posted my newsletter on Sway. Posting my newsletter in Sway allowed me to share it with all of my classmates without having to email a Word document to each of them. Sway also has a different feel than your normal Word document. It made my newsletter seem a little more modern and fun. This would be a very useful tool in the classroom. I plan on teaching math after I graduate. One way that I could incorporate Sway into the classroom is by having my students complete a group project and posting it on Sway for all of their classmates to see. For example, I could have my students create a flyer for a math-related event, and then I could have them share it through Sway. I could also make them complete a project relating to whatever topic we are covering and have them post it on Sway. After they post it, I will pull it up on the board/projector and allow them to present it to the class. 

While Sway would be a very useful tool in the classroom, there could be some challenges when using it. One challenge would be internet access and familiarity with this tool. For some students, it might be very easy to get online and use this tool. However, not everyone has access to good internet when they are away from school. Even if they do have access, this does not mean that they would be aware of how to use it. Some students might be able to figure out how to work Sway, but you cannot assume that all students will be able to figure it out. You would have to show them how to work Sway, but this could be very time-consuming if students tend to struggle with technology.

 Module 3: Universal Design for Learning and Digital Citizenship

UDL

This week, I learned about UDL and why it is important in the classroom. In simple terms, UDL allows students to learn things in the way that is most beneficial to them. It allows all students an equal opportunity to succeed in the classroom. This is very important. I believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and grow when they are in the classroom. UDL helps each student become successful in their own way. There are three main domains for UDL, and there are several different technologies that can be used to help with each of these.

The first domain is engagement, also known as the "why" of learning. This helps teachers keep their kids interested and motivated when it comes to learning. One way they can do this is by making learning fun. Teachers can make learning not seem like something that is boring or something that is like a chore. Instead, they should make it like a game or some other fun activity. One website that could help them do this is Kahoot. Kahoot is an online resource that allows you to make trivia games for people to play along with on their phones. Teachers can give their students a lesson or a lecture, and follow it up with a game on Kahoot. This will allow teachers to test their students' knowledge, all while giving the students a competitive game to help reinforce what they've learned. 

The second domain is representation, or the "what" of learning. This is when information is presented to students in a variety of ways, allowing them to learn in the way that best suits them. Students learn in all different ways, so they should not be restricted to just one way of learning. There should be videos and audio clips for visual and auditory learners, as well as hands-on activities for kinesthetic learners. One online tool that could be used for this would be YouTube or TeacherTube. These websites have different videos that cover all sorts of information. They can be used by visual or auditory learners to learn the information. They can also be used by kinesthetic learners to follow along with an experiment or other hands-on activity to help them learn. 

The third domain is action and expression, or the "how" of learning. This part of UDL is to allow students to share what they know. They do this in all different ways. One way would be tests and quizzes. This is one of the more common forms of assessing what students know. Another way to find out what your students know would be for them to draw a picture or make a video. You could do things like this on websites like YouTube or Pixton. Both of these websites allow for alternative ways for students to share what they have learned, instead of writing it out or taking a test.

I also learned about digital citizenship this week. Two examples of digital citizenship are digital access and digital commerce. Digital access is just having access to technology and using that to fully participate in society. Digital commerce is the buying and selling of goods electronically. There are many other ways you can be a digital citizen, but these are two that relate to me the most.

 Module 2: Social Bookmarking and Networking

Visual Learning

This week I learned about Diigo and Pixton. I also used Twitter, but I was already familiar with it. I had a lot of fun learning about these technological tools and how they work. While I was learning about them, I kept thinking of different ways I could incorporate them into my classroom.

 Diigo would be very helpful in the classroom. If I had my students doing a paper or some other activity that required research, I would recommend Diigo to them. Diigo would allow them to bookmark websites so they could come back to them later. This would be extremely helpful if they needed to go to several different websites. They would also be able to highlight and annotate these websites so they wouldn't forget any important information or thoughts they had. 

Twitter can also be a useful tool in the classroom. I could get my students to follow and keep up with other people who were doing research and work on whatever topic we were covering in class. I could also make them post updates as we worked so that other people could follow along and make suggestions as they learned. Twitter is also a more common form of social networking, and my students may be a little more comfortable using this than some of the other tools that I might have them use.

Pixton was probably my favorite tool to use and learn about. Pixton allows you to create characters and comic strips/stories through their website. I could use Pixton to help my students understand and retain the information we have learned in class. I could also get my students to make their own comic strips to display their understanding of the content we are covering. Having my students make these comics would be a fun and unique way for them to communicate their understanding and questions about the content we were covering in class, and I could use this information to help my students learn and understand everything better.

While these tools can be very helpful, there are some challenges that could arise when using these technologies. There is likely to be a learning curve with some students. Some of my students may be very tech-savvy, while others aren't as familiar with the technology. Also, there might not be access to technology in some of my students' homes, so they wouldn't be able to work with these technologies outside of school. Another challenge I might face would be keeping my students on task. Pixton and Twitter can be very fun and useful tools, but they can also be very distracting. I would have to closely monitor my students to make sure they were staying on task.