Blog #6

Microsoft Excel is quite a challenge. I have worked with Microsoft Excel a couple of times, but I honestly never took advantage of the amazing features Microsoft Excel has to offer. In creating a spreadsheet for one of the assignments this week, I struggled mostly with the formulas. I understand how to utilize other features such as the columns and rows, but not the formulas. After experimenting with the formulas for a while, I began to understand more of the functions.The assignment this week was to create a mock grade book, in which we were supposed to input names, assignments, grades, and such. Using the formulas, we were also supposed to find the average, percentage, and total of student grades. The assignment this week was a good practice for me. It is extremely important for teachers to master the Microsoft Excel program for the purpose of organizing grades and many other things. For the quiz, I missed two questions, which was on formulas.
The reading this week, "Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool," taught me many things. Throughout my college years, I have been doing tons and tons of research for almost all of my classes. Majoring in Literature and Writing Studies,I have used JSTOR and MLA many times for research papers. I have been told by my professors the differences between reliable research and unreliable research. The only thing I knew was that reliable research comes from scholarly material and nothing else beyond that point. I never really knew how to fully evaluate research methods like the reading mentions. The reading this week taught me that good research comes from online indexes and other things funded by the school. The reading also taught me to look critically at URL's, directories, and site sponsors. It is important to cite all information from the internet the correct way so that it is available for others. According to the reading, teachers need to teach students good research strategies to help students find what they need, which I think is extremely important.

Blog #5

Benjamin Bloom's theory "Taxonomy" is quite interesting. The taxonomy theory basically points out how teachers should "categorize test questions" in order for students to think beyond whatever it is they are reading. The theory produced in the year 1956 when Bloom, along with several psychologists, developed a classification of levels for intellectual behavior to learn.
The levels for intellectual behavior are as follows: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Knowledge is the recollection of specific information. Some key words for questions based on knowledge are as follows: define, list, name, order, and many others. Comprehension or understanding is the understanding of what is read. Some key words for questions on understanding are as follows: describe, explain, translate and many others. Application is the converting of abstract content to concrete situations. Some key words for questions on application are as follows: apply, demonstrate, illustrate, interpret, solve, and many others. Analysis is the comparison and contrast of the content to personal experiences. Some key words for questions on analysis are as follows: analyze, compare, contrast, examine, and many others. Synthesis is the organization of thoughts, ideas, and information from the content. Some key words for questions on synthesis are as follows: construct, develop, formulate, write and many others. Evaluation is the judgement and evaluation of characters, actions, and outcomes for personal reflection and understanding. Some key words for questions on evaluation are as follows: argue, predict, support, evaluate, and many others. About 95% of questions that teachers develop are based on recalling information. Therefore, teachers focus on knowledge.
Before reading about Bloom's theory, I honestly did not think there was a way to structure questions in the classroom. Reading about Bloom's taxonomy made me realize that as teachers, one must consider categorizing questions in the way that Bloom suggests. In doing so, students will be able to think beyond their imaginations rather than answering questions based on facts.

Blog #4

"Mapping Student Minds" by Ariel Owen is a great read because the article explains a new form of critical thinking. Causal mapping is similar to Inspiration in that both are great ways of allowing students to formulate innovative ways to present information. Having no knowledge of Pine Creek water quality, one can look at the final result of the causal map and understand a variety of things such as the contributing factors of water quality, water quality effects, and so forth. Although causal mapping is an innovative way to create information, causal mapping is limited to certain information. Acccording to the article, Ariel Owen asserts, "The causal mapping tool cannot be applied to every situation, but wherever there is measurable data and dynamic cause -and-effect relationships in the data, this is a terrific tool for focusing and expressing students' thinking". I really loved how Owen made his students present their findings of the Pine Creek water quality as if they were to present their findings to the city council. Owen says, "It is really fun to listen to these presentations, and I often see future lawyers, politicians, and philosophers! I'm hoping to have students incorporate Power Point presentations into future discussions".
After reading the article, I thought about how this tool is extremely beneficial to science teachers. According to "What is Causal Mapping?," Jim Pollard says, "The power of the tool is in how it encourages the student teams to monitor their learning. They begin with a model of how something works and then test whether they can support that model with measurements, observation, Internet research, or any other investigative tools. Any time research doesn't support their causal map, they can change the model. The teacher can be involved throughout the process, because everything the students believe and know is on the map". What a great way to learn!

Blog #3

Reading the article titled "Oh, the Changes We've Seen" made me think about how technology has evolved over the years. Come to think of it, technology has come a mighty long way. The article also made me think about the first time I was introduced to the computer. If I could remember, I was introduced to the computer during my elementary years where I was taught the basics. I remember playing Oregon Trail, a game that I always loved to play, trying to come up with different strategies in order to survive. Most of the time, I failed either because of the lack of food or the lack of medicine. I did not realize until later that the game was based on the descisions that I made. Playing the game a number of times made me realize that I had to make clever decisions. I remember how happy I was when I finally succeeded. The article mentions that students benefit from simulated and social interactive games because the games allow students to think critically and solve problems on their own (pg. 5). I love how the article ends explaining how the things done in the past impacts what will be done in the future, which also made me wonder about how technology will be thirty years from now.
This week I learned how to create a newsletter and rubric. Honestly, I always wondered how newsletters were made. I am extremely fortunate to learn how to create a newsletter for future use. Newsletters are very useful because newsletters keep parents informed about what is happening in the classroom. Rubrics are useful to both teacher and student. Teachers benefit from rubrics because rubrics help with grading. Students benefit from rubrics because rubrics help students know teacher expectations.

Blog#2

I really must say that I enjoyed the lecture and power point presentation on the world wide web. There were many things I did not even think about and there were many things that I learned and also benefited from. The information about the world wide web I found interesting is the absence of the letter "S" in the URL address that starts with "HTTP". "HTTPS" indicates that the web address is secure. The absence of the letter "S" simply means that the web address is not secure. Now that I know the diffference of a secure website from a non secure website, I have become more aware about the URL addresses that I visit on a daily basis. Based on the lecture on the world wide web, I have learned that the world wide web has its advantages and also disadvantages, which I am extremely grateful to know.
Reading "Teaching for Understanding" made me understand some of the reasons to why technology is so important in the classroom. In a nutshell, the main thing that I learned after reading the article is that technology stimulates the learning experience and allows students to think cognitively. Learning is about tying preconceptions to the exposure of new ideas, facts, things, and so forth.
The Netiquette is an interesting read. Everything mentioned in the Netiquette made me wonder if I follow the rules about writing an e-mail. I find it interesting that today's society is becoming more and more dependent on e-mail. I use to think people utilize e-mail to keep in touch with friends and family. Now, e-mail is utilized in so many different ways like turning in assignments for professors. I remember one of my past professors commenting on how technology is taking over the world. My professor also said that ever since the e-mail was invented, writing personal letters are rare.

Blog #1

Upon entering EDUC 422, I can honestly say that I was extremely nervous. I was nervous because I am not too bright when it comes to computers. Although I know some of the basics to using a computer, there are some things I would like to know more about and how to do. Arriving to the first class meeting was a bit intimidating considering that the classroom was filled with nothing but huge flat screen Mac's. I have been a PC user as far as I can remember and the first thing that came to mind when coming in a classroom to a sea of Mac's was the following question: "Are you serious?" So many thoughts rushed through my mind as I sat through class. To help me get through, I kept telling myself that change is a good thing and I will just have to manage. A good point was brought up in class about the benefit of learning how to use a Mac. As teachers, most of the classrooms consist of Macs. From this, I understood that it is important to tackle what this EDUC 422 class has to offer. For this class, I hope to gain the skills necessary to be an effective teacher and be able to utilize technology to assist to the needs of the students in my class. Teachers need to be acquainted with the necessary computer skills in order to keep grades, write letters, present information, contact parents, and so forth. After the first class, I went home excited, happy, and relieved.