Reflective Essay #4

Reflection #4
There is no doubt in my mind that technological innovations have played a huge role in the college lifestyle. Not only do college courses require students to use the computer and World Wide Web to do research and submit assignments, but students also rely on the internet to communicate with professors and classmates. Being a middle school science teacher I rely on the World Wide Web to give my students alternate forms of instruction. I regularly show video clips from Discovery Education to better enhance my lessons. I currently have access to two PC’s in my classroom that students use regularly to search the web to find information for research projects.
As teachers we approach each lesson with a vision. We try to master each concept based on our curriculum. The main desire is that each student masters the key concepts taught. From reading this chapter I realize the importance of being organized and setting goals. The information that was most beneficial to me from reading this chapter was creating models that are necessary for performance improvement.
I chose to subscribe to Science Magazine Podcast which is a professional journal geared toward scientific research and global news. The reason why I found this podcast to be interesting and beneficial was because I teach both seventh and eighth grade science. I feel the need to stay up to date with current events in the science world. By subscribing to this podcast I am able to get weekly podcasts with many interesting stories and news events. Not only does Science Magazine provide information for this podcast, but also sites related to Science Magazine post educational content.
I think that podcasting will be beneficial to both colleagues and students to view over the web. Beginning this process now will mostly likely persuade some of my fellow coworkers to follow in the same footsteps. This sort of audio/visual additive will benefit my school because it allows students to access more information outside of the school.

Science Podcast

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Science's weekly podcast takes you on a tour of some interesting stories in the journal and on its sister sites.

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Reflective Essay #3

Reflection #3
When I first created my social bookmarking site I thought about how beneficial it would be for teachers to post a lot of different web sites on one central location. As a teacher, I would post websites like united streaming, discovery education, and several other science related websites. This would be a place where students could go and get support on in depth science questions. In my middle school science classes I always have at least 5 students each year that constantly ask me in depth science related questions. I would encourage these particular students to visit my social bookmarking site and research these sorts of questions.
The definition of instructional technology has definitely changed over the years. In the 1950’s instructional technology was viewed as media based. As time went on into the 1960’s instructional technology was viewed as media based and it was discussed as being a process. Today instructional technology has an entirely more complex meaning. Reiser and Dempsey state that instructional technology is a complex process that is intended to improve learning and performance in a variety of settings. In the future I want to pursue a career as a technology instructor. I will need to be familiar with the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and management of instructional processes intended to improve learning and performance.
Looking at Figure 2.1 on page 12 I have noticed some similarities between my lesson plans and the core elements of instructional design. On a daily basis, I develop new methods of instruction, I design the most current and up to date lessons, and I evaluate student work. Like instructional design, my classroom is based on setting goals and centering the focus on these particular goals. My lesson plans are generated not only towards individual success but also towards team efforts, which are characteristics of instructional design.

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Week 2 Reflective Essay

This is my first time using a blog and I think it is a really cool idea. I have overheard fellow colleagues discussing the pros of using a blog at work and I never really gave it much thought until now. I consider myself to be somewhat of a private person, but having a blog for educational purposes seems to be a good idea. By using a blog students are more apt to check for missing work and get more online resources using a blog. In the near future I plan on starting my own blog at my workplace and I will present information regarding my new blog to my students and parents at the beginning of the 2009 school year.
When creating a blog one can make it very simple by just using visual symbols. Just incorporating the information needed for both students and parents enables one to stay basic and fall under the category of visual symbols on the cone of experience. Once one starts to add personal information, video clips, and personal examples you start to move down the cone of experience by fulfilling many more categories. Such categories completed could be motion pictures, exhibits, study tips, and possibly even dramatized personal experiences.
Using both a blog and RSS can be very beneficial within the classroom. Instead of ordering newspapers for my classroom we could find specific information about current news by using RSS reader. As a teacher, using a blog is a good way to communicate with parents and students versus constant phone calls and emails. More importantly, according to Siegel, these tools can create a community of users which means multiple people can access the same information and share ideas.

Week 1 Reflective Essay

Reflection #1
The article written by Reigeluth and Joseph is one in which I can relate to at this point in my career. The school in which I teach at is driven mostly on test scores. As a middle school teacher I am highly advised to teach mastery and to do so by using as much technology as possible. I currently work at a charter school and we are constantly competing with public schools for student enrollment. Competition with public schools means that we are always trying to improve student test scores even if it means constantly switching methods of instruction. I am a big proponent of technology in the classroom because I have seen a rise in test scores in my classroom over the last several years by using more technology on a daily basis.
Neil Postman states that “Any problems that schools cannot solve without machines, they cannot solve with them”. I think technology enhances classroom instruction but it does not solve social problems in schools. Technology in my classroom lures students in because they feel that it is more interesting. Students have interests in various technologies such as iPods, cell phones, computers, and video games. When used properly these devices can be used to enhance instruction however, using technology in the classroom does not solve behavioral issues. In regards to Postman’s article, I feel as if technology is important but it is not the solution to many of the problems facing schools today.