Quiz Taking Technologies

Socrative provides a intuitive interface for students and teachers. There are a number of platforms available for assessing what students in the classroom have learned. Some of the more popular ones involve text messaging services. Such systems provide some great input for teachers when it comes to assessing learning in the classroom, but in a high school this is not always possible because some high schools do not allow cell phone use. Additionally, not every student has a cellphone capable of texting. The Socrative platform allows a computer based interaction. Something a lot of classroom are able to accommodate and immediately find out where the class is on the learning curve.

The Miracle of Assistive Technology

There are three types of Assistive Technology outlined in this video that help three people: Mason, Elle, and Lukas. Please fell free to review the following videos and my summaries:

First, you will see in this video that Mason is visually impaired and utilizes a specialized typewriter, which helps him type assignments and become more familiar with braille; a SmartBoard, which provide large letters for him to see and work on his ability to read; and an iPad, which allows him to have large letters from which to read. It is exciting to see how a visually impaired person is able to fully function and contribute to a learning environment through the use of Assistive Technology.

Second, this video demonstrates how Elle, who has cerebral palsy and is not able to communicate on her own, is able to interact with others "normally" through Assistive Technology. The Assistive Technology she uses allows her to be fully interactive with her parents, friends, and teachers. When I pause to think about my position as a parent, I could not fathom how grateful I would be to such Assistive Technology when I would not be able to communicate with my daughter otherwise.

And finally, the above video outlines and inspirational story about a boy named Lukas who utilizes a specialized horn that allows him to play any musical arraignment. Ambition is something every growing teenager possesses and it is exciting that technology has advanced to the point that every individual has the ability to pursue his/her passions.  

The Jigsaw Method

When it comes to utilizing the Jigsaw method in the classroom I would primarily use it to have the students teach each other about simple aspects of economics. This would involve me breaking the classroom up into groups and assigning each group a different topic to research. After a specified time, each of the groups would return together to teach one another what they have learned.

Sometimes, resources are limited. In a situation where there are only five computers and 30 students, I would break up the students into five groups of six. Each group would have access to one computer as a research tool.

The strength of the Jigsaw Method is that students learn well when it is other students teaching them, not to mention they will always remember what they are teaching. The weakness is that some students are not self starters and I will have to monitor their progress during the group research phase.

Introduction

Predictions of Future Education... Spot On

While we don't have the constant face-to-face communication presented in the videos, we do have an inability to come up with reasons why we were unable to do something. We have all these time saving devices! The videos were spot on with the boy's complaint that you can't escape school or responsibility with all of the technology at your fingertips. 

Technology is going to get more and more integrated with our lives. It is surprising how spot on the producers and designers or the movies were about the ability for us to instantly access databases for research. With Air Drop technology we are able to share information we find with others instantly so they can view it while we are viewing it. That is exactly what they were predicting!

Spreadsheets

I reviewed and evaluated the War Lords of Japan spreadsheet for an assignment for EdTech 202. The spreadsheet can be found here.

The spreadsheet seeks to show a relationship between weather and geology and to help solve a word problem.

I found the spreadsheet far too complicated for even me to easily understand, so I don't believe 5th graders would be able to digest it. It lacks clear descriptions and direction. The pointy charts that are used instead of bar charts also are poorly chosen. It is very difficult to understand the relationship the numbers above it have to the actual "bar graph." I would change this to a typical bar graph that has lines for the children to follow across.

I would also ask at least one of two questions that would help the students apply what was covered in the spreadsheet. For example, I would ask on the spreadsheet, "What disaster occurred most often?" This would help prove they were able to understand the graph.

Example YouTube Playlist on Marketing

Below is a collection of brief clips concerning important marketing issues: