INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY...FINAL THOUGHTS

A)      Knowledge gained.

During these months, I had the chance to discover many internet sources that are pretty useful for us as teachers to be. This question is very difficult to answer since I cannot measure exactly everything I’ve had learned through this semester. What I only know is that everything I had been in contact with has been really meaningful to me because now I can apply or make use of a variety sources that were all the time available to me, which I hadn’t realize before.

From voxopop, voicethread, to quandary, delicious, and even prezi, I learn a lot of new things of them. Since the ways I can apply those tools (not only to my future classes but also in different aspects of my personal development) are going to make a change in the “traditional matter”, I am expecting to enjoy even more all the things I will perform. It is nice to make a change, but it is even nicer when you know how to do so.

B)      What attitude must be needed to work with online tools.

I guess to me the principal characteristic we have to have is patience. As we are working with new elements, the way we want them to work may not be the way we want. In general, online tools bring us that touch of differentiation from the regular things we are a costume to do. As I said before, changing make us even more engaged with everything we do; besides, it breaks monotony which is something your students will appreciate from you.

To conclude my idea, we must keep positivism when doing different things because they might not work at our first shot, but practice makes someone skillful in any area.

C)      How these tools can be implemented in other subjects. Give specific examples, please.

Some of the tools that come to my mind right now are:

Slide.ly

This tool will allow us to make like a picture portfolio for an art or design subject

Storybuilder

 

We can create our own story with different characters for our literature class

Voxopop

We can record different discussions about politics, war, decisions, world matter, etc. for your social studies class

Voicethread

You can video-record the process of a project or experiment you did. This is for a Science class.

Prezi

Allows us to make those boring presentations in a more creative and different way. As you can work with pictures, text, videos, documents, etc. this can for any subject.

Here is an Example 

 

Delicious

Web site that may allow you to keep track of the different links you are using. This could work perfectly with Introduction to Educational Research as you need to add all the links you have been using through your investigation.

Loose leaves

This page allows us to write anything we want, from simple quotes to complete essays with no limit of characters. This will be useful in a Literature or even Composition subject.

Hot potatoes

This tool brings us a variety of ways we can have students working on the target structure. This will be really useful in all levels especially in Basic English I 

CHECK THIS VIDEOS

How to use JQuiz

How to use JCross

How to use JMix

How to use JCloze

How to use JMatch

How to use The Masher

 

 

D)      What are some things that should be added or left out in a future course?

Things like how to connect an LCD projector (some of students as myself need some help when the time of setting or connecting this tools arrive)

The use of the “mimio”, or another physical tool for teachers. What I mean with this is that we could discover a lot of online tools through this semester, but there are some other implements that we still don’t know how to use them.

How to make the appropriate use of a lab.

How to create a platform for students to work

E)      Suggestions to improve the course.

To have a permanent place of working will be great. As we were bringing our laptops, we were very nervous to be robbed, or to damage our implements.

To have access to other materials that allows us to work with no interference, like the internet.

To develop this type of classes I guess we will need a better internet connection

To conclude I want to share this video of the History of technology!!!.....

CROSSWORDS

school supplies

Crossword

Complete the crossword, then click on "Check" to check your answer. If you are stuck, you can click on "Hint" to get a free letter. Click on a number in the grid to see the clue or clues for that number.

	1						2
3
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5
6				7
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	9

Across: 3. You find it in the library 5. You use it to make drawings 6. Where the teacher writes during a class 8. It erases the mistakes 9. It helps to carry your school supplies

Down: 1. you write your notes in it 2. It helps you to cut paper and other materials 4. Tool that is used to write on the whiteboard 7. This is the place where we sit in the classroom

QUANDARY GAME

Explain your solution

The solution I proposed was to make a fence in other to protect the sheeps without hurting the yashores. Even though it will take more time and effort from the people, none of the animals will be affected; for instance, the environment won’t be damaged for the destruction of these animals, considering that every animal has its own function in the planet. In other words, everything is a chain.

Explain if others agreed or disagreed

At the beginning, there were so reluctant to do something. They said the fact of putting fences will take space out for the sheeps, they didn’t have time, they need the land for future constructions, etc.

At the end, all the people in the colonies agreed with the solution of the fence because even though it will take time for their parts, they will be able to have their animals saved and protect the environment at the same time.

Everyone is happy and nobody is hurt.

Explain how useful this game would be in our context

Over all, the game is a good way of having students interacting with real facts. In our context, this can be applied very well because it is very interactive and allows students to think in different areas, and be part of the process itself. This is a nice combination because as they are part of the process of making a decision, they start analyzing and coming up with different points of view, and they are playing, all at the same time. In general, it is something that for me gives the students the opportunity to develop critical thinking and analyzing skills.

Would you do it with your students?  Why yes/no?

I will definitely take it into consideration because of the reasons I already gave. The level of commitment of the students is higher as the complete game activates their schema and motivation; besides, it is a game. They won’t realize all the areas they are covering, but indeed they will be constructing and making their own chooses