Blog Journal 8

     Recently we worked on a web design assignment. At first I was slightly overwhelmed with the task, but once I got started, it was actually quite fun! Some skills I learned (or improved upon) were how to attach links to other pages easily, how to add images to my website headers, and how better organize a website to be easy to navigate. In my future career, I will probably need to make a website of my own regardless of what I choose to pursue. It is a very useful skill that I am glad to have explored more. Heres my website: http://reddishh.weebly.com/

    We have been utilizing Diigo recently and I have mostly positive things to say. I really like how easy it is to mark up any article online. Especially in this virtual semester, it is good for me to be able to mark things that I don't have printed out in front of me. I like how easy it is to share ideas with my peers through this tool. Surprisingly, I have been using the highlight and comment tool in my other classes when asked to read articles or when I'm researching for a paper. This has shown me how useful it can be for students, so I will definitely implement it in my future classroom.    

    As an educator or a future educator, it is vital to keep up with the increasing trends in technology. There are more and more opportunities for kids to learn through technology every year. That being said, it is crucial for teachers to stay updated on new technological trends in educations. A cite that could help teachers stay informed is:https://axiomq.com/blog/7-emerging-technologies-that-will-reshape-education-in-2020/ . This cite is updated to this year and has some of the newest trends in education, such as adaptive learning and more.

Blog Journal 7

     Teacher pages on a schools website seem to be very common ways for parents and students to get information and contact a teacher. I noticed that some of these school websites had a whole page of links that led to teachers information and what they chose to display about themselves. What I noticed was most common among these links was various ways in which students and parents could contact the teachers. There was also often information about the specific courses that teacher taught and what students could expect to learn from them. The teachers also had their credentials listed and a little bit about them. Heres a link to the page full of teacher pages https://www.leonschools.net/site/Default.aspx?PageType=1&SiteID=1015&ChannelID=3397&DirectoryType=6 

    I envision myself using a fair amount of technology to promote my productivity as an educator and also to implement it in the classroom. Tools I would use would most likely be organization tools and schedule makers to help keep my classroom in line and functional. I would also use tools that help teachers collaborate on lesson plans and share ideas. An example of this is sharemylesson.com. I believe these tools are very useful and provide educators with feedback and advice from people in their same field.

    I enjoyed my experience on PBworks. it was fairly simple and efficient once you get the hang of it. One of the things I really liked about it was how it was easy to collaborate on projects with fellow peers. One of the things I did not like about it as much was how simplistic the website design was, but I'm sure theres a way to customize it further. I would use this in the classroom for a collaborative group project because I believe it teaches some very useful skills through technology.

    

Blog Journal 6

     My first impression of Diigo is that it is very easy to navigate. I believe the process is really simple and self explanatory. I see how this tool is useful in a classroom setting. I liked being able to see other peoples notes and what they decided to highlight compared to what I would have highlighted. It allows me to see my peers differing opinions without being on zoom/in person. I don't have any qualms with Diigo at the moment.

    My experience blogging thus far has been overall positive. I like being able to design my own blog and make it my own space. I can see how it's both an educational and creative outlet. I also like being able to see what my peers write each blog post and how their experiences differ to mine. The one thing I don't like about blogging is how this website's design tool is hard to use for my computer for some reason. I've worked my way around it, but it was difficult at first.

    A web 2.0 tool that I may use while teaching is Youtube. I believe it is a good resource because it is the host to many great educational channels. It is also good because most students have used/use this website regularly which means they know their way around it and it is easy to navigate for them. Students can make videos and comment on each others as well. The only downside to this website is that it is not strictly used for education so there can be content that side tracks students if they let it. https://www.youtube.com/

Blog Journal 5

     Before this class, I did not have twitter installed on my device. I have had a twitter account before, but it was mostly used for social interactions alone. Now that I have been using my new twitter account for EME, I have a better understanding of new ways I can use this website. It has a lot of educational information that I have been browsing. I have followed some of my classmates and seen some interesting tweets from those education accounts. I plan to interact more with these accounts throughout my time in this class.

    The digital divide is a concept I have been aware of for a while, but I did not know its exact term. The digital divide refers to the difference in abilities and opportunities between those that have easy internet access and those who do not. This can make it very difficult for the students who do not have easy access to succeed due to the growth in online assignments from teachers. It is more difficult for them and gives other students more of an advantage. Some causes of this divide could be an area that has bad internet access, or it could be that the student does not have access to a computer at home for economic reasons. As a teacher, I may encounter students that are not as privileged as other students and do not have internet at home. I would compensate for this by asking the students in an anonymous survey if they have internet access at home. If some do not, I would make sure to only assign homework that can be done without the internet and use the internet more in class so they still get experience with it. 

    Some academic software tools I would use in class are Kahn Academy and Socrative for students. Kahn academy allows students independent study time and tutorials that can further their understanding on any math topic. This would be useful for any student who just needs more practice or missed a day in school and needs to be taught what we went over in class. Socrative is a good tool because it is used more for in-class activities. I could have an assessment on this or have an exit ticket activity after every class about what we learned today. These tools are very useful for students both at home and in the classroom.