Monday, April 16, 2012

Formative and Summative Assessments

 A formative assessment is an assessment that is less "formal."  It is used to see what information students already know, or what they have learned so far.  However, this is usually not for grading purposes, but instead to promote learning and self-efficacy while also giving teachers feedback.  These assessments are helpful when teaching for learning.

Summative assessment is a more "formal" type of assessment.  Summative assessments are more tests based. For example, after covering a unit, or several units, the teacher may have a summative assessment, or graded test over the information. These assessments aim to summarize learning up to that specific point. They may also be used to identify weaknesses.

I think both of these types of assessment are great.  I really like formative assessments because I feel that a lot of the type they are more beneficial to both the student and the teacher.  In the classroom, I can use formative assessments often to see what the students know and what they are picking up on.  It is also great feedback for me because if there is any area they did not pick up on that is important I may need to review the content with them. I think formative assessments throughout a unit will then help students better prepare for summative assessments. I can then use summative assessments after discussing an entire unit to make sure the students learned what they were supposed to.

I think there are various ways to use instructional technologies in support of assessments.  I think creating  group or individual projects is a great idea because students can then visually present what they know.  Glogster and Prezi would be a couple good resources. Popplet may be used as well.  It all depends on what your preferences are as a teacher.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Professional Organizations

Professional organizations look great on resume's, but they are much more than that. They give you opportunities beyond the classroom.  You have the ability to get in contact with other people in your profession from across the U.S. as well as nationally. They are also great ways to get updated information about your field of study.  Many have places where you can subscribe to emails and also printed materials so you can have information sent to you.

A couple organizations relevant to my field are the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, otherwise known as NSSLHA. The 2012 membership dues are $60 and an online applications is available. With a subscription you get access to members only journals, websites, and forums. As a member you also get a reduced fee to the National Convention.

Another organization is the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, otherwise knows as ASHA. The NSSLHA and ASHA sites are somewhat linked and provide much of the same information.  Details about the National Convention can be found on the ASHA site.

I am planning on joining National NSSLHA next year as a senior.  We have a local NSSLHA club here on campus that I am already involved in. The benefits as explained above will be very helpful when preparing for grad school.

Screenr video:http://www.screenr.com/jEd8

Monday, March 26, 2012

The Digital Divide

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AaEMZat1x7XgOcsMSF8ty33YxEN_J6ZpzZdYD5owjZs/edit


I see the digital divide fairly clearly.  I have sort of seen this first hand in my own high school.  One of my best friends never had a computer at home growing up, which made doing online assignments difficult.  Therefore, she always went to the library to use the computer.  Two years ago that all changed.

As part of a one-to-one laptop program, every kid in my school, 7-12 grade was issued a Macbook laptop to use for the school year.  Not only did it benefit students without computers at home, but it really made it easier for all of us.  It also helped in classes such as Chemistry because we had a program that worked with our computers to collect information. However, we are only 1 of 10 schools in the entire state of Iowa that had this awesome opportunity.  There are plenty of other schools with students that are probably going through the same problem as my friend.

As far as dealing with this problem when I begin teaching, I will just try to do my best to make sure the kids have access during school hours and try to make assignments not ridiculously long, so hopefully they will be able to finish the during class.  That way they shouldn't have a problem trying to get to a computer outside of school hours.  This may sound like I would be cutting down on assignments, but I think sometimes teachers overload students, and there is plenty they can learn right there in the classroom with a computer, without having to finish it at home. I would also encourage teachers to talk together to see if there are any programs out there like the one-to-one program.  I know we get technology grants to keep the program going, so it is definitely something worth looking into.

As teachers, I think doing the above is something we can do to lessen the digital divide.  It is in our hands to try our best to make sure our students have access to digital opportunities and they should not be limited because they don't have access outside of school.

Monday, March 12, 2012

http://popplet.com/app/#/226922

Bloom's Taxonomy and mind mapping can be interconnected very easily.  I could easily plan a class assignment having my students use a mind map to do a project.  I could then incorporate Bloom's Taxonomy by looking at each of the levels and using the key words that go along with those levels.

Using the remembering level, students may have to remember info previously taught in class to get the main idea of their map.

Using the understanding level, students would have to remember how the ideas fit together, and then classify them into a group or content area to serve as a sub-group to the main idea.

Using the applying level, students could add pictures to illustrate their ideas and why they fit together.

Using the analyzing level, the students can then see how their ideas differentiate and they can then compare and contrast them.

Using the evaluating level, the students can look at their mind mind and argue or defend why they put certain ideas where they did.

Using the creating level, the students can then assemble all their information together to possibly make a new point of view.

Using a structure similar to this, I could easily organize my ideas and think constructively about instructional technology.  It may be very interesting to create a mind map about all the different technological resources we have used in class and putting pros and cons, features, and the ideas we used to make them.  I think this would help me in the future in choosing which program to use and which ones can fit into Bloom's categories.

Monday, March 5, 2012

What Parents Should Know About Digital Citizenship



I chose to discuss these four things for a couple reasons.  First, I think they are all important for parents to know.  Second, I remember when I first started using technology and social networking sites and my mom was a little concerned.  At the time, she wasn't too great with technology herself because she hadn't grown up with it like I did.  I honestly had information available to everyone that I shouldn't have and I think it's important that parents monitor their kids for this reason. In my classroom I will teach about digital citizenship by telling personal stories, as well as giving parents things to read about the cyber world. I also think it's important that the parents get hands on experience so I hope to have them mess around on some sites that they use regularly.  This will help them know how to set privacy settings and know how to check when they ask their kids if their privacy settings are set. I think most parents understand that not everyone on the internet is who they say they are.  With that said, I will let them know how friends of friends can still see their child's information.  It is especially important to watch what you are posting, even as adults, if you have for example, a boss as a friend on your site.

As far as resources, I think the best resource is getting them logged onto sites and experience it themselves.  I would also have handouts of articles and videos for them to watch. I would probably send a paper home explaining what we will be doing on the internet in the classroom and have the parents sign a waiver to make sure it is okay.  After all, this is to learn more about digital citizenship.  The students may in fact be able to teach their parents a little bit about it.

I would deal with cyber bullying by making sure my students know they can talk to me about it.  They need to know that it is important that they tell someone what is going on.  I will also let them know that they can talk to their parents, as long as it is someone they know they can trust.  As far as preventative measures, I would tell the student that if it is happening through a chat online, to just sign off. The bully can't hurt them much when you're not available to talk to.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Universal Design for Learning

Hello everyone,

First off, I couldn't figure out how to link my book to my blog, so...
When you are in book builder, go to Public Library Books and type in "Learning Vowels in American Sign Language" and my book should come up!

Based on my understandings of UDL, I would say my book qualifies as a Universal Design for Learning.  I chose to do a book on sign language because I find the topic to be fascinating.  I love learning new words and how to make sentences, and I wanted to share this passion with others.  I figured doing the whole alphabet may be a bit long, so I chose to just do the vowels.  For those of you who enjoy it, I encourage you to learn the rest of the alphabet! When creating my book I was trying to think of ways to keep students engaged as well as making it universal.  The book on "Designing for Student Engagement and Comprehension" was a big help.  First, I created a title page with a picture of the entire alphabet, for those who are interested in learning more after reading the book.  I then explained how when signing, your palm should actually face towards the person you are talking to. The pictures are backward in order to show you how to make the handshape.  I purposely put a couple words in red lettering to help readers remember the important parts.  When making the actual pages of the book I did several things.  I first put a picture of each vowel handshake on it's own page. This is great for visual learners in general, but is also necessary in order to learn how to sign each vowel.  Under each picture I told what vowel was being shown in the picture.  I used different color fonts to keep the readers attention, but made sure they were visible on the page. I also made sure I didn't have any hanging words which can draw the readers attention away. On each page, I also used a helper with audio for people that learn best in hearing what they see. I also tried adding questions to each page to keep the reader involved.  You can tell by the questions that I made this book for younger students; however, it may be helpful to anyone who is trying to learn sign. By using audio, pictures, and sentences, I think my book qualifies for Universal Design for Learning.

I hope you all enjoyed my book, and best of luck with signing!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Uses of Social Networking for Educational Experiences

I would say that anything that allows people to socially interact with others through the media such as cell phones and computers is considered social media.  I think there are several ways to effectively use social media in the classroom and more importantly I think they should be used in the classroom.  We are such a technological society and in the case, why not use technology sources in the classroom. I really like Pinterest as being used in the classroom, maybe more so for teachers, however.  I have already found several ideas on Pinterest specifically used for speech path.  It's a great way to find ideas and then have them for later use.  I do agree that at times social networking can be a distraction for students.  At my high school we had a one-to-one laptop program where every student 7-12 grade was issued a Macbook.  They school eventually had to block Facebook because students were on that instead of taking notes and paying attention in class.  The one thing I didn't agree with was the school blocking Facebook at home because I used it to chat with friends about homework assignments.  I think at some times a line needs to be drawn, but it's important that it is not taken overboard.
Overall, I think social networking sites can be very beneficial when used in the right way.


Social Network
Used to enhance instruction and learning
Pinterest
Great way to find ideas specific to your area of study.  Can use ideas to organize your classroom, there are also several classroom activities
Youtube
Great way to show videos about the topics being discussed in class.  Reinforces the info for all students and can really benefit visual and spatial learners
Blogger
Good way for students to learn from the other students in class; Allows them to get a broader perspective on the topic being discussed; Allows them to see things outside the box
Diigo
Great for doing research; Love that students can bookmark sites for future use; also love the highlighting and sticky noting so it makes specific phrases easy to find
LiveMocha
Great way to help students learn a second language which can be very beneficial in multicultural classes, can be very beneficial in the long run

Monday, February 13, 2012

American Sign Language Article

http://www.handspeak.com/byte/index.php?byte=a&ID=2

I found an article on American Sign Language at www.handspeak.com.  This article basically has all kinds of information on ASL.  There are pictures to help you learn the American and British alphabets.  There is also a lot of background information on sign language like how it got started and who the founders were. There is even a sign language dictionary.

This article is very relevant to my major because I am a speech-pathology major.  The chances of me helping kids that use sign language can be very high.  Though I am helping them to try to speak with their mouth, some may use sign along with speaking.  At that point, it is important that I can communicate with these children in order to help them to the best of my abilities.

This article fascinates me.  I took an Intro to ASL course at my previous college and my professor made me love it.  She was so passionate about it and I had a blast learning to sign.  Since then I have been extremely interested in learning ASL fluently and have been trying to fit the sign classes into my schedule.  I haven't had the chance to take a sign course yet at UNL so this will definitely be a go-to website to brush up on my skills and hopefully further my knowledge.

I hope you guys find this site interesting as well!

Kacie

The Good and Bad of Websites


How to know if Web Info is Good or Bad

Good
Bad
It uses .org and .gov websites
When anyone can post info
Credits books
If you post a question on ask where anyone can answer
Set up in a more professional manner
You can’t find the same info anywhere else
Has access to additional sites and sources
No bibiliography
Sites sources in the website (in the text)

You can back up info from other accredited sites

Info from Professors, Grad Students, and PhD students

Contact information available



I think the reasons above are what makes websites good.  Though some of these are based off of personal opinions, I know that some of them are good because I found examples through sites off of Merlot.  I specifically found many sites by professors, grad students, and doctorate students, and their contact information was also given. These sites will be very beneficial when broadening my knowledge. I found lots of information about disorders and how to better my sign language.  I liked that there were also visuals and questions asked that will help me in the long run. It's important to know the source of the info because I would not want to learn the wrong information when doing research and I would not want to learn the wrong sign for a word and then use it in conversation only to find that it was not  the world I wanted to use. I cannot think of a time when the sources would be not important especially being in a field where I am helping people other than myself. 

Monday, February 6, 2012

Technology Tools

After messing around with these different sites I think they could be very beneficial in the classroom. First of all, by using these sites we are broadening the technological aspects of the students in our classrooms.  I honestly, had no idea about any of the things we learned about today in class.  I had previously used Google Docs, but that was as close as I had ever gotten to any of this stuff.
Not only are we introducing them to new technology tools, we are letting them mess around with them to learn how to use them, so that they can then use them for future projects as well.  I think Wiki would be very helpful on group projects or surveys for the classroom.  This would make it easier for multiple students to get on the same project and not only add information for projects, but also get in touch with their creative side to make it look nice as well.  It would also be an awesome way to do class surveys, or surveys for other groups as well. I know in my hometown they take a survey for after prom, so if they students could get on there and voice their opinion, it would be easy for the creator to sign into Wiki and read all the comments all in one place and be able to see who said what in order to get more specific ideas instead of just percentages.
Diigo would be helpful in the classroom because students may be roaming around on the internet and find information that may be helpful for a paper that isn't due for a month.  I know i've done that and then gone back and tried to find that information and couldn't find it.  It would be very helpful for bookmarking and highlighting specific information.
Reader would be helpful because students can then collaborate relative information in one area.  They can have specific blogs sent to them automatically which would be great for personal interests but could be used for educational experiences also. This would be another great way to save information for papers.

I really like these new technology sites!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Ideas for Future Instructional Videos

After shooting, editing, and watching our video I noticed some things that we could have improved.  First, I really enjoyed shooting the video.  I had worked with iMovie before when I created my own video slideshow for my graduation party.  However, that was just using pictures and dropping them in to make a video.  I liked that we got the chance to edit actual video footage.

If I had the chance to shoot another video and do it all over again there are a few things I would change.  The big thing my group noticed while watching our video in class was that we filmed a part where there was a sliding glass door and you could see the reflection of the other 3 girls in the door.  It was something we really didn't notice until we watched it as a class. If we did this project again I would spend more time on the editing portion. Our video ended up being a little over the time limit so we were rushing just to edit it to make it look good.  I would definitely spend more time cutting clips to make it look more professional as well as test out some of the themes.  I would spend more time just playing around with the video until I got exactly what I wanted out of it.

Another thing I would do differently is have everything planned out.  A script may have been helpful at times. As far as research and resources, it may have been beneficial to watch some tutorials of iMovie in order to get a better understanding of the whole program and all the special effects it has to offer. I also think it may have been helpful to watch videos that others made using iMovie to see what effects work well together and to get some good ideas on how to edit.  Like I said before, if I had the chance to do this project over I would spend a lot more time on the editing portion to get used to the software and really make my video fun to watch.

I hope everyone else found some things they could work on by watching everyone's videos today!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Are You Breaking the Law?

When class first started, I thought the only thing we would be doing was learning how to use different programs on the computer in order to better our knowledge and learn how to use them in our future classrooms.  Little did I know that we would be learning about more than just that and that it would be so important in our everyday lives.
I was very intrigued by the copyright, fair use, and creative commons laws learned about in class.  I had heard of copyright before, as have most people, but the other two I was not familiar with. Copyright is a set of exclusive rights given to the creator or author of the work. Others cannot use the work without permission from the creator or author. Fair use states that small pieces of work may be quoted word for word without permission or payment to the author, but only under certain circumstances. Creative commons offers flexible copyright licenses in which the authors can share their work, but define exactly how they want to share it.
My understanding of these concepts is incredibly important. I didn't realize that these were such a big deal and that you can be sued for not following them correctly.  If not following these could jeopardize me or anyone who fails to follow them.  These will shape the resources and research I do from here on out because I will now know what symbols I need to look for in order to determine how I can use what I find, if I can even use it at all. I think these are important concept for everyone to know and I'm so glad that we discussed them in class so I know more about them.

Until next time, I hope you all learned as much from these three things as I did and will learn to be more aware them when researching.

Kacie

Monday, January 9, 2012

Facebook and Collaboration--Who Knew?

Well, first time blogger here so we'll see where this ends up. I have always been pretty satisfied with Facebook and never felt the need to get a Twitter or Google plus account, little did I know I would be signing up for a Google plus account for class.  Surprisingly it's making communicating with class members very simple and I really like that I can post things for only class members to see.

First of all, I loved Johnson's video. The whole drawing pictures to tell the story thing is pretty catchy to the eye if you ask me. After watching the video and doing the reflection the first thing that came to mind to incorporate collaborative learning in the classroom was different kinds of group work.  To my surprise, that's what the article following the video was all about. Johnson's video got me to see things outside the box, particularly with Facebook. Some educators think it's a huge distraction. At my high school, we incorporated a one-to-one laptop program where each student seventh through twelfth grade was issued a macbook for the school year.  After a couple months Facebook was blocked on our laptops at school, and then eventually at home because they thought it was keeping kids from doing homework.  Little did they know, that at home we were asking each other questions about homework over Facebook chat. Why? Because it was quick and convenient and you weren't wasting a hand trying to hold onto the phone. I feel that education and technology is incredibly important, especially with the large increase in technology over the last few years.  I think educators are doing a good job of trying to incorporate it, but at times I think they don't see the use of social networking the same as we do, which may be in part because they did not grow up with technology like we have. Johnson incorporated the "missing puzzle piece" concept into his video, which made me realize he's right about social networking.  You get connections with people that may have that missing piece to make your whole.

Davis's article confirmed my thought of group work. I found the different categories of group work quite interesting and definitely something to consider in the future. In my future classroom, I plan on using plenty of group work in ways that will best benefit my students. I think it's important not only for collaboration but also communication skills and broadening of knowledge by hearing other students ideas, which are essential as students grow older. No wonder I loved it as a student, I love to talk! The statistics of how group work is more beneficial than other ways of learning also caught my eye, which is all the more reason to use this strategy in my future classroom.

Hope everyone enjoys no class on Monday!
Kacie