This week we discussed not only distance education but the idea of using games with children. One of the games that we discussed the most was Second Life. This is an online program that is actually a virtual reality. Since it came online in 2003 it was become increasingly popular and the University of Florida even uses it to teach its students. There are some problems with online games like this though.
As an education major, I find that one of the most important things that I can learn is how to use different tools and programs in order to make the children that I teach have the absolute best educational experience. I believe that games are an important way to gain childrens attention and to help them learn new things. By making learning fun and exciting, not only will students want to learn, but I think that the information that they learn will stick with them longer.
While I do believe that online games can be beneficial, there are some problems. The link below is to an article that talks about problems that have occurred with people who are involved in the virtual reality, Second Life. This link shows that even though there might be some advantages to online games there are definately some reasons to be concerned.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2008/10/23/2031506-online-divorcee-jailed-after-killing-virtual-hubby
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Week 13- Creating a Professional Web Presence
This week, in addition to learning about how to create a web presence, we also learned about distance education. Distance education is something that seems relatively new, but it has been going on for many years. Distance education can take place in a variety of different ways. Today, most of the larger universities offer online courses which can be supplemented by regular classes. Some universities are completely online. Distance education is something that is gradually changing education in a very big way.
Distance education is something that I have to be very mindful of considering the fact that I am going to be a teacher. By the time I graduate with my masters I am sure the distance education will be something that is even more popular and I will need to know the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating it into my classroom. I believe that distance education is something that can be very useful in the years to come.
https://elearning2.courses.ufl.edu/portal
The link above is to the online website at the University of Florida. Every semester I have had atleast one online class and this is the website that you have to go to in order to get to your online classes. The reason that I chose this link is because it is a perfect example of what distance education looks like to many college students. Right now, large universities have many different online courses that a student could take. This shows how UF goes about having online courses.
Distance education is something that I have to be very mindful of considering the fact that I am going to be a teacher. By the time I graduate with my masters I am sure the distance education will be something that is even more popular and I will need to know the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating it into my classroom. I believe that distance education is something that can be very useful in the years to come.
https://elearning2.courses.ufl.edu/portal
The link above is to the online website at the University of Florida. Every semester I have had atleast one online class and this is the website that you have to go to in order to get to your online classes. The reason that I chose this link is because it is a perfect example of what distance education looks like to many college students. Right now, large universities have many different online courses that a student could take. This shows how UF goes about having online courses.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Week 12-Social Tools and Cloud Computing
In week 12 we discussed social tools and cloud computing. Cloud computing are tools online that you can use in order to create something without having the program being tied to a specific platform. An example of cloud computing would be Delicious. This is a website that allows you to bookmark your favorite websites or programs online. Social tools are things like Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace, to name some of the most popular ones. These are tools that allow poeple to connect with other people online. There is some controversy over these programs due to the fact that they make contact with people impersonal.
In education tools like Delicious or social networking sites are important for many different reasons. One, it is a way as a teacher to bookmark websites that students and teachers can use, which will further enhance their educational experience. Social networking sites are ways for teachers and students to connect and to stay in contact. This means that the educational experience can be taken beyond the actual classroom and into the home. This makes the experience even more intense, which can be a good thing.
www.delicious.com/allysonwyllie
The link above is to my specific delicious website. The reason that I used this link is because it is the perfect example of delicious and it includes social networking sites, websites related to educaiton, and other websites that can be used. This link shows how delicious can be used as well.
In education tools like Delicious or social networking sites are important for many different reasons. One, it is a way as a teacher to bookmark websites that students and teachers can use, which will further enhance their educational experience. Social networking sites are ways for teachers and students to connect and to stay in contact. This means that the educational experience can be taken beyond the actual classroom and into the home. This makes the experience even more intense, which can be a good thing.
www.delicious.com/allysonwyllie
The link above is to my specific delicious website. The reason that I used this link is because it is the perfect example of delicious and it includes social networking sites, websites related to educaiton, and other websites that can be used. This link shows how delicious can be used as well.
Week 11- Open Source Software
This week we learned about open source software. Basically, this is software that is available on the web and the best part about it is that it is free! There are a variety of different programs that someone can find on the web to use in place of expensive programs like Microsoft Office. One example of open source software is Google Docs. This is a program that many people can find uses for.
Open source software is something that I think would be absolutely wonderful for a teacher. I already use programs like google chrome and it is something that I plan on using well into the future. A teacher salary is not very much, and as a teacher I am going to want to have the best tools at my service in order to better teach my students. Without open source software that is something that would not have been possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
The above link is to a wikipedia page with information about open source software. I thought that this website was important because it gives information that anyone wanting to use the software would want to know. it also gives specific programs that are the most popular for people to use.
Open source software is something that I think would be absolutely wonderful for a teacher. I already use programs like google chrome and it is something that I plan on using well into the future. A teacher salary is not very much, and as a teacher I am going to want to have the best tools at my service in order to better teach my students. Without open source software that is something that would not have been possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software
The above link is to a wikipedia page with information about open source software. I thought that this website was important because it gives information that anyone wanting to use the software would want to know. it also gives specific programs that are the most popular for people to use.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Week 10-Spring Break
Even though this week was Spring Break I still actually had a chance to use something that I learned in the class. I had to drive home to Panama City and its not a short drive so I decided to download one of my favorite comedians on my ipod through a podcast. I knew about podcasts before the class but i wouldnt have necessarily thought about it except for the fact that we had just learned about podcasts the week before. even though this was something that i used for personal use there is a way to use it for educational purposes.
Like I said in a previous posts, podcasts and voicefiles are new ways for teachers to connect with their students and get their information across. Apple is a company that is becoming bigger and bigger and more children are connected to them in different ways. podcasts are something that students can learn to use for their educaiton alon g with personal uses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast
The link above is to a wikipedia page that talks about podcasts specifically and the different ways that they can be used. I think that this website is important to use because it gives specific information and allows someone to learn more about a product that is becoming more and more common in todays day and age.
Like I said in a previous posts, podcasts and voicefiles are new ways for teachers to connect with their students and get their information across. Apple is a company that is becoming bigger and bigger and more children are connected to them in different ways. podcasts are something that students can learn to use for their educaiton alon g with personal uses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast
The link above is to a wikipedia page that talks about podcasts specifically and the different ways that they can be used. I think that this website is important to use because it gives specific information and allows someone to learn more about a product that is becoming more and more common in todays day and age.
Week 9 The Sound of Podcasting
This week we learned about audiofiles. Things like podcasts can be used for many different reasons and we learned about different programs that we can use like Garage Band which can create these files for us. The important thing that we learned is the importance of audiofiles in our everday life. Podcasts are now widely used for many different reasons.
I think that it is important to know about programs like garage band in the education profession. it is a new ways that teachers can get information to their students and it is something that students will know how to use. Technology is something that is becoming more and more important in education and being able to use things like garage band are becoming essential in todays day and age.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/
The link above is to apples website. it is the specific page that can show people how to use garageband and the different applications that are included in the program. i think that this website was important to use because it takes you straight to the source and allows you to learn more about a prgram that i think is important for everyone to know how to use.
I think that it is important to know about programs like garage band in the education profession. it is a new ways that teachers can get information to their students and it is something that students will know how to use. Technology is something that is becoming more and more important in education and being able to use things like garage band are becoming essential in todays day and age.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/
The link above is to apples website. it is the specific page that can show people how to use garageband and the different applications that are included in the program. i think that this website was important to use because it takes you straight to the source and allows you to learn more about a prgram that i think is important for everyone to know how to use.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Week 8 Digital Storytelling
This week we did not have class, but we did have the opportunity to work on our Photoshop tutorial project and others as well. This blog will be focusing on the practice tutorial mainly. First I would like to say that it was great being able to practice on photoshop before actually having to do a real project with it. Also, having the instructions written out word for word is something that really helped me. Learning how to work with all of the different applications and layers of photoshop was fun and interesting, as well as a little difficult.
Photoshop is a program that takes a lot of practice and patience to use, especially for someone like me who is not good at anything technical. But, I believe that this program is very useful for teaching and education. While i would not recommend the program to every grade in school, if teachers know how to use it then it can be utilized to create an even better classroom. Teachers can create unique pieces in different things that the students are learning and help the students keep the information fresh in their mind with a good project. I also think that teaching the students in middle school or high school how to use it could be important. For kids that want to go into journalism, advertising, etc, photoshop is a great program to learn how to utilize.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop
The link that i used for this post is a link to wikipedia talking about photoshop. I know that many times wikipedia isnt considered to be a credible site, but i think that mostly it has some relevant information that is easy to follow and learn about. The website gives information about the program and can help a new user learn about the program and grasp the knowledge that they need to use the program effectively.
Photoshop is a program that takes a lot of practice and patience to use, especially for someone like me who is not good at anything technical. But, I believe that this program is very useful for teaching and education. While i would not recommend the program to every grade in school, if teachers know how to use it then it can be utilized to create an even better classroom. Teachers can create unique pieces in different things that the students are learning and help the students keep the information fresh in their mind with a good project. I also think that teaching the students in middle school or high school how to use it could be important. For kids that want to go into journalism, advertising, etc, photoshop is a great program to learn how to utilize.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop
The link that i used for this post is a link to wikipedia talking about photoshop. I know that many times wikipedia isnt considered to be a credible site, but i think that mostly it has some relevant information that is easy to follow and learn about. The website gives information about the program and can help a new user learn about the program and grasp the knowledge that they need to use the program effectively.
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