Blog #5- Technologies in a Future Classroom

In ETPT this semester, we used a lot of different technologies to create a more learner-centered classroom. Although I found a way to integrate each technology into my future high school English classroom, it wasn't always easy. It goes back to using the "right tool for the right job." I think that three of the best technologies to use in a high school English classroom are Inspiration concept maps, InspireData databases, and word processing (such as making newsletters). 

These three technologies are three that I think would be the best to use in a high school English classroom because they allow students to use them to showcase what they've learned to the classroom, which makes all of the students retain the information better and and create a more learner-centered classroom. Concept maps are really good to use in the classroom so that students can make them in groups and present their ideas in an interactive way. They're also good to use so that students can interactively organize their ideas for papers. Databases are good to use for literature because you can easily show the relationships, connections, and correlations between different factors in the book. Word processing is another great way to create a more learner-centered classroom. Having students make newsletters about the information they learned instead of me testing them or having them write a paper. 

Like I said before, it's not always easy to integrate every technology into an English classroom. One of the hardest technologies to use for a lesson plan was the spreadsheet.  In English, there isn't a tremendous amount of numerical data or equations that need to be solved and that's mainly what a spreadsheet is used for. I think that spreadsheets would be much better for a science or a math classroom.

Blog #4- Readings

The article that I chose to read was called Wikipedia: Exploring Fact City, written by Noam Cohen. One of the things that I found really interesting about Wikipedia is that they operate on a 7 million dollar budget, which consists of only donations and grants, unlike some websites who bombard you with advertisements. I also found it interesting that since the website started seven years ago, it has become one of the top ten global websites. In January alone, there was said to be 60 million Americans visiting the online encyclopedia. The article stated that the articles posted on Wikipedia are usually pretty accurate, which I agree with. I agree that Wikipedia is a great source to generate ideas and get a very basic knowledge about a topic. However, being a preprofessional English teacher, I wouldn't suggest wikipedia to be a source for, lets say, a research paper. I would advise my future students to use a more credible source with more expertise than the people who write articles for Wikipedia.

Blog #3 Concept Mapping/ Interactive Whiteboard

I personally really enjoyed using the concept mapping software and interactive whiteboard. I think it's a great way to engage students in their learning. Concept mapping software and interactive whiteboards could be used to engage my high school english classes into their learning by putting them into groups to make a concept map about the lessons they were learning. Concept maps can also be used in my future high school english class for students to be able to organize their ideas when writing their papers.

Blog #2- Emerging Technologies

After using the technologies such as games, interactive whiteboard activites, simulations/role playing, and virtual reality/worlds, my opinon on each differs. I think that the games and interactive whiteboard activities are a good way to get kids involved and having fun while learning and I could highly see myself using these technologies in my future classroom. I could also see myself using a simulation when appropriate to further explain something that I was teaching. As far as virtual reality/worlds go, I don't think they are helpful or neccessary in an educational setting.

A game that I chose that I thought would be helpful in bettering students' vocabulary is the hangman game on "The Problem Site". It is the classic game of hangman; however, it uses more advanced words that most students might not know. If a student doesn't know what the word means, the site will give them a definition. Another technology that I looked at was the Third World Farmer simulation. Although I probably wouldn't use that specific simulation in my english classroom, I think it's a great way to engage students in their learning. If you're teaching a history class about farming in the third world, this simulation would express the extremity of farming in the third world. 

Blog #1- Constructing Meaning with Word Processing

When I finally get to graduate in 6 thousand years (which is the approximate time I will be attending UT it seems like), I plan on teaching high school level language arts. For the newsletter that I did, I was working with grade eleven students on the standard of reading applications in literary text. Within the standard, I was having the students focus on the benchmark of analyzing and evaluating the five elements (eg. plot, character, setting, point of view, and theme) in literary text. 

The activity that I simulated with my students for the newsletter was I had them read the first book of the graphic novel series BONE, by Jeff Smith. I then had them create a newsletter using the five elements to explain what each element meant and to explain the element as it pertained to the story. This activity represents a learner-centered activity that they could construct meaning from regarding the benchmark that I was using, while using word processing because they had to use word processing to express that they knew what each element meant and how to analyze the different elements within a story that they had read.