Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking creates new and exciting ways to organize information. Social bookmarking allows the public to use resources that someone might have book marked and can be helpful, It enhances the learning experience and encourage group work within the classroom. social bookmarking can allow a shy student to develop potential for learning and may help the student get involved in classroom participation. Using social bookmarking in a classroom can be very resourceful for student and teachers, making it easier for one to find information. Pintrest is one of the popular social bookmarking sites. With an unlimited amount of resources for recipes, research papers, or even just for someone being curious, compared to normal bookmarking browsers which are limited. I myself have yet to social bookmark but I find it very interesting. Social bookmarking is a remarkable resource for students and teachers all over, so I encourage the use of this particular classroom aid.

Visual Learning

Some people are visual learners, some are audio learners. I was always one of those people who better understood a lesson that was being lectured. Over the years I have found my self learning and understanding a lesson better with hands on material. In a classroom I think that visual learning would be better for most of the kids because you not only need the lecture part to get instilled into their minds but you also need to create some type of visual canvas for them to get a visual of the knowledge they are attaining. You know the "bigger picture"! One of the most popular visual learning aids today is YouTube. YouTube plays a huge role in my college career, from helping me with homework to using a sample of a video included in my projects. Bottom line visual learning tools can be great but it can also be a bad thing because of the fact that we as educators and even regular people do not have control of what gets uploaded.

Reflection

I really enjoyed retaking EDTC 245! I am comfortable and enjoy working with technology and I feel as though I have obtained knowledge I lacked at the beginning of this class. I would use all the projects that i have completed while in this class. I thank everyone for their feedback and comments that helped me better understand. I am also very thankful for my instructor for always helping me when needed and lord knows it was often in that short time!

Collaborative Learning Tools

It has taken me a while to comprehend what collaborative learning consist of but I think I understand it better now. "Bubbl.us" is one of the easiest web tools that I have seen thus far. Its practical brainstorming but on the computer, using bubble maps or a thinking web. "Polleverywhere" is a website sort of like posting several survey question and it allows anyone to give feedback. I would use this website for maybe a mathematics and or science class. If I were assigned a research topic were I had to gather information  in groups and populations. "Wikispaces" is a great learning tool for any student who has a hard time with assessing their own essays and research papers. I think this would be an awesome asset to me academic career. This learning tool allows other students and peers to assess, peer edit, and make changes to your papers. while these are all helpful and creative tools, being that they are all three web based I imagine that one might encounter some web glitches. 

[Brainstorming Web]    http://oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2012/09/nose-to-grindstone-mode.html

                                            

virtual learning tools

Virtual tools are somewhat of the "it" thing in classrooms across the nation. I am all for virtual learning tools whether it be live web homework sessions, interactive whiteboards, or even learning apps. I think if you incorporate them in the lesson plans they can be an advantage not only for the teacher but also for the student. When implementing virtual learning tools into a lesson it can be a big help for an educator, These tools can allow a teaching to have more of an Interactive role in maybe a homework assignment while using interactive web teaching strategies allowing the student live help. Interactive whiteboards in classrooms allow students to be able to not only mentally understand the lesson at hand but also physically solve the problems, making learning fun, creative and hands on. Kids now days are more comfortable with technology, take advantage of their likes and dislikes, using learning apps can be really fun to. Learning apps give kids a different way of understanding problems whether it be math, spelling, science or just playing games and having fun. either way the student walks away knowing something new. All these tools at hand in or out of classrooms can aid students in becoming successful!

Multimedia

   When I hear multimedia I think there is some fear inside of me. The fear of not being able to adjust to becoming the teacher who uses those resources in her classroom but most of all I am fearful that if I don't adjust or conform to the new changes in the education field that I, Kenya Brown, am at risk of letting my students down because as a teacher I know they in some way, shape, or form look up to me and expect me to have all the answers as an educator. As an educator teachers take an oath to make any changes necessary to make sure that every student takes a mind full of knowledge at the end of every lesson. 

    Here are three ideas I thought were important after reading these articles. Multimedia allows teachers to get creative with lesson plans and increases the amount of hands on activities and greater interaction between the student the assignment. Lecture slides/ presentations such as power points are used in classrooms to give students a visual image of lesson being taught instead of just a lecture full of information and only that. Prezi offers teachers practically a worldwide way to to interact with one another and maybe exchange classroom, homework, arts and crafts ideas and give feedback as well as receive it back. Multimedia as a whole can be very helpful to not only students but teachers also. In instances students have a chance to learn at their own pace making it easier for a student to research a certain without all the hassle of checking out books from a library and hauling the extra luggage of those books around. But Multimedia can also be a con in a classroom setting it can lead to acts of plagiarism on homework assignments, projects, and research papers. there is so much information out there on the web and some of the info on those website can be placed on a website just as easy as copy and pasting.

 

There is so much in the world that has yet to discovered and or studied; multimedia open that gateway not only for researchers but also for teachers to stay on top of current events. 

    Hey ya'll! I'm Kenya, here is a little insight about myself. I am twenty years old, currently a sophomore at McNeese State University majoring in Elementary education, eventually I hope to earn my degree and go back home to teach .I am originally from Breaux Bridge, LA. I have been living here in Lake Charles for approximately two years; I've had to do some adjusting as would anyone who recently moved from their hometown but I've learned to enjoy the quietness of this city. So far i really enjoy McNeese and my peers that I have come to know. Something to know about me is that I love learning and I always have, being in school makes my life whole. Just knowing that I am this much closer to accomplishing my goals and aspirations. I am a full time student and like many others I juggle a full time job but no kids nor am I married. Maybe that is near in my future. 

    Since I could remember technology has been apart of my education and everyday life. The purpose of this blog and me taking this course is to help me become both familiar and comfortable working with technology. At first I was not very comfortable with it being included in my life but I have learned to adjust to changes as I will have to to do as an educator. I decided to take EDTC 245 in order to become comfortable with these changes, hoping that this will happen I am very hopeful. Teaching is my calling and I am so ready for the adventures that come with it!