Google Reader Project

The purpose of this presentation is to inform educators on the abilities and simplicity of Google Reader. This is a free application that helps organize teachers' endless online articles and information. This brief presentation gives the quick, but necessary information to allow you to decide if Google Reader is something you would want to implement within your classroom. How did I personally add to this group project? I was able to add my personal reflection and comments to the presentation regarding the accessibility Google Reader allows students to have to the articles and information given in class. I believe this is a positive resource seeing as students learn at various rates. I also think Google reader is a great tool for educators because it will help guide students in the research process which can be absolutely grueling for many students (including me!)You will notice my comments within the presentation along with my link to a handy example of how Google Reader can be set-up.

Comments on Session 1

Shift Happens & Vision 2011

"Shift Happens" was a pretty inspiring video. I'm not going to lie, when it comes to technology, I struggle. I am in no way, shape or form technologically talented. The thought of only doing online classes for a year and half intimidates me and eventually using different types of technology in my classroom scares me even more. Hopefully, this class will help me feel more comfortable incorporating technology into my everyday life and eventually my career. The statistics that really got me in "Shift Happens" were the following: "Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S." "Social media has overtaken pornography as the #1 activity on the web." and... "More video was uploaded to youtube in the last two months than if NBC, ABC and KOIN had been airing new content 24/7/365 since 1948." These statistics have reminded me that there is no denying that technology is major part of our generation. Either it can be embraced or... I don't know. I guess just embraced. Now that I've decided technology HAS to be embraced, how do I do this as a future educator? The video "Vision 2011" helped me with this. It was nice hearing the creator talk about how he is technologically savvy, yet he still becomes frustrated with his new iPhone (I'm still frustrated with mine!)He also talked about how as educators we can't teach like we did years ago when knowledge wasn't available at our fingertips. Students now have the ability to research anything and everything whenever they want via google or other various search engines. For me, these two videos were a wake up call. Technology is not going away, it's only becoming more advanced. Good thing I have a smart phone for all those times I'm not so smart...

Educational Blogging. Is it a benefit or risk for an educator?

I am new to the world of blogging, but I can see how it would be a useful tool for students in the classroom today. Although not all students have access to internet and that would have to be taken into consideration, most students are fully capable of surfing the web from their homes. As I was researching ways that technology, blogging in particular, can be implemented in to education today, I found that for a majority of students, the technological advances of blogging could benefit the various learning styles. One example of this is the ability to have guided practice available at your home. My high school students are consistently saying their parents don't know how to help them with their homework so they aren't able to complete it. Having a class blog allows the student to access videos throughout the evening. A great example of this is by creating videos of the teacher walking students through a math problem. They can practice it over and over until they understand the process to solve the problem. This allows the student to actually master the skill and not just push their way through the assignment. Another way blogging can assist in the learning process is by allowing students to collaborate and discuss topics with each other without doing it vocally. I remember when I was in middle school I was deathly afraid of talking in front of the class. If I had a class blog, it would have allowed me the opportunity to ask questions and collaborate with my classmates free of fear from middle school cruelty. One of the most important aspects to blogging within education is the fact that it provides a one-stop resource center for the students and parents. If a student is missing assignments, as an educator you can reduce the amount of "What did we do yesterday? I wasn't here," questions that teachers become flooded with throughout the year. All in all, I believe blogging is a great educational resource for students, parents and teachers. With any type of technological aid, a teacher needs to make sure they are responsible with what is being posted to this very public page. However, In my opinion the benefits out weigh the dangers of educational blogging.

HELLO WORLD!

Hi! My name is Melissa. I am currently a EMAT student at Willamette University. What does this mean? I am a technologically challenged student who is now enrolled in all online classes for the next year and a half. This could get interesting...

With that being said, I am hoping to eventually become a high school teacher. I have worked in a high school for the past five years and love it! Although, I question why sometimes, I believe this is what I was made to do. I love coaching volleyball and being a mentor to young adults during one of the most challenging times in their life.

Ideally, in a year and a half, I will be certified to teach middle school and high school students in a Biology classroom or within a Special Education classroom. Why do I say, "ideally" you ask? Seeing as this is my first term, first class of my online graduate program and the course title is "Educational Technology," let's just say... I'm screwed!