Blog Journal #10

I think that I will use the Excel tools with grading, especially if my school doesn't have some sort of automated system. As for data collection surveys, I've previously mentioned using surveys at the beginning of the year to find out about technology availability for students. To be specific about my subject matter is a bit harder, I can't really think of anything history specific reasoning for needing to use Excel tools, there's very little if any at all math or numbers in history (besides dates). So besides generic teaching functions, I can't quite name a subject specific task.

I think what was most interesting from my classmates' blogs is the different resources we've mentioned and used. For example, Nick's Google Classroom for ILP#1 was my very first interaction with that platform, and the layout seemed so user- friendly that I decided to make a Google Classroom for my ILP#2. I think it's interesting how we've all used such different platforms and websites that are similar to each other, especially when so many of us went to schools within the same state. I think it's really cool to see the variety that we've learned before coming here. 

A technology related skill I would really like to learn is how to use 3D pens and printers. I think they're so so so cool, and I had a great time messing around with them in the Tech Sandbox. I think there's also a lot of great potential for history lessons with 3D printers, we could make amazing models of historical places like the Globe theatre, or show what early inventions looked like in a life size model. I hope that University of South Florida has an environment like the FSU Tech Sandbox so that I can continue my path of learning about these items.

ILP #2 Design! Google Classroom

https://voicethread.com/share/12397211/

I created a google classroom for an AP American History course. I created multiple assignments, and added a course calendar!

Qualtrics Survey!

Here's my survey!


I love history, and want to know how you guys feel about it!

Blog Journal #9

The flipped classroom is sort of like learning on your own, and then having having class be more of a study hall/ practice time. It's when the teacher tasks the student with learning the material on their own, usually with the help of an online guided lesson, and then when they come into class they have more time for discussion and practice of the learned material. It gives room to allow more fluid development of some skills, but it doesn't work for every student type. Personally, I'm not a fan of flipped classrooms, but it depends on the subject. For stem related courses, I was never comfortable with them because it's hard to develop a full understanding with a guiding hand. However, for history classes I think it's a bit different. It's somewhat needed for students to do their own researching and learning for certain topics, especially if you're in a current events class, that way the discussions can be uninterrupted and have as many different voices as possible. 

Open educational resources are a teachers best friend. They're, usually, websites that have resources for teachers to use, free of charge and with the availability of editing and personalizing. They're a commons for coursework, and a lot of it is teachers helping teachers. HelpTeaching is an OER I found online, however I'm not 100% sure if it's totally an OER because there is a small fee.   * edit - HelpTeaching is actually free, both membership wise and material wise, I just misread it. It offers educators many, many different things, such as tests, lesson plans, activity sheets. This includes a "test maker" and a way to actually test your students online.

I loved doing the powerpoint assignments. Well, more specifically I loved the second one, I had a lot of trouble with the first. I never knew any of the stuff we learned for assignment 5, I think it was super cool. Being able to make powerpoints a bit more interactive is definitely something I plan on doing as a teacher. Many of my past teachers had made Jeopardy style games, like the one I did, and I'm glad I've learned just how much hard work goes into them. I originally wanted to make an "Oregon Trail" style game, but I felt like it wouldn't have been original enough. The main thing I disliked about these two projects was that I can't do them on my laptop, because it's a Chromebook. I had to spend hours borrowing the laptops from the library, and I felt like it wasn't completely reliable.