Chapter 12 Reflection

    Chapter 12 continues the trend of implementing technology. This chapter's focus however, is on the literacy and certification of the teacher and the training involved for this technology. There are different kinds of certifications that one can receive for technology including state and national certifications. There are also standards that one must meet under different laws such as the NCLB.

    There and many different ways to obtain training for technology that will be used during your time as a teacher. These can include online training, credit courses, in-service workshops, self-studies, and professional organizations. Being able to use different technology is a great way for a teacher to get the students to learn. Inspiration is one tool that I was unaware of before this course, but have found it quite useful in creating charts to help students understand how different ideas and topics are linked to one another. Know the latest technology can really help a teacher stay ahead of the game and reach his/her students in a more effective and efficient way.

Chapter 11 Reflection

Chapter 11 talks about implementing technology. As a teacher, you must plan how you are going to use technology in the classroom and be aware of the issues that may arise while using technology. The issues that you may incur include legal issues, social, and/or ethical issues. It then continues to talk about the emerging technology that can be used.

    The digital divide is a major problem is schools today. The book defines this problem as the inequity of access to technology. Whether the problem occurs at the school or at the student's home, this can be a major problem for having a lesson done on the internet. Not all schools can have an entire class on computer at the same time and some of the students' homes do not have a computer or access to the internet. This is a major issue to take into consideration when assigning homework or research that includes using a computer or some other technology that is not readily available to all of the students. I remember when I was taking typing back in elementary school and the kids who had a computer where far more advanced than the students that did not have a computer at their disposal.

Chapter 10 Reflection

Distance learning is a great resource for teacher and students to take full advantage of. The chapter starts out by giving the history of distance learning. It then goes on to explain how to design lesson plans and instruction for distance learning. Teachers have to use many different types of technologies to teach the students because they are not able to do it face to face. These technologies are both synchronous and asynchronous. The chapter then discusses the issues that may arise in a distance learning environment.

    I did not even think of how a telephone can be both synchronous and asynchronous. The difference would be leaving a voicemail and actually speaking to the person on the phone. I also learned what methods were included in each category. I really liked how the chapter talked about the issues that can occur while doing distance learning instruction. It is very hard to change lesson plans in an online class because some students do their work weeks in advance while others wait until the very last minute to get their work done.

Chapter 9 Reflection

Audiovisual technologies are the talk in chapter 9. There are three major categories to audiovisual technologies. These categories include audio media, visual media, and video media. Each one of these is critical to the success of a student. Students may have a disability that prohibits them from using one or more of these technologies. It is important to incorporate more than one of these technologies into a lesson to account for the learning styles of the students in the classroom. The chapter breaks down each of the categories from the basics into more advanced topics.

    I knew most of the material in this chapter before reading it. The chapter was really good at reinforcing my knowledge of these media types. I did learn about using exhibits and models as a form of visual media. When I think of media I do not usual think about these types of materials. It just reminded me to use some of the simpler objects around me to help get my point across.

Chapter 8 Reflection

Using the Web for teaching and learning is the focus of chapter 8. The chapter starts out by listing the resources on the Web. These resources include online publications, blogs, professional organizations, government sites, portals, links, class management tools, and academic tools. The chapter also goes into discussing web-enhanced instruction including tools for communication, key pals, and parent links. The final topic the chapter talks about is class web sites. It talks about authoring tools, web hosting, and issues.

    I learned the most from the web-enhanced instruction portion of this chapter. Parent links are a great way to get the parents involved in their kids learning and school work. A parent helping their kids with their school work is beneficial not only to the students but also in helping the parents realize if their child is struggling with the material. Some students do not tell their parents of their struggles and then it becomes a huge surprise when the parents see their grades. It also helps increase the communications between teachers and parents.

Chapter 7 Reflection

The internet and the World Wide Web are the items for discussion from chapter 7. The chapter first focuses on the internet. It breaks it down into connecting to the net and resources. There are a couple of different ways to connect to the net. You can use a modem and an ISP. With the use of a modem you can either have a DSL or cable connection. The chapter then breaks down resources on the web. These include e-mail, discussions, mailing lists, chat, video-conferencing, and news-groups. The chapter then describes the web in breaking it down to the basics including web pages, sites and URLs, HTML, and browsers. It also tells the different things that are available on the web.

    This chapter just reinforced my knowledge of the web and the internet. I use the internet and the web every day. Most of the time on the web is just surfing around but the rest of the time is used for research for homework. This chapter is a great refresher for someone who has not used the web in a little while and may forget how to utilize all of its features.

Chapter 6 Reflection

Chapter six puts its focus on academic software. It starts out the same way as chapter five in describing the types of software and the costs of the software. The chapter talks about authoring systems, imaging, illustration, academic games, concept mapping, simulations, special needs, and many other topics.

    I enjoyed learning about the different types of special needs software. There is software that will read the words or letters as they appear on the screen. It can also enlarge the text for people with poor sight. There are many other types of special needs software out in the world. Teachers need to be aware of this software and how to use the software. It can really make life easier for the students who do have a disability if the teachers know how to utilize the special software designed for these students. Knowing the different types of software that are available for use in the classroom is a major responsibility of the teacher and the school.