Week 14: Distance Education and Virtual Schooling

This week we learned about distance education and virtual schooling online including online degree options and game-based learning for students. Distance learning refers to education that focuses on the instruction, teaching styles and instructional systems design that aims to deliver education to those who are not physically present. We focused on distance education last week as well so I was more interested in expanding my knowledge regarding game-based learning this week. There are numerous benefits of online games and they can cover multiple fields of learning and careers such as sports management, advertising, education, and psychology. In addition to games, the rise of virtual schools and online classes was discussed. Based on a CNN report, many older men and women are now able to get degrees online from their home. There are also multiple fraud sights that will give candidates fake diplomas, which I did not realize was an issue. In several Universities and high schools around the United States, virtual or online classes are also offered. For the state of Florida, Florida Virtual School has been on the rise in recent years and nationally virtual schools are growing 30% a year.

The topics that we covered in class this week are definitely relevant to my career as a future educator. Virtual School is on the rise so it is possible that one day I could be a virtual school teacher. Therefore, it is important for me to understand how online classes work so that I can be better prepared. Also, game based learning has a direct influence on the role of educators. Games, whether they are academic or not, have multiple positive effects on students; students can strengthen their reading, math, and analytical skills. In the third grade classroom I volunteered at this semester, the students use programs such as FCAT Explorer to strengthen reading comprehension skills and Brain Pop, which covers a wide variety of topics and information for students to learn. Since technology is so prevalent in our society today, it is vital for me as a future teacher to recognize and explore multiple online games that may strengthen my student’s learning in the classroom.

I chose to embed this video for the week because I felt like it gave some valuable information regarding game-based learning. The video defines game based learning as “a learning approach that incorporates the use of educational computer games or software programs.” Game based learning can assess and engage students in the classroom. This video introduced me to the term edutainment, which incorporates entertainment with education, and to the term training simulators, which train students in certain skills. Serious games, however, are games that are not designed for education but rather for education. This video was very informative and expanded my understanding on different theories and terms in reference to game-based learning and how it can be used in my future classroom.

Week 13: Creating a Professional Web Presence

This week we learned about what it means to have a web presence by learning how to create our own professional website through Google. A web presence refers to a collection of web files on a specific subject that includes a home page. For example, many companies, organizations or individuals have a single web site address; this is the home page from which you can get to other pages on the site. In addition to web presence, we also learned about distance education and virtual schooling. Distance education, also referred to as distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the instruction, teaching styles and instructional systems design that aims to deliver education to those who are not physically present. Different types of distance education courses include correspondence through regular mail, internet, broadcast through radio or TV, CD-ROM that can be transferred to a computer, and student access through mobile devices.

A professional web presence and distance learning are both relevant to my future career as an educator. Especially for when I graduate from the University of Florida, it is useful and practical to have a web presence. Through my own personal web presence site, I can allow employers to look at my website and learn more about me. Employers can see my personal information including skills and hobbies, my resume and academics, and skills that I have gained that can help me in the classroom. A professional web presence is a great marketing tool, especially or a college graduate searching for teaching positions, as I will be. Distance education is also an important aspect of the field of education to consider. I know especially in Florida, Florida Virtual School is becoming increasingly popular every year. It is possible that I may one day be a teacher for Florida Virtual School or I will have students who are taking additional classes through this system. Therefore, it is vital for me to understand the impact and teaching strategies for classes that do not require students to be present physically.

I chose to embed this YouTube video from Florida Virtual School because it is relevant to the topic of distance education from class. The video is biased toward the advantages of Florida Virtual School; things that I definitely need to consider in my future career. Some advantages presented in this short clip include students receiving more personalized attention, teachers being available more often, online study groups with other students, and the fact that a student can work whenever it is convenient for him or her. For parents, they have more access to the students work and can contact their child’s teachers with greater ease. While there may be disadvantages to the idea of virtual school, I found it interesting to note some of the advantages discussed in this video.

Week 12: Social Tools & Cloud Computing

In class this week we discussed and learned how to use cloud computing tools such as Google Docs and social bookmarking sites like Delicious. Cloud computing refers to data access, computation and storage services that do not require the user to have any knowledge of where the configuration of the system in which the information came from. Cloud Computing is the ability to use a server-based application rather than being tied to a specific platform or place on a machine; a person can access his or her information anywhere on any computer. Sites like Google Doc allow users to share, collaborate and change in “real time” documents, presentations or spreadsheets with others. Sites like Delicious that have social bookmarking tools that allow users to organize, store and manage bookmarks for resources online; this is a great organizational tool.

As a future educator, cloud computing sites such as Google Docs and Delicious are tools that can definitely be useful. Through cloud computing sites teachers can share documents, presentations or spreadsheets with other teachers and administrators. This is also a great way to communicate and share information with students as well. For example, students could easily view a presentation online or collaborate with other students in the class on group projects or class assignments. Social bookmarking is also a great tool that teachers can use in their classroom. Through sites like Delicious, teachers can share annotated bookmarks with a class to help research a given topic. In addition, students can perform their own research and share useful websites with the class. These are just some of the many ways in which cloud computing tools can be useful for educators.

http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/62228.aspx

I linked this website because I found it to be useful and relevant to the topic that was covered this week in class. This webpage article talks about the social bookmarking site Diigo and how it can be used by educators in the classroom. Diigo, in addition to bookmarking sites, allows users to highlight text or pictures and add sticky notes in a variety of colors to a bookmarked page. In addition, Diigo lets you take screenshots of bookmarked pages and archive the pages so that if the content is ever changed or removed, you will always have the original page. Communication with this site is limited to the teachers and students only, which is important for safety. Bookmarking sites like these can be used by teachers so that they can share research sites with students, allow students to have online discussions over a topic or have bookmarking sites be useful for group projects or class activities. Sites like Diigo, have a lot of potential for teacher use and they give the opportunity for students to collaborate and further their knowledge. This site not only introduced me to a new social bookmarking tool that I could consider as a future educator, but it also discussed the site’s relevance and useful benefits for educators.

Week 11: Open Source Software

This week we learned about open source software and explored different software tools and how they relate and can be applied to our career fields. Open source software refers to computer software that is available in source code which allows users to study, change, improve, and often distribute the software. This type of software is developed in a collaborative and open manner. The move for this type of free software started in 1983; open source software allows individuals to modify the software and share it with others. Through resources like Open Office.org, an open source version of Microsoft Office and other sites like SourceForge.net, which allows users to view and explore numerous open source software programs, open source software is easily accessible and free to all users.

Open Source Software is a resource that can definitely be applied and used in my future career as an educator. By going on SourceForge.net, I found numerous open source software programs ready to download, designed for the field of education. Some of these software resources include Paidei Education Platform, Turn-In, and easy p2p. Paidei Education Platform is a great tool for an educator that provides forums, exams, gradebook, and chat for students, teachers and administrators. Turn-In is a resource is a document submission system that allows students to submit homework to specific classes or sections. Easy p2p is a student to student file transfer and chat network. Just from these three resources, it easy to see some of the benefits that open source software can provide to teachers. It can help with communication, for teachers and students, online submissions, grading, exam creation, etc. and it is free!

http://mairin.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/a-k12-educators-guide-to-open-source-software/

I attached this site because I thought it was relevant to my field and introduced me to even more resources that a K-12 Educator can use in his or her classroom. From this site and the PDF document attached, I was able to explore learning materials, community resources and other open source applications. Resources like Open Clip Art, which provides public domain of art that can be used by teachers, and Scratch, a tool that allows students to create interactive stories, games music and art, are just a few examples of resources educators can use. Exploring the tools provided from this site showed me how vast the availability of open source software really is, and how there are so many resources that can be used by all different types of people in all kinds of careers.

Week 9: The Sound of...Podcasting

This week we looked at tools for creating sound and using sound for teaching, learning and communicating. Sound files can come in the form of mp3 players or audio formats and can enhance presentations; they can also stand by themselves as podcasts. Podcasts refer to audio files that can be played on a computer or downloaded to mp3 players like the iPod. The ease of creating files and locating them on the internet has increased greatly in recent years. In class, we also learned how to create our own podcasts through programs such as Garageband on the Mac. The typical file format of a podcast is an mp3. After I recorded my podcast, I published it on the web for others to see and embedded it into my blogger.

As a future educator, audio media and sounds, like podcasts, are definitely useful tools that can be utilized in the classroom. There are three main ways in which a teacher can use podcasts in his or her classroom. First, teachers can access podcasts created by others. This allows teachers to supplement lessons with sounds, often created by other teachers, in order to add to curriculum activities. Podcasts like these can be useful in supplementing foreign language textbooks, for example. Second, teachers have the ability to create their own podcasts. Teachers can use their own podcasts to help students review for tests or help to enhance student understanding of homework assignments. Finally, students can create their own podcasts. This allows students to enhance their research, communication and speaking skills. As one can see, podcasting is a relevant and useful tool for education.

I found this YouTube video to contain useful information about podcasting which helped to supplement what was learned in class this week. The video discusses how podcasting is different from traditional forms of media in that it allows you to go to a website and subscribe to a podcast, like in iTunes. The podcast then downloads to your computer; so, for example, if an author adds a new episode, then that episode will download automatically to your computer. All that is needed to podcast is a computer, microphone and some form of audio software such as Garageband.  The video then explains how to share podcasts and publish them on the web, which I found to be useful information for when I was trying to complete the extra blog post for this week.

Podcasting Extra Blog Post

My podcast above is about the hobby of Irish Dancing. I have been Irish dancing since I was six years old and I thought it would be fun to share some of my knowledge with others about this unique hobby. I talk about different types of dance shoes, music and competitions. Sound, like the podcast I posted above, is an important tool that I can utilize in my classroom as a future educator. Whether I have students listening to a recording of a novel or a sound clip for a presentation, sound is definitely a vital tool that I can utilize. Audio media, such as podcasts, can also be useful for classroom instruction. Educators can access podcasts to use in the classroom to supplement material, or they can create their own podcast to assist students. In addition, students have the ability to create their own podcasts which can help them learn how to research and be able to speak and communicate effectively.

Week 8: Digital Storytelling

This week was focused on digital storytelling technologies, audio media, and how these different tools and Medias can be used for teaching, learning and communicating. In an interesting newspaper article from the New York Times, the irony of digital storytelling was explored. It seems that as digital technology becomes more advanced, many people yearn for the simple Polaroid period of the past. In regard to audio media, I learned about the history of audio formats and about the most popular digital audio formats used today. An audio format is a medium used to store sound and music. Today, music is recorded and then distributed using numerous audio format varieties. The first media format was the phonograph cylinder in 1877; it became known as “records” during its popular era. The most recent audio format since 2008 has been SlotMusic, which is a type of memory card that is preloaded with music in an MP3 format. An audio file format refers to a file format that is used to store audio data on a computer system. There are several different types of formats including uncompressed audio formats, lossless compressed audio formats, and free and open file formats. A well know proprietary format today would be mp3. This week, I also explored the Prelinger Archive to view a variety of commercials and images from past eras which allowed me to see societal changes in values and how technology has advanced.

Audio media is an important tool that can be used in several ways in the field of education. Last week I explored how digital storytelling can help to improve student’s analytical skills by presenting pictures and slideshows to enhance class lessons. Similar to this, audio media, such as podcasting, includes important tools that can be utilized in the classroom to enhance presentations and share information. Allowing students to create podcasts or listen to audio, can help to stimulate the imagination, evoke emotional responses and help those students who are aural learners. In addition, audio media, like visual media, can help improve student’s analytical skills. For example, an audio clip from NPR may be a useful tool to use in my classroom in order to broaden or add to a specific lesson from class.

http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/2005/digital_audio_formats.asp

I found the link to the website above to be informative and an easy way to understand some of the common audio formats for PC computers. Before, based on the articles from class, I was having a difficult time understanding the difference between the three main different types of audio formats. I now understand that uncompressed audio formats means that all data is available at the risk of large file sizes, while lossless compression doesn’t degrade the quality of an audio file. Finally, lossy compression has a small file size and tosses what is sees as irrelevant information. I took note of common Windows compatible audio formats such as MP3 and WMA. In addition, the key terms section at the bottom of the webpage also helped me to grasp a greater understanding of audio formats and the language that is often associated with the subject.

Digital Storytelling Blog Post

As a future educator, digital storytelling is definitely something that I can utilize and incorporate in my classroom. I can use various types of digital stories that focus on any particular topic; for example, if I’m teaching a history lesson, it can be useful to include a digital story with pictures and video clips from a previous time in history. This can help to strengthen my student’s knowledge and analytical skills. In addition, being able to visually see an artifact or piece of history is a great way to enhance a lesson and allow students to make connections with previously learned material. I can also use digital storytelling to strengthen lessons in subjects such as science or culture. A video or slide show about how the universe began or a clip about the diverse culture in America, are merely a few examples. Digital storytelling can also have many positive impacts on students by allowing them to tell stories, learn curriculum, and be creative and imaginative. Providing visuals in a classroom setting also caters to the students who are visual learners, and it is a great way to present information.  I think digital storytelling is an important technological aspect that I should strive to incorporate in my classroom.

Week 7: Visual Literacy

During class this week I learned more about visual literacy and added on to the previous knowledge we gained the week before about Photoshop. In addition, we began to learn about digital storytelling and how a digital story can be created through software such as Powerpoint or websites like Animoto. Expanding last week’s lesson, I gained a greater understanding of the different types of visual literacy and how a story can be told simply through an image. There are several different types of visualization methods including data visualization, information visualization and concept visualization, to name a few. Data visualization refers to visual representations of quantitative data, visual representation refers to data that is transformed into an image, and concept visualization refers to the methods used to elaborate on concepts through ideas and plans. Digital storytelling is also becoming increasingly popular and can be seen being used by the British BBC news in order to circulate stories around the world. Digital storytelling refers to a short video that combines narrative with any type of digital content including images, sound and video. I also learned about the significance of digital storytelling and how it can be used to teach values and beliefs to others.

Visual literacy and digital storytelling are relevant to my field as an educator and are concepts and practices that I can definitely use in my classroom. As discussed last week, visual literacy can be used by a teacher to help students study, decode and analyze photographs that often have a cultural or historical significance. Digital storytelling can be used by teachers to recount historical events, learn about new scientific topic and discoveries or explore life in a community of society. Digital storytelling has the power to increase the information literacy of a student and allow that student to create his or her own stories to show learning and growth.

This attached video is relevant to the topic of digital storytelling and it expands on the significance and benefits of using digital storytelling in the classroom. In this short clip 8^th grade teacher Lynn Zalesak talks about digital storytelling and how she uses it in her classroom. I think it is important for teachers to understand different aspects of technology and I liked how Lynn talked about how she use to be technology challenged but now digital storytelling has become an essential part of her curriculum and teaching methods. Digital storytelling allows students to tell stories, learn the curriculum, and be creative and imaginative. This is just one of the many ways in which students can express themselves and it allows them to see a story being told.

Week 6: Media & Information Literacy

During Week 6 we learned about media and information literacy and how to use the Photoshop program. First, we learned and received an overview of visual literacy; visual literacy refers to the ability to interpret, negotiate and make meaning from information that is presented in the form of an image. It is essentially the idea that pictures can be “read” and a story can be told through these pictures. While learning about visual literacy, it is important to note that experiences and personal opinions affect how one understands and “reads” certain images. Our society is filled with visual signs—whether it is a stop sign, yield sign, traffic signals or Mcdonald’s sign. As humans we have learned to “read” signs and recognize the symbols that they stand for in society. In addition to learning about visual literacy, as a class we learned and gained new skills in Photoshop. From Photoshop I learned how to create different layers, colors and effects to certain images. I learned how to navigate this program, including locating different tools that allowed me to move items, create text, change colors, etc. Being able to create a story from four basic pictures showed me the power of Photoshop and visual literacy in society and in education.

Because we live in a world filled with visuals, it is important for educators to study photographs with their students so that they can better understand the world and its complexities. Visual literacy is extremely relevant to education and students can become visually literate through the practice of visual encoding (expressing ideas with visuals) and visual decoding (analyzing and understanding the meaning of images). Studying visuals and including this in a teacher’s curriculum can enable students to analyze photographs, develop and improve operational skills, and increase critical thinking skills. Visual literacy is also important to my field of education because photography is a powerful way to understand the past and analyze history. By utilizing primary photographs in their classroom, teachers can expose students to things from the past and make history come alive through objects from the period being studied.

The YouTube video I imbedded caught my eye because it is a video of an educator providing a workshop on the importance of visual literacy to his fellow colleagues. Seeing how visual literacy can be incorporated and analyzed and how teachers are taught to teach it was interesting to view. Frank Baker, the educator leading the workshop, brings up an image of President Obama surrounded by a group of doctors. It was interesting to see how the fellow teachers interpreted the image and how they determined the media was using the image to send out a certain message to Americans about health care; the doctors were all wearing white coats, which everyone determined was handed to them when they got to the White House. Baker then shows another image and stresses the importance of asking questions. He explained how the historical photo had been manipulated and how even way back in time people were changing photos in order to influence the opinions and thoughts of others. I thought this point was interesting and relevant especially since the media and the society we live in today definitely tries to portray certain images to its members.

Week 5: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

During Week 5 we learned about learning theories and styles, open source software and we explored and mastered sights Webspiration and Wordle. A learning theory is an attempt to understand how people learn. There are three main types of learning theories; behaviorism, information process theory and constructivism. Behaviorists look at cause and effect relationships and how they are observed through behavior. The information process theory views the mind as a computer and analyzes how it stores and processes relevant information. Constructivists believe that humans construct knowledge through their minds based upon experience. Learning styles refer to the conditions in which we learn best; there are three main types of learning styles including visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic.  In addition to learning styles and theories, we also learned about open source software and how to use an example like webspiration. Open source software refers to computer software that has an accessible source code form that allows users to change, study and often distribute software. As a result of open software, the famous free operating system Linux was created in 1984. I also gained new skills in week 5 through the use of webspiration and wordle. Webspiration is a sight that allows its users to create intricate concept maps that are easy to share and collaborate on. Wordle is a tool that creates a graphic representation of text in a word cloud that shows the main ideas of a piece of writing or text. Different learning styles and open source software expanded my technology knowledge and are definitely ideas and skills that will be useful to incorporate in my classroom.

Being aware of different learning styles and how to teach to each style is important for any educator. It is vital for me as a teacher to understand the different learning styles so that I can try to cater to each student’s needs in the classroom. A good teacher uses different instructional approaches and considers the audience, environment and topic before deciding what the best activities are to do. In addition to being aware of the varying learning styles, open source software is also an important aspect of technology that can be utilized in a classroom. For example, sites like webspiration are a great way for students to map out their ideas on a topic and it is an easy way for parents, other students and the teacher to collaborate and share ideas. Another tool that can be utilized in the classroom is Wordle. There are numerous ways in which a teacher can use wordle. Wordle is a great way for students to self reflect on essays and main ideas and to summarize other pieces of literature or work.

I found this Youtube video to be silly and creative but also informative about the different types of learning styles that we learned about this week. The video really emphasized the importance of catering to each learning style within a classroom setting; this is something all teachers have to try to accomplish when teaching a lesson. The auditory learner in the video was able to understand the calculus problem just by hearing the explanation from the teacher. The visual learner needed to see the problem worked out on the board and the kinesthetic learner was able to grasp the concept by working through an example problem on the board. These three different learning styles represent the diversity of individuals and how they learn which will definitely be present in a classroom setting.

Week 4: Copyright Law, Plagiarism, and Ethical Issues

During Week 4, we learned about the principles of designing instructional media, copyright laws and the ethical issues associated with technology. The four key principles for designing instructional media are contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity. It is important when putting together a presentation not to have too many contrasting colors or repeat the same things continuously. In addition, poor alignment can cause people to miss important information and if words are not close together it will cause the reader or student to lose focus and not concentrate on what they need to. The design of a media presentation is just as important as the content itself. We also learned about copyright in class this week; copyright refers to all creative works that are protected by the Title 17 of the US Code and allow the creator of a work to control how their work may be used. In contrast to copyright laws, there is the Fair Use Act and Creative Commons. The Fair Use Act allows limited use of copyrighted work with the consent from the author or creator; this limited use is mainly used by libraries or educators. Creative Commons allows a person to make his or her own rules and build a custom license with as many or as few restrictions as he or she wants on his or her work.  Beyond the main ideas of design and copyright, week four also presented material about hypermedia and multimedia. Hypermedia refers to the combination of hyperlinks and hypertexts in which audio, video and text combine to create a means of information. Multimedia refers to media and content that uses a variety of different forms and combinations. We also learned how to determine the authenticity of a website.

The information and content from this week are directly relevant to my field as an educator. It is important for me to understand how to design instructional material so that I can grab the attention of my students and have them learn the material they are supposed to be learning. Knowing how to put together and design a technological presentation as an educator is vital. In addition to knowing how to design instructional media, being aware of copyright laws and The Fair Use Act is important for educators. More educators are using technology to supplement material in class, and as a result it is important for me to know as teacher what published or online information I can use in my classroom.  For example, it would be okay for an educator to use a chapter from a published book, an article from a newspaper or a chart, graph or diagram from a book, periodical or newspaper because it is stated as legal in the Fair Use Guidelines for educators.

http://www.mediafestival.org/copyrightchart.html

I chose this webpage because I thought that it provided relevant supplemental material to The Fair Use Act and copyright laws presented in class. This webpage presents a chart that helps inform teachers of their rights under the copyright laws of the United States. The chart uses specific examples of material and lists the rights that teachers have and do not have in regard to this material. I found this site to be informative and I learned more detailed information about the rights that teachers have using articles, web images, videos, etc. in their classroom. For example, I did not know that teachers can only make a single copy of a chapter from a book or an article from a periodical for research and lesson plans. I also did not realize that broadcasts can be used for instruction. This site provided specific and relevant material to what was learned in class this week and helped me to understand the rights and restrictions that I will have as an educator when using material in my classroom to supplement learning.

Week 5 Concept Map

http://www.mywebspiration.com/view/773923a35930

Week 4 Extra Blog: Creative Commons Licensing

I chose this YouTube video titled Creative Commons—Building on the Past to share because it provides a basis on the topic of Creative Commons licensing in a creative way. Like the video points out, Copyright laws can often be restricting and limit someone’s access to other people’s work. Creative Commons allows a person to make his or her own rules and build a custom license with as many or as few restrictions as he or she wants. The video provides examples of the use of Creative Commons such as not allowing your song to be used for commercial use or allowing someone to use your movie as long as you are given credit. It is easy to use Creative Commons by visiting the site creativecommons.org and it is free. Creative Commons is a great way to bypass Copyright laws and allows the individual to make his or her own decisions and rules. This video was entertaining visually and it helped to emphasize the benefits of Creative Commons and provide information to people who are not aware of what this licensing is.

Week 3: Web Technology

During week 3, we learned about the history of the internet, common computer terminology and the new social digital generation of today. Computers use to only work on one task at a time. However, in 1957 a large scale computer network was needed and so the modern internet came out of the collaboration and foundation of three concepts; the concept of a military network in America, the commercial network in England and the scientific network in France. Later on, a group of men from BBN created the interface message processor, which was basically the first internet router. The internet as we recognize it today came about in 1969; e-mail as we know it in 1965. In 1973 people started using the internet for e-mail and communication purposes, despite the fact that that was not the main purpose of the browser. New internet technological terms such as bits and bytes, cookies and firewall were introduced and explained as well. Finally, the concept of Web 2.0 and the new type of internet that has emerged was discovered and explored. Web 2.0 refers to trends in web designs in which users create public information, create communities online and network socially with others. This new web has to lead to different student learning.

The web today and the trends we are seeing are directly related to my future career as a teacher. The term Education 2.0 has been coined to refer to the digital tools used to transform teaching and learning; learners and teachers must work together to create and build communities and networks of learning. It is not enough for a teacher to simply stand in front of a classroom and teach on a chalk board. Newer generations of students are becoming more socially interactive and fluent in the language of the internet. It is important for me as a teacher to recognize this change and to address it in my classroom. Students can use collaborative technologies that allow them to communicate and comment on work of their classmates and others around the world. Education 2.0 also calls for a collective wisdom and a classroom that is participatory and adapting.

I found this youtube video to be interesting and relevant to what we learned in class this week. The video describes the evolution from Web 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0. Web 2.0 and its communication and interaction were stressed with the creation and constant use of sites such as Facebook and Blogger. We are now emerging into an era of Web 3.0; claimed to be a continuation of Web 2.0. Sites such as Amazon already use Web 3.0 features that stress the individual’s needs and wants. The internet and its connections are also becoming less recognizable as new devices like phones and other applications now have access to the web. I found this video to be interesting and I liked how it stressed the future of the internet. The internet is ever changing and becoming more interactive and tailored to the individual.

Week 2: Educational Technology

During week 2 we learned about the MACOSX including its main features, advantages and differences from PC computers. The obvious differences between the Mac and PC deal with its hardware; the Mac processes information and has different outward features than the PC does. Each new version of Mac is given a name; the OSX version and the computer we use in class is referred to as the "Leopard." Some of the features on the Mac that were discussed in class and on the lecture notes online was how to turn the computer On/Off (it is found in the back of computer which you can turn to face you) or you can turn the computer off by clicking the apple button in the upper left on the menu bar. The desktop includes major components such as the menu bar, the dock, the hard drive, inserted media devices and folders/files. On the menu bar you have the Finder window which is like the Windows Explorer in a PC. This is where items are located from the hard drive, other storage devices and folders/files. The dock at the bottom of the screen is essentially a group of aliases that provide the user with shortcuts to open applications, folders and files. Learning how to create folders, saved documents and aliases on the Mac was also discussed and assessed. These tasks can be done mainly through the Finder window. In addition, a brief overview was given on the Mac keyboard and mouse.

This lesson applies directly to the education field that I am pursuing as an elementary school teacher. Many public school districts throughout the country are or have purchased Mac computers. Therefore, it is crucial for me to know how to operate such a computer so that I can use it effectively and efficiently. How embarrassing would it be if I couldn’t store my grades online on the computer or I didn’t know how to create a graph for a presentation for the class because I am a PC owner? To prove that public schools are in fact using Mac computers I found an article written by Joe Hill, the director of Math and Technology at the Rockingham Public County Schools discussing why his county, along with numerous others, are using Mac computers in schools.
http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/rcps_tech/whymac.html
This shows that Macs are relevant to my field and that this lesson does apply because I need to be able to effectively operate a Mac seeing as it is likely that I will be in a classroom that uses such a computer.

http://apcmag.com/15_reasons_macs_are_still_better_than_windows.htm

I chose this article to look at because I think it is important for me to understand and become familiar with the positive, best features of the Mac computer. By reading this article I learned how to troubleshoot a Mac using three applications in the utilities folder. The author of the article also pointed out some useful apps on the Mac such as iphoto and stickies; I found the stickies to be cool because you can set reminders for yourself on fake sticky notes on the computer screen. I didn’t realize that Macs don’t have to run additional security software like PCs do. In addition, I found the authors commentary on the small features of the Mac to be informative; quick look lets you view all the major files, the image viewing app allows you to view a PDF and open or export it to other image formats, and the Mac has sophisticated screen shot capability. I am a PC owner, but I think it is important for me to understand why so many people like Macs and what its unique features are so that one day when I’m a teacher or working on a Mac, I can easily navigate my way around the computer.