Podcasting

During the past week in class we learned about podcasting and discussed what podcasting is and how it could be used within a classroom. Podcasting is an online audio tool that allows people to record themselves to discuss a certain topic or a variety of different information. Podcasting is a unique tool that anyone can create to personalize information they want to relay to the millions of web users throughout the world.
One way I think I would use podcasting as an educational tool in my classroom would be to provide directions of assignments for my students. For example, I would create a podcast that contains step by step instructions of an assignment that I have previously given in class. Next I would instruct my students to access my podcast through the internet and listen to the assignment. This example would relate to the second NETS-T standards because it would help to "provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting datat to inform learning and teaching." By providing a podcast with instructions of assignments for my students it would help the more audio oriented learners succeed better within the classroom.
Another way I could use a podcast in a classroom would be to allow my students to create their own podcasts in groups. I would create a project geared toward a specific subject and assign my students to create their own audio podcast report in order to complete the assignment. This would connect to the first NETS-T standard because it would "promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventivness" by allowing the students to exercise their learning abilities in a unique format. Rather than assigning one written report after another, allowing my students to complete a report as an audio podcast would help them to express their creative side.
A final way I could use podcasting within a classroom would be to personally record specific lessons on a podcast and post it on a classroom website so students would have an extra tool to refer back to for assistance. Often times students are distracted within a classroom and if they had access to a repeat version of my lesson in their own homes it may help to further their success in the classroom. This example would connect to the fifth NETS-T standard because it would "participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning." By providing a second form of a lesson for my students it will act as an aide to guide them through lessons and help to improve their knowledge and skills.
Overall I think that podcasting is an extremely useful tool both inside and outside the classroom. It allows people to engage creatively by expressing themselves in an original way.

NETS Reflection toward MS Office

1.) Microsoft Office can help teachers and educators in a variety of different ways. In the first National Educational Technology Standard, also known as NETS, it states that “Teachers can promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes” (NETS 1, a). This standard addresses the idea that teachers should do whatever they can to encourage their students to make a connection between the subject matter and the resources that can be obtained on the computer. This standard focuses on the importance of expressing creativity through digital processes. I could use MS Office to support this standard by creating digital presentations through PowerPoint as a tool to present information to my students. I may also use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint to allow my students to create their own presentations or displays of writing and work. MS Office meets the first NET standard because it contains a variety of different tools that students can explore and experiment with in order to display acts of creativity.

2.) The second NETS standard describes possible ways in which teachers can develop contemporary learning assessments that will meet the needs of students as individual learners through new-age technology. A possible way to use MS Office to support this standard would be to create presentations or lesson plans that would “customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources” (NETS 2, c). An example of how MS Office could be used to accomplish that task would be to incorporate pictures into presentations using the clipart feature for students who seem to be more visual learners. Another possibility would be to add sounds into PowerPoint presentation using the sound and animation tools in order to get the attention of students who seem to find themselves unfocused. These features meet the standard because MS Office has so many different functions and tools that could be used to create lessons that fit the needs of every learning individual.

5.) The 5th National Educational Technology Standard for teachers addresses the effective ways in which teachers can further their professional manor in various ways by measuring progress and improvement through digital technology and sources. MS Office has various tools that may be effective for making this process possible. One example of a way I could use the 5th NETS standard would be through Microsoft Excel. Having access to Microsoft Excel will allow me, as a teacher, to create charts, graphs, and tables that will show growth and progress among my students. It is also an effective tool because I can use Excel to create spreadsheets that contain information regarding each of my students. In addition I can record grades, class and student averages, and overall performance growth. MS Office, including Microsoft excel meets this standard because it will also help me reflect upon my role as a teacher by allowing me to see what areas my students performance is weaker in, so I can revise my lesson plan to meet their needs.

My First Blog

This is my first blog.