Blog #10

 

Working on assignment five, I brushed up on some old skills while also gaining some new ones. I have not used Power Point in a long time so it was a but unfamiliar going back to it, however I picked back up on the making of slides and animations pretty quickly. However, I had no idea how to do a recording of the slides or a voice over with the video. I don't really enjoy recording myself but it was interesting to learn with powerpoint. Next time, I'll play around more with scripts and organizational methods for the resources on the slides.

Data collection tools can be very helpful to all types of careers. I hope to have a writing career in the future so with this in mind, data collection tools can be used for more audience-catered content. With the answers given to me by the target audience, themselves, companies can produce better content that it more suited to their viewers and their preferences. These data results could also be used to improve more empirical based content, so that credibility and research are improved.

A technology related skill I would like to learn would be to fully understand and utilize google spread sheets. A goal for this skill could be to be able to create my own spreadsheet from my collected data within a week or two. I will accomplish this goal by playing around on google sheets for a couple days to explore its functions and tools. After this, I will get to inserting my own data and see what roadblocks or challenges come my way, working those out. 

Blog #9

 

My experience with distance learning in k-12 education was mostly attributed to COVID as most people's are. During middle school, I had to switch to fully online and utilize services such as zoom and pre-recorded lessons posted on canvas. For me, both of these methods were not the best methods for learning but also not the worst. Some classes, such as English, did not require deeper learning for me. However, math classes became difficult as I was not able to focus as much as I needed to. I have never had to use Google Classroom but I am curious how it works in teaching a full class.

Open educational resources are resources that are free to access as well as adapt and share. They can be used in many ways such as teaching, learning, and through research. Examples of these resources include full online courses, textbooks, assessment tools, etc. What's great about them is that they are released under licenses that grant permissions for reuse, adaption and redistribution.

https://www.oerproject.com/blog: This resource is an example of an OER, where teachers post online lessons. 

I did not really know how to use the recording feature in Power Point before so it was a bit of a learning curve to become accustomed to in for the project. I didn't enjoy having to record myself speak, simply because I am a bit uncomfortable with having to record myself for projects and other things but it was nice to see how it could be done in a teaching atmosphere on Power Point. For next time, I can write notes on the recording so I can provide a more coherent lesson that includes more than what is written on the slides. In my project recording, I sound a bit awkward and unprepared so a better roadmap will benefit me greatly.

Blog #8

 

I really enjoyed designing the website as I had never done so before and have always wanted to be able to personalize something like this. As I made the website I used design principles such as making sure the coloring of the text did not blend in with the background and that everything was evenly spaced so it did not look odd in comparison with the rest of the webpage. In the future, I can use these skills to create a real website for when I decide to enter the professional world via a portfolio.

Personally I have encountered QR codes in classrooms I attended and have found them to be pretty useful. Teachers have used them to create more interactive adventures or to bring us directly to pages that might have taken some navigating to arrive at. In my own classroom, I might use these codes for similar purposes. This can be through certain interactive educational adventures that I created, similar to the website design.

Scenario:
Mr. Thompson teaches 11th-grade English and has recently integrated digital writing tools into his classroom to help students draft and revise essays. One of these tools includes an AI-powered writing assistant that can generate paragraphs, rewrite text, and suggest stylistic improvements.

For a major assignment, students must write an analytical essay on The Great Gatsby. Mr. Thompson reminds the class that the essay should reflect their own ideas and that the AI tool may be used only for grammar checks.

When grading, Mr. Thompson notices that one student, Maya, submitted a highly polished essay with complex vocabulary and near-perfect grammar — a major leap from her previous writing samples. After running her essay through an AI detection program, he suspects she used the AI tool to generate parts of her essay.

When confronted, Maya explains that she only used the AI to “get started” because she had writer’s block, and then edited the AI’s output into her own voice. She argues that she learned from the process and that using AI is no different from using online sources or a thesaurus.

Mr. Thompson is torn — he values academic integrity, but he also wants to encourage students to explore technology responsibly. School policy doesn’t clearly define what counts as acceptable AI use.

Solution:

To address this scenario, I would make it clear to Maya that AI should not be a substitute for real critical thinking and growth. AI can certainly be used as a tool, but not as a replacement. I would make sure she clearly understood this difference by offering examples such as using AI to brainstorm and provide an outline for ideas but also making clear that words should not be copied. Since school policy does not define what counts as acceptable AI use, I would not punish Maya, but warn her that this is what counts for academic integrity.

Portfolio Item #19

Smekens Education Solutions:

 Shortened URL: https://tinyurl.com/3vt47d49

This is a teacher development resource that focuses on reading and writing instructions for k-12 and offers live webinars as well as certificates for many of its sessions. 

Blog #7

 

After looking at a couple teacher pages, I saw a couple of ways to contact the teachers via email, phone number etc. There were also many resources listed such as calendars for future events and course curriculums that outlined the content of the year. In addition to these things, there was commonly an "about me" page that was meant to familiarize students and parents with the teacher. This included things such as the teacher's background as well as photos and updates of classroom expectations.

As a teacher, I envision using technology to help improve and build upon my workflow. This can include helping with organization and brainstorming better learning opportunities for my students. Specific teacher and productivity tools I would use include Google Drive for student collaboration and Nearpod for interactive lessons. Gradebook could also be used for grading to save time and help me to focus more on the instruction part of teaching.

I think AI is effectively supportive when it comes to outlining lesson plans, for the generation of ideas. However, human expertise can be more effective when there needs to be specialized modifications to teaching in the emotional atmosphere of things. Not all students respond the same or need the same things. Assignment three taught me that a good lesson plan should be diverse and allow room for growth and change. Evaluating an AI generated plan did give me many ideas on how a lesson can be formed instead of following the same basic format. I liked being able to edit things on the same platform as my classmates but I didn't like that the tool wasn't completely synchronous. 

Blog #6

 

During our visit to the Tech Sandbox I learned a lot about different kinds of technologies that can be used to improve learning. There was the number finder that helped with focus as well as things that helped with comfort such as the robotic cat. Out of all of these tools, I might use the robotics kit as a way to facilitate problem solving and comprehension of instructions. I could implement it as an activity that gives you instruction through your answering of literary questions.\

The standard I chose is from computer science and includes the evaluation and teaching of the impact of various devices. Based on my current skill set, I feel like I could implement a decent variation of this standard. Growing up in the digital age, I have experienced many of the impacts myself and have analyzed many of the rest through school and personal curiosity. To create a more extensive and all encompassing plan for this standard, I would still study up a bit more and look at examples to see what this standard looks like in a classroom environment.

I think that the CPALMS Educator Toolkit has some really helpful resources and tools to help along teachers. They offer all kinds of lesson plans as well as assessments and tutorials. In my teaching, I would use the lesson plans and other tools as a backdrop for my end goal. I want to be able to create my own lesson plans but I know that can be very difficult, especially as a new teacher. Using pre established plans with standards already built in can be incredibly useful. 

Blog #5

 

Blogging is not my favorite activity but I think it can be very useful. I don't necessarily like posting about daily opinions or experiences online, however it can bring some clarity to see the opinions and experiences of others. This is especially the case when they are in a similar position to you, and in this case, if they also want to be a teacher. Seeing the blog of those like you or in positions that you aspire to be in can help you along in your own everyday journey. 

My initial thought is that AI should be integrated within the k-12 setting in some way. It seems like AI is going to be a part of our future whether people want it to be or not. With this being the case, children should be educated on it. Teachers, as well, should be educated on how to make AI a tool instead of a mysterious tech entity. AI can be very useful in making daily tasks easier as well as a way to brainstorm and improve upon lessons plans.

I had Chat GPT write out the lesson plans that I wanted by setting a couple parameters and giving it the topic that I wanted to discus. It gave me very nice results, planning out a lesson that covered not only lecture based class time but also activity portions, collaborative assignments and other forms. At first, it did not set out the lesson to the length that I wanted it so I had it change that and it stretched out the lesson for a week. Next time, when I have more time, I might try to get even more specific about certain goals or activity ideas. 

I envision using Generative AI in my teaching practice to help me think of lesson plans and brainstorm ideas. To address ethical concerns, I would set some limitations for myself and my students. I think that AI can be really helpful in aiding people with their work, but it should not be a substitute for individual thought and creativity. Limitations can be placed to allow for aid in brainstorming or outlining but prohibiting plagiarism.