Technology

Doehrmann Classroom

There are many benefits to having access to multimedia resources. One would simply be learning how to master the media. It is crucial for today's students to learn how to use technology properly while using it to its greatest advantage. Another benefit would be that students develop different skills. They learn how to use not only the internet, but online activities in different ways. Multimedia also keeps kids interested. With all the distractions students have going on, it is becoming harder to keep their attention. By working on their own and exploring different medias, students will stay engaged and enjoy learning. Another reason multimedia is a great resource is because it has a better chance of reaching all ages and all types of learners. By supplying different types of learning, such as interacting videos, sounds, games, projects, etc., it will appeal to more students and help each one learn and grasp concepts the way their brain's allow them to. Finally, multimedia is great for student assignments. By having students create their own multimedia pages, they can express the way they learn best individually. While doing so, they will be teaching themselves the material as well as creating a resource that they'll always have to look back on.

Multimedia is also great for teachers to use in the classroom. If we think about it, teachers are way outnumbered. It is difficult for just one person to meet every students' individual needs. Multimedia projects are a good way to keep an assignment broad. Each student can learn the way they prefer. Also, multimedia is an easy way to communicate instructions. Students will absorb the information better when taken from two or more different sources, such as teacher directions and online, written out directions. Lastly, multimedia provides challenges for teachers. Teachers better themselves by learning how to manage independent students as they work on their own with their peers. The role is almost flipped as a teacher uses their creativity to make the assignment, followed by the students becoming their own educators.

Learning how to create and use multimedia projects allows educators to tackle #5 of the ISTE Standards for Educators. This standards states that educators must be "Designers." Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability. Teachers reach this standard because they are using technology to create, adapt, and personalize learning experiences for each students. They are also designing authentic learning activities that align with the content area and using digital resources to maximize active learning.

Students are also conquering ISTE Standard #3, Knowledge Constructor for Students. Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others. By doing so, students employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits as well as curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions .

Augmented reality is one of the biggest trends that's only increasing as technology does. We have probably all encountered it at one time or another, we just didn't know quite what it was, or what it was called. AR let's us see real-life activity in the environment around us. It allows us to see things like dinosaurs, or goofy animated characters as if they were right in front of us--all thanks to technology.

"Augment", a purposely constructed app to help people master AR, allows its users to see their products in 3-D in a real-life environment and in real-time through tablets or smartphones. For example, if one was trying to decide how to build their house, design their living room, or even boost their own sales. They could use augmented reality to picture life-sized images to better understand what it would look like in a real situation. Another popular AR app that may be more familiar is that trending game "Pokemon Go." This app allows people to play around with augmented reality while being active. The goal is to catch virtual Pokemon hidden throughout the game map that is actually the real world. It uses real location and enables players to physically search and find the hidden characters. Each of these apps are accessible through any apple or android product. Students can learn from augmented reality apps such as these by experiences real-life situations with minimal equipment. Students can learn to be architects and see in 3-D what they can design while using "Augment." Students can also get up, get active, and learn to read their maps while having fun with "Pokemon Go."

Augmented reality greatly encourages students to interact with the world and see things for themselves according to the subject. Many sources are readily available to students in which they have easy access to. Numerous companies are publishing online sources with with AR possibilities. AR also makes it easy for students to engage at home. Augmented reality can make learning more interesting and give them opportunities to explore on their own. Lastly, AR can make field trips more interesting and informative. Museums and historical sites have added AR features that make understanding information easier because students can see in 3-D what may of happened.

Google Collaborative Project

The Google Collaborative Project linked above consisted of four different group members. Each of us used our own Google Application to create a lesson plan with Ohio and ISTE Student standards suitable for the kindergarten grade level. The subject we focused on was kindergarten science while our standard was Weather Patterns and Seasons. Each group member was to take an Application and turn it into a puzzle piece of the lesson plan. The Apps consisted of Google Slides in which holds the intro to the lesson and all the information students need to know. Then, Google Docs links a video that explains further about seasons and weather patterns to solidify the information. After that, the Doc consists of a worksheet that provides practice and a knowledge evaluation for the educator(s). Next, Google Sheets teaches data collection by surveying kids on what kind of weather they prefer while unknowingly making the students think deeper about the subject and the physical components of weather. Finally, Google Forms assesses the students and their obtained knowledge over the entire lesson. Each of these Applications are then followed by an ISTE Student Standard that supports each type of technology. Activities like this will benefit students because it is a very versatile way of learning for different students. If a child did not follow the initial lesson with Google Slides because they learn differently, then maybe they will better enjoy the video and so on. Students are given different choices and resources to succeed with the lesson, while giving them an overall better chance to do so.

The GCP project seems to support a number of ISTE Teacher standards. First, ISTE Standard #4 (Collaborator). Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems. There was four group members working on this project, therefore, we used each other to decide on every piece of the lesson plan and learned from one another. Then, #5 (Designer). Educators design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability. We each designed a piece of technology that will help student learn in versatile ways while supplying their independent needs. Next, Standard #7 (Analyst) seems to support the project as well. Educators understand and use (scientific weather) data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals. Finally, Standard #6 (Facilitator) seems to sum up the Teacher standards for this project. Educators facilitate learning with technology to support students achievement of the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students. Each piece of technology created by our team is designed to help students succeed with technology and enjoy the learning process. As in individual, I created the Google Doc that holds the video and worksheet for the GCP. The standard this activity reached for students was #5, Computational Thinker. Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions. Because of this, students will break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving. Students will break down what they learned from the Slide and video to extract information for the worksheet and assessment.

Linked above are two digital videos that really engage students with audio, questions, and statements. You will find that they are both videos; however, one is set for the kindergarten level while the other is geared toward the second grade level. Learning to create these videos in the classroom satisfies the ISTE Standard for Educators, "Designer." Teachers design authentic, learner-driven activities and environments that recognize and accommodate learner variability. These video activities allow students to listen, work, and learn on their own time. The use of technology is able to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning. It also creates a digital learning environment that engages and supports learning. The digital videos also satisfy "Facilitator." Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students.

Learning to use digital videos as a student also supports the ISTE Student Standard "Knowledge Constructor." Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce create artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves or others. The videos also satisfy "Innovative Designer." Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.