Friday, September 19, 2014

Hypermedia

Commercial Hypermedia Product
There are many different kinds of development resources found on the internet and CD-ROM, such as collections of clip art, sound effects, photos, flowcharts, concept maps, video clips, animations, and document templates. Each of these collections would be a form considered commercial hypermedia (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).

“Many educators recognize and use hypermedia systems when they see the powerful capabilities to enhance classroom learning” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, pg 176).  I have found that the use of www.superteacherworksheets has come in very handy in my classroom. It has tools that I use on a week to week basis.  There are templates available on this website that will allow you to generate customizable worksheets based on your specific needs, such as a list of spelling words or multiple choice questions needed, as well as generators that will design the worksheets for you once you set the parameters, such as multiplication practice sheets.  This particular site does require a subscription to access all of their material, therefore, I have also linked here an example of the “Math Minuet” sheet we do daily to help my students with their multiplication; and here is an example of a fill-in-the-blank version of a spelling test that I created for extra practice with our spelling words last week.

Multimedia Authoring Tool – Audio and Video Production and Editing Systems
Since the release of the IPOD in 2001 and YouTube in 2005, there has been an explosion of videos posted and shared with the world (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).  Educators, especially with the flipped classroom models, are embracing the idea of using the audio and video systems in the class room.  Here is a link to more info about creating a flipped classroom.  Teachers can also use video clip recordings to help encourage student discussion or help students to analyze their own behaviors (Pannell and Hutchinson, 2010; Roblyer & Doering, 2013).   Another more interactive way to get students involved in demonstrating real-life examples of concepts they have learned is for them to create videos that demonstrate their findings.  “Bedrossian (2010) described a project that made important scientific and technological discoveries come alive for students as they interviewed, recorded, and made podcasts of oral histories of people who lived during the time these innovations happened” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, pg 190).

Here is an example of how a flipped classroom might look.



References
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into
teaching (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Overmyer, Jerry (2011, October) Creating the Vodcast retrieved from http://www.flippedclassroom.com/process/creating.php

www.superteacherworksheets.com

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Classroom "Basic Three"


Software Tools for the Classroom
 There are three basic software tools included in the software suites sold today. Those include word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software. 

Word Processing Software
The software that has had the most prevalent impact on the classroom is the word processing software (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.116).    As a 6th grade teacher, I can tell you that I use this software the most in my classroom.  Teachers find that it can save them time by allowing them to modify materials without having to start from scratch; improve the appearance of documents by providing a typed version rather than a handwritten version; allows them to easily share documents that can be edited with other teachers; and also collaborative sharing of documents via programs such as Google Docs, which has opened a whole new window of opportunity in the education world alone.

There are disadvantages to using word processors as well.  One of the most impactful issues I have found in my classroom is the effects the use of it has on handwriting and spelling. Though no researchers have done official studies to validate that word processing has impacted handwriting as a whole, cursive handwriting “is on the wane” due to word processing and other technologies (Supon, 2009; Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.120).  Assessment, auto-correct and questions of what age to start students using word processing are other concerns.
 
Spreadsheet Software
Of all software available, spreadsheet software is my favorite!  This software has so many tools and functions built into it that you can complete most any type of data organizing task imaginable.  It is designed to organize and manipulate numerical data in rows and columns (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.122).   Advantages to educators using it include saving time, organizing display of information, support use of “what if” questions, and increase motivation to work with mathematics.  The largest issue with using it is the hurdle of getting the students over the fear of processing numbers, mathematics (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.125).   

Presentation Software
Presentation software is used to display information in a slideshow format.  (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.125). Teachers use presentation software to help organize thinking about a topic, enhance the impact of spoken information, and allow collaboration of presentations (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.124-125).  The disadvantages to using it include the impact of the software on the info presented and teaching style. I don’t utilize it in my classroom as often as I could, as it takes a while to build a presentation, and it can take a fair amount of research to prepare.  Many educators utilize it to present info summaries, demonstrate materials for discussion, present illustrative problems and solutions, practice screens, assessment screens, brief tutorials, and book reports; while students use it to present a project (Doering & Roblyer, 2013, p.131-133).

 My Classroom Usage
As mentioned above, I use the word processing software most in my classroom.  Here is an example of a field trip permission form that I recently sent home if you would like to review it. 

References
Doering, A.H., Roblyer, M.D., 2013, Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching: 6th Edition,

United States of America, Pearson Education