Tech Trends

For this emerging trend I have chosen to discuss cloud computing. My school district, Clarksville-Montgomery Country School Systems (CMCSS) in Tennessee, was selected as the pilot program for Microsoft’s Office 365 for Education. Outlook had already been incorporated into the district for some time and our technology department jumped on board when the opportunity for working with a Microsoft cloud-based system was offered. We received the updates in June, so everything is still relatively new. Teacher training has been offered but since we are now in the middle of a school year, I doubt most teachers will be fully trained up. As an EdTech student I will be investigating the use of Microsoft 365 in the district for the long term and assessing how it is being used by teachers in (and out) of the classroom. I think this is a great opportunity to utilize the tools in 365 for my classroom, and to gain greater insight on the benefits of educational technology on a district scale. Knowing my district is the first to incorporate 365 makes me really want to use it, make it succeed, and get our district administrators to further invest in educational technology to the point where we have a 1:1 ratio of computers to students in the classroom in order for our students to fully benefit from this implementation. I believe that the use of 365 will be extremely beneficial to our teachers and students as soon as all teachers are fully trained on how to utilize its tools and all students are able to utilize a computer in every class.

Link to Tech Trends Document

EdTech Research

For my EdTech Research assignment I chose to research computers in the classroom. I want to incorporate computers in my classes and make my class web-based for the most part. I believe that doing so will increase the motivation levels of my students and make them acquire and use higher-level thinking skills. After conducting research on the use of computers and technology in the classroom I found that many have had success and those that did not simply had to use the technology in a different way. The use of computers in the classroom for Common Core seems like a natural fit, given the increased emphasis on reading comprehension and higher order thinking skills. Computers can also greatly assist those students with learning disabilities to understand what they are reading. The most beneficial aspect of computers in the classroom for me would be the time factor. I want my students to get the most out of any of the time they have for learning. In this respect, the use of Google tools to facilitate learning between teachers, students, and their peers is invaluable. I found through research that collaboration can be a great tool if it is emphasized and students are given a clear focus. As an educator with an emphasis on educational technology, I wish to use these tools to full potential but I must first address the lack of computers in my classroom with my administration. Studies and statistics from the research I conducted can serve as support for this endeavor.

This assignment was very beneficial in that I was introduced to multiple sources for research in Google Scholar and Albertsons Library. I had worked with Purdue Owl and Citation Machine in the past so I wasn't totally unfamiliar with those helpful sites. I thought Albertsons Library was a great source of information and will definitely be utilizing it in future research. Learning about doi was a first for me but I saw how it would be beneficial in citations. Overall, this was a very enlightening assignment which provided me with new knowledge and skills to build upon.

Freeman EdTech Research

RSS in Education

     This week I researched and completed the assignment for RSS in Education. I chose to create a tutorial that gave a brief overview of RSS and how to utilize the Feedly newsreader. When I started I was not familiar with Feedly or any newsreader for that matter. I had run into the RSS logo on numerous occasions but never really gave it a second thought. After researching newsreaders and experimenting with Feedly, I have now become a believer in RSS and the value it holds for educators. I have since created a blog on my AP European History website and will teach my students the value of Feedly, if they have not been using it already. I can't wait for more articles from the Technology for Teachers feed so I can incorporate new ideas in my history classes. It has been a pleasant surprise to learn about this aspect of Education Technology.

     Below you will find my RSS in Education video tutorial. I really learned some new skills in working with Screenr, Windows Live Moviemaker, and Youtube to create my video presentation. I was very impressed with the captioning feature on Youtube. Feedback is always welcome.