Assessment of 5 Technology Tools

 Rubric for Assessment

5 – provides scholarly information i.e. research, dependable, authenticated, animated, assistive, user-friendly, student friendly, teacher friendly,

4 – provides some scholarly information i.e. research, kind of dependable, slightly authenticated, some animation, semi-assistive, sort of user-friendly

3 – average (useable)

2 – provides very little scholarly information i.e. research, least minimal dependency, least minimal authentication, least animated, least assistive, least user-friendly

1- Non-desirable; provides no information, not dependable, not authenticated, non-animated, not assistive, not user-friendly, not student friendly, not teacher friendly

Educationally enhanced, uploading homework, communications between classmates and professors, informational, It is very easy to navigate, and it allows students who might have to be absent to follow along in the course, distant learning, online learning, online classes, grading, assignments, etc.

RATE= 5

Website Creator. It helps to put information online quickly and easily. It was not that easy to use in my opinion. But you can create really beautiful websites considering you have the time to do so. 

RATE= 4

 Google Chrome & Google is the best search engine on the planet. With the most accurate searches, easy for students to use and research with, it has Gmail which is the largest growing email server in the world, user-friendly, anyone can use it.

RATE= 5

One of the best blog sites by Google, easy to navigate, easy for friends to share thoughts and provide feedback, accessible for my students to turn in written assignments, and accessible for teachers.

RATE= 5

An education website designed to enhance student learning through an effective social network, where students can all connect at one time with the teacher, where parents can have access, and administrators can have access. It also helps create a connection between all peoples interested in enhancing students' learning. 

RATE=5

The most efficient and creative innovation to utilize for a collection of resources for teachers. It is easy to use, and can become very convenient for teachers; and maybe even students to utilize to showcase their best work. 

RATE= 5

The innovative website creator. Good use for projects and information to be created by students, Students will have the opportunity to do research and learn how to create their own website, FUN! Most enjoyable for teachers to see again, creativity.

RATE= 4

Youtube is the most functional and innovate ways to create videos, upload created videos, post online for everyone to see or limit the visual to a teacher or classmates. Youtube creates an easier way to input videos into other forms of presentations, etc.

RATE= 5

Sexting and Textual Harassment

           I remember watching in the news about three years ago about “sexting.” I thought it was interesting topic, so when we were given an assignment on digital safety, I figured I needed to learn more about this topic, of course to be more educated. When creating my presentation, I utilized Wix.com; which is an excellent website that allows you to create amazing websites. It has become easier for me to share with the children in my family, my students, and generally, anyone who does not understand what “sexting” and “textual harassment” is.

            Digital safety is all encompassing of preventing anything that might be dangerous to teens, children, or anyone who is technological savvy, to a certain extent; anyone who exposed to the internet or having a cellphone. But in understanding the safeties,  "A growing concern for parents, educators and others involved with the welfare and well-being of children and adolescents is related to young people’s ability to use these tools safety and effectively" (Maclay). Since this can become a concern for many people involved, it is important as educators to point out these safety rules, in order to prevent, and deal with these technological problems.

            Because the use of smartphones [or any electronic device] has increase tremendously, so have the dangers of it. My website contains useful and pertinent information to educate anyone who is interested to know about sexting and textual harassment. It contains an introduction to what sexting and textual harassment is, what the law says, some stats, and prevetions. It is an easy navigating website that almost anyone can use.

            “Mobiles are a great way of communicating and keeping in touch with our kids when they are out and about. But mobiles can also be used for bullying or harassment. It's important that you and your kids understand what's safe and what's not when it comes to mobile use” (The Line, 1). I believe that this is the issue, is that children and teens are not that educated on how serious sexting and textual harassment can be, But I am hoping that when my website goes viral that more and more become educated and eventually prevent malicious acts to be pursued.

Bibliography


Maclay, Colin, Gerrit Beger, Urs Gasser, and John Palfray. Digital Safety for Young People: Gathering
     Creating New Models, and Understanding Existing Efforts. Retrieved from Technology at Unicef. 
     December 1, 2011. http://www.unicef.org/sowc2011/pdfs/Digital-safety-for-young-people.pdf.

            

Perpetual Motion, The Game

The Idea of Perpetual Motion of “Perpetual Motion” as a Learning Tool

            Perpetual Motion is a game from schooltimegames.com, which is an online educational game website that provides comprehensive lessons in the four core subjects of math, science, social studies, and language arts. It is designed mainly to attract the secondary level students; however, there are some games on the site fit for the primary grade levels as well. In order to prepare for the presentation aspect of this assignment, evaluating the game using a rubric was probably the hardest part. We had to be sure that the game met the best possible scores for all the different contents of the rubric, such as learner content, visual organization, navigation, critical thinking, etc. Creating the rubric was not at all a difficult task in that, we did not “reinvent the wheel.” We recycled an excellent rubric that we found on (insert site).

            As a secondary education teacher, technology is extremely important for the students because it is “the age” they live in. It also assists them with the “ever-changing” world of technology and the nuance of technological facets of education. According to the online website Technology and Educational Reform, created by the U.S. Department of Education, “The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was an increase in motivation. Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks” (Educational Reform).

            I agree that with a game-based enhance culture with probably every household on Guam and the Untied States possessing game consoles and computers, the integration of technology in the classroom is not that far fetched. With online and digital gaming, according to Erik Klopfer, and the entire authors of “The Education Arcade,” “Digital games, whether computer-, game console-, or handheld-based, are characterized by rules, goals & objectives, outcomes & feedback, conflict/ competition/challenge/opposition, interaction, and representation of story (Prenksy, 2001) or more simply, “Purposeful, goal-oriented, rule-based activity that the players perceive as fun” (Klopfer, 2008). They are distinguished by two key elements: (1) an interactive virtual playing environment, and (2) the struggle of the player against some kind of opposition” (Klopfer, 4).

 I think that in general, technology is crucial in this every changing society, especially in the developing parts of the world; if technology can be implemented then it should be taken advantage of.

I believe that the game of perpetual motion is all encompassing of many things academic. I could probably use this game as a fun and academic way to teach world geography. Since the object of the game is to complete the map, and the map is blank, at the same time they complete the game, I can ask them to label the map.

According to NET’s standards I feel that the following was achieved post-online educational game project: use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students. I was unaware at just the value of online educational gaming until this project was completed. We evaluated our projects based on the game we chose. Each group displayed the diversity of learning and the diverse needs of students by attempting to evaluate their technological game with rubric that would suffice for the viability of the game.

References:

Singh, Ram & Barbara Means.  (n.d.).  Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students.  In Technology and Education Reform.  Retreived October 04, 2011, from http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Klopfer, Eric, et.al.  2009.  Digital Gaming.  In The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulation, and How Teachers Can Leverage Them.  Retrieved October 4, 2011, from http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf