Recent Changes

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1DhghyyCYA8cdvPMqcl5--Oq5iz7xK83ilBslOD_YSTY
UPDATED Technology Critique
{Technology Critique.docx}
{Technology Critique.docx}
Andrea Homburg
Technology Critique (Rough Draft)
{Technology Critique.docx}
Five Criteria
Usability: The most valuable technology is one that is easy for both the teacher and student to use. The given technology should not demand overwhelming amount of training to understand. The best technology is easy and straightforward.

{Technology Critique.docx}
Andrea Homburg
Technology Critique (Rough Draft)
Five Criteria
Usability: The most valuable technology is one that is easy for both the teacher and student to use. The given technology should not demand overwhelming amount of training to understand. The best technology is easy and straightforward.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1j-bE6Tnfs5SRJmSvDcnGAIWaF-Gsl8vJz3UyAbrC-Ow
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1DhghyyCYA8cdvPMqcl5--Oq5iz7xK83ilBslOD_YSTY
UPDATED Technology Critique
{Technology Critique.docx}
{Technology Critique.docx}
Andrea Homburg

{TechnologyVideo Game Critique and Evaluation Rubric
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1j-bE6Tnfs5SRJmSvDcnGAIWaF-Gsl8vJz3UyAbrC-Ow
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1DhghyyCYA8cdvPMqcl5--Oq5iz7xK83ilBslOD_YSTY
{Technology Critique.docx}
Andrea Homburg
Technology Critique
Security: Is it password protected? Is it easy for my students to plagiarize?
Usability
2 1
Very Easy Very Difficult
Is it easy to use?
Security
3
may have.
Usability
2

{462{Technology Critique.docx}
Andrea Homburg
Technology Critique
Five Criteria
Usability: The most valuable technology is one that is easy for both the teacher and student to use. The given technology should not demand overwhelming amount of training to understand. The best technology is easy and straightforward.
Cost: Free or low cost technology is the best. Districts today do not have the financial strength to purchase technology, especially technology that is sparsely used.
Reliability: Is the information I am getting reliable? When we use different technology we need to make sure it is giving us correct information from reliable sources.
Instructional Worth: Is this something I can use in the classroom all of the time? Is this better than what I was doing before?
Security: Is it password protected? Is it easy for my students to plagiarize?
Usability
4 3 2 1
Very Easy Very Difficult
Is it easy to use?
Cost
4 3 2 1
Free Very Expensive
How expensive is it?
Reliability
4 3 2 1
Very Reliable Not Reliable
Is this a reliable source of information?
Instructional Worth
4 3 2 1
Very Useful Not Useful
Is it useful in the classroom?
Security
4 3 2 1
Very secure Not Secure
Is it secure?
Aggregators: I have never used these before but after playing around with them for little while I began to like it. I am a news junky so these are perfect for me. I am not sure what their use would be in the classroom. I could see using it for secondary students if we were doing something with current events. Some of the RSS feed extensions were confusing, especially the Wizz RSS. I liked the google RSS extension for the chrome browser. It was very simple to use, it took about 1-2 minutes to figure out.
Usability
4
Cost
4
Reliability
2
Instructional Worth
3
Security
2
Social Bookmarks: Can be a handy tool for sharing with friends. It is very easy to use and doesn’t require lots of training. Not sure how this would be valuable to learners. Most sites like this are blocked by school districts.
Usability
4
Cost
4
Reliability
1
Instructional Worth
2
Security
3
Internet Search Tools: Very useful for the classroom. Students have very little knowledge on correct ways to search. It is very useful to show them different search engines and the results they get.
Usability
3
Cost
4
Reliability
4
Instructional Worth
4
Security
4
WebStart: I could see WebStarts being a useful tool when students are doing research. They could access the teacher’s WebStart page where they would then find useful links or a starting off point in their research. This could be a good way of limiting what sources the students are allowed to use.
Usability
2
Cost
4
Reliability
2
Instructional Worth
2
Security
3
Weblogs: I believe these are useful tools for teachers. From my experience this requires some time to learn the basics, I would say an hour or two. This could be a great “teacher website” where documents and other information is stored. It could also be a great way to encourage student discussions as well as a place for them to be able to ask the teacher or other students any questions they may have.
Usability
2
Cost
4
Reliability
2
Instructional Worth
2.5
Security
3
{462 Learning Model
NAME: Andrea Homburg
ASSIGNMENT: Learning Model Comparative Article

{462 Learning Model Comparison (Week 2).docx}
NAME: Andrea Homburg
ASSIGNMENT: Learning Model Comparative Article
Model 1:Problem-based learning
Model 2: Discovery Learning
Comparison Criteria
Model 1
Model 2
Student-Centeredness
Very student centered.
Very student centered
Teacher’s Role
Teacher acts as a guide, helping the students when they need it. Teacher does not teach content
Teacher acts as a guide, helping the students when they need it. Teacher does not teach content
Depth of Learning
Students are mainly concerned with finding solutions to problems. They may, however, learn skills along the way
Broader than problem-based learning. Students can explore many more ideas because they are not solely concerned with solving problems
Ease of Use
Somewhat difficult because every student will be in a different spot in their learning as well as learning about many different topics
Somewhat difficult because every student will be in a different spot in their learning as well as learning about many different topics
Problem-Based Learning: In problem based learning the student is first given a problem. They then use their background knowledge, information they already know, in order to figure what they need in order to solve the problem. The learner then finds resources. Teachers may help the students by scaffolding and modeling. Once the student has the necessary resources he or she can then come up with a solution to the problem. The student must then defend their solution and back it up with information from their resources.
{http://andreahomburg.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/placeholder?w=324&h=325} :problem based learning model.gif
Discovery learning: In discovery learning instead of being told the content by the teacher it is up to the students to explore and discover the content and principles. The teacher is there to guide the student and scaffold the information if the students require it. Students are learning different skills along the way through this process.
{http://andreahomburg.wikispaces.com/site/embedthumbnail/placeholder?w=359&h=282} :discovery learning cycle.gif
Although both of these are somewhat similar there are some differences. Problem based learning deals only with problems and solutions. The solution is open-ended, meaning there can be more than one answer as long as the student justifies it. Discovery learning may deal with problems and solutions, but it can also deal with content and skills where there is only one correct answer. An example of a lesson for the problem-based model is where the students are given the problem of Genocide. There have been genocides all throughout history and it is the student’s job is to research a current genocide as well as a historic genocide. After this research they are to come up with a solution to genocide. The question the students will have to answer is: How can we stop genocide in the future from happening? This is a question that depicts genocide as the problem and there are multiple solutions. An example of a discovery learning lesson would be to have the students research and write an essay on the causes of WWII. In doing so the student gains research skills, writing skills, as well as content-based knowledge. Both models are great tools to use in the classroom.
Discussion Question 1.1 (Due Week 2)
What is meant by a learning tool. Can you describe a learning tool which you use? What characterizes a learning tool and how is technology related to learning tools?