Scenario Response #2

The second scenario I responded to was Carla's available at http://preezo.com/view.php?key=352a356c4eb853408440530ddce70e23 .

I liked the one reason for multimedia helping in the classroom: adds a new dimension to the classroom. I think that is true. There's this other realm which we have access to when computers, the internet, applications and software are available for us. Also, having computers and multimedia in the classroom really does let the learning process go farther then the limits of the walls, books and brains within the classroom.


I think there could have been a much longer and substantial list of things that students can do with multimedia. Presenting information can't be the only thing computers can be used for. There are so many facets of multimedia beyond presentations like simulations, dissections (yes there really are computer applications available which go through a 'hands on' dissection of different animals - a more humane way of dissection without the grossout factor teachers love giving their middle and high school students.), blogging, videos, etc.


A description or at least name of each software could have been helpful with each of the weblinks. Some of the links are easy to understand what they are but it's not so much a list of open sources as a list of the websites to access the open source software. If I were presenting this to the school board or to the principal and put this up on the screen, I'm sure someone would ask me what each of those were. They can't tell how these will aid them if they don't know what they are, what they're basic functions are or what their equivalent software would be.


On a side note: The preezo software seemed interesting. I had a recent encounter with google's version of presenting information and came to a problem with spell checking, editing, uploading pictures and doing a few other things. The project had to be abandoned and redone in another program. The only downside I see to this software is that there isn't a back feature, so if you want to refer back to a slide you have to close out the slide show and start completely over again. However, for my presentation of the final project, I might consider trying this software as an option.

Scenario Response #1

One of the scenarios I responded to was the one done by Jillian and AnnMarie available at http://scenarioproject.wikispaces.com/Scenarios.

I think that the wikispace gave a good description of the purchasing plan as well as usage of the computers. I liked the layout because you were able to go to different pages and go back to each one if you liked. I think the description of the simulations was an intersting thing to bring up. There are many different ways of catching students' attentions these days. Simulations was never one that would have crossed my mind to use. However, I think it would be a really great use of technology to engage students in the process of learning.

I agree that SmartBoards are useful pieces of technology. However, since SmartBoards came out, I have not seen a SINGLE teacher use a SmartBoart to its capabilities. Teachers who are teaching about technology in the classrooms (NOT this class, a different one) have issues when simply pointing to somethign on the board, forgetting they're finger is like a mouse and end up clicking on the next botton or doing something they didn't mean to do. I don't know the full capabilities of the SmartBoard but I haven't even seen a teacher use the 'pens' to write with it, ever! The most I have seen the SmartBoard being used is to show a website or present something on the computer. I would love to see a school district have that many SmartBoards but have teachers who know how to utilize the equipment and software to fully utilize all of its capabilities!

Most Excited and Challenges in Future: Blog Prompt

Blog Response Prompt:
What are you most excited about having learned about Multimedia in Instructional Design? What will be most challenging for you as you leave this class and move forward in your teaching education?


I think I am most excited about the multimedia freeware that is available online. I know that friends of mine have complained about having to go spend a good amount of money on Office just to be able to make a PowerPoint presentation or use Word to write up something. I didn’t know that there were websites where you could download such a variety of software without having to pay anything. I think this would come in handy for students who don’t have access to Office or other word processing programs. I feel that there is a lot to learn in the form of multimedia in instruction. There was such a variety of applications available online that can enhance all aspects of learning in education even math which was surprising to me. There aren’t a lot of computer applications available for math other than simple repetitive games like Math Blaster. But I did find a few graphing programs that you can download for Mac and Windows based computers. This would be a wonderful tool for students who can’t go out and buy a $100 calculator for their high school math classes.


I think the most challenging thing for me to do will be to continue exploring the new multimedia applications which are being developed every day. I am really looking forward to the physics application where you can draw on a computer screen and it applies the simple laws of physics into a learning program. Physics and the understanding of it was hard for me to understand. I’ve seen other students who can’t visually understand what is going on and this application will do wonders for the educational aspect of physics. A similar application which is more a game based version, was shown to me available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsTqspnvAaI . I thought this would have been something I might have downloaded and tried to see how far I got. Some of the levels were pretty difficult if you didn’t know HOW to get it. I think interactive applications and software which are being developed will better prepare the students of today for the future of tomorrow. Another aspect that will be challenging I think would be developing time to start using these applications more frequently to where they become second nature.


Just by a simple skimming through the related videos on the you tube page I came up with a more game based version of Crayon World which is Marker World. Here you control the movement of the ball while still creating balls and squares and other figures to help you get to the star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcjkCsfSAZM&feature=related These are two tools I think would greatly aid ANY physics class.

Learning Blog Prompt: Thought Process/Learning Style

What do you need to change in your thought process or learning style(s) to begin to adapt to R-Directed thinking for the purpose of creating 21st Century learning environments for students?

I believe that there are a many different ways you can incorporate R-directed thinking processes in the learning environment. Of these, multimedia projects which are engaging and thoughtful with meaning to the students is a great start. This means that if you are doing a science project on pollution, make it apparent information to them. Choose places which are polluted around the area which students would know as good examples. Children love animals, bring up the dangers of oil spills to birds and aquatic life. Other different forms of pollution (which is appropriate for school aged children) can be the six-pack holders for soda. There have to be abundant pictures of birds with those things stuck to their legs. It was even in a movie where a penguin had one stuck around his neck and it was causing him to slowly suffocate.
As for my own personal thought process and learning style, I do not believe I need to make drastic changes to become a fully R-directed thinker and promoter of education. I feel that I have tried to find meaning in most of the items I teach. I know from previous experiences it is difficult to have students find meaning in what they are learning, especially mathematics and algebra. When developing word problems or interesting applications I always try and make it applicable to the students. There are many ways you can include items within the students' lives like using their names in examples, birthdays, ages, locations, ambitions, favorites and many more to make it more enjoyable. Having the subject be personable makes it more fun and engaging. Finding or making games out of the work children have done is a great way to review as well as to correct students when they are wrong and help them become more proficient with the material. I don't think that I was a majorly L-directed thinker. I feel that I side a lot more, and feel that I would benefit more with the R-directed thinking processes. I think one thing that I can improve on would be my story senses.

Learning from Experience - Stellarium

I remember having an astronomy lesson in science class. The teacher was trying to let us explore the sky and one of our assignments was to observe our night’s sky. This was difficult because some students lived in more rural areas than others. Because each student had different views and light effects it was difficult to come to a consensus on student’s observations. We were also supposed to research a specific constellation and give facts about it in a simple report as well as a graphic representation of the constellation. The problem arose first when not the entire student body did the night observation assignment. The second was that those who did didn’t have the same experience and did it on different nights, times and locations. A third issue was that not all of the students were able to determine which starts were the correct stars they should be looking at when it came to larger known constellations like Orion’s belt and the Big and Little Dippers. However with the use of Stellarium, your computer becomes a planetarium. There is a lot of control with Stellarium from the telescope to the time and location (coordinates). I think this would have benefitted the students a lot more if they were able to scroll around the sky looking at what interested them. It would have also promoted the students to choose their own stars or constellations for research. An interesting addition for the project could be a pseudo ‘trip’ to the star by using computer video recording features students can record adjustments in their view to simulate them ‘flying’ or getting closer to their star or constellation. This could be something interesting a student could include in their presentation of information on their researched star or constellation.

Open Source Software Review - Maxima

Open source software has been introduced to the class in a variety of different ways. I remember overhearing the word Audacity come up a few times as being software available for download that allows you to do sound editing, recording and much more. Although this was something that was useful in classroom applications, I felt that I should find something more appropriate for what I want to teach (math, science, physics area). The Virtual Terrain Project caught my eye. This software allows a person to render terrain in 3D. The website offers real terrains of cities like New York and parts of Hawaii. I think it would be interesting to incorporate this into a project where the students are designing their own cities and required to include all of the necessities like schools, police and fire stations while considering the physical layout needed. Additional Open source software that I thought was really interesting was Maxima, a computer algebra system. I remember learning calculus and the pictures in the book were sometimes very vague and hard to determine what you were looking at. Maxima allows for the plotting of very higher end equations and expressions. The extent of this software encompasses simple plotting to very complex items which I know were covered in my years at college including vectors, Laplace transforms and 3D plots. This can be used in lesson plans frequently. Because it’s competition is Maple, which I’ve used and is difficult to come across because it is expensive, isn’t readily available for simple calculations like integrating and differentiation, Maxima is convenient for high school calculus applications where students might not have access to higher end calculators that do the calculations and graphing for them. This can be used in a lesson plan for students to check themselves in answers, get significantly accurate graphs and plots as well as many other uses. Maple used to be available to all Drexel students with the newest version, but this is only good for so long and I myself have had significant issues with the software. I am very tempted to download Maxima and try it out.

Essential Conditions for Technology Integration

Blog Prompt: Do you feel that this article (After the Bell, Beyond by Eric Langhorst) encompass the Essential Conditions for Technology Integration? Why or Why Not? Cite information from the article to support your answer.

I do feel that the article encompasses key parts of technology integration. There is incorporation of the internet, blogs and different forms of media into the general use of education. Typically a student would receive a piece of paper with a list of items which they needed to know for a test. Sometime during the preparation for the test the teacher would go over each one requiring the students to write down as much as they could in a small amount of space and time. Giving students the ability to hear complete definitions and topics which are important for a test would be beneficial. Granted that doesn’t mean you can’t review in class, it is just a more appealing form for which students and parents can also be involved. Having this also gives a great advantage to the parents who even if they wanted to help all they could, might not be so bright on the topic and haven’t sat in on all the classes, so it gives them a more level playing ground in which to help their children succeed. When it comes to reading a book, I remember my teacher making us write in little journals that only she read every few weeks. We were enticed into doing a group discussion but it wasn’t always interesting or fun. By using technology in the form of a blog, each student can see what others have written and become more engaged in the learning process.

I did have one concern though. The teacher described making these StudyCasts using recording software and putting them up on the web for students to access. I know a good portion of people that are over 30 would not be so savvy with internet terms of ‘putting things up on a website’. I myself have taken things off of a website that were put up there. There’s a link that’s given to me that directs me to the file I want and then asks me to Open or Save the file. The file then downloads and does the appropriate actions. However, I have no idea how someone would go about posting a file like that on a website. I wouldn’t say that it’s common knowledge for putting items up on iTunes either. The idea for making StudyCasts and other recorded media is a great idea; I just hesitate to think it can be mainstreamed into the curriculum when even a person who knows computers proficiently wouldn’t be able to put one such item together and posted for students to have access too. As well I’m not sure if and how you would go about making these things available but only to those who you want to see it. The teacher described having a man from Spain contact her regarding a biased opinion in one of her StudyCasts. I would not be sure if I’d be comfortable in putting those out into the internet for anyone to have access too. I think applying a type of program access or website access would be more sufficient where documents and files would be protected and unable to be shared unless given permission or with a correct password.

Although I may have some slight issues doing something similar with a classroom, I definitely agree that the teaching practices he used with his students were more engaging, enthralling, and better overall fit for today’s students and would have no objection to using similar practices in my future (once I learned how to do it of course!)