March 8-14th Commercial-Smart Speed Athletics

In groups of three we were given the task of creating a fun and educational commercial. My group and I advertised a fun and healthy way to learn. Introducing Smart Speed Athletics!A great way to stay in shape and learn!

March 01-7th Chapter 3 &4 Question Forum

Share an ahhhaaa! Chapter 3-Technology and Learning Expectations of the Net Generation To better understand what the Net Generation expects from technology in support of learning, we must first understand how the Net Generation defines technology. The author of the book conducted one-on-one interviews with students at colleges and universities across the country to complete the sentence, to me, technology is ... I found the responses to be interesting and informative to how each person's experience and knowledge of technology vary. I am a product of the Pre Net Generation. The net generation are only know a world with technology whereas I grew up being taught the traditional way and slowly emerged into a millenium where technology was introduced into the classrooms. Chapter 4-Using Technology as a Learning Tool, Not Just the Cool New Thing "Because they have been wired since grade school, Net Geners are likely to grasp technological concepts faster. But the same “tinkering” practice applies in the classroom: doing hands- on work and working in groups, students get a better grasp of concepts the professor is trying to teach. Using technology only enhances the hands-on experience; it does not—and cannot—replace human interaction." I for one learn best by applying what I've learned and performing hands on activities. Learning by doing is one of the most effective ways to retain information.

Feb.23-29th Discussion

Discussion Forum: Ergonomics is a much talked about in the field of technology in education as well as Learning Spaces design. From your Chapter Readings please post an "aha" and some "food for thought." Your "aha" will tell us something you learned that you never knew before, and the "food for thought" should be an idea you gleaned form this Chapter that should make us think and start conversations. Please post early in the week! I've learned that Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population. The term here refers to assessing those work-related factors that may pose a risk of musculoskeletal disorders and recommendations to alleviate them. Common examples of ergonomic risk factors are found in jobs requiring repetitive, forceful, or prolonged exertions of the hands; frequent or heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying of heavy objects; and prolonged awkward postures. I found this interesting because I have a tendency to lean over my work with my back hunched. Although, I know that bad posture can lead to future injuries it is not a conscious action to sit in a fixed position.

Feb.16-22nd Forum #2

Take a look through some sample web-quests from zunal or quest-garden. How is a web-quest more motivating that a regular lesson? What did you like/dislike about the web-quests that you looked at? * Web-Quest is an amazing tool for teachers. It's an online sharing site where teachers can view the lesson plans of colleagues from all over the world. This gives teachers a chance to explore new ideas and activities to incorporate into their own lessons. This is great for beginning teachers who are still struggling to create interactive and engaging lessons and activities.

Feb.16-22nd Forum #1

After reading article, "History of computing" reflect on 3 ways technology has evolved in the past 20 years. 1. Games -The Early Years begin in 1952 Within this period of video game history reside the pioneers and visionaries who attempted to create an interactive experience using electronics and visual displays. -The "Next" Generation arrived in 1995 This era of video game history bears witness to the rise of the 32-bit, 64-bit, and 128-bit processor architecture in home console machines. The continued popularity of online gaming, online betting like online poker sites and social networking grows and is reflected in the console market.This period is full of advances in hardware that enable more realistic and immersive experiences for gamers. 2. Internet - The existence of the internet is relatively short but the idea of networks is centuries old. To get information quick from one place to another has allways been a vital element in commerce, warfare and sciences. And thus complete networks of routes, towers and the like were setup. How complicated these were depended on the general wealth of a certain kingdom, empire or company. For long times communication was executed by couriers, runners (don't kill the messenger), semaphores, smoke signals and other means of sending messages over large distances. Then came the internet and the world shrunk to the time it took to send a message from New York to Amsterdam. 3. Writing Tools - Type writers were used to make multiple copies of text faster and easier than writing by hand. This increased the production of books over time. Today, Computers and more advance tools have taken over our century.

Feb.09-15th Forum#3

Read chapters 4 and 5 from the Net Gen online text book. Share 1 "ah-ha" for each chapter. Ch. 4 Aha Moment! "As technology improves and the "virtual classroom" becomes more popular, there is a tendency on the part of institutions and students to turn to online courses. They save resources and can accommodate more students. They are more flexible for busy schedules or commuters. But as these examples demonstrate, the online classroom must be created with the same care and expectations as the traditional one." * I agree with this because, although online courses are accommodating and flexible i feel as though I have lost connection with not only my peers but my instructor more so. Technology is rapidly improving and evolving into something greater and more complex. Going from a traditional classroom to a technology surrounded classroom is a difficult transition. I always though it was just me, but the online book also mentions the disadvantages of online courses. CH. 5 Aha Moment! "As Figure 2 illustrates, older learners reported more positive learning engagement. The Net Gen, with 73 percent of maximum, shows a steep decline compared to Boomers' 85 percent rating. The positive narratives for all three groups stressed flexibility, convenience, and self-paced learning for their online experiences. Those points converge on reduced opportunity cost for obtaining an education thanks to online learning. The less positive perceptions of the generations showed extensive variability. Baby Boomers lamented the lack of face-to-face interaction in the online environment, a comment consistent with this generation's tendency to discuss and tell stories." * The net book provided a graph that displayed statistics that vary among online users and I was surprised to learn that older learners responded better to online learning engagement.

Feb. 09-15th Forum #2

What would you add or delete from this educational software evaluation form and why? What are the benefits of evaluating software before using it in your classroom and why? * The goal of this form is to provide teachers with an evaluation guide that focuses on the educational use of a technology resource. This form can be used for software, an Internet site, a laserdisc, or any other technology-based resource to be used with students. * It is vital for teachers to evaluate sites, softwares, and any other tools they plan on exposing to their students. This is important for students safety of inappropriate exposure to material that is irrelevant to the learning.