Technology and Learning

Distance teaching and learning is a subject that is very important to me.  Growing up homeschooled K-12 most of my life I was in distance learning.  Unfortunately I did not get to use much technology so I am very intrigued by the advancement of it. According to Robyler & Doering (2013) “The primary reason for this breathtaking revolution in communication is society’s recognition of the importance of ready access to people and resources” (pg. 204).  It is amazing how easy technology makes it to do absolutely anything. “When viewed in the context of this revolution in communications, it is not surprising that distance technologies have come to play a central role in teaching and learning (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 205)

URLs

URL stands for "uniform resource locators" which is a very fitting name because that is exactly what it does.  These URLs work as addresses to locate websites.  According to Robyler & Doering (2013) “If someone gives you a URL, very often you can tell what and where it is by reading its parts” (p. 217). So by simply reading a URL a student can get a general ideal of what a website may contain before searching it.

Search Engines

According to Robyler & Doering (2013) “Before the Internet, it was difficult to locate specific resources or items of information” (p. 219).  When students learn how to properly use search engines the world becomes theirs! A student can use search engines to find any academic information they may need. Students have the options to search for items by subjects or keywords.

Favorite Web Sites

http://www.lauracandler.com/filecabinet/index.php

I liked this website because there were a lot of printable worksheets for a lot of different grade levels from upper elementary through middle school.  I enjoyed that this site had easy navigation, exploring the site was a breeze. According to Robyler & Doering (2013) “Pages should always load very quickly. Its easy to get around the site” (p. 255). I felt that this quote accurately described the site.

http://www.abcteach.com/

My next recommendation is the abc teach website.  I loved this site because it also has lots of printables and covers all kinds of subjects. Also I really enjoyed the fact that they had material for early childhood up through middle school.  As a Pre-K teacher who is studying to teach elementary education I wanted a site that would be useful to me now and later. According to Robyler & Doering (2013) “Pages are designed for good readability and aesthetics” (p. 255).  I feel that this site meets this criteria because the colors and graphics were really professional and not overwhelming.

Website Evaluation

I really enjoyed this video it is a very fun way to look at website evaluation for the classroom!

 Robyler, M. D. & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.).

     Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Hypermedia Tools: Innovation For The Classroom

Commercial Hypermedia Product 

The commercial hypermedia product I chose was the interactive storybooks. According to Roblyer and Doering (2013), “Stories that can be read from a computer screen, on mobile devices, or as print books with interactive buttons are either called interactive storybooks or electronic storybooks” (p.175). As someone who teaches preschool and is very interested in elementary education I found this product inspiring. This is the perfect for teaching phonics, reading, and even reading comprehension. It is also a fantastic individual activity during center times that does not need to be teacher guided. Here is an interactive storybook for young children that I really like Interactive Farm Storybook this one is about farm animals and even breaks down all the sounds they make. I thought this was perfect because depending what kind of book you choose you can even incorporate science and even social study activities. There are all kinds of types of interactive and electronic storybooks. “Some online interactive storybooks allow students to read them at their own pace, with interaction available as the student requests it” (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 175). This is a fantastic product that I plan on fully utilizing in my classroom.

Commercial Multimedia Authoring Tool 

According to Robyler & Doering (2013), “hypermedia programs have become increasingly more powerful and user friendly…” (p. 179). The multimedia authoring tool I found that I am really interested are audio and video production and editing systems. My favorite tool I found was Apple Garage Band, here is a tutorial Apple-Garageband Tutorial It allows you to make all kinds of music without any instruments present. I think this can be useful for music classes, learning about music production, learning new information through music, or even adding music to projects and presentations.  This is really a cool tool that can be adapted for all grades and ages. It also does a great job of fostering creativity.  The text stated that “Indeed, hypermedia publishing may eventually supersede paper publishing in importance and impact…” (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 178). I thought this was exciting because the way students and teachers use technology is exciting and constantly evolving. Another interesting point was that when it comes to multimedia authoring “the students of today’s classrooms will be at the forefront of this succession both in use and development” (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 178). I find this to be a very true statement the students of today truly do set the stage for the classroom of tomorrow.

 Robyler, M. D. & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.).

     Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.