Technology Reflection Assignment #3

Technology Reflection Assignment

Instructions

• Provide your answers for each section below by following the statements/instructions
• Delete all the instructional statements (including this section) except for the titles. You can keep the graphics if you’d prefer.
• Copy the entire document (including your answers) and past them onto your blog post with the following title “Technology Reflection: Instructional Use of [name of the technology]”
• Make sure that you're pasting your answers onto "Compose" view instead of "Edit Html". Setting the view to "Compose" (the right upper corner of the post) helps avoid possible formatting issues.

Description/Experience

            The technology presented in this weeks seminar demonstrated ways in which teachers can activity use the Internet in a classroom, which coordinates with hands-on instruction. These activities were completely on tablets, smart boards, and other interactive devices. Although many of these lessons could be considered games, they presented information in a way in which students could learn new information as well as have fun in the process. What was also appealing about this online websites was the idea that many different types of learns would find these activities stimulating etc visual, kinesthetic learners.

Application

            The learners in this lesson are any ESL student, ranging in grades from kindergarten             through 5^th grade. This activity would not have a specific age group, but would be             designed for ESL students who have some background knowledge in English, or students             who are able to say simple sentences.                        

           

            This activity will mainly focus on the spelling of certain English words. Because many of             the ESL students come from countries were the English alphabet is not used, it is             important for them to be able to recognize the letters are well as sounds they make. At the             end of this activity, the students should be able to form 3-4 letter words such as cat, dog,

           

            With these types of online programs, it is much easier to assess the student’s knowledge.             Many of these programs gives the “score” that the child received on the certain game or             activity. It would be easy to see if they fully comprehend the information because the             score would be high or low due to how well the understanding of the topic is.

•  The lesson would begin with a warm up activity, which would include identifying letters in the alphabet as well as the sounds they make. This part of the lesson would take about 5 minutes
• The students would spend the next 3 minutes learning the instructions of what they were to do for the class period and would be introduced to the activity they would play.
• For the next 10 minutes, the students would play the online activity, which includes them forming simple words.
• For the last 2 minutes, the teacher could review what the students got wrong, to see where improvement needs to begin.

Reflection

                        I think using interactive websites is great ways to help students learn information as well as reinforce newly learned information. Many students learn information, but do not fully understand it or may forget it quite easily. These interactive websites allow children to have fun with what they are learning.

            After playing them myself as an adult, I even had fun with many of these games. The programs are set up easily enough so that ESL children are able to understand the website and tasks asked. I believe that when I child sometimes forgets that they are learning and are having fun, it can be more effective way to learn. The children can resort back to the time they played a certain game, which is more likely to stick than just getting lectured.

            I think using this technology is a great way for ESL children to learn, especially at the beginning stages of learning English. Because understanding the basics of the English language is so essential, the alphabet and numbers, the information can become quite repetitive. Using this interactive websites and hands on activities gives the children a more exciting way to reevalute information.
--Pedagogical-Content:

Your pedagogical content knowledge refers to your understanding of teaching strategies that are specific to a content area. That is the knowledge about choosing appropriate pedagogies for teaching a particular content Example: Using drill-and-practice to teach math problem solving. This strategy however may not necessarily be effective for other content areas such as teaching speech and drama.

Now, forget about the technology for a while…..Just tells us about your teaching strategies that you employ in your activity (e.g., analogies, demonstrations, illustrations, examples, explanations, group work, drill-practice, simulations, role-play, lecturing, self-guided learning, inquiry-based learning, problem based learning or etc). Specifically:

            The strategies that I employ in the classroom are a lot of scaffolding. Due to the fact that I do not speak many of the student’s native languages, it is important to guide them through the questions. Also in ESL, drill-practice is used a lot. As mentioned earlier, understanding the basics of a language is key to actually learning it as well as applying it in real life. Reviewing the alphabet over and over again is essential for learning words, which leads to reading sentences, which leads to reading books.

            With any ESL classroom, students depending on their level of English proficiency, the students are going to struggle a lot with learning the language. Many of these children have never even seen the English alphabet before. Many times these children become frustrated which lowers their motivational level. As an ESL teacher, it is important to understand that all children learn languages differently.

            I understand this more than anyone since I have specializing in the Spanish Language. I understand the frustration of learning a new language, which helps me relate better to these learners.
--Technological-Pedagogical:

Your technological pedagogical knowledge refers to your understanding of technologies for particular learning tasks, your ability to choose technologies based on its fitness, your knowledge of pedagogical strategies, and your ability to apply those strategies for use of technologies Example: Selecting Edmodo/facebook for facilitating student generated debate. Edmodo here is the technology that supports the main pedagogy-group discussion/debate.

            I think when your using technologies such as computers, it is important for the teacher to be able to monitor the student’s work. Many children enjoy playing on computers, which could lead to them not completing their work. The classroom also needs to have enough equipment so that the students can individually do their own work.

--Technological Pedagogical Content:

Publish Post

Your technological pedagogical content knowledge refers to your understanding of how teaching and learning from content may change when technology used and is our knowledge about selecting technologies that suits, support, and enhances teaching strategies and learning activities in your particular content area. It is your understanding of teaching strategies to effectively teach the particular content and help student conceptual difficulties in this content by meaningfully incorporating technologies. Example: Using a flash card app on iPad as a means to aid students memorize words and definitions in language learning. iPad app is here chosen as a tool to support the pedagogy around instant feedback, quick repetition, and individualized learning. These are some effective strategies used in language learning content area.

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