The end of the semester is here and, with it, the end of my Technology and Topics course. Overall, I really enjoyed the class. Prior to the class I felt that I was technologically savvy, but now I realize there is such a large amount that I didn't have a clue about. I feel much more informed now and wish the class were longer so I could learn more about the technologies that we didn't get to cover (for example, I would like to learn more about Smart Boards).
I am glad that we have worked as a class, and individually, to develop our websites. My only complaint is that all our website work can only be done in that one classroom in Cohen. As I further develop my website throughout my remaining time at Xavier I can see this being a hinderance.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Online Schooling
Tonight, in Technology and Topics, we had an online class. I enjoyed it a lot. One problem I had was that my chat scroll got stuck and so for the last half of class I wasn't seeing the new chat messages. I realized this at the end of class and then spent 20 minutes reading over what I had missed. I was wondering why everyone had stopped talking!
Online schooling is becoming more common and I have taken multiple college courses which had an inclusion of online classes.
Three advantages to online schooling are it promotes independent learning, can help students with certain disabilities, and it increases a student's technological skill. Many times an online class will have elements of independent study. In my experience, this can mean anything from an independent study of a given powerpoint to an actual online lesson program. I took a math class where the textbook included a program that gave lessons and quizzes and even allowed the quiz results to be emailed to the professor. In addition there are some students with disabilities that make it difficult for them to leave the house (such as an agoraphobia). Online schooling as an option will keep these students from falling behind. I also like how (in our class chat tonight) someone mentioned the possibility of online school on snow days. Also, in the time we live in, education needs to look at teaching students skills using a wide variety of computerized technology. Online schooling can assist with the increase in a students computer skills.
Three disadvantages to online schooling are the lack of face-to-face human interaction, zero/low teacher interaction, and potential for a student to get confused with no way to get help. Online schooling could be detrimental to the students' social skills by keeping them from interacting with other people face-to-face. Some online classes are self-directed (as discussed above) and this could lead to a lack of interaction with a teacher. Without this teacher interaction the student will not be able to ask questions they may have or get one-on-one time with the teacher to discuss questions and the topic. Also, if a student does get confused during online schooling they may have more difficulty in finding a way to get help.
Online schooling is becoming more common and I have taken multiple college courses which had an inclusion of online classes.
Three advantages to online schooling are it promotes independent learning, can help students with certain disabilities, and it increases a student's technological skill. Many times an online class will have elements of independent study. In my experience, this can mean anything from an independent study of a given powerpoint to an actual online lesson program. I took a math class where the textbook included a program that gave lessons and quizzes and even allowed the quiz results to be emailed to the professor. In addition there are some students with disabilities that make it difficult for them to leave the house (such as an agoraphobia). Online schooling as an option will keep these students from falling behind. I also like how (in our class chat tonight) someone mentioned the possibility of online school on snow days. Also, in the time we live in, education needs to look at teaching students skills using a wide variety of computerized technology. Online schooling can assist with the increase in a students computer skills.
Three disadvantages to online schooling are the lack of face-to-face human interaction, zero/low teacher interaction, and potential for a student to get confused with no way to get help. Online schooling could be detrimental to the students' social skills by keeping them from interacting with other people face-to-face. Some online classes are self-directed (as discussed above) and this could lead to a lack of interaction with a teacher. Without this teacher interaction the student will not be able to ask questions they may have or get one-on-one time with the teacher to discuss questions and the topic. Also, if a student does get confused during online schooling they may have more difficulty in finding a way to get help.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Online Presentation Sites
Tonight in Tech and Topics we discussed different presentation tools that can be used instead of PowerPoint. The majority of the tools were online tools. I had not heard of any of these presentation tools and I am excited about the prospect of using something other than PowerPoint. One of my favorites was www.prezi.com, and when given time to work on our presentations I chose to start mine using this tool. I watched the "Getting Started" video and then started the presentation and it was very frustrating. I still don't know how I can italicize select type and there are very few font options that I found. Since I am so new to the site I am probably just missing these items. Overall, though, I like the end result with a Prezi and I am going to continue to use it for my presentation.
The process of learning how to use it is slightly frustrating, though.
The process of learning how to use it is slightly frustrating, though.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Introduction
Hello!
This blog is being developed for my Technology & Topics class at Xavier University's Education program. As I further my education career I hope to develop a classroom blog.
This blog is being developed for my Technology & Topics class at Xavier University's Education program. As I further my education career I hope to develop a classroom blog.
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