Chapter 7

Chapter 7 focused on the use of the internet. It discusses different technologies that link to form the world wide web, as well as the differences between a webpage and a website. The last part mentions Virtual Reality, search engines, and portals.

The activity focused mostly on the virtual reality section of the chapter. The activity involved looking up information on virtual reality and then practicing using VR systems exploring a few that were linked in the exercises website for the textbook.

This went well, once I found one that was working. Most of the pages led to 404 or 505 errors. This reinforces one of my points from an earlier review, where I said a backup plan should be present in case the technology fails.

All of the sims I tinkered with dealt with astronomy and physics. This is not very relevant to Social Studies, but I do know that some VR sims exist that allow user exploration. The most recognized one at the moment would probably be GoogleEarth, but I know there are others that allow for exploration of reconstructed ancient buildings or economic and civics emulators.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 focuses on Academic software, which was introduced in Chapter 5. Academic software can be used by either teachers or students to accomplish learning goals. According to the chapter, this includes software like Microsoft Publisher, PrintShop, Encarta, and Oregon Trail.

I particularly liked the idea presented about hypermedia. I had been using it for a while, without knowing the name for it, and like the non-linear format this idea allows for. It is particularly useful when doing research, as more data can be gathered through links to make points more clear, or they can be bypassed if I already know it, or if it is not particularly relevant.

The section that will be particularly relevant to my teaching career will be the section about reference software. The social studies field tends to be research heavy for both the teachers and students. While I may not have access to the individual software mentioned as DVDs, there are always the online equivalents, such as Britannica Online.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 was about administrative software, which are programs that help educators with administrative, professional, and management tasks. These programs include word processors, spreadsheets, database management software, and integrated productivity packages.

The activity was a reflection on the use of digital portfolios in schools. At first I did not get the connection between the exercise and the chapter content, because it seemed more relevant to academic software (Chapter 6) than administrative software. However, I then realized that the process of setting up a digital portfolio system requires the use of administrative software, and its continued use is reliant on knowing how to set up and maintain databases.

I find the use of digital portfolios to be a promising idea. These allow students to have examples of their work ready for potential future employers or higher education institutions, without the need for using normal postage. However, this assessment method should be used alongside, rather than in place of, other traditional methods of assessment.

Chapter 4

Chapter four of the text was about the use of digital devices in the classroom. This includes devices such as digital cameras, scanners, tablets, tabled PCs, and Pocket-PCs.

This chapter was fairly easy to get a handle on, having sold most of the devices listed in the chapter. The biggest exception was with virtual reality devices, which tend to be expensive and not in much demand for customers of an office supply store.

In the activities section, I did the activity on the tablet devices. I found the capabilities of tablet devices, particularly tablet PCs, to be interesting. The tablet interface allows for more options, and in some cases more intuitive interaction, than other input devices. I would like to apply some of these devices to the classroom, but they are currently more expensive than most schools would be willing to pay for; possibly with the exception of a drawing tablet. The tablet readers would also be cool to use for lessons, but I have not had a chance to get my hands on one for personal experience, so I do not want to put too much time into thinking of lesson plans involving them in case I have unrealistic expectations.

Chapter 3

This chapter was about the differences between software and hardware. The activities, however, were more geared toward technology use in the classroom.

The technology lesson plan review was fairly straightforward once I found a lesson plan at the provided site that had technology integration with the lesson beyond just using a digital slide show or movie; at least for my field of Integrated Social Studies.

The other activity I did for this chapter was watching the No Gamer Left Behind video. This video was about using games and other computer simulations to augment lessons and allow student exploration activities.

The No Gamer Left Behind video confirmed what I had long thought about using history-based games like Civilization to help teach and learn basic ideas for a civilization’s success or failures. However, I wonder just how many school districts would be open to using games like that in the classroom, as opposed to viewing them as just playing on school time.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 was about planning for technology-enhanced instruction. One of the major factors in this, according to the chapter is the Dynamic Instructional Design (DID) model of design and the concept of feedback. Between formative feedback (feedback during an activity) and Summative feedback (feedback given after a lesson is over), instructors should be able to go back and revise their lessons to continually tweak the lesson to become more effective in the future.

The only part that applied solely to technology in instruction in this chapter came at the end, where the authors talk about planning for technology. The biggest thing to keep in mind in this part of planning lessons is to know what types of technology will be needed to successfully complete the lesson. I was disappointed that the planning section did not also mention that a backup plan should be in place in case the technology fails.

The lab portion of this chapter focused on the use of PowerPoint. I was already familiar with this program before the class, so most of my focus was, again, on finding time to use the Mac version of the program. There were some differences, but nothing so radically different that I could not figure out where different functions were.

PowerPoint can be a useful aid in presenting to the class, but we should keep in mind that sometimes computers can fail, so backup plans need to be in place for what to do with the class time should this happen. Some general rules should be used in presentations as well; not the least of which is to keep information on the slides to a minimum, so the student is not overwhelmed. Also, we should remember to use as much of the multimedia ability as possible in PowerPoint to appeal to all the learning styles we can.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of the book is an introduction to education technology, as well as an introduction to the factors of education, such as environmental, psychological, and personal factors. It also covers differing perspectives on education, such as behaviorism, cognitive, and constructivist perspectives.

The basic history of perspectives on the use of technology in education is also covered. Basically, this boils down to an initial focus of technology being used for things like audiovisual. Later, as computer technology became cheaper, the shift has focused to urging a more computer-assisted and holistic integrated approach to technology use in the classroom.

The majority of the activities focused on using Windows XP and Mac OSX. I already knew how to do all the things listed for XP. Finding time to get to a computer lab for the Mac portion was slightly difficult, but I did practice for the lab a little. Most of the Mac functions were easy enough to figure out. There was also a section focusing on our own learning styles.

The biggest thing to remember from this chapter will be the multiple learning styles assessment. By keeping in mind my own biases in this regard, I can plan the lesson focusing on my strengths for setting it up, but also be aware of where I need to focus so that students that do not learn as I do can have access to materials and methods that appeal to their strengths.