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Blended Learning Blended learning is a combination of face to face as well as online instruction. While there are many reasons to consider blended learning, many states are implementing this type of instruction due to the lack of educational equity. Through blended learning students experience a more substantial one-on-one interaction with their instructors as the students move at their own pace without the burden of having to keep the pace of their peers in a classroom setting. There are four models explained in this video…
  Game-based learning Game –based-learning is the use of games in the educational to re-create experimental learning based on the constructivist theory. This type of learning is appealing to the digital natives because it resembles their daily interaction with technology. According to Mark Griffiths “video games stimulates learning and encourages participants to challenge new topics or knowledge and promote long time memory”. Digital game-based learning

Activity 14

Digital Tools for Differentiating Vocabulary Instruction I viewed 2 sessions; one presented by Susan Oxnevad on developing knowledge about vocabulary which I thought would give me insights and tools to be used in the classroom. As a second language teacher, I am always looking for ways to increase the vocabulary input for my students. In this session Susan covered the 3 tiers addressing the common core standards/ shift 6 and shared tools that help construct vocabulary knowledge. Among the easy to use tools presented there were Wallwisher, Google docs, Instagrok, flashcard stash, vocab grabber, wordle and lingro. Of all the sites mentioned, I could see using Wordle because it highlights the vocabulary words identify in tier 2 which include the more sophisticated words that are used with high frequency. Virtual Worlds for Learning and Teaching: Power Examples to Get You Thinking The second presentation was given by Scott Merrick on virtual world learning environments and included second language leaning. This was very informative and had tons of information from various programs that are currently pursuing virtual world teaching/learning. This is something that I have been researching and looking in to integrating in my profession but I had not found the way to get started as it is pretty innovative. I plan to continue to research the sites provided during this conference and contact the presenter. I am extremely excited to have found this.

Activity 13

Socrative

I have been using socrative as a means of formative and summative assessment for some time and the biggest benefit is the immediate feedback the students and I get. This provides the opportunity for intervention and correction right away. The students enjoy it since it is provided in an online fashion in which they are used to functioning. It is definitely more appealing than the old paper and pencil. As a teacher it is an efficient way to assess my students as it provides a score report that it is organized and easy to transfer to my gradebook.

Google forms

I have used Google forms for everything, from quizzes to lunch orders on fieldtrips. However, I always found myself spending too much time going over the spreadsheet and transferring the data. Flubaroo is a great add on to Google forms as it makes the work complete and efficient. It is what was missing!

Padlet

The greatest thing with padlet is that it is accessible and unrestricted as it allows you to post anything. It is a very collaborative environment and the possibilities are endless. Some ideas are to share research, collaborate on a project, share introductions at the beginning of the year, test review, questions unanswered during a lesson, etc. You can make fit your needs.

Activity 12

Open Educational Resources (OER)

This link found in Ted-Ed speaks to the nature of bulling and the emotional aspect experienced by those being bullied. I plan to share this link with SAGA, but it would be appropriate for homeroom as well.

http://ed.ted.com/on/p04GkF0j

This link from Khan Academy discuss the Guernica era which is studied in Spanish class. Having people actually engaging in a conversation about Picasso’s piece would help students organize and generate thoughts and opinions of their own.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/art-history-1907-1960-age-of-global-conflict/cubism/v/picasso--guernica--1937

This link found in the NROC collection is very thorough and helpful for Second Language teachers looking for ways to incorporate meaningful and tangible communicative, written and listening activities in their curriculum.

http://coerll.utexas.edu/methods/

Activity 11

Task 1 Creative Commons score: 100% Task 2

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Task 3 I have never noticed the Creative Commons (CC) logo on any website but learning about it has made me more conscientious of how to go about borrowing works in a more ethical way. This is a very important topic to cover with students, as we all should adhere by these rules. As an educator, I believe that Creative Commons would impact what we share and how. I personally would feel more incline to share items that I would be hesitant off sharing knowing that the integrity of my original work would be kept intact. While I explored the pictures for task 1, I noticed that some were harder to obtain than others with the proper permission, such as having to contact the author.

Activity 10

After unsuccessfully trying to subscribe to the education account, I created a regular account which limited the length of the video to 30 seconds. Even though it was very short, it allowed me the opportunity to play. I discovered that it is extremely user friendly. With just two steps it is ready. I played with my daughter’s prom pictures to create this animoto. I could see it being used by students and having a great quick turnaround (saving class time).  

Ericka's pics

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

Activities 8-9

Activities 8-9

Activity 8

Prezi is free and accessible. I don’t like the limited features. Not my favorite. 

 Activity 9 Voki is a nice way to personalize your blog with voice messages. It has allowed me to leave specific instructions for students in the past. It can also serve for students to participate asynchronously without feeling intimidated as they can take the persona of the voki avatar, and it is free!

Activity 7

Activity 7

For this activity, I was asked to experience Google+.While I understood the concept, it took me a little while to figure out how to create the circles. Once I figured it out, it was easier to navigate. I found google+ a helpful way to group contacts. From there, I adventured to check out other communities. While I am not an active participant of any of the communities, I see how there are many that could be appealing. I searched for baking communities and joined Baking Lovers. I enjoyed browsing through the array of recipes and how to videos posted by the members of Baking Lovers; a possibility for summer.

The hangout seems to have great features as you can capture the hangout and incorporate YouTube videos. I see great potential for use in the classroom, as students could engage in a meaningful discussion after watching a video or even doing research together.

I enjoyed watching Maureen’s Hangout with other professionals. This allowed me to hear what their districts are implementing and the process. Through this hangout capture I was also able to see how this feature could increase collaboration among groups.