Saturday, March 15, 2014

Journal Post 8

Journal Post 8
EME-2040

Chapter 8 Communicating and Collaborating with Social Media

How can teachers use email or text messaging to foster information exchanges with and among students? 1. Using email as a way of communication with students. 2. Communicating with students via text messaging.

It is important for teachers to communicate with their students. Before technology, it was a note on a piece of paper or a phone call to the home. Time has changed drastically, we have technology. Technology has become the way of living. Just about everything we do, involves technology. So teachers need to keep up with the changes and communicate with their students in a different manner than before. Today, teachers communicate by sending their students emails. What does email really stand for? A lot of people don't know that "Email, is short for electronic mail." (Maloy 193) 

Email is a great way of keeping track of the communication of teacher to student and student to teacher. The other benefit is that if a student has a question about an assignment the teacher can attach a link on the email to help the student out. I think a lot of teachers continue to work even when they are no longer at work. The other benefit of using Email is that you can receive it and send it within minutes. This helps the student to move along with their homework or research for the next day.

Since I am planning on teaching kindergarten children, I think that we need to start them from the beginning of what an Email is and how to write one. Students in middle school, high school, and even in college forget that when they write or reply to an Email to a teacher, professor, or administrator that it should be written formal. So, they have a great start to learning this, I included this video of a teacher teaching her students how to send a formal and informal Email.


Not everyone has a computer, but it seems like everyone has a cell phone. Teachers can have a better chance communicating with student by texting them. Texting is not a good record keeper of what is being sent back and forth, but you can keep it on your phone. Today, we have screenshot and you can screenshot your messages. This will send it to your photos and you can save your conversations there. You can forward them to your email or share it if it is necessary. This just helps the teacher to have proof of her texts to her students if she ever needs it. 

Text messages can be sent to students by email. I have included a video of a business that does that. I am not sure if the public schools use something like this for teachers to use. Sending a text is a lot quicker for students to get their message and respond too. You can also include links that students can press and view.


In conclusion, I think it is vital for the teacher to have great communication with her students. This could also help the students that need that little "push" to get them motivated to get their assignments finished on time. The students can feel free to ask questions about the assignments during class that they didn't understand of have forgotten. It is important to have a good teacher to student relationship and that includes being able to communicate back in forth about school.

Resources:

Maloy, R. W. (2011). Communicating and Collaborating with Social Media.Transforming learning with new technologies (p. 193). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Journal Post 7

Journal Post 7
EME 2040

Chapter 7 Exploring Problem Solving with Software, Apps, and Games

How do teachers use technology to promote solving and inquiry learning among students? 1. Basic computer skills. 2. PBL (Problem Based Learning) 3. Real problems with real solutions.

It's always good to start teaching children (elementary age and younger) basic computer skills. This will help to have all the students on the same page. You could do this in small or large group. It could become a group discussion and if they have any questions, this would be a great time to bring it up. I always like to create books for children to go back and use a reference if any questions come up.

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is the type of term used when assignments are given to the students. The students are given a scenario or problem and the students work in a group to solve the problem. The teacher will have the technology ready to be used. Their outcome is to be shared with the rest of the students. This is a quick video about PBL.


Students learn from real problems and have real solutions to the problem. These skills will help the students when they get into the real world and face true problems. They will be able to use the skills they learned in school to solve problems, at work, school, or even just on an everyday problem. Working in a group will get the students motivated and willing to find the answers to the problem. In the end the students could present their solution to the class.

References: