Blog 8

What technologies are available to facilitate general pedagogy?

Of course the technologies that we talked about in class are applicable here:

Digital stories, educreations, infographics, podcasts, websites, ebooks, and more. Each one can be used to help with different subjects. There's class craft and class dojo to help with management as well.

What content-specific technologies are available to promote better understanding and engagement?

There are specific websites that are geared toward certain topics that can be used. There's also youtube videos that have been created with specific content in mind. Many apps have been made particularly for math, reading, and even cursive.

Really, it all depends on how the teacher uses the technology and how they expect their students to use the technology. It can all be used to help students become more engaged and have an increased understanding of content.

Blog 7

How can technology be used for presentation of content and assessment of learning?

There are many ways to use technology to present content and to assess students' learning. There is always the "death by powerpoint" method. Of course, now that I know about Nearpod that should make it so that my students are only "mostly dead".

I really like the idea of presenting information using the same technology that I want my students to use so that I can assess their understanding. In other words, I could create a digital story about Native Americans and show this digital story to my students to introduce them to my Native Americans unit. Then I can have the students create their own digital stories at the end of the unit about the Native Americans.

How can you implement project-based, authentic, technology-based assessment and still prepare students for standardized testing?

I feel that by making sure that I have instructed my students using the standards that have been set by the state, then I will be preparing them for standardized testing. Sure, using totally awesome authentic tools is completely different than the dry, boring standardized testing but.....

So, I guess the way that I'll prepare them for the standardized testing is by including the standards in my teaching. I'll prepare them by making sure they take some dry, boring tests in my class. I'll prepare them by making some practice tests using SAGE. Thank goodness they have that feature. However...I'll prepare them for LIFE by including fun, authentic learning opportunities. (And I really believe that these opportunities will help prepare them for standardized testing as well.)