Online week!

I feel very confident and excited in the lesson plan John and I created, it was a collaboration upon the art historical era of Pop Art. The main problem that occurred was narrowing down the subject to specifics aspects, but after reviewing the information in detail, it became easier to rule out the less important information and focus on its main points.
I am very grateful for this course being integrated within my core educational classes. I have learned a great deal of information about integrating technology within the classroom setting that otherwise I would be totally oblivious to. The class overall has been a wonderful, informative experience, I feel that nothing needs to be changed, I enjoyed the class greatly.
What I am taking from this class is information about technology that I originally knew nothing about. Some of that information includes blogs, wikis, educational websites for teachers, creating a lesson plan, using the online database to find articles related to my field, and so much more.
It is a given that teachers must be aware, but more importantly fluent with technology. Technology is progressing each and every single day, and students are growing along side with it. If an instructor is not aware of this, they are not only hurting themselves with their career, but sadly they are hurting their students.

Voice Thread!

I personally think voice thread is a very unique tool for having conversations based around media, including media such as images, videos, presentations, documents, or even a combination of them all accessed in one central location. One of the feature's included with Voice Thread is the ability to draw on images while making a presentation. Another feature is the comment button, and five different means of making comments, telephone, web-cam, microphone, text, or file upload. Lastly with voice thread, can be accessed anywhere in the world, and there is no software required.

As far as using it within a lesson plan, one must keep into account the audience, the age group of the students. Depending on the age group it seem as if it would be more useful and effective for older students, its helps grab their attention and allows them to comment. In younger, it seems as if it would be difficult to keep their attention with all the incorporated media.


I will personally would use this program in my future classroom. Being that I am going into art education, having the ability to draw on pictures and physically point out aspects of design within them it would definitely help me be more effective in my instruction. The other feature of commenting by multiple means, is a great aspect, because anyone no matter the lack of technology they do have the means to access the program and comment.

PPT project

My PowerPoint project is going well, Dylan and I have already completed all aspects of the presentation. We choose integrading technology within the classroom. I feel he cares how he does in this particular class and as well his entire education. Honestly I am the type of worker who likes to work alone whenever possible. So that being said, working with a partner in general does not come natural for me, but I do enjoy getting others input and advice in the process.

Blog Post week 7

In the present time, there are so many advances in technology its can be quite difficult to keep up. One thing is for certain the latest and greatest in technology usually ends up in the hands of students such as, cell phones (iphone), laptops, Mp3 players, and gaming systems, just to name a few. How does an instructor know how far to match the technological advances within a classroom setting? This is directly correlated with many aspects, such the subject being taught, if there is any school funding available, and the economical status of the student’s parents. One must be aware of all these factors as well as many others. If the funding is available I believe an instructor should embrace in technological advances, such as in class personal computers, and external drives to give to students as a means of working on assignments both in and out of school.


As far as chats and instant messaging in the classroom is concerned, I believe that there is value found in that. There are several positive advantages to it, such as being able to have discussions, debates, and work on projects, not only with the students within the classroom, but also students in other classes. Another advantage is having the option of reflection on one’s ideas or responses before making them. This can be quite helpful to those students who need some extra time to process, so it does not make them feel placed on the spot. Another great aspect is the collaboration of ideas and thinking. This can be great for bigger classes broken into small group, where the groups could meet outside class, but still within the comforts of their home.


As far as if instant messaging and chats adding or distracting to real instruction it can honestly can get out of hand if not monitored properly. Students can get easily distracted with all the add ons’ with messaging and chats, so one must have guidelines set in place and even have consequences if it gets out of hand. If used in the manner it was meant to be used, it would be such a beneficial tool towards a student’s experience in the classroom.


An asynchronous discussion does have it benefits, such as it can connect students with other classroom outside the imitate classroom. One benefit that stood out was the ability to chat with students across the globe, in manner to learn another language. Though, if availably face-to-face interactions seem to be more beneficial. Such factors as lose of internet, global time differences, and language barriers, all contribute negatively. Face-to-face interactions not only are more personal, but there are fewer factors to be concerned over, and a more personal interactive basis is achieved.


Podcasts is a great method of delivering information. What is does, it allows the student to take a lecture, information video, with them in a variety of forms, in their home computer, laptop, or iPod. What this creates is more opportunities for the student to reflect and take in the information, as a pose to the old method of simply taking notes and reviewing them.


Videogames are a great method to incorporate in studying. What it achieves is something that grasps the student’s attention with the information they are trying and needing to comprehend. It allows the information to presented in a manner that is fun, and easily understood. You can gain many skills, depending on which subject the game is based around and one could also receive collaborative learning from other resources other than just an instructor, or fellow students. Also another important factor is practice; this gives the student an interactive means of practicing the material and mastering it. I would have to agree with this article, it has given me great insight to the benefits of using a game to help someone learn a subject in a active manner. Whenever I have children, if find the game to a useful and an educational means of portraying a subject, then yes I will let my children play it. Of course this will be in direct correlation with other means of studying and learning information. The benefits of playing a game to learn a subject are too great to ignore, just because

Personality test

After participating in the personality test, my results came out to be ISTP. This means according to this test that my personality type is Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving. For the most part this is an accurate result, after the translation of my particular personality i come out to be a in close correlation to a mechanics personality.

I would have to agree 100% that students do have different learning styles due to their personality types. I personally, do not enjoy working in groups, I prefer working alone so i can go at my own pace and leisure. Keeping in mind also other people may excel when placed in a large groups, because of their need for being social.

Yes, I feel that if I was to know my future students personality type it would help out tremendously. If I was to give this test to my class, and the outcome was all extroverted students, I would assign more group assignments than to a class full of introverted students. Any tool that can help me know my students on a more personal basis such as this one could only benefit my efforts in teaching them.

Spreadsheets

Not having much experience with Microsoft Excel, it was quite enlightening to be taught how to make a simple spreadsheet. I noticed with creating the grade book, it did take some time to incorporate all the information of the students within the spreadsheet, but all well worth wild. As far as the material aid, I decided to use a time line to show inventions of the 20th century. I had no idea one could create a timeline using Microsoft Excel, I use to just use Microsoft word or PowerPoint. This by far makes it much easier for me as a future instructor to incorporate that information by a much easier and effective means. Whenever I do get to the point of teaching I will with no doubt be using Microsoft Excel’s spreadsheets not only for grad books reasons, but also incorporating material aids such as time lines with my lectures.
Spreadsheets provide a means of organization that pen and paper simply can not compare to. It gives an instructor means of simplicity that would add to the edge of instructing, in other words one less thing to think about while teaching.
Spreadsheets have an Advantage over a calculator by using formulas and saving those formulas within a spreadsheet for future use, this can’t really be used as functionally as a calculator presents.
Keeping records, calculating, and presenting information are vital to an instructor’s means of teaching. Spreadsheets are simply tools of making all of this easier for instructors to do.

Inspiration & Technology in the classroom.

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When first viewing this video, I was surprised that a software like this existed for both students and instructors use, I find its use within a classroom setting would be quite positive.The biggest and most important element to the Inspiration software, is its ability to be user friendly. This I find to be very important, especially with students who may not be as computer literate as others. Other aspects to it is its ability to help form and mold ideas into actually tangible brainstorms outlines for students to review and edit. it helps create an outline and helps structure a students work. I would personally would use this software for students who may be more on the visual side of learning. This would be great to help format their ideas into something they can actually see and explain better than more traditionally essay manners.


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One type of writing activity that would help benefit students in the classroom would be simply placing their work on the internet. I feel by actually having their work presented to the world, it gives an extra sense of importance to it, more so than simply writing a paper within a classroom. In a sense it holds the student accountable for their work in that it reflects the person they are and because of that they want to do a great job.

Writing is indeed a complex skill to acquire and takes much practice to master. Looking towards the future as my career as a teacher, I know that my time for each individual student will be very limited. So one way I could help spread my time towards them and have students help other students specifically with writing is Collaborative writing. In that, i could have students work with each other on creating a text. This being done by presenting a writing assignment for a group of students, then having those students write about something specific within that subject, then having them bring their ideas together into one collaborative text. One thing, it helps lighten the load of the project from one person to at least two or three other students. It gets students involved and excited to work on a project, more ways students being able to present their own ideas, a possible increase in their participation and closer relationships with other students within the classroom.

The concept of Peer feedback writing is something that is great for instructors, its helps provide the students with the feedback they need on their rough drafts, something the instructor can not always provide.One tool that is specific to manage online peer feedback, is SWoRD, (Scaffolded Writing and Rewriting in the Discipline.) Its a web-based tool that reciprocates peer reviews, its a great program to help with the whole process peer feedback. It gives options to both instructors and students of distribution of papers to other students, ways of evaluation, also a option of keeping confidentiality of the reviewer.


When thinking back to a new skill I had to teach, the first instance that I can recall is guitar. I use to instruct one of my neighbors for acoustic guitar. I knew it how to play and I could play at a descent level, but I was no master at it. One thing is for certain, I made sure before each session I came prepared to teach. So in effect, I can say for a fact that i did in deed know how to play better after teaching it, because you learn so much as you go.

Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories

1. Think back to your childhood. What can you remember from your early childhood? Where did your remembrance occur? What meaning did it have at the time? How has that meaning changed over time?


- While reflecting back on some of my early childhood memories, I find it difficult to recall many but luckily some are quite apparent. Some of those memories include, at a young age playing all sorts of games with my older brother in our back yard, attending both elementary and middle school, and being involved with my church’s youth group.


- The particular places to where my remembrance occurred vary from each memory. For instance, playing with my older brother happened over 15 years ago, at one of my parents first homes in Dallas. Attending both elementary and middle school happened on the same street, being that both locations were side by side with each other. Lastly, attending my church’s youth group occurred at a couple different locations, being that my church at that time relocated


- The meaning behind playing games with my older brother gives me a great sense of happiness, being that those are some of my greatest memories form growing up. How that meaning has changed, it hasn’t really, other than those memories are more meaningful now than before.

- Attending both elementary and middle school honestly didn’t have much meaning to me back then, it was something that was simply required of me. Looking back on it now though, it has great meaning in that it help pave my way towards were I am at now.

- Attending my church’s youth group had great amounts of meeting to me back then; it gave me a sense belonging somewhere. Now that I’m older I do appreciate having that then, because now it is an essential part of my life.



Some educators argue that we learn much more from our failures than from our success. Why? Can you think of a situation in which you learned a lot from a mistake?

- I have to agree with this statement. I do believe we do learn more from our failures than from our successes. In our failures we learn from what we did wrong, why we did it wrong, and then come up with ways of succeeding next time. For instance this occurred to me when I was trying to fix the brakes on my car. I just could not figure it out, but during the process of coming to this conclusion, I missed up some vital components. So I learned from that failure just to take my car somewhere to have it serviced instead.




3. Can you think of an activity that makes you dumber, not smarter? Do you learn anything from that activity? Explain.

List an activity that makes me dumber and not smarter? Well the first one I can think of is simply sitting in front of the television watching it all day long, but the particular channel being on sitcoms all day long. There’s hardly anything one could learn from watching those all day, if I may even argue that one would actually get dumber by indulging in such behavior.

Blogs Emerging with Technology

Honestly, my feelings on blogs were mixed when I first heard of them. I’ve always felt they were meant for use of self indulgence, of one simply talking about one’s self for on and on and on, simply ignoring all other opinions and facts about the world and everyone else. This may have come to pass simply by knowing some friends who all discus about themselves on these blogs. Then I was open to the idea that even though blogs are used for that manner, they could also be used for much more.

I feel that blogs open a multitude of possibilities within one’s education. Blogs could be useful in matters such as communication between instructors and student. It adds more of a personal feel to communication, rather than simply an email address does. Also along side with that, blogs also open up the idea of communication between fellow students as well. If every student’s blog is link to the instructor’s, it opens the door wide open for students to get easy access with other students online.

Before coming to this class I would have to be honest and say I would have thought blogging as a, “A waste of Time,” but I’m already experiencing the perks of blogging within the class room setting. Now experiencing the perks of it for myself, I have to strongly argue that it in fact there is by no means a waste of time with blogging along side with educational purposes.

Some of the technological ideas that really stood out were all the different kinds of blogs available and uses for them. There are so many benefits to having a blog within a classroom setting, such as I mentioned before, communication both with the instructor and fellow class mate on a more personal basis. Also along side with that, an instructor can place important class information such as assignments assignments, and outside resources to further assist their student towards success within the course. Also blogs could be link people together and open the idea of having online communities of discussion and community with one another. Not to forget to mention all the different kinds of blogs as well, such as the expert-blogs, teacher-blogs, and of course the student-blogs. All of which could be used in combination with each other within a classroom setting to add depth and an interesting factor within the learning process.

About me!

Hello to All!

This will be my first semester here at Texas A&m Commerce. I am a transfer student from the Dallas area, (DCCCD). My major, is Art education so I dig art! It was at Eastfield college that I discovered my passion for it, and ever sense I've been wanting to pursue it passionately.

A little about my family. I have an older brother, David, hes 26 I believe? ha! He is married to his high school sweet heart, and he is beyond great, he is an awesome guy. My mom is my strong hold, shes been ever sense i could remember, yes I'm a mommas boy! ha!