Chapter 16 - Classroom Administration, Professional Practice, and Development

What types of planning and scheduling can be aided with the use of technology?

Word processing and spreadsheet software are wonderful tools for lesson planning. They are less messy, redundant and more time effective than hand written lesson plans. Monthly calendars can also be created using this type of software. Inspiration can be used to connect lessons so that cross connections between content areas can easily be seen. Software can also be used to personalize plans for individualized student needs and scheduling. It's a good place to record notes and comments as well.

Technology is also effective for scheduling. A common need is for keeping track of money for field trips, fundraisers etc. Excel is a wonderful tool for this type of recordkeeping. Scheduling of classroom visitors and speakers can also be kept organized using spreadsheets or word processing software.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Pearson: Boston.

Chapter 15 - Assessing and Evaluating, Including Portfolios

What role can rubrics play in lesson assessment?

Rubrics allow students to understand the goals of an assignment. They can focus on learning when they know in advance the teacher's expectations for a given activity. Teams of students can also increase their understanding by assessing peer projects using the rubric criteria. The way an assignment is going to be graded should not be a secret kept from students it is much better if they understand the expectations for their work.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Pearson: Boston.

Chapter 11 - Mathematical Modeling

What is microworld?

A microworld is a tiny world inside which a student can test hypotheses, explore alternatives, and discover facts about the world. It is not like a simulation in that the student is encouraged to think about the "real" world not just a simulation of another world. Further it encourages students to apply mathematical facts and ideas while creating their own computer activities, is a good tool for problem solving and making connections to other concepts, and helps students visual mathematical ideas. To learn more about mathematical microworlds you can go to www.microworlds.com/solutions/exploringmath.html.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Boston: Pearson.

Chapter 10 - Games and Virtual Environments

How can teachers use games with their students?

There are many educational games on the market today. They can be used for drill-and-skill practice, simulations, tutorials, and content instruction. For example, a game that can be used for drill-and-skill would could be a math game where students solve mutliplication problems to practice their multiplication facts. Students can work on problem solving by playing games that have rules, competitions, and adventures. Another problem solving game is solving puzzles. There are so many ways that games can be used in the classroom.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Pearson: Boston.

Chapter 4 - Emerging and Assistive Technology

Identify five assistive technologies and describe their application.

Alerting Devices - These devices provide flashing lights, amplified sound, and/or vibration. They are often used to alert to a person with a hearing impairment. An example would be a system that emits three slow flashes when the doorbell rings or regular on or off flashes might signal a crying baby.

Voice Recoginition Software - This can be used for people with vision impairments or impairments that make it difficult to use a a keyboard. People can speak to the computer and the computer can type or complete other functions based on dictation or voice commands.

Screen Magnifiers - This makes the print on a computer screen larger so that people with vision impairments can more easily see information displayed on the screen.

Kurzweil-National Federation  of the Blind Reader - The reader is a portable device that allows for the blind to read printed documents anywhere. The device takes a digital picture of text and reads it aloud.

Foot Controlled Mouse Pads - This device allows for people that have impairments that effect their ability to use a hand controlled mouse. They use their feet to control the mouse instead.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Pearson: Boston.

Technology Integration in the Content Area

What factors must the teacher consider when planning to integrate technology?

Many factors are the same as planning a lesson that does not integrate technology such as: For what ages or grade levels is this activity appropriate? What tasks are most effective in teaching the topic? What extensions might be useful in reinforcing or expanding knowledge gained through the activity?

However, there are additional factors that also need to be considered such as: What technology is best suited for meeting the learning purpose? How can technology be used to optimize learning? How many computers are available?

A teacher will be able to determine how practical using technology in a lesson will be by considering these types of factors. For example, if you want the whole class to participate as a group but only have three available computers you may need to reconsider your options.

Selecting and Integrating World Wide Resources

What are some strategies for keeping the documents of a website organized?

The key to organization is keeping accurate records of filenames of the HTML documents created. This will also make it easy to modify the website later on. When setting up the website be sure to to document the following information: page titles, source of each link and the reasons it was selected, source of graphics, size and type of graphics, and width of horizontal lines. In addition, make sure to keep filenames brief and logical so that they can easily be located. Another good tip is to always use lowercase filenames, this makes it easier for users to access the site. Implementing these strategies into web design will serve as a checklist when stting up a site and later will help modify the website when changes need to be made.

Reference: Bitter, G. & Legacy, J. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. Pearson: Boston.