My Digital Blog Post I

Designing Lessons and Developing Curriculum with Technology

 

 

In approaches to lesson planning, I learned about the use of technology in lesson planning where the internet provides a vast selection of assembled lesson plans on virtually any topic at no cost. Three major websites are National History Education Clearinghouse, Annenberg Learner, and PBS Teachers. These websites offer videos researches, online forums, customizable lesson plans, and foreign languages. Apps are also very helpful when it comes to support lesson planning and quick access to a variety of resources especially in math and history. All of these are a good use of technology to help new teacher who do not have any experience in creating lesson plans and it is also good for the teachers that always want to try new ways to improve their teaching. During my observation hours last semester I had the chance to observe around 10 different teachers and at least 6 of those teachers were using Ipads to show pictures, math formulas, and videos. As a future teacher, I would use all this technology in my lesson planning to make my classes more interesting and to make sure my students are understanding the material. Perhaps by then there would be even better apps and ways to make lesson planning easier.

In using electronic grading software, I learned about grading software and how useful they are. Programs like Gradekeeper or Easy Grade Pro, if they are supported by the school, can help teachers manage grades, keep track of attendance, support lesson planning and other class management functions making teachers save a lot time. Also, there are apps like Grade Pad, Easy Grader, and Android for Academics for the teachers who like using mobile devices in classroom. Even in canvas there is a grading program. I have seen a lot of teachers use it and as a student I like how I can keep track of my grades and test scores. As a teacher, I would definitely use some kind of electronic grading software because it gives teachers a lot of advantages like efficiently calculate and store multiple forms of students performance data from tests, quizzes, homework, participation, and attendance. At the same time, electronic grading systems contribute to concerns about how to best assess what students know and are able to do. The success of electronic grading software depends greatly on how you use the information it provides about student progress from your teaching.

In web resources and apps for students assessment, I learned the new teachers consume more time than experienced teachers when it comes to designing quizzes, maintaining grades, and other student assessment activities. New teachers could use different online tools like quizstar.4teachers.org to consume less time. In this website they will be able to create multiple choice, true or false, and short answer quiz creations. Another helpful tool is Grade Pad, in which teachers can assess student's work on their mobile device as it happens in the classroom. This app will helps save the teacher's time when grading assignments since it can become consuming of their own personal life. As a teacher, I will be using these tools to save some time and keep myself more organized. Teachers have a lot of work to do during school and at home after school and great tools like these can make teachers more confident of the work that they can do.

 

      Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Created by Leandris Rodriguez. 

       Rodriguez, L (2015, March 19). Approaches In lesson Planning, Electronic Grading Software, and Web Resources and Apps for Student Assessments, Created with Wordle, http://www.wordle.net/create