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