Blog Post #4

So far, using twitter has been really beneficial to me in keeping track of assignments, following what other students in the class are up to, and seeing important updates in the world of education! For example, the other day I saw a tweet about how the Board of Education was looking into stopping the effect of ACT/SAT scores on teachers' salaries. That's so awesome! I don't think I would've heard about that news until it (hopefully) happens on the news if I hadn't been following their twitter account. I also love being able to get quick answers about homework and assignments when I need them, especially if I'm on a time crunch. I believe twitter is a great way to connect to educational content and always be in the know when it comes to your profession and the news surrounding it, especially when exciting news like I said above is occurring! Knowing what's going on in your field outside of the classroom is just as important as knowing what's going on inside of it. Being informed and prepared to deal with change like new state standards or standardized tests can put you ahead of the game and also make you a more well-rounded teacher.

The digital divide effects these specific students because not all of them will have the technological knowledge to be able to use active learning software in the classroom, or be able to access it at home when trying to complete assignments. If a student doesn't know how to use, or doesn't have access to productive presentation software like Microsoft Powerpoint, creating informative presentations that keep the attention of the other students can be hard. This also applies to publishing software like Microsoft Publisher. Being able to make visually appealing projects instead of gluing paper and printed pictures to a poster board can be a great tool for students. Graphics software can immensely help student understanding of a topic, especially in math and science. Being able to see graphic representations through illustration programs and 3-D animations can go a long way in the classroom. My Calc 3 teacher uses an online program that graphs out 3-D models of parabolas and hyperbolas in order to help us draw them in our assignments, as well as have a deeper understanding of what's going on in the material. Without this software, there would be no way for me to accurately understand and draw what these problems look like. This goes the same for any material that needs graphic representation in a classroom in order to have full understanding of it. Without access to, or the knowledge of how to use imaging software like Photoshop or other photo-manipulative tools, students' ability to manipulate photos and content to the way they want it for presentations and projects is pretty stunted. Also, in my experience, not having the ability to convert hard-copy pages into texted is a huge disadvantage. Whenever I receive material that isn't text-compatible, I convert it immediately so I am able to search and highlight the information I need within the document, rather than have to read concepts I don't need and repeatedly search through text if I lose track of an important point. Reference software and Academic Databases, in my opinion, is one of the most important applications a student could have access to. Being able to access online references like Encyclopedia Britannica or their school database also helps immensely in gathering information for a project or essay. Also, Without computer access, going to the library to search for information can take a great deal of time, and may lead to less impressive results using limited books than if the student were able to find all the information they need online. When considering academic software, there are also tons of beneficial tutorials and drill-and-practice software for tests when a student needs help studying, and without access to a computer, the student is not only limited in the help they need in that moment, but also impedes their full understanding of important information over time. Academic games can also help a student practice and understand concepts outside of the classroom. I know in elementary school, my english teacher had us do TONS of games at home to keep us practicing spelling and grammar concepts we were learning in the classroom. Without this software at home, I could see students having a harder time/taking a longer time to get these important concepts to clique and be able to apply them in their writing. Simulations is similar to graphic software in the way that it gives students a visual to connect what their learning to, as well as give limited real-world application while still inside of a classroom. Problem solving software gives students the ability to collaborate with each other and use critical thinking skills while forming and testing a hypothesis or using multi-step strategies to solve math problems. Concept mapping tools can also be a great way to get students to think outside of the box and make connections to important sub-topics within the concept they are learning. When getting into broader, more in-depth concepts, giving students the access to online tools that help them create these maps are way more time efficient, as well as organized in showing ideas, than if they were to write and draw everything on a sheet of paper. Authorizing software like Quizlet can be a great way for teachers to create informative material like flashcards for their students to see online at home. However, this is no help to students if they don't have access to a computer outside of the school. Lastly, having access to content-specific software, like Illuminations, which is used to support instruction of abstract mathematical concepts, is a sure way to get students to expand their knowledge and deeper their understanding of material gone over in the classroom. Without it, students would not be able to take that "extra-step" outside of hearing lectures and completing practice problems in class.

When evaluating websites, you need to make sure it is coming from an established source. In order to determine the information as a credible source, the website needs to have credible credentials of an author and/or publisher. It is also important to note whether a website puts out biased information or not. For example, it is clear that Fox News is a hugely republican news outlet/website. Therefore, it is clear we cannot use it as a source when finding unbiased information about politics. Another important thing to look for in a website is if the content is accurate, including good grammar and spelling indicating that the author took time inputting/researching the information, as well as if the content is to the appropriate level of information you are looking for. Lastly, an important indicator of a good website is if it's visually appealing as well as functional. If it looks like a high schooler made it, and also runs like it, it probably isn't a site you want to be sourcing for a paper or project. When I look for a good website, I look for a combination of all of these aspects. It is important to have each and every one in order to determine it as a credible source and make sure your project is backed up with accurate information. If not, the argument and/or point you are trying to make using that source is completely flawed.