Tag: 23-A11

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My Ed Tech Portfolio

My Ed Tech Portfolio

Throughout this course, I have gotten to explore many fascinating tech tools that can be implemented in my future classroom. For each of these tools, I created various projects to showcase the tools in action and how I can use them in my future career in education, as you can see throughout my portfolio.

One of my favorite projects I created was my professional development on Book Creator. Book Creator, although at face value seems like it just makes books, is a versatile tool that has man uses. I wanted to share those uses with other educators, so I decided to create a professional development presentation on Book Creator, complete with a deep dive into the interface, an interactive tutorial, and activities.

Book Creator PD Presentation

Another one of my favorite projects was my Travel Budget lesson/project for use with Google My Maps. Google My Maps is a tool where you can create an interactive map complete with travel routes, pins, and so much more. I thought the interface could be used to have students plan a trip and cross cut the assignment with math!

Travel Budget Project

Technology is something that is rapidly changing and evolving and expanding. It will continue to do so long after my students leave the classroom, so I believe it is important that, as their teacher, I provide them with access to new technology, as well as the tools they need to responsibly use technology that currently exists and will exist in the future. It can be easy to stray away from using newer technology in the classroom out of fear, especially technology like ChatGPT and other AI, but that technology will still exist outside of your classroom, and in your students’ future classrooms, so helping them navigate it in a responsible way and giving them a comprehensive overview of what the technology truly is and how it can be used.

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My EdTech Portfolio

Welcome to my Portfolio of classroom technology resources I have learned about in my college course, Technology in Education. Over this course, we learned about a variety of online platforms that can be used by teachers to support student learning. This course taught me that there are so many different ways we can use the internet to educate students in fun, engaging ways. Below are a few resources that I enjoyed learning about and wanted to highlight. I encourage you to check them out, as well as the other online platforms within my portfolio. Happy learning/teaching!

Fraction Action!
Google Sites: If you’re looking for a place to keep all resources, activities, and extra links for a lesson or unit, this is a great tool! You can create your own site with as many pages, links, activities, etc. as you see fit for your classroom. Perfect for schools that use Google accounts for students.
Equinoxes and Solstices Book
Book Creator: A great tool for your students to showcase what they’ve been learning by creating their own project. It can be as short or long as you want — you can decide the guidelines for your students! It’s super easy for them to make it their own, and has a search feature for them to find images if needed.
Forms of Learning
Google Forms: Another great resource that’s perfect for if your school uses Google accounts. This resource is easy to use, with different features like grading with points you input, anonymous responses, and an image search. Whether you want students to do an assessment or a daily check-in, this platform is a great way to engage students and collect data online.

Citations:

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

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Sum Up of my Semester (:

Over the course of this semester, I have learned how to use multiple new sites that I can actively see myself using when I become a future teacher. Using new technology is essential for teachers because it allows us to stay current and adapt to the rapidly changing world of education. In today’s digital age, technology has become an integral part of the learning process, and teachers who are proficient in using it can provide students with more engaging and interactive learning experiences. These are some of my favorite post that i have made this semester. I hope you enjoy!

Oregon Trail
This lesson not only expands the students knowledge of history but it also allows them to activity engages in math and maps which are not used that often.
Getting to know your 4th grade Teacher.
Book creator allowed me to create a book in a simple and fast fashion that allows students to get to know me better.
I am from Down South
This allows the students to get creative in anyway they see fit but I once again used this to allow my students to get to know me.
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My WordPress Portfolio

Throughout this past semester at the University of Portland, I have had the opportunity to learn about various forms of educational technology and learn ways to incorporate them into my own math classroom. In today’s world, we are surrounded by technology and it’s important to understand how to implement it in your classroom. While it might not be realistic to incorporate technology in every lesson, certain educational technologies can be useful in supporting students’ learning.

As I learned about various educational technologies this semester, I made a digital portfolio on WordPress to showcase lessons, assessments, or reflections I have created about that specific technology. Below, I have linked three of my favorite lessons that I created this semester using different educational platforms.

Exploring Geometry with Google My Maps
The lesson above was designed around using Google My Maps in a math classroom.
Enhancing Math Education with Google Forms
In this post, I created a self-graded Google Form for a Geometry class and a branching Google Form for an Algebra 1-2 class.
Using Interactive Technology in the Classroom
In this post, a fellow student and I made a professional development lesson around PhET Simulations.

Featured Image: Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

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My Portfolio

Before beginning this course, I had a decent understanding of how to use technology in the classroom. However, I had mainly only had experience with Google and Microsoft tools, with the exception of Seesaw. Now I have a much larger tool box and have strengthened my skills with other familiar platforms as well. Here are some of my favorite examples I’ve created this semester.

How Does a Plant Grow?

This is a short and simple book I made using Book Creator that’s intended to be used in the second lesson of a kindergarten unit on the plant life cycle. It has clear visuals and a little video to support early learning.

Rocks Rock!

This post uses Google My Maps, which was one of the Google tools I was previously unfamiliar with. It’s an interactive map detailing three fun geology themed field trips for 1st-3rd grade and gets students familiar with My Maps and conducting simple research.

Two Very Unrelated Google Forms for the Classroom!

Here you can see two different uses of Google Forms for a range of grade levels. The first is a self-graded quiz for 5th grade math and the second is an interactive adventure involving fossils, the rock cycle, and ancient civilizations.

Featured image by elnaz asadi on Unsplash.

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All My Best from WordPress

On WordPress you will find all of the work that I have posted. In this post I want to highlight a few of my favorite posts for viewers to be able to see.

(Google) Form(s)ing New Ideas in VSEPR Theory
This posts demonstrates the amazing tool of google forms. Google forms provide so much flexibility for teachers to be able to use for formal or informal summative or formative assessments. In my post I made two google forms that may inspire you if you give them a try!
How AI Could Lead Future Teachers to Water, but not Make them Drink.
This post, in which the featured image was made by AI!, demonstrates some unique opportunities for use that AI provides for teachers. AI is new technology and can be quite scary, however; through viewing this post of mine, there may be some guidance that can help future teachers be able to use AI effectively.
My Two Week Winter Break
This post highlights my use of different types of media in WordPress which can be used in all classrooms and can be very beneficial to be able to share information, lessons, or student work with the classroom or parents.

I have learned a lot throughout my time using WordPress. Please feel free to comment on any of my posts and offer your point of view! I have learned that there are many technological resources that an be utilized very well with a little bit of practice. Many of these technological resources that I have used are not ones that I previously knew about. It has taught me to reach out and try new tools because I may find some that would be very effective in my classroom.

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Mr. Marelich’s Vault

Before entering this course; I felt that I had a relatively decent grasp on the different forms of technology that may come up in the classroom. However, by the end I have learned so much about different facets of technology that I can safely say that I’ve been proven wrong. A classroom has far more possibilities to have technology integrated into it than a simple Power Point or YouTube Video, and my Portfolio is evidence of this.

Word Press; A New Way to Present Information

The Roller Coaster that was my Journey to Teaching
Being introduced to Word Press was an interesting start to the class. Setting us up with the tools we needed to present with others about what we covered, and how much we have learned. I think that taking an active role in the creation of a living website was really interesting and hope to try to create something like it later in my life.
This being said, the post above was my introduction to WordPress, and the story of how I worked my way up to teaching throughout my life.

Animals of Africa: Book Creator

Animals of Africa Book
In this post, I have created a book using Book Creator. This book is a set of visual instructions for students in 2nd and/or 3rd grade in order to create a research project based on an animal of their choice that lives in Africa.

AI In the Classroom

“Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom: Bringing Minds Together, One Byte at a Time” -ChatGPT, the machine that chooses not to divide by 0.
This post was primarily on explorations in AI (especially ChatGPT) within which I used an assortment of AI models to create images, as well as help create lesson plans for a 2nd grade classroom. Having never thought to use AI in this way before, I thought it was fun being able to go through and get advice for lesson plans from the AI itself or just gather some ideas from it as well. I have since continued to use this AI as a way to come up with ideas in order to build off of when creating lessons or art with my students.

Featured Image Provided By: Image by Reimund Bertrams from Pixabay

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Teacher Diarra’s Technology Tools

Featured image by Stephan Kelle from Pixabay.

Over the course of ED 424: Technology in Education, I have used different technology tools to create a variety of posts that include possible activities for teachers to integrate into their own classrooms and posts that showcase myself in a creative outlet. I was exposed to many tools for the first time and though some were difficult to use, many I plan to incorporate in my own classroom with my students. Some of my favorite assignments were those that provided me with the opportunity to share something about myself in an individualized style, or those that enabled me to introduce learning content in a different manner than lecture and textbook teaching. Here, I have showcased some of those posts.

A Home on Zelzah Ave
Using Microsoft Sway, I wrote a poem and used accompanying images to illustrate where I am from – “A Home on Zelzah Ave.” Though I felt the technology was a little difficult to use, I enjoyed working with the prompt and am happy with my final product.
My Neighborhood & Me
I absolutely love this post of mine! The intention behind it was to create an assignment that helped Kindergarteners develop an understanding of their neighborhoods and be given the opportunity to map out some of their favorite places within it. This activity helps students learn about direction, distance, and their own home addresses.
Shape Scavenger Hunt Relay
Although not an activity I developed on my own, this post highlights some of the (dis)advantages and abilities of AI and how teachers might consider utilizing it in their classrooms.
Alphabet Books
I greatly enjoyed using Book Creator and plan to use it in my own classroom. I think being able to create a library that students and families can contribute to AND use as a resource is incredibly beneficial to all parties. In my post, I created “All about A” to provide young learners with the basics of the letter A. In reading this book, students will learn the vowel’s short and long sounds, how to write A’s upper and lowercase form, and identify some words that begin with “A”.
Flowers and Animals Oh My!
I highlight this post not because I necessarily favored the technology tool, but because I enjoyed engaging with the Google Forms I created and think others might also.
Let’s Learn About Ziplet
This post was developed in collaboration with a peer. Here, we highlight a technology tool, Ziplet, that allows teachers to integrate digital exit tickets, check-ins, assessments, and more with their students in a private and anonymous fashion. Ziplet is free to use, does not require students to create an account, and is a great way to build teacher-student relationships within the classroom.
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Almost There

On WordPress, you will find all of the work that I have posted over the course of one semester in edTech. Here are some of the posts that I would like to highlight for you.

Teaching with AI
In this post, we dove into AI learning. We explored the possibilities of AI in the classroom and how it could be a tool for new teachers in the classroom with lesson planning.
Glad you came to your Senses
In this post, I created a lesson where students would be able to learn about their senses using pictures to help them understand what they are
Living that Student Teaching Life
In this post, I have highlighted some of the many features of WordPress using gifs, embeds, and images to help readers visualize my experiences.

Throughout this semester, I have learned so much about using WordPress. It has changed the way I will be viewing technology in the classroom. It has so many possibilities for what we can do as educators. I look forwards to using the technology and skills I have learned from this class in my classrooms.

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My Ed in Tech Journey

Image from Gino Crescoli on Pixabay

Perhaps my favorite resource to work with this semester was Book Creator. I used Book Creator to create a book for a K-2 class on the Solar System. I loved how creative you can get with this resource in addition to the themes and backgrounds provided to give someone more structure. The features are more simplistic and rigid. I found it difficult to find out to increase and decrease the size of the font. However, it was free to use and is very good for starting to create your own books for your classroom! Teachers can create their own libraries and is amazing for student content-based projects instead of tests.

The Solar System

After being paired with a partner, we created a Google Sites website focusing on simple and engaging K-2 science activities about the weather. Some of the activities used are on heat and storms. The goal for the website is to provide activities for lessons and/or units on the weather. Science is fun and allowing students to participate in a hands-on activity makes the learning experience enriching for everyone. Google Sites was tricky to work with at first, but eventually became easy to use. My favorite part was the many options available with how you can structure the website.

What’s the Weather Like?

I used Google Forms to create 2 different quizzes. The first was a fraction quiz for 4th-5th grade students working on adding and subtracting fractions. The second was a “Buzzfeed” style self-guided quiz that allows people to choose between options. This quiz in particular was about the amazing wonders of the state of Oregon that fits best with what one picks along the way. This form was far more difficult to make since I had to pay close attention to the additions and where they were placed. I loved the variety Google Forms had. You can require certain questions, allow it to be anonymous, and make it as simple or detailed as you would like. Google Forms can be used in any context, not just education.

Fraction Quiz and Oregon Adventure

After looking at all my posts, I’m most proud of how I’ve become more familiar with these websites, especially Google Forms. I started off the semester struggling with how to work with Sway and ended up creating some amazing books, websites, and Google Forms. I will absolutely be using Google Forms and other common technology resources like Google Sildes and Jamboard with my future students. Who knows what AI will be next year, let alone in the next 5 years. Will plagiarism rates drastically increase? Will teachers know how to detect AI that a student may have used? Who knows! What we do know is that technology is ever changing and there are many resources teachers can use to make their days easier.

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My Portfolio

Image by Dung Tran from Pixabay

The following posts are a few of my favorite that I have made. They would all be great lessons for the beginning of the school year to create a warm and welcoming classroom.

First Day Feelings Book
This is a fun lesson for the first day of school to make students feel seen and know they are safe and welcome in their new classroom!
Big Feelings Google Sites
This is a google site lesson surrounding big feelings and could be used as an introduction into social emotional learning.
Kindness Lesson – created by ChatGPT
This is a great lesson to use when students might be having conflicts and need a boost of kindness in their classroom!
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This Semester In a Nutshell

Well hello there! Welcome to this wonderful collection of projects, activities, thoughts, and experiences that can be found in the multitude of posts that can be found here! I will be presenting the best activities that I have learned or experienced this past semester, as they are some of the ones I find the most useful and impactful in classes.

What is wonderful about all of these posts as well is the fact that there are multitudes of people that also participated in making several projects and activities, so there are several examples of everything we have learned.

Although there were a lot of pieces of technology that can be used in classroom’s, I don’t find them all to be universal or as useful in classrooms, unless in specific cases. But, feel free to prove me wrong! You have access to all of the resources down below, so if it is not helpful for me but it is for you, then thats wonderful!

I will provide a list for all of the lessons and projects that I find most useful to me. Feel free to go through all of them, and welcome to teaching with technology!

1st. Google Forms

Google Forms has been a quite useful app and program to learn that can be utilized in classrooms. There are several different aspects of Forms that I was not aware of at the beginning such as making paths and self graded quizes. Google forms would be quite useful more as participation grades for high schoolers to test what they know so far, and then testing what they have learned afterwards.
The Spanish forms you never knew you needed.

2nd. Google Sites

Google Sites is a program that I was not aware of before. It is quite useful especially when wanting to introduce a new topic that may be taught in classes. Students can return to the site for any information, as it works as a normal website that you as the Educator can use!
Climate Change and Spanish: Interdisciplinary Learning

3rd. Book Creator

Book Creator is quite a useful tool as it involves story telling into your teaching. Story telling is important for students to create meaning and connect works, phrases, or concepts with images and characters. It is customizable, so it really is you being able to just write a book for class that you would like.
The Cultures of Latin America

4th. Sway

Sway was a quite beautiful app to work with. It can definitely work for personal story telling and poems. You can customize it quite a bit, and connect it more personally with yourself.
Where I am from…

Although these are not all of the projects that I had a chance to work on throughout this whole semester, these four are the one’s I have enjoyed learning the most about. There are so many possibilities for students to be able to learn from these, and there are so many functions that educators can use. They are incredibly versatile apps, and at least knowing how to use them would improve one’s teaching.

An honorable mention of technology that I also recently learned about:

Ziplet

Image Credits