application reviews

Well the first application that caught my eye was zoho, presentation is everything. I found it easy to look at and locate and determine where i was going and what it contained right from the beginning versus some of the other applications that i had to scout around to see where i needed to go to get the necessary information. It just seemed like there was so much available maybe it was just how everything was lined up in columns and labeled and you could see what was there. After i started looking around it reminded me of some other programs that i might have used already. For instance the zoho writer looked alot like windows applications and what was available through windows. Although it offered everything windows has to offer, at least that is what it looked like, it seemed to offer more, like the zoho share tab where you can go in and look at different content and profiles, etc. There were also the chat and bloggers that windows doesn't offer in there programs, but again everything in there looked like windows but compiled all in one program where as with windows you have to buy the different products to get everything like you would have to buy windows office, or quickbooks, or other programs to create databases and invoices or browse the marketplace. I liked the meeting tab that would really be useful in having a central meeting with everyone involved through the internet, that made me say wow....

So i wanted to look at one of the photo editing options rather than another office suite. I glanced at all three of them and found fotoflexer the most appealing, again not knowing how good one is more than the other i look to the one that seems the most user friendly and go from there.
The first thing i noticed was how it is compatible with myspace and facebook and other social pages that most students would know about. I also liked how it had the different tabs to locate what you needed or wanted to do with your pictures, such as effects or retouching. I like the doodle tab it had so many options to play with. Being experienced with kodak share and an avid scarpbooker i really liked these photo editing programs better than the ones i am use to. The adding sticker feature was just like scrapbooking online......and the shape tab was the same idea that created enhancements to the pictures it was real tantalizing. I would definitely download this one.

R/D13

My favorite activity this semester was maintaining the blog itself. I think having to work with it through out the semester makes it easier to try and figure it out. Having to learn something new, doing it, getting it done, and leaving it behind tends to be more likely to forget about than if you continue to use something. I feel more comfortable with the blogger and seeing others pages and what mine could look like makes it seem more achievable. The blogger was intimidating at first until you dig in and get your hands dirty and move around a bit. So in turn the blogger was made to use all the activities and made it more interesting in using it because you could see all the capabilities that were possible with the page where as if we weren't required to do anything with the page it would seem like a useless tool.

The application of Artificial Intelligence seems really interesting and "neat". So in turn it is almost replacing the teacher? omgosh that is not good for us.......it states that its frameworks are viewed as highly interactive, computer-based instructional environments whose goal is to actively guide learners toward achieving expertise within a given content area, isn't that what a teacher is for? Its great that its ability to accurately diagnose learning errors by matching error patterns to predefined models of novice performance and to tailor subsequent instructional activities so that learner performance more closely matches that of the expert model. But i'm sure there will be people questioning what is a novice and what makes the expert model right. I like the idea only because it can give the extra assistance a student may need such as a tutor that may be hired during struggling points of a students learning.

R/D12

Well, you were right when you said this chapter was somewhat complex. I had to keep going back over and over to weed through the concepts and break down the meanings. Myself i need visuals to help grasp concepts that are new to me, games and thematic treatments are a good reinforcement to the visuals. And when i combine audio with the visual its even better so I think one method goes with the other hand in hand and its hard to distinguish individually between the others in choosing just two ways to improve instructional design work. As the book states "Students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone" (p.63). In my previous experience the students i was interning with had a tutorial they used to enhance their math skills. The students would use this tutorial visually on the computer but also be listening with headphones to enhance their abilities in answering the needed information. I do encourage the use of audio and visual at the same time but would be cautious as not to use to much of either one. I noticed that on some of the answers and praising of the correct answers there were a lot of animation used and felt this was sometimes distracting to the students when trying to stay on course and maintain focus on the lessons. I also would try to incorporate simulations into my design methods, to incorporate motor skills and the freedom to interact as they please.

screen cast article potential uses

The first thing that came to mind was science and using it as a tutorial. I love science but when it came time to do the experiments in chemistry class it took me forever, i would have to read and re-read the directions to try and comprehend the different chemicals, tools, measurements and steps to do things in. A tutorial would be a good example of how to produce the end results for the specific experiment. I think this would be a good way for students to advance in science that struggle with reading materials and big bulky chemistry lab workbooks. I would give the students a hands on experiment to do after watching the tutorial (screencast) of the activity and what was expected at the end.

website/google page creator activity

http://sites.google.com/site/edt5410tlawson/

I would use this website as a facilitator to my class. I would like students and parents alike to be able to access my website and see the different things going on in our classroom. I would post weekly assignments, announcements, extra credit assignments, and homework that the students would be responsible for. I would post different dates that were coming up such as a monthly or weekly calender depending on how busy each month was. Depending on the grade I would post weekly activity schedule such as extra curricular activities, everything that a parent would want to know and could find out. I would want this to be used to answer any questions the parents might have in regards to their child or our class and use a phone call as a last result, only to save us all time. I would always make myself available though through phone, fax, and web links such as email through the website itself. I would also have a place for chats and comments. We had to make a similar activity in a previous technology class that used the dreamweaver program, which i found very user friendly.

R/D11

Well after reading this chapter i wasn't left wondering about my competencies i was left wondering if i would be capable of landing a job due to lack of competencies due to lack of certification and/or training. I feel that i can always do anything i put my mind to, but will i not be competent because of lack of definition in my job title or certifications. How can we know where were going if our past is so unclear, how can there be such a big discrepancy in defining technology professionals. I mean i don't by all means have enough education to call myself certified but how do i know what i'm working toward when the definitions keep getting changed and i will never feel confident in the title i may one day hold due to uncertainty. There is always room for improvement and that is why i am seeking additional certification and taking these technology classes, but after reading this chapter i'm worried that my additional certification won't mean anymore than what i already have. What will set me apart from an ordinary teacher without technology certifications? So i guess this question leads me into my own answer. I would need to improve and develop my performance-oriented skills. I always thought academically vs. performance oriented, i guess my performance as a teacher will still be geared toward academics but focusing more on my performance and how i bring my teaching skills across. What this means to me is that i would be more affective by the way i teach not what i teach. If a student doesn't learn or retain what is being taught it wont matter what is being taught. I don't know but I think the responsibilities of all three professions should be the same i don't know how they can define one as one way and another a different way. So as an instructional designer you must be honest and fair inall facets of one's work and as a training manager commit time and effort to the development of the profession, but not be honest and fair? Why would they state one requirement for one profession but not for the other i would hope that all three professionals would be honest and fair in all facets of one's work.