Week 3: Wiki Week

I set up a wiki in pbworks, and I am going to use it with my 4^th grade class on an ancient Greece unit.  In the past, my students and I only had access to the computer lab once or twice a week for an hour, but now I have a scheduled time during the day when my class has access to a laptop cart.  It is really nice!

We are going to work on the wiki as a class for collaboration, to share links, and to post responses.  This will be the first time I have set up a class wiki before, so it might get interesting.

The class wiki will be a great place for us share links.  It will track and log everything we have done so far in the course.

There are some problems.  Because it is a web 2.0 tool, you have to be connected to the Internet.  It will also take some time to set up all the students with an account.  Because anyone can edit it, I will have to monitor it to make sure only appropriate material is posted.

After looking over the eLearning wiki, I wanted to learn more about the different Flash Cards tools.  I am in the process of moving soon, so I went through some of my teaching supplies and I noticed my old flash cards.  They were still in good shape, but a couple more 100 plus degrees Texas summers in the shed will do them in, so I decided to donate.  I figure that digital flash cards will take over in the near future with the expansion of tablets.  

http://5cgreece.pbworks.com

ETEC 524 Week 2: What is Educational Technology

Part 1:  Educational/Instructional Technology Organizations

eTech Ohio   http://www.etech.ohio.gov/

eTech Ohio Is a state agency, dedicated to enhancing learning by developing programs and using best practices to serve learning organizations while acquiring, integrating and sustaining educational technology.   It is a one-stop-shop for providing planning, support and information about grants, subsidies and professional development, as well as teaching, learning and technology integration.

I chose this site because my fiancé is from Ohio and I wanted to learn more about the organizations and educational technology resources available there.  I like it because it is a big organization with lots of resources. 

NorTech  http://www.nortech.org/

NorTech is a regional nonprofit technology-based economic development organization serving 21 counties in Northeast Ohio. As a catalyst for growing Northeast Ohio's emerging technology industries, NorTech is leading efforts to develop regional innovation clusters that create jobs, attract capital and have a long-term, positive economic impact.  



I liked this orginazation because technology is not only used in the classroom.  Our students will use technology in the professional careers in the future.  This is a good organization that helps further technology not only in the education world but in the economic world as well.


Part 2: My Educational Technology Definition

Educational Technology is anything that can be used in the classroom to further student learning and teacher performance.  It the past educational technology was a chalkboard, books, pencil and paper.  Now it consisted of projectors, interactive whiteboards and tablet PCs, to be a few examples.  Educational Technology can also be a style of teaching.  It can be the way a teacher plans their lessons and assesses their students. 

 Part 3: Wordle Mind Map