Matthew+Nickol

Hello everyone, my name is Matt Nickol and this is my first year at UC. I was born here and Cincinnati and grew up in Forest Park. I went to school at Winton Woods elementary until my family moved to Blue Ash in 2004. I started going to school at Sycamore and graduated from the high school in 2011. In high school I enjoyed participating in athletics, and i played golf, basketball, and tennis for Sycamore. I recently switched my major to middle education this quarter with a focus on math and science. My dad is a physical education teacher at Winton Woods and he has always enjoyed the teaching world, so i decided to give it a try. My only work experience to date is the caddie job that I had at Kenwood Country Club during my the past few years. I have not had too much experience with technology besides my daily use of social interaction sites and computer work for school work. During my senior year in high school, we did have an english class that focused on work with wikis and blogs, so I do have some experience in that regard. I also have taken a high school course that was titled computer literacy, which helped me with my excel, powerpoint, and word skills.

Technology definitely makes a difference in the learning process in education today. Compared to 20 or 30 years ago, there are many more technological tools that are at a teacher's disposal. For example, computers are good tools that can allow students to learn class material through games, online activities, and computer programs. There are also smartboards that allow teachers to use different diagrams and colors in their lesson plans to better display their subject. There are more resources to help a child learn a certain way because of technology
 * 1) Does technology make a difference in the learning process or could you teach just as well without it?

2. Are students today fundamentally different than students in the past? Students are more immersed in technology today than in the past so they are better able to learn through technology than past students. There is also the introduction of the internet, which has changed learning a lot. It is much easier for students today to gather information on a subject, so this changes how they learn.

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In a constructivism classroom, learning is mainly done through experimenting with certain behaviors and then reflecting upon the effectiveness of these behaviors. In this setting, experiments are a large part of learning to see what works and what doesn't. Students then do reflections on these experiments to gain knowledge by seeing what they did either well or poorly. Knowledge is gradually added to a student's repertoire, and they continue to build on these experiences. Instead of telling a student to answer a problem and telling them whether it is correct, teachers lead students to ask questions that use real-world problem solving. Constructivist teachers encourage students to actively assess how their activity is helping them learn techniques and skills.
 * Constructivism vs. Objectivism:**

In the more traditional objectivist classroom, information is presented to students in a lecture form or presentation. Techniques to solve problems are to be memorized by the students and used to solve problems that are presented by an instructor. If a student is unable to solve the problem, the information is presented again and the student learns where he strayed from the proper technique. This resembles a typical lecture style class that revolves around gaining information through presentations and then testing their skills by completing exams throughout the course.

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This first video is a good example of a constructivism lesson. A geometry class is using their knowledge to tackle a real world problem that is presented to them. They had to construct a school building in a situation where land is restricted and the cost of materials is important. The students initially had trouble with the task, but they gained valuable experience while working among teams and expressing their knowledge and ideas to other students. They felt afterwards that they were able to reinforce their knowledge by carrying out their task, and they presented their ideas to the class. This is similar to a physics project I was required to do during my senior year in high school. In groups, we were required to build a bridge that a toy car could pass over, and we recorded the different forces that were involved with he bridge supporting the weight of the car. I feel like I gained valuable knowledge by observing an actual example of the theories we were studying during that time in Physics.

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This is yet another example of inquiry based learning, which follows the constructivism view on learning. Students are presented with a the issue of toxic waste disposal in our word today, and are asked to develop solutions for this problem. The teacher's role is to guide the eighth grade students along in their thinking, and the students ask questions that they truly feel are problems with the current situation. Students reach higher levels of expertise on the subject by delving deeper into the actual problems that face us today.

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1. One solution that I see is that teachers need to have support and get training to utilize their resources. The more expertise they have with a resource the better they can utilize it in an effective manner. 2. Grants should be given to schools that lack the technological resources and tools that they need to succeed. 3. Vendors should give schools discounted prices on their products so that all schools can afford the technology. Also, this would help schools have the best resources for their students. 4. Schools could host free technology seminars for parents that would help them understand better what resources their kids are using at school. For example, my parents often have difficulty helping my younger siblings complete projects using movie maker or some other tool.

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 * Game Stations:**
 * Smartboard PBS Learning games**

2. These games fall into the drill-type game category. The games included questions that required the student to remember certain facts and did not represent a high level of thinking. Some games included simple measurements, and others included trivia questions based on a children's television show.

3. One of the standards that this game covered was the measurement standard for children in grades K-2. The standard states that students must be able to measure an object with a given tool such as a ruler, yardstick, meter stick or measuring tape. They must also be able to compare measurements using different tools. One of the games made students measure the length of a fish and decide whether it was big enough to keep or if it should be thrown back based on its length. Students had to compare a measurement on a ruler to a set measurement that was already given

4. The PBS website had a lot of good games for kids of a younger age. A lot of the material was based on children's television shows that were shown often on the PBS network. I was able to play games that focused on different subjects and they made them interesting to play. These games are made more enjoyable because students can relate the skills they practice in the game to the familiar shows that they watch on a daily basis.

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 * Spore Creature Creator**

2. This game is a virtual environment game because students create an animal avatar to see different adaptations that organisms can have. Kids can then make their avatar perform certain tasks and watch them.

3. This game focuses on the behavior, growth, and changes of the life science standards for grades 3-5. One of the indicators is that children need to know is that offspring of organisms resemble their parents and each other. In this simulation, you can make the animal you create have babies, and these babies resemble their parents and have similar attributes to their other siblings. Another indicator is that certain traits can help or hinder in an organism's survival. The student can choose different body parts and elaborate on why certain traits would be beneficial.

4.This program was enjoyable for me. There were many different ways that you could assemble an organism, and it was interesting to see what kind of organisms you could come up with. They described how different body parts increased the speed, strength, and survival rates of the organism, and it was a great learning tool.


 * WEBSITE EVALUATION:**

I chose the tree octopus website to evaluate. After browsing through the site, I have a pretty good feeling that the website is a fake. First of all the look of the website was not very official and it wasn't made by an official interest group. Also, a lot of the information posted on the website was not backed up by organizations or statistics that supported the cause of saving the tree octopus. One thing stood out to me in particular. The site claims that even though the tree octopus isn't on the official list of endangered species, attention should still be given to this cause. If the animal isn't officially endangered, then it most likely doesn't exist or is not really what they say it is. Finally, the site talks about other animals that are endangered, and they don't seem like real organisms.

http://www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/pt.cgi?A1=r&A2=1&A3=cX&A4=11&A11=0&A12=0&ACOMMON=1




 * ISTE Standards:**


 * 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity**

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

//a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.//

Prior to taking this course, I didn't realize the vast number of technology resources that were available to instructors. In the majority of classes i was in in high school, technology was not a large part of the learning process and teaching. Each class session I attend, it seems like I gain knowledge about another site or internet tool that I can use to enhance student's learning and creativity. Not only can I use technology to enhance my teaching, I can introduce these tools to the students to help them become more comfortable with technology and enhance their creativity. The lesson plans that I have found on [|Diigo] are very useful in this regard, and it is helpful to review other people's sites to learn about even more websites I can use. This Diigo website allows every student in this course to share and comment on numerous lesson plans that they find on the internet.

On the Diigo website, I found a lesson plan that allows students to utilize digital cameras to create a postcard. Students simultaneously learn about technology and use their creative ideas to design a postcard that includes pictures they take on the camera. They can think of different places they want to make a postcard about, such as their house or their school. It is very helpful for the students to be actively engaged in a fun assignment that helps them with their skills involving a digital camera. Here is a link to the lesson plan: [| Postcard Lesson]

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**

//d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.//

In this class I was able to gain knowledge about websites that allowed me to create rubrics and assessments that correlated with the information that I was teaching to my students. In the sixth grade standards, students must understand ratios and proportions and know how to apply them to different situations. I first looked for a lesson plan that was correlated to this subject, and made sure that technology was involved int he learning. I found a really good interactive lesson plan that involved ratios and proportions, and gave real world examples of how to use these skills. Here's a link to the lesson:[| Ratio and Proportion Lesson Plan] I was then able to use google documents to create a quiz that tested students on the information presented in the interactive lesson. This was a very good site to get comfortable with, as it is a great resource for creating assessments with ease. The final product was in the form of a quiz, which can be found in this link: [|Google Documents Quiz] I also was able to make a rubric pertaining to this lesson plan. Each student would complete a project that included making a scale drawing of a real building or structure. This would allow them to use the skills they learned in the lesson in a real life example. In my rubric, I evaluated the student's work based on things such as neatness, calculations, and research. I used the [|Rubistar] website to complete my rubric, which looks like this: [|Ratio Drawing Rubric]

This class offered me resources that I was not aware of before. I always thought that teachers created test and quizzes on Microsoft Word or a program such as that. However, this google documents site was so easy to create a good-looking finished project. This assignment further made me analyze the standards that are involved in the age groups that I am planning on teaching, and the ratios and proportions are a good benchmark to be aware of now. It was amazing how simple the Rubistar website was, and how easy it was to complete an effective assessment of a student's project. This made me think of the most important aspects of the student's work, and I now know how to complete a working rubric for a project.

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:
 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.

One of the main challenges of education in the world today is using technology and modern devices to effectively help our students learn. We were given the task of preparing a lesson plan that was technology-based, and we could choose the topic that we wanted to teach. Our group chose to teach about the three different types of rocks and how they are formed. In our scenario, we were faced with only having one computer for our classroom, and we were equipped with a SmartBoard to help us with our presentation. We decided to incorporate an interactive into our lesson plan, and we were able to have the students be involved in the program. The link to our interactive site is right here: [|E-Learning Interactive Site]. To effectively communicate the relevant information, we had to do more preparation for the interactive. Before our lesson, we each picked a part of the interactive to present and we made sure to do additional research so we could further explain things to our students. For my part, I described how metamorphic rocks were formed by heat and pressure based on the diagram on the interactive. Also, I added to the interactive by describing certain examples of sedimentary rocks changing into metamorphic rocks. My part of the lesson plan presentation can be found on [|YouTube] at this destination: [|Rock Presentation]. This was a very good experience for me, as I was able to see how to effectively use our limited digital resources to convey information to our students. Each teacher does not have the benefit of computer access for each student, so this lesson was a great way to see what we could do with limited resources.

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**

a. advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

One big responsibility that teachers have today is making sure their students use digital media and information in a legal and ethical manner. Many online resources are copyrighted, which means that the creator has the exclusive legal right to print, copy, and share their work. A student cannot simply copy a person's research or photo without properly giving them credit. We learned a lot about this subject in our Ethical Uses of Teachnology Lesson. In this lesson, we read about different copyright regulations and how students can use fair use to utilize online resources. The [|Education World]website describes the legal ways in which students can use things they find online in their work. This site says that students can use online multimedia for educational uses in their course, portfolios as examples of their academic work, and job and graduate school interviews. I also learned that only three minutes or 10% of a given copyrighted work can be used at a given time. We were able to apply the information we learned to a certain situation that has occurred in a school in the U.S. I personally viewed the [|Upper Merion High School Case]l that involved a certain copyright controversy. In 2008, teachers at this school designed a "zoo project" that was to be completed online. The goal of this project was to allow kids to use [|Flikr] to gather pictures of different animals, and this would help them learn about fair use guidelines. One of the people that shared their pictures on Flikr emailed the school and accused them of theft and immoral actions. I analyzed this situation and looked at what the students did right and wrong. The students did many things right, like only using their pictures for educational purposes, and they also credited and linked the URLs so that the owner would have recognition. Furthermore, the students added critical information to the pictures, which is good because it shows that the picture isn't the most important part of the student's project. One issue with he student's work was the vast amount of images they used from the Flikr site. The Education World Website describes how fair use is more likely to take place if a smaller percentage of images are used from a certain site. In the end, the students were able to learn a valuable lesson about copyright issues and how to properly use other people's work. By being involved in this lesson, I realized what a big deal copyright issues can be. I never really thought of it before, but some people can take serious offense to others using their work, even if it is for educational purposes. Using digital information ethically is a skill that needs to be taught to each student in the classroom.

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.
 * 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership**

c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning

In this course, we have been continually researching and sharing new digital tools that we could potentially use in the classroom. Not only do we find cool resources for ourselves, we are able to view and comment on the programs and sites that the other students in the class have found. We were able to share our findings on the [|Diigo] website, and we have collaborated our ideas on various education topics on the Class Wiki page. For example, we did a Objectivist vs. Constructivist Lesson lesson where we learned about the different types of teaching. I learned that objectivist learning is very traditional, with the teacher giving a lecture and then the students take notes and are tested on the subject. In the constructivist lesson, students undergo a much more hands-on approach to their learning and learn the material through using their skills in a more real world environment. In the [|Applying Math Skills to Real World Problems]video I watched, geometry students completed a 5 week project that involved them using their learned geometry skills to draw a scale drawing of a building. This was a great example of a constructivist approach to teaching because it had the students really apply their knowledge and reinforce it by completing an activity. This lesson was a good way for me to reflect upon different effective types of teaching, and it let me assess how hands-on learning can be more beneficial than a more traditional lecture style lesson. The [|Diigo] site was also a great resource for learning about the new emerging technology that can be used in the classroom. For my emerging technology post, I posted how teachers can use [|Apple Podcasts] to help students learn from some of the best instructors in the world. Students can download lecture podcasts from the leading university teachers, and can learn about any subject they want to. This is a great resource for teachers that want to give students a new and reliable source for learning. These activities I completed on the Diigo and Wiki sites have made me think about all the different types of ways I can convey information to my students. I evaluated numerous resources over the course of this class, and this has made me more knowledgeable about these emerging digital tools.


 * Reflection:**

Over the course of this ten week class, I have learned many things that will help me both in my teaching and personal life. To begin with, I thought the class where the SMARTBoard IT presenter came in was very informative. I learned many things about the various uses of this resource, and he was very knowledgeable about the best way to utilize the technology. On top of this, I didn't realize before that some of the technology of the SMARTboard was actually available for student use at no cost for the student. I definitely gained valuable knowledge about how to access and utilize the SMARTboard technology. The lesson presentation was also very helpful for me in regards to becoming more comfortable with the available technology. I had to use the SMARTboard to carry out an interactive lesson plan that would help my students learn in the most effective way possible. I also never knew that a library would have resources such as rock samples for a lesson on rocks! When my group met in the teacher's library for the project, I was able to see all of the hands-on learning materials that the library had to offer. We ultimately decided to check out the sample of different rock types so the students could see and feel the differences between the three different types of rocks. Another very interesting class activity was the day where we were given different situations that included improper internet usage, and we had to think how to address the problem and relate it to the guidelines in the internet usage form. I knew I had always signed one of these forms each year in high school, but I never really knew the possible ways that I could infringe upon the regulations set forth by it as a teacher. It was helpful to brainstorm with my fellow students about how to handle a situation where a student saw a graphic image on Wikipedia, and also how to deal with the parent of this child. I saw that I would be covered in this situation by the internet usage guidelines because I did everything in my power so that a student wouldn't see inappropriate things on the web. In relation to the internet, I didn't understand the importance of fair use when it came to using copyrighted materials in the classroom. Before this class, I never thought twice about using a picture from the internet, but I know now that this is not always legal or ethical. I am now more aware of giving credit to the original author and citing the URLs. I think the most helpful part of this class was realizing the vast amount of web resource I could possibly use in teaching. All of the posts that I posted or commented on are great examples of technology that can aid in student learning. In conclusion, I have gained knowledge about effective teaching and learning resources by participating in this course.