Blog Entry 12: Distance Education

In week 13, we learned about distance education. There are many different websites that allow you get educated and receive your degree all from your home. In class we discussed many different sites and how beneficial this is to many people who would like to go back to school but have other obligations such as a job, family, etc. Many of the websites are legitimate; however, we viewed a website in class that allowed anyone to earn a degree as long as they paid money. Therefore, when employers are interviewing people who have earned their degrees online, they will always be a little skeptical. This is annoying to those who actually did all of the work, just didn't have the time to take the courses at an actual college campus.

Distance education is very valuable to teachers because many teachers like to go back to school so that they can become certified in many different areas. For example, an elementary school teacher might like to take classes online while they are teaching, so that they can become certified in guidance. As a teacher it is also important to know about distance education so that they can provide their students with different options upon graduation. However, I will definitely be warning my students that they cannot trust every website. This is a perfect way to show them that many things online are scams.

Below is a video that show what it will be like to be a distance education student at a specific university.

Blog Entry 11: Creating a Professional Web Presence

In week 12, we learned how to create a professional web presence. There are many different sites that can be used to create one. In class, there was a demonstration using Google Sites. Although this sounds very difficult, I ultimately found out that Google Sites was very easy to use. One of our projects this semester was to create our own professional web presence. Required in our web presence was a home page, a personal information page, a portfolio page, and a vita page. This was a very useful project because once I am looking for a job my future employer will be able to view this when deciding whether to hire me or not. I plan to keep it up to date because we learned that a professional web presence is definitely a great thing to have when applying for jobs. It shows employers that you are professional and it also helps them to have a better look at you as a person. It is definitely better than just simply handing in a resume.

Having a professional web presence will be very useful to me as a teacher. It will help me to communicate with the parents of my students. The parents will be able to see my previous experience and also see sample lesson plans I have created. This will help them to trust me in educating their children. I also plan to post pictures of the classroom and different activities the students will be working on in class. This will help the parents become involved in the classroom even if they are working all day long. In addition, I plan to teach my students how to create their own professional web presence. I believe it will be my job as a teacher to help my students succeed. Having a professional web presence will be very helpful to them once they are looking for jobs.

Below is an article that describes how to create a high quality professional web presence.

http://tools.devshed.com/c/a/Website-Marketing/Create-a-Cohesive-Web-Presence/

Blog Entry 10: Open Source Software

In week 11, we learned about open source software. This was a very valuable lesson because it showed me that there are other options to programs that can be very expensive such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office. We learned about Gimp and OpenOffice which offer most of the same features as the other programs. They are free and easy to download. Open source software is helping many people because it allows those who can not afford expensive computer programs to experience the same opportunities as those who can afford them. It allows many people to learn different computer programs without having to spend the money. For example, I enjoyed using Photoshop during this class very much. I would like to continue to use it and become a more advanced user. However, I am not willing to pay for it since I am just using it for fun. Therefore, Gimp is a great alternative for me.

Since I am becoming a teacher, it is definitely important to understand open source software. I believe that open source software is the way of the future and therefore I must begin to use it, since many of my students will be using it. Many of my students will not be able to afford expensive programs at home. Open source software will be a great way for my students to practice when they are not in the classroom. I will definitely have my students use these varying programs for various assignments.

Below is a video about open source software. It provides many alternatives to expensive programs.

Blog Entry 9: Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

In week 10, we learned about different mind-mapping applications and examples that can be used to organize one's thoughts. Applications that we were showed in class included Webspiration, Bubbl.us and Gliffy. Each of these applications allows users to create concept maps for free very easily. Our homework was to create a concept map about social networking using one of these applications. I chose to use Bubbl.us. Bubbl.us made creating a concept map very simple and it also made it easy to share with others. The post below this includes the concept map I created. I am usually not very good with technology, but Bubbl.us allowed me to embed the concept map without any difficulties.

In the field of education, mind-mapping applications will be very useful. I had previously used concept maps when I was a student. My private school provided students with free access to Inspiration, which is an application that is not accessible online. I always thought these concept maps were very valuable when I was studying for a test. Therefore, when I become a teacher I will definitely have my students use these applications. I feel it will be very beneficial to my students to create concept maps in order to help them brainstorm, organize their thoughts, and use as a study tool.

Below is an article that describes the value of mind-mapping applications in the field of education.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech164.shtml