response to peers and lecture summary

1 Week 5 GC

· Instructional software is designed to assist instruction. Different types of software are: Drill and practice, Tutorial, Simulation, Instructional games, and Problem solving.

· Instructional software is difficult to select because they are hard to classify because include different activities. For example, Reader Rabbit have overlapping functions, such as drill activities, problem solving, and games.

· When selecting a software there are some features that form part of the criteria of a well-designed program. They are control over presentation, appropriate feedback, answer reinforcement, interactive, appropriate pedagogy, adequate answer-judging and feedback, appropriate graphics, system fidelity and accuracy, appealing formats and activities, instructional value, good documentation to explain system characteristics and uses. These features depend on the type of instructional software using.

· Integrated learning systems (ILS) are software designed to deliver instructional content. They are highly interactive and provide feedback as to progress and grasp of the subject matter at hand. They have instructional objectives and lessons integrated into standard curriculum. For ILS to be well designed, it needs to have a good coverage of the curriculum, good pedagogical strategies, several different report formats, and the reports should be easy to read and interpret.

· Courseware evaluations are focused in some features, such as it teaches what is intended to, the content is accurate, current, and appropriate, is user friendly and works correctly.

2 Week 6 YF

Teaching with Multimedia and Hypermedia.

· Multimedia (Still graphics, photos, sound, video, animation, text)

· Hypermedia(Commercial hypermedia software and Authoring tools (design & development)

· Impact of Hypermedia on Education(Increased motivation, Flexible learning modes, Develops creative & critical thinking skills, Improved writing and process skills)

· Types of Multimedia/Hypermedia Design and Development (Presentation software, Video production and editing systems, Hypermedia development software, Virtual environments and immersion tools and Web 2.0 authoring tools)

· Evaluating Student-Developed Hypermedia/Multimedia Projects (Content, Instructional design, Organization and navigation, Appearance, Graphics, videos, and sound.

3 Week 7 GC

· The mission of the Department of Education (http://www.fldoe.org/)  is to increase the proficiency of all students within one seamless, efficient system, by providing them with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills through learning opportunities and research valued by students, parents, and communities, and to maintain an accountability system that measures student progress.

· http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. ED was created in 1980 by combining offices from several federal agencies. ED's 4,400 employees and $68 billion budget are dedicated to:

· Establishing policies on federal financial aid for education, and distributing as well as monitoring those funds.

· Collecting data on America's schools and disseminating research.

· Focusing national attention on key educational issues.

· Prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal access to education.

4 ML

2-http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal

            This link provides a platform where students can search for many source materials on any topic of interest. The website provides a search tool where the researcher enters a search term of interest. The website provides as many results as possible depending on the topic. It categorizes the results into; publication date, descriptor, source, author, publication type, education level, audience, location, law, policies, and programs, assessments and surveys, and what works clearinghouse rating. With this type of website, the students with special needs can do any research work on emotional development needs, special needs, law, business, health services, individual educational plans, personal safety, behavior, and inclusion, to mention but a few. The tool is also helpful to other students, teachers, researchers, and any person willing to do any research on any topic.

5 Week 9 ML

The results of the critical analysis give a direct insight on the types of technological methods that are perfectly integrated in many classrooms and the methods that can be used to solve both aspects of change. Digital methods of learning have been evaluated with the research coming up a comparison of the technological devices and methods that best serves the interest of the student from interactive whiteboard to videoconferencing units. The range of information covers a diversified range of information in conducting the studies. Authors point out the importance of aligning technological aspects with learning strategies. 

Using technology in classrooms is vital, teachers should use as many relevant platforms as they can to keep students interested. However, technology can increase student’s participation and productivity and at the same time helps them acquire skills and experiences in the real world. If students turn to the technology, teachers should utilize these tools to help them achieve more. Short movies, slideshows and podcasts are just a few ways that students can get hands-on experience with class projects, not to mention the creativity these tools spark.

6 KD

Summary

            Using multimedia in the classroom and as part of the curriculum can enhance the student’s learning tremendously. The two basic multimedia functions are creating digital video and creating presentations. Both of those techniques involve the use of computer programs such as Word, PowerPoint, editing applications, and features within those programs. This allows students to practice skills like organization, planning and designing, incorporating drawings or charts, and using research tools. Students can also learn how to do proper research to incorporate into their videos or presentations. Using multimedia while learning can create a fun, more engaging way to learn new material.

7 Week 10

OG

A Graphic Organizer is mainly used to facilitate the learning process, also known as

knowledge map, story map, or cognitive organizer. Educators use them to visualize,

organize, and depict relationships among and between concepts, ideas, information,

processes, systems, and problems. This type of organizers supports critical thinking in

different variety like the Circular type that is used the events that occurs in a repeated

pattern, Fish Bone type which pictures details of a complex topic, the Flow Chart that

uses different shapes to explain the steps of a process, the KWL Chart that is the ideal

to compare information and contrast knowledge, Series is a type of chart used to show

the steps, stages, or sequence of events, the Spiders Chart is remarkably similar to the

][fish bone one because they are developed around one key topic, the Star Chart, the

Timeline, the Venn, and the Web or Cluster. Graphic organizers also are useful when

brainstorming ideas, especially as part of a group project or plan. They can be used for a

variety of educational purposes, including sequencing events, analyzing cause and effect,

comparing and contrasting and developing concepts in detail, an example is that students

can use graphic organizers as part of the reading process to comprehend what they had

read and made comparisons to other pieces of writing. In general, we can conclude that

Graphic Organizers are considered a great educational tool for teachers and students

and a particularly important learning facilitator.

 

8 ML

Creating careful designs and the use of graphic organizers can help in providing important guidelines to students toward deeper understanding and learning. Keeping in view the capacities of the students, graphic organizers should draw upon what students can learn to become independent readers, active citizens, and solvers of complex problems. Many different forms of graphic organizers, each with its unique way of organizing and displaying specific information, can help students in solving their problems. Different forms such as fishbone, flowchart matrix, and series help students to better organize their thoughts, develop reading strategies, and become stronger writers. It helps to improve learning outcomes for students, review the information, and are especially helpful to students who struggle with arranging information.