Online Collaboration Tools

Google Docs is a great way to collaborate across distance and time. I used Google Docs with my classmates to work on a project for another course.
The project is a debate about what is the best using a laptop or tablets in the classroom. My classmates and I suggest using Google Docs to prepare for the debate.

Here is the link for the debate

This is one more Google Docs I shared it with my classmate Haifa.

We shared different of images that remained us of our country Saudi Arabia.

We hope to visit us in our page to see those images

Here is the link to Google Docs Page

Week 5 Reflection

According to “Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology” by Reiser and Dempsey who review the history of instructional media and the history of instructional design. I conclude from this chapter that is the effective use of media for instructional purposes requires a careful instructional planning which has a significant impact on the instruction process.

If I assume that I was assigned as one of the evaluators for the project that is providing teachers and students with 24/7 access to laptops, curriculum materials, and wireless Internet service throughout the year. As a result, I assume the innovation had very little effect on the manner in which instruction was presented in the teachers' classrooms. The administration asks me to examine how this innovation and change the way instruction was presented in the classrooms of the four teachers who were involved in the project.

There are two essential reasons for the project described above had very little effect on the instructional practices employed by the teachers. The first reason fails the project due to lacking the preparation for both teachers and students. I believe that teachers should attend an intensive program or internship that includes a proper approach to use Internet capabilities and how to teach that information to students. In my opinion, using technology surprisingly is tricky and hard for teachers to understand, need more time to get acclimated on using it, and implement without synthesis of use of the technology. Moreover, students too need to an orientation about this project, which offers a simple introduction to technology, features of using the Internet, and how to use those benefits to improve their progress.

The second reason of why the integration did not have a great effect is due to a shortage of the communication between instructors and students. Once this communication process is lacking, the atmosphere of necessary interactive teaching and learning will be missing too, and thereby the eventual results would not be in line with the expected outcomes. I believe that instructors should provide a space for cooperation among them, which could help students to be familiar with using the Internet and engaged in learning.

On the other hand, there are two strategies that could have been employed to help mitigate the factors that I think contributed to the minimal effect this project had on instructional practices. The first strategy is creating a good plan that contains guidelines for students and teachers, a professional development program for teachers before applying the project and using a gradual development from easy to difficult for students.

The second strategy that I think it will contribute success the project is to design an interactive environment that ensures participation all students and keeping them interested and excited to work harder to get the desired result. Nowadays, I think the social media programs are the most likable and familiar way between young students to engaged them to learn.

In conclusion, the Internet is a great feasible way of achieving the results in this changing environment by implementing simple strategies. I support totally that the Internet contributes to examples of improved performance in the classroom and on the job site in order to the features that offers them for an audience.

Week 4 Reflection

According to “Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology” by Reiser and Dempsey who try to represent the natural progression of using technology for learning purposes over the years. They mention several definitions of educational technology, which describe the changes that happened in understanding, analyzing, and development the term of education technology.

Actually, before reading this chapter, I thought that educational or instructional technology is limited by only using technology in the classroom such as computers, videos, CD-ROMS, overhead and slide projectors and other types of hardware and software. However, after reading this chapter, I discovered these are only instructional media, which was significant information for me.

Moreover, I was surprised by the definitions that being presented in the book. The definitions were much broader and complicated than I imagined. The definition of educational or instructional technology has changed many times over years and that there still is not a clear and precise definition of education or instruction technology. Also, the goal of using the technology in the education field changed many times among facilitating learning, improving performance, and motivating students. As well, I was surprised to learn that even in the 1920s there was a field that would later be defined as instructional design and technology. The first terms I heard expressed that involved technologies used in just the field were audio/visual technologies.

I believe that modification that happened in the educational technology field is normal because the technology is developing every day, so, of course, the definitions also change.

In future, I hope to create a class web page to connect students on one page such as wiki or blog. I believe those websites are a great way to integrate technology in the classroom and develop student knowledge. It encourages students to talk together and being more effective in their performances. Also, that will help me much in publishing some illustrative pictures or video, post announcements and publish their grades.

Further, I will provide an opportunity for students in the class to submit their work in class online. Too, I will give them a chance for ten minutes in class search about a topic that related to a lesson. Then, I will ask them to summarized information and stating what they learned. So, search skill is useful for students to carry a responsibility and control of their learning. 

Another method that I hope to apply it is including a fun or entertainment space by using technology. I think students feel bored of writing, reading, or watching something. So, I will ask a help from some educational technology experts to assist me in creating games or competitions that engage students to be more active.

Apparently, it is not an easy task to decide if the authors missed something because I am a science education student and this course is elective, I think I am not fully aware of the concepts highlighted by all definitions to determine if the information missed something or not.

Although chapter one was filled with historic information, but it provides me with fundamental information that helps me to formulate overview about educational technology.

Google Maps

This is a location of Mövenpick Beach Resort Al Khobar.

Video

This is my best place to spend relaxation time with my family.

Static Images

This is an image for my hometown in Saudi Arabia 

Week 3 Reflection

My first impressions of using a blog, Socrative/Poll Everywhere, and setting up a Wiki in the last week is really interesting to three major factors. Creating a blog was an enjoyable experience because I was familiar with famous bloggers; however, I did not think before this assignment creating a blog in order I thought it is a complex issue. But I found it as a useful tool to publish anything you want whether diary, articles, or own experiences. Second, Socrative website surprised me because it is a new for me and I like the advanced technology that saves the time of teacher and creating a new method to take quizzes by connecting learning to technology. Although, I had some problems during setting up a quiz, but it was easy to use it later. Third, setting up a Wiki in the last week was a great experience because I learned something new and I am excited to apply it in future.

According to the two readings for this week, actually, both of them gave me clear perspectives on how we can integrate teaching with using technology and let me think about the strengths of online tools that help a teacher in the education field.

After reading Dale’s “Cone of Experience”, I conclude that Blogs and wiki could be placed at “Contrived Experiences” stage of the cone for two causes. First, I believe those technologies will learn students how to use the technology and the concept or idea of a lesson. As the author mention, “the Cone may help (us) to choose the instructional materials that are most appropriate for the particular topic (we wish to teach)”. I support that totally because I learned the little differences in the education can change major things in the learning process. To be more clearly, I mean that blog can use into several categories depending on how I used it. For instance, if a video is posted to a blog, it can represent the dramatized experience, visual demonstrations, educational TV, and motion pictures. If pictures are attached, it can represent still pictures and visual symbols. As a result, moving from stage to another in Cone of Experience creates changing in tools, methods, and result.

Moreover, when students use those websites and interact with them that might be placed in the phase of “Direct Purposeful Experience” resources, in order to the students make an interaction with other students and their teacher. Also, that will create a connection through other media with other students to widen their educational environment.

Further, the second reading “Falling Asleep at Your Keyboard: The Case for Computer Imagination” by Siegel who describes a concept he coined called “computer imagination”. The author attracts my attention to advantages of using technology in the education. Also, I conclude the students can play an essential role in their learning by control their own learning through interaction with each other or with the program, device, or app.

Likewise, there are several ways that I could use these technologies within the classroom that is related with Siegel’s ideas of computer imagination. For instance, in the assignment for this week, I learned about using Socrative which I will apply it in the future by creating short quizzes for students to take them online which give me instant results. Of course, it is a great tool for using as formative assessments and I am able to immediately which illustrates the progress of students. Also, Socrative supports me by a report about grades of students in charts. I like it because it saves time and effort of the teacher. Also, students will motivate for their quizzes and homework in order development the way of working to a contemporary lifestyle.