Digital Badge #C

One of the first issues tackled in this chapter was the science of learning, and research supporting it. This, and the psychology implied by it, has always been a subject of particular interest for me. I consider it to be the teacher's responsibility to stay up-to-date on the most current psychology pertinent to the field. As such, I have found a copy of How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School online in it's entirety and look forward to working my way through it in coming weeks. I think I will have to start an offshoot blog to publish my reflections on this subject in a more in-depth manner.
Another section of the chapter highlighted technology's ability to foster communication and collaboration. I enjoyed reading about John Dewey's observations about the "outer" and "inner" attention of students. The communicative and collaborative aspects of technology allow the teacher to engage the students on the deeper, "inner" level. Today's technology allows students to discover the material for themselves, and to use the material to tackle issues that they and their classmates pose. This student-centered approach will be much more effective than some boring professor droning on and on about something that does not interest the student in the least.
Yet another section discussed creativity as a valued talent for workers, but also one that is not easily found. The open-ended nature of many technological applications helps to not only develop creativity in students, but also to showcase it. In this way, an applicant can display his or her creative skills to a potential employer or college admission board. When a student is made to become familiar with emerging technologies, or is forced to show off the skills already possessed, then that student's desired future becomes that much more attainable.
To go along with this chapter, I made a short quiz on Kahoot!. Unfortunately, I could not find an embed code from the site, so I had to brush up on the ol' HTML/Javascript and make my own. My embedded frame will follow, but in case I don't get it to work correctly (as I suspect will happen), this is a link to my quiz. Enjoy!
Additionally, it will require a second device (such as a phone or tablet) to act as the test taker. Or this will open a popup that should act as a second device. I positioned the popup on my second monitor and eventually got it all to work.

Digital Badge #B

I enjoyed reading about the three future teachers at the beginning of this second chapter. I most identified with Ava, who claimed she was interested in bringing technology into the classroom, but was wary about her students being more technically savvy than herself. This made a lot of sense to me at first, having noticed the "digital disconnect" between myself and even those who are only a few years younger than I. When I put more thought into it, however, I remembered that while I may have been more savvy than my teachers growing up, this did not stop them from using tools of which I was unaware. I then attributed it to a difference in the subject matter that we were pursuing, and this still makes sense to me. I was busy teaching myself to get around school district firewalls (a practice that managed to get me suspended in middle school) and playing games, while my teachers were finding ways to better my education. This same idea will allow me to bring things to the classroom that my students have never seen before, even if they know their way around a computer better than I do.I also got excited while reading about apps for various subjects and education levels. In addition to encouraging my students to use some of these apps, I can even see myself developing them to accomplish very specific goals in my curriculum. These apps can make the learning fun, and really "gamify" the education process, a movement which I intend to be as involved with as humanly possible.
For the third concept, I chose the digital disconnect, which is documented at the end of the chapter. To illustrate, and to practice with a new web tool, I made a short comic strip on Toondoo. I think that I managed to convey my point to some degree, but also became quite frustrated with the lack of technical options (such as adding additional tiles). I realize that I can do much better with a bit more practice, but am mildly satisfied with my first attempt. I feel that it was a good experience, and it is something I will keep in mind in the future. Here it is:

Resource:
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Badge #A

The first concept to catch my attention was the pervasion of digital media in the lives of children. Specifically, the amount of time spent with/on technology by children as young as five. Not too many years ago, this would have been an appalling statistic, but I think society is doing well in acknowledging the benefits of growing up amidst so much technology. While there are still merits to a parent telling his or her child to "just go outside," I think it can be quite beneficial to the child to become as familiar as possible with digital media as it becomes age-appropriate. Regardless of your attitude toward the facts, however, they are still facts. The younger generations are becoming increasingly technologically inclined, and if we, as teachers, want to catch their attention, we will have to keep up. If they are spending their lives immersed in technology, then we must use technology to reach out to them, or all of our painstakingly crafted lesson plans and years of education will be in vain.

I thought the sections about technology-based libraries and technology-based textbooks were extremely appealing. I found myself getting incredibly excited about using some of these tools to better myself as a teacher and to reach out to my students more effectively. As I write this, I am creating an account on Delicious so I can begin to accumulate information and stay as current as possible. Wow, I just got distracted looking at free resources for math teachers on TeachersPayTeachers. I need to move on.

This brings me to the third concept. Since reading the section about "building your digital identity as a teacher," I have already begun to do so. I am looking forward to using the activities at the end of each chapter to help in developing my digital identity. I feel that demonstrating a well-rounded knowledge of technology will be extremely beneficial to my students. It is my intention to accumulate as many resources as I can to help my students with tough concepts. I remember a middle school teacher of mine who had his own website for the class (practically unheard of all those years ago), and that one aspect alone has made him stand out in my mind as one of my favorite teachers. I hope to be as memorable as he was when I am teaching.

In conclusion, I actually enjoyed reading the introductory chapter. I can't ever recall becoming excited while reading a textbook, so I look forward to all that this class has to offer.

Resources:
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.