A Portfolio for Technology in EducationAMY KILLILEA

Introduction

My name is Amy Killilea. I am a student in the Bachelor Plus program at Ashland University seeking licensure as a k-12 Intervention Specialist in Education. I have previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, and currently work as a Special Education Paraprofessional in the Licking Heights School District.

This portfolio showcases coursework I completed in EDCI 505, an Introduction to Technology in Education course. Throughout the course, I learned a variety of ways to facilitate and enhance learning by integrating technology into the classroom.

For more information, please contact :

Amy Killilea

akillile@ashland.edu

Web 2.0: The Wiki

Web 2.0 describes World Wide Web sites that use technology beyond the static pages of earlier Web sites. I began my quest of learning Web 2.0 format by creating my own wiki. To begin my wiki, I created an account using the Pb Wiki program. I then created my wiki page featuring three Emergent Technologies in Education. I gave a detailed description of my selected technologies, examples of curricular activities for integrating the tools within the classroom, and technology and content standards met with the use of the tools. I was mindful to make the site visually appealing, to include references, and to use technologies other than text-based representations within the page (i.e. images, embedded videos and slide shows). To view my wiki, click on the link below or the image at the top of this page.

My Wiki

Web 2.0: The Blog

A blog (a truncation of the expression weblog) is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first). I created a my own blog with entries detailing my feelings about my experiences in EDCI 505. To read my blog, click on the image below.

Web 2.0: Glogster

Glogster is an online learning platform which provides users with digital educational content and a tool for its creation. Currently more than 17 million students and 1.9 million teachers are using Glogster EDU as an online educational system which is designed for interactive, collaborative education and is suitable for teachers, students and a school as a whole. The program aims to allow teachers to be able to access digital educational content and create projects, presentations and assignments, grade students’ work and communicate with students online. Glogster EDU enables users to combine videos, music, sounds, pictures, text, data attachments, special effects, animations and links in a Glog interface. To view my Glog featuring The Dancing Raisin Experiment, click on the image below.

Visual Learning: Graphic Organizers

Visual thinking is a learning style where the learner better understands and retains information when ideas, words and concepts are associated with images. Visual learning helps students organize and analyze information, integrate new knowledge and think critically. Graphic Organizers, diagrams and outlines are just some strategies of visual learning. Inspiration is a thinking and learning tool designed to help the user with visual mapping, outlining, writing and making presentations. For a detailed explanation of how to use Inspiration, click on the following link: Using Inspiration.

I created my own Inspiration graphic organizer comparing bacteria to viruses. To view my Inspiration graphic organizer, click on the image below.

Spreadsheets and Forms: Collecting and

Organizing Data

A spreadsheet is an interactive computer application program for organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. The user of the spreadsheet can make changes in any stored value and observe the effects on calculated values. Spreadsheets are a useful tool in the world of education, as educators are constantly collecting data, and the program makes it simple to observe how data is changing or related to other data. Google Docs offers an array of online record-keeping documents, including a spreadsheet. Click on the images below to see the documents I created using Google Docs.

PowerPoint as a HyperMedia Tool

Microsoft PowerPoint is a slide show presentation program developed by Microsoft. PowerPoint presentations consist of a number of individual pages or "slides". Slides may contain text, graphics, sound, movies, and other objects, which may be arranged freely. The presentation can be printed, displayed live on a computer, or navigated through at the command of the presenter. Many people have used PowerPoint’s functions to create a basic slide show, but PowerPoint can also be used as an interactive hypermedia tool to create non-linear hyperlinks to guide student learning. Used in this way, it can greatly benefit the teaching and learning process! Click on the image below to view the interactive PowerPoint presentation I created. Students love games, and this one is based on the T.V. game show, Jeopardy. It is designed as a unit review.

Desktop Movies

Many people are not aware that they can easily create attractive digital stories and movies right from the computer desktop for free using Microsoft Moviemaker (or a similar program). These digital creations can then be uploaded to youtube for the world to see! Educators can create engaging digital movies using a video editing program to include with their lessons. Click on the image below to view my desktop movie which is an example of how to to facilitate an elementary lesson in life science.

Web Authoring

Web Authoring is a category of software that enables the user to develop a web site in a desktop publishing format. The software generates the required HTML coding for the layout of the Web pages based on what the user designs. Typically, the user can toggle back and forth between the graphical design and the HTML code and make changes to the Web page in either the design of the accompanying code. It’s not as difficult as it sounds! There are several user-friendly platforms that enable a user to create a simple and attractive website for a variety of uses. The educator can utilize this tool for countless reasons in and out of the classroom. Click on the image below to view the website, featuring a lesson on the marine biome I created using the Weebly platform.

The Web Quest

You were first introduced to the Web Quest if you viewed the link on the previous slide. A Web Quest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. These can be created using various programs, including a simple word processing document that includes links to resource sites on the web. Click on the image below to view the Web Quest I created. This Web Quest contains the same lesson you viewed on the previous slide, but is presented on a different platform.

ConclusionThank you for taking the time to peruse my technology in education projects! I hope you have enjoyed them.

Implementation of technology in the classroom is a 21st century necessity. Here are few reasons why using technology in today’s classroom is important:

It helps prepare students for their future careers, which will inevitably include the use of wireless technology

Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles

It gives students the chance to interact with their classmates more by encouraging collaboration

Integrating technology in education everyday helps students stay engaged - students are excited about being able to use technology and therefore are more apt to learn

When mobile technology is readily available in the classroom, students are able to access the most up-to-date information quicker and easier than ever before

The traditional passive learning mold is broken

Students become more responsible - technology helps students take more control over their own learning

Students can have access to digital textbooks and other platforms that are constantly updated and often more vivid, helpful, creative, and a lot cheaper than traditional textbooks