Jeopardy

Using different types of teaching methods is essential in memory retention for the curriculum of most courses. A free, easy, and quick way to construct a game has been developed for teachers by JeopardyLabs. Using a simple technique like this in the classroom helps students feel more involved with their material in environments where there are few ways to get students involved in a hands-on way in the classroom. The use of these technologies is helping teachers incorpate traditional methods with new technolgies and techniques.

View my Jeopardy Game "Intro to Management Part 1" Here

Sample:
This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 2d: d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching This goal is accomplished by providing us with the digital tool to engage our students in a fun learning assessment that we can utilize to evaluate our student-learning.

Jing Screencast

Jing is an innovative program that not only allows users to capture images from their screen but to create videos from their monitor as well. These can be extremely useful for creating tutorials or demonstrating processes. Jing incorporates the microphone so you can choose to commentate your video.
The Jing icon has 3 tools that appear when appear when you place the cursor over the small sun icon. The first tool is the capture icon and after you select the icon you can choose the size of your recording area. Jing has a unique way of selecting the recording area, you can simlply click an open window and Jing will record a video of that size or you can click and drag the cursor with the select tool that will allow you to create a video any height and width you choose.
After recording, you can save the screen cast by choosing share- to save the file publicly to a website (mine is http://screencast.com/t/jkRZ5WtoDdQ) or you can save it to your own computer with the save option where you can access it from your local files and folders (my file location/name is C:\Documents and Settings\Trixie\Desktop\Spring12\Pierce\jing\Add_Text_in_Photoshop.swf)- and is saved as a shockwave flash video (swf). You can also access the collection of your screencasts from the second tool on the Jing sunshine icon "History".
The third icon on the Jing sun is called "More" and allows you to access the preferences and help tools.

View my screencast to learn how to incorporate text onto a picture using Photoshop!

This activity most closely relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 3c: 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats This goal is accomplished by providing us with different tools to use to communicate information to others in digital formats.

Personality Post 2

The previous guess I made at determining my personality was pretty close. I retook the MBTI test and came out as an INFJ again. The description is as close to me as any psychologist could come after studying me for years, and this test matches it within 72 short yes or no questions. It's pretty amazing.

I am glad that the career matches suggest becoming an educator more than once. I really feel that becoming a teacher is just part of me and who I am. Knowing my strengths and my true personality better, it helps me to understand just why I am drawn to teaching. Also, it helps me to put better use to my strengths knowing that they are in fact part of who I am. Also, it helps me to realize who I am not so that I do not try to incorporate things that I would feel uncomfortable with into my life and classroom.

I would like to include the links to the two personality type descriptions for INFJ's: Kiersey's Idealist Portairt of the Counselor and J. Butt and M.M. Heiss's INFJ Type Description. This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 2c: 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS·S. c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources This goal is accomplished by providing us with online tools to assess our individual learning styles and allowing us to reflect on how personality styles effect our learning and working styles.

Personality Post 1

I love the Meyers-Briggs personality evaluations. I have recently completed this survey for another course, and am an INFJ through and through. After reading the article about the foundations of the test, I would have chosen the letters INFP, but knowing my personality previously I am certain the INFJ is completely correct for me.

I would choose INFP for myself because I am definitely an introvert- the complete opposite of extroversion. It's not that I'm extremely shy or don't engage in open conversation with others, but I do not put myself out everywhere I go nor do I enjoy large crowds of people. I am N (intuition) because even though my "sensing" is pretty on track, I always am looking for the meaning behind just about everything. For me, it's not so much the surface value or any one thing or person, it's everything behind it that makes the difference. And for my decision-making, I work the same way- by feeling versus thinking. What I know by intuition cannot be communicated logically into thought, so therefore I go by my heart or guts rather than my brain. Like the article above pointed out, I can be wrong or miss things due to the fact that I add meaning and choose feeling above rational, thoughtful, or logical means. The last letter J or P- judging or perceiving the outside world. I would like to say that I am open to the world around me and welcome it to come and go as it pleases- that's why I chose P for my final letter. But, in reality, I think that I like a certain consistency and enjoy knowing what I am walking into, so I think that my previous test results were more accurate.

Using INFP as my hypothetical personality, I read the personality type for "healer" (INFP) to see how close that description would match myself- and I was surprised to hear just how close this description was. I definitely am an idealist at all costs, which most of the description is focused on. I disagree that I lived my childhood in a fantasy-reality where I felt like a princess with my head in the clouds, I was not raised that way nor do have I felt that way. I would like to include one paragraph from the article that eluded to the other parts of my personality very well:

"At work, Healers are adaptable, welcome new ideas and new information, are patient with complicated situations, but impatient with routine details. Healers are keenly aware of people and their feelings, and relate well with most others. Because of their deep-seated reserve, however, they can work quite happily alone. When making decisions, Healers follow their heart not their head, which means they can make errors of fact, but seldom of feeling. They have a natural interest in scholarly activities and demonstrate, like the other Idealists, a remarkable facility with language. They have a gift for interpreting stories, as well as for creating them, and thus often write in lyric, poetic fashion. Frequently they hear a call to go forth into the world and help others, a call they seem ready to answer, even if they must sacrifice their own comfort." This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 2c: 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS·S. c. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources This goal is accomplished by providing us with online tools to assess our individual learning styles and allowing us to reflect on how personality styles effect our learning and working styles.

Jing Image

Jing is an excellent program that is used to capture images with easy sharing capabilities. Jing is free and easy to use. With the ability to instantly create links to your images, sharing has never been easier. All you have to do is take a screenshot using Jing's capture tool, use the available tools to enhance your image if you prefer, and click "share". And, viola! The image is available to pass on to your friends, classmates, coworkers,etc.



My screencast is an image of the Photoshop work-space. I chose to do a brief overview of Photoshop because I am earning a Computer Science Education degree, and this is one of the programs that I will be introducing my students to.

Test Questions:
1. The two types of files that come from Jing are: png (portable network graphic) for images and swf (shockwave flash) for video.
2. You save the images to your computer by clicking the save icon with a picture of a disk on it. It defaults to the "My Pictures" folder on my computer but you can change the location.
3. You can access your Jing history by going to the sunshine icon for Jing and selecting the middle option which displays the history.
4. Screencasting allows you to capture or record the selected area of your screen to save it and/or share it with others.
5. There are two options to import Jing images into the blogs. First, you can upload the saved png file using bloggers "Add Image" tool or you can insert a link to the image.
6. You can publish your Jing image by clicking "Share" which provides you with a website link to your work.
7. You can share those images with others by giving them the link that was created when you selected share. This activity most closely relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 3c: 3. Model Digital Age Work and Learning Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats This goal is accomplished by providing us with different tools to use to communicate information to others in digital formats.

Word Clouds

The NETS T Standards of 2000 focused on teaching students how to use different types of technology and to get an overview of many different programs that provide suitable and accurate ways to perform specific activities. The focus on providing a diverse environment with a variety of technological tools.





In 2008, the NETS T Standards have evolved into even greater diversity of applications. The new focus is to apply the use of technology to a vast variety of applicable purposes. The standards are more geared to engage students in learning how to use technology to expand their abilities and problem solve- pointing students towards an abundant amount of resources that promote and exhibit the students expanding opportunities in both a professional and educational world.




Visit the 2000 Word Cloud or the 2008 Word Cloud that were created using Wordle. This activity most closely relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 1c: 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes This goal was accomplished by providing us with digital tools in enhance our ability to clarify and simplify complex concepts while presenting them in a visually stimulating manner.

Millennials and the New-Aged Mindset

According to the How Millennial Are You? survey by Pew Research Center, I fit 89% in the Millennial qualities. Considering that the students I am going to be teaching are Millennials as well, this means that I should be able to relate and understand their overall beliefs and views of society to help make the classroom a more comfortable environment. Being able to identify with the students at a generational level would make me seem more approachable to them because they have a more clear idea of what to expect.
To find out what results from a different generation, I had my mother take the same quiz mentioned above and she got scored a 3%. Even though she was born in 1962 and was born at the end of the baby boomer stage, according to her generational age from the survey, she belongs to a generation before the Silent generation that started in 1928.
And for curiosity, I had my fiance who is the same age as I am take the quiz, and he scored the exact same result I did (89%).

According to the article, The Information Age Mindset: Changes for Students and Implications for Higher Education by Jason L. Frand, there are 10 characteristics that make up "the information-age mindset", as follows:
1. Computers aren't technology- Considering technology as anything that is new or has come around since my birth, technically computers are not technology. My father was a computer repairman and a computer teacher at Fairmont State when I was born in 1987, and I have been around computers all my life. I do remember when we first used Windows, and changed everything about the computer from before. So, I think I still consider computers new technology because of all the advancements since I first used them. Nowadays, computers come in all shapes and sizes and are found in just about every job. I have to disagree and say that computers are technology for the Millennials in the sense of all the advancements that have been and keep coming around.
2. Internet is better than TV- I agree completely with this attitude. The Internet is an engaging activity, and full of information. While it is true that there is a lot of "information" that is passed as fact, it can be hard to determine the quality of the information that the web user is receiving (But there is a wealth of quality information for those users who know how to differentiate and validate sources). Regardless, the Internet is a valuable research tool, and allows users to engage in socializing, creating, and exploring. Internet is definitely better than TV.
3. Reality is no longer real- This argument claims that we can't believe anything we see or hear because we have such extreme data-manipulation capabilities that we cannot rely on information, pictures, audio, video, or much of anything else to be true. That part of the argument is real and I totally agree with that. But to go as far as to say reality isn't real anymore is too far of a stretch for me. Reality to me is the real world, away from social websites, the media, and information from the Internet as a whole. Reality that I have everyday with my kids and my world around me is as real as ever.
4. Doing rather than knowing- Here, the author is conveying that just knowing a lot of facts and information doesn't get you ahead. To stay on top in the working world today, a person must be able to use and to adapt to the many changes in information. We are becoming a globalized society where the information is shared in real-time and being able to make quick decisions, work through changes, and stay on top "doing" is the bigger value compared to "knowing." I would agree with this one a lot. I would also like to add that with the wealth of information available at our fingertips, "doing" definitely is the better skill to possess in this age.
(Although, my brother is a quantum/theoretical physicist with minimal "doing" skills and is a very big asset to our society)
5. Nintendo over logic- The trial-and-error approach to problem solving with the new-aged mindset is being questioned. Can people with the new-aged mindset use other types of problem solving skills such as research and study? I think so. So, while I can see that they are saying that people with this new-aged mindset are quicker to jump into things and learn by trial-and-error, I think that there is first a thought process of how much there is to lose by the error. I think if it comes to a situation with an ample amount of time and a significant loss for error, then these same people would not carelessly choose to make too quick of a decision.
6. Multi-tasking way of life- I think that the author hit the nail on the head here. There is so much going on all at once and we have become habitual multi-taskers at the cost of focus and quality.
7. Typing rather than handwriting- I am stuck right in the middle. I think that there is nothing more sincere than a handwritten letter, but nothing more handy than a word processor for homework. I choose based on the purpose. The author here feels he can more easily compose poetry with a word-processor than a typewriter. I write a lot of poetry and have always preferred a pencil and paper over anything typed.
8. Staying connected- The author is conveying the idea that because the availability of real-time socializing abilities whether at home, at work, or on the go have changed the way we do just about everything. I am fairly guilty of this very concept. I admit I leave my cell phone on "vibrate" in class so in case I need to be reached (because I have children) I stay available. It drives me crazy when my phone dies or I am forced to turn it off because I never know what I'm missing or if I'm needed to act at any certain moment.
9. Zero tolerance for delays- People are becoming more and more expectant to have our wants met with a certain frame of immediacy in all different aspects of our lives. Having the ability to send information in real-time, web users expect quick responses to emails, etc. I expect a certain amount of time to be allotted for responding but I think that I am fairly tolerant in this area.
10. Consumer/creator blurring- For those of us with the new-aged mindset, there is a very thin line for the ownership of intellectual property- whether that property is music, pictures, videos, thoughts, words, software, etc. We see something we like, we want it so we take it. I think it was interesting how the author brought up how some companies open their products for beta-testing, and allow the consumers to take part in the development of the product, therefore blurring ownership lines that much more. I can't say I've never been guilty of this exact thing, but knowing that this is the way the world works, it makes me skeptical to put my own creativeness on the Internet.

This information may have been presented a little bit harshly for those of us in the categories of "new-aged mindset" or "millennials", but I think that both of these sites are credible in pointing out just how different my generation is. It doesn't mean that we are doomed or even worse than any of our predecessors, just different. Our generation will be one of life-long learning. The skill-sets that are needed to be taught will be different for just that purpose. We are no longer studying to do one certain thing for the rest of our lives. We are learning to adapt, to act, and to survive in a world that is constantly changing and demanding new things from us. This activity most closely relates to the ISTE NETS T Standard 4a: 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. a. Advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources This goal was accomplished by having us read and report on digital articles and properly site our research.