Task 3-1 Reflection

Task 3 Questions

1.    What roles did the members of your team have this week?

        This week, from my point of view, our group did not really have assigned roles. But everyone contributed certain information. Sarah and Randy had provided resources on Problem Based Learning as well as brief descriptions of their resources. Landa took their resources and combined them to create one overall summary of  Randy, Sarahs, and Landas own resources. Rose, Landa and I also wrote the paragraph together and we took the information from Randy, Sarah and Landa, and created the paragraph that answered our principals letter. Each member had certain information to share, and we came out with a great product. 

2.    Given your role in the group this week, how did you contribute to group? 

        Since I was nominated leader of the group, I contributed by setting up a meeting time for the group, as well as editing the google doc. I had created a new forum in typewith.me for us members to meet and collaborate with each other to create the paragraph. Then after our paragraph was written, I edited the paragraph with graphics to make our paragraph visually appealing. I felt that I had contributed by talking the first step to setting up more group collaboration. 

3.    What worked well this week?

       What worked well this week was our groups constant communication. We talk constantly through our forum through the week, and if it was not for each group member checking our Laulima forum, we would not have known what needed to be done this week. Also each member knew their limitations, and stated if they had prior commitments, and we worked around them together as a group to make sure each member contributed rather than was left out of the group. What also worked was the typewith.me application. It worked with no flaws and helped the group members create the paragraph together and instant messaging  helped with with all the group members communicate while creating the paragraph. 

4.    What will you do differently next time? 

       Next time, the only thing I would want to do differently is maybe incorporate a voice chat, rather than an instant message chat. That way communication can be more efficient and the discussion of the assignment can continue smoothly. 

Ala `Ike Task 2 Deliverable Part II

Debrief Activity Questions:

• Having completed this review of a web 2.0 tool would you use this tool in your classroom?
• After completing my ScreenR about typewith.me, I definitely plan to use this tool in my classroom. It gives me proof that my students are collaborating together to complete a common goal. Not only am I able to see a final product, but I am also able to see how much each student contributed to the document. It gives me a reassuring feeling that in a group, not only one student did the whole project, but there was an equal amount of work done by each student which will help me in the end determine a participation grade for the group and group members. 
• Prior to this activity, how did you typically select website or tools to use?
• Prior to this activity, I actually never have used online websites or tools. If I was to research tools or websites, I would actually go and Google a certain criteria that I am looking for. I never knew that there were websites that were dedicated to online websites and tools to use for student learning. 
• Do you have any ideas, comments or feedback on improving the web 2.0 tool selection process?
• When selecting a web 2.0 tool, I would only suggest that as teachers we should check out the program first before introducing them to students. One problem I ran into with the typewith.me, was that it was not an updated version. After I did my ScreenR, I found that there is a better site that operates just like Typewith.me. It allows users to communicate on a faster interface, as well as holds a history for the teacher to view. So in the process, teachers should try out the tool first and make sure it works properly before bringing it into the classroom. 

Week 9 Current Event: Academic Software

Group 5: Pandas
Sarah, Yolanda, Kortnee, Randolph, Mary Rose

Academic software comes in many forms. The different forms that academic software comes in would be Desktop Publishing, Graphics, Reference, Tutorials and Drill-and-Practice, Educational Games, SImulations, Authoring Systems, Special Needs, and Integrated Learning Systems. The purpose of academic software is to improve student learning through various mediums. Thgrough the mediums, the students are more engaged and interactive in the content and lesson, rather than sitting and reading through a book.

This week in Pandnation we have decided to focus in on Simulations. Simulations not only create a safe enviornment for student learning, but also serve as a medium for students to interact with their content,rather than learn skills from a textbook. Each member in our group has never really had experience in a classroom using Simulations, but we all see the benifits that simulations can have on student learning. One of the benifits include students being able to interact with enviornments that may be out of reach for some students. One example of this, would be flight simulations. Most companies will not allow new piolts to fly a $500, 000 plane, but with flight simulations, the new piolts life is not in danger and flight schools can save on money if the piolt crashes the plane during simulation, there is no actual damage done to the practice planes. Real life simulations can also be used in the classroom.One way to show the students the effects of natural disasters is through Simulations. The students can learn how weather can destroy lands, with out actually going out and destroying property. This can help the students visualize what it would be like to go through and live through a natural disaster.

Overall, us Pandas believe that simulations are a new type of academic software, but it is most benificial to student learning because the students are able to learn through simulated experiences.

Ala `Ike Task 1:Deliverable Part II

Debrief Activity Questions: 

• Prior to this activity did you use any of these software tools?  If so which ones.
• As I stated in my narrative, I did not use these tools before. I was unfamiliar with that Diigo was, Twitter, Google Reader and IGoogle. I thought that they were just used for social networking, but not necessarily to be used to find educational resources, or organize educational resources. So finding these tools are very helpful in gaining information, and sharing information. 
• Do you plan to continue managing the news resources that you have gathered in your personal learning network?
• After gaining all the news resources from Google Reader, Diigo, and Twitter, I will definitely use it within my personal learning network. I have been out of the news loop since being in school and working a lot, that with constant news updates pertaining to education will be very useful in my own personal network. 
• Do you think that a refined personal learning network would be valuable to a new teacher? 
• A refined personal learning network should be very valuable to a new teacher. Education systems are changing with new regulations, technology and student demographics. Even though teachers can have meetings about the changes, having the instant notification of change can help the new teacher prepare for what will be happening in the future of their career  Not being informed will only hurt the new teacher, and may even lead to the new teacher to burning out early in their career. 
• Share the web address url of your ScreenR presentation.
• I believe that my web address url for my ScreenR Presentation is http://screenr.com/Cri8.