Bellin,+Christopher



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ISTC 301 **- Foundations of Instructional Technology**


 * My Annotated Website List** - [[file:annotatedwebassn.docx]]

** Responses/Reflection to Learning Styles and CAST Website Resources ** You have had time to take the personal Learning Styles survey and to reflect on your results and to explore the many resources available at the CAST organization’s website. Now, to complete this assignment, you are to prepare a **short narrative** response/reflection to the following questions. You may do this in Word, then copy and paste to **your personal page** in the course wiki ( http://istc301spring2011.wikispaces.com ). · Your entry should be posted by the beginning of class on Tuesday, March 29 **Questions to include in your narrative**: 1. In completing the learning styles survey, did you learn anything new about your personal learning style, or did the information confirm what you have already determined about how you learn best? Were there any suggestions offered for improving your study skills that you had not considered before?

A. The styles Survey that I took I learned a lot about my personal learning styles. I did however notice that I did have a lot of learning styles that I have used already and or currently while studying in school. I am a very verbal learner and I have to have someone there to teach me how to go over the information that is being presented. I have a lot of trouble taking information out of books and using towards questions about what I read. I feel that while sitting and listening to an instructor and or Professor I am gathering the information and thinking what is being told to me. It continues to stay in my mind then I take what is being presented and write down the information. I don’t lose the information because it stays fresh in my head. This is the best way that I have been learning over the years while I’ve been in school. I am also very good at hands on activities. Anything that I can do with my hands that would include computer skills or being creative. I have always been a student that cannot sit still in the seat. I have to be up doing something in the classroom in order to learn. I like when a teacher presents information in new and creative ways .Something that can grab the attention of students and have them interact with the lessons. There were suggestions that were offered for improving my study skills and they may be affective for future use. One suggestion was to instead of taking notes of the lecture I should keep a voice recorder and record the lesson as it is being presented. Then as I got home or in my free time I would listen to the tape recorder then go back and take notes. This would keep the information fresh and ready to go for the next day and even a future exam.

B. What was your overall impression of the CAST website? A. My overall impression of the Cast website was that it seemed to be a pretty useful site for teachers who need help. As I browsed through the different chapters I noticed a lot of different links and things that can guide teachers. I noticed a lot of concept maps, videos and information explaining different concept ideas. This site can be very useful for beginner teachers because it gives you so much information that you can back up on. It offers students standards, methods of teaching and materials that you can use to keep your students focused while teaching them different lessons in the classroom. The site also allows me to easily travel throughout the different chapters quickly and efficiently and to use the links that can take me to different sites that offers the information that I am seeking. This is a good site that gives help to those who can relate to the problems that they are having in the classroom. A can be a good educator by having good experience in the classroom and by getting that experience by other teachers. There is nothing like good information from a teacher that has been educating for years. This is what this site reminds me of a teacher that has a lot of experience and is sharing it with everyone on the web.

C. Did you find any interesting information in the electronic version of **//Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age//**? Describe how you might incorporate that information in your teaching. A. I did find a lot of interesting information in the Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age that will help me in the future as a teacher. Children that are growing up in this new technology age are learning lessons that are incorporated by computers, laptops, televisions, and even PowerPoint presentations. Each year in education teachers have to learn new technology advances to keep up with their students. Students are becoming more advanced and are having trouble with old learning styles. While I was in school we rarely used computers and always worked out of a book. We were given text books at the beginning of the year and then had to do assignments out of the book. Students now are using computers to find information and it said that technology is creating diverse learners. Diverse learners aim away from the books and want to be taught through the methods that they are used to. Power points and computers are their guides to get through education. As a new teacher coming to teach education in the future I need to incorporate this into my lessons. Students are having trouble learning now because teachers are trying to continue the lecture part of learning. I want to keep the lectures but to get my students to get out of their seats and be involved with the class. A student wants to come to school to learn but the best is to have that student have fun while learning. Anything that a student can interact with I will use in my classroom.

D. What was your reaction to the 2 activities in which you participated? Did you gain any new insight into your strengths and talents through these exercises? A. One activity that I participated in was the UDL Goal setter. This was set up to give you good example of what your goals are and what the best ways to achieve them would be. This was a very useful activity for not only beginning teachers but everyone that has a goal to set. You need to know a lot about different vocabulary words but once you know them the activity will come easy for you. It’s a great set up and its one of the better goal setting activities that I have participated in recently. I am trying to establish my goals and this has been the best way to sit down and think about what I need to do for the future. The second activity that I participated in was the recognition networks. The activity gives you a picture and you have to reflect on the recognition about what the picture illustrates. This allows you to get into the details of the picture and to pick out important structures that not many people see. It allows you to use your brain more efficiently. The second activity let me open up my mind and actually see different details that I wouldn’t usually catch. This allowed me to pick up a new skill and strength for future use. Details are the structure for pictures, articles, readings, and everything you can think of.

E. Many of my students have responded quite positively to the materials at CAST. How do you feel about this approach to developing differentiated instruction? A. I agree with the students because this site is a great developing start for those who run into problems starting in this profession. It’s just not a site that offers lesson plans and videos but a site that gives instruction and help. The approach of the differentiated instruction is a good start education. As the years progress students will change as well. Teachers have to learn to adapt and use those materials that the students use. This site gives teachers that objective and allows them to explore different areas to get the help they need to start to adapt to the new technology and advancements that future students are bringing. I feel that this approach is necessary because the times are changing and we must adapt to the change. Teachers rarely use books now days because they have switched to power points or computer based instructions. This gives way to new objectives in the classroom.

F. What would you like to know/explore more at CAST? A. I think I would like to explore more of the website by looking at more videos and trying to go deeper into the material that is given. For this assignment I just browsed everything and didn’t get the chance to actually go and take time for the site. I want to be able to read a lot of the information as well as looking and understanding all of the diagrams. I think I will use this site in the future because it’s a great site for help and questions that I may have in the future.


 * FIELD TRIP REFLECTION **

I thought this activity was a good idea because it lets you explore the museums around the world without even traveling to the destination. This allows students to explore the websites and learn a lot about a certain subject whether it is from Egypt or a thousand miles the other direction in a smaller town. Allowing students to explore the web gives them more freedom to learn and gives them hands on activity that they can do in the classroom. School systems now are having trouble getting students out into their surroundings and giving them that freedom of being on a fieldtrip. When I was a student growing up I can remember countless fieldtrips we took as a class anywhere from Gettysburg to Philadelphia. Field Trips are essential for education because it gets the students out of the classroom and lets them explore places other than school. Everyone can read information out of a book but it’s even better when you can go to that place that a certain artifact may be or a place in history and see it for yourself. After 9-11 things changed because security of school systems went up and they didn’t want to take children to places that were a threat. These diminished field trips so sites like these were created instead. This site allows students not to travel but to come in the classroom and be excited that they can take a virtual trip to almost anywhere they want to go. The websites offers pictures, information, interactions, and even movies to get you to feel like you are there. The site that I explored was the first one on the list and I have always been interested in Egyptian history because it’s so old. The site took me around to different links and different information. I felt like I was there looking at all of the different artifacts and sculptures. Students like these kinds of things because when they come into the classroom they look for new things to do and something that can get them away from lectures and tests. If a day was devoted to virtual field trip day I think students would be just as excited if it was a actual field trip. This way schools can save money throughout the year and allow their students to have fun without traveling. I think this is a great Idea and I was very impressed and pleased on how the sites were creating to give you that feeling of being there.

My Digital Storytelling media type="file" key="bellinmy movie_0002.wmv" width="360" height="360" align="center"

My Movie is about a deer who finds out that respect is more valuable then anything. I made this movie for a anthropology class in the highschool level. This is a folk tale so I wanted it to have a story feeling but have a meaning that was represented at the end. This program was easy to use and I would use it again in the future for other classes.