Chapter 5 -- What are the advantages and features of electronic spreadsheets? How do you see them as a benefit in an educational environment?

An electronic spreadsheet allows you to “organize, input, edit, and chart data and produce accurate professional reports for any administrative task that deals extensively with numbers”. In an educational setting, one prime advantage is the ability to track and average grades. Most spreadsheets also have built-in graphing capabilities that can turn “numeric data into colorful, three-dimensional charts”. Electronic spreadsheets "provide students with a method for tracking and analyzing data and creating charts from it" and "support student research such as tracking stock market data".

With an electronic spreadsheet, as long as the data entered is accurate, the results are always accurate as well; also, it is much simpler to change just one number in an electronic spreadsheet and get brand new results than it is to be forced to manually change a number and then be forced to redo all of the calculations. The “what-if analysis” capability of an electronic spreadsheet may prove useful to many classroom teachers; when entering grades into a spreadsheet, a teacher can check to see what a student’s average would be if he or she scored 100% on the next test by entering it into a cell on the spreadsheet. Besides tracking grades, spreadsheets can also be used to chart data in a scientific experiment. Growth and change over a period of time can easily be charted this way.

Excel is probably the one component of Microsoft Office that I’ve struggled with the most in all of my years spent computing; while I can follow directions to make it do whatever it is I want it to do (which is pretty much what I spent this past summer doing, while struggling to learn SPSS), I’ve never actually fully comprehended what, exactly, is going on. Because of this, I found it particularly ironic that this topic is the one I was assigned to read and understand in a bit more depth this week.

I can certainly see how spreadsheet software could effectively be used for things like charting student progress when a student is struggling in a class, or seeing perhaps where and when the teacher may need to reevaluate her teaching methods for a particular topic in class. I am perhaps fortunate in that my school uses another software package that performs much of the grading advantages spreadsheet software offers, since actually using spreadsheet software is such a struggle for me. However, since many school districts may not have access to these packages, it is very advantageous to have a more basic program that many people have on their home computers that is capable of so much.

Chapter 4 -- What is a virtual environment? What potential does it hold for education?

A virtual environment is an environment composed of virtual reality. A combination of hardware and software works together to create a digital environment with which you can interact. It is sometimes very sophisticated, using very specific hardware; other times it is much simpler. The more complex virtual reality set up uses a headpiece and glove and allows the user to interact by simple movements; the headpiece allows the user to see what his or her hand inside the glove is doing. You are able to take virtual field trips to real or imaginary places. Sometimes this technology can be used for students to explore the Amazon or Antarctica; other times it allows students to explore things at the nuclear level. Using the virtual reality glove, things can be picked up and explored from any angle. Simple virtual environments are available all over the internet; the more complex environments are usually only available in places such as research labs.

I can see where virtual technology would be particularly useful in science and social studies classes in particular; a science student would be able to explore the ins and outs of the body’s circulatory system or participate in performing open heart surgery. The social studies student could see the Civil War up close and personal. While game systems like the Nintendo Wii offer a very limited version of virtual reality (and many people may think more of game systems than educational purposes when thinking of virtual reality), a full system with total interactivity could offer many educational benefits. Students could become fully immersed in whatever they are learning about through these types of experiences.

I can only imagine if my school had access to something of this nature. As a teacher at a relatively small, very rural school, there are many topics that my students just don’t “get” and this would allow a higher level of understanding for those topics.

oops

Groupmates:

I accidentally left my textbook at work for the weekend and I'm not quite figuring out the e-book feature, so my post for this week will be a bit late . . . I'll have it done before this time tomorrow though. Sorry!!

Chapter 3 -- Describe the role of the operating system. How does it help you interact with the computer?

A computer’s operating system is a set of programs that essentially tells the computer how to operate as a computer. It also acts as an interface between the computer and the user. It is the most important piece of software that a computer needs. Without an operating system, there is no way for the computer’s user to communicate with the computer. Microsoft Windows is probably the most popular operating system used for personal computers today.

Most operating systems have a large set of menus and icons for the user to choose what he or she wants the computer to do. The user may choose to use either a keyboard or a mouse to communicate with the operating system, which then communicates with the computer. The mouse is a “work-alike” device that moves the pointing arrow on the computer screen the way the mouse itself is moved; the keyboard can select different things by using the correct combination of keystrokes. For some operations it is also possible to enter a text command.

The operating system communicates both with the different hardware components of the computer as well as additional software applications the user may add on to the computer. In some ways, the operating system is like a language translator; it “speaks” both human language and computer language, allowing the human user to do whatever it is he or she wants to do with the computer and all of its extra hardware and software.

The operating system is also somewhat like an office coordinator; after the BIOS loads, the operating system is then in charge of making sure all of the different computer processes happen the way they need to for programs to load and music to play and documents to print. If you are opening a document file from the Internet, then Internet Explorer has to tell the operating system to open Microsoft Word so the document can open.

Operating systems are definitely a vital part of the computing experience; they have come a long way since the days of DOS and Windows 3.0, and they are constantly changing and evolving. It’s only been about twelve years since Windows 95 was released, and the changes from 95 to Vista are extraordinary. It will be interesting to see what’s next.

Chapter 2 – What is the difference between formative feedback and summative feedback?

The terms “formative feedback” and “summative feedback” give a huge clue to what the differences in the two types of feedback are. As the name suggests, formative feedback occurs during an event or process and plays a part in shaping, or forming, each step along the way. Summative feedback, on the other hand, is more a part of the summary of the event or process . . . it can play a part in shaping the process the next time through, but it’s too late to play a part in the process it’s giving you feedback on. Formative feedback requires you to check and re-evaluate after each step whereas summative feedback plays a role in your reflections once it’s all said and done. Both types of feedback are very important. Checking yourself as you go through the steps allows you to readjust your plans; however, that variety of self-evaluation isn’t as thorough because a thorough evaluation requires you to step back and reflect.

A teacher using formative feedback may choose to spend more time than originally planned covering a specific topic because the students are having trouble understanding the concept. After the lesson is complete, the teacher may use summative feedback to decide on a better way to teach it so that students understand the first time through.

I believe that using both formative and summative feedback are key to being an effective teacher. If the teacher does not readjust the lesson to accommodate student needs as necessary, the student will become hopelessly lost over time. Most education builds on prior education, and it is potentially devastating to try to build on a block that is not there. This makes formative feedback vital. Also, once a teacher has the opportunity to reevaluate the lesson, it would be senseless to continue to plan to do something that clearly failed during a previous attempt. Doing so would waste both the student’s and the teacher’s time and energy.

A wise teacher manages to monitor all students and effectively use all types of feedback to remain effective in lessons. Feedback tells the teacher how each student learns best, and when the teacher accommodates all learning styles, it allows students to keep up with the lessons and learn to the best of their ability. When students succeed, that is when the teacher knows he or she is succeeding as a teacher.

Chapter 1

I was not assigned a topic for this week’s blog, so I picked this one.

My understanding on educational technology and its relationship with teaching and learning process.

Depending on who you ask, educational technology can range from Promethean boards and a class set of laptops to something as simple as a whiteboard and a basket of markers in multiple colors. Normally, though, it refers to newer technology. Educational technology serves as a new tool for teachers to use to enhance the teaching process. Like all technology, educational technology advances rapidly and is outdated as soon as it becomes widely available.

Since all students have their own, individual learning styles, educational technology simplifies the process of allowing the classroom teacher to reach as many different students with as many different learning styles as possible. It is important for the teacher to utilize these technologies, but it is also important for the teacher not to become too reliant on the newest, greatest technology. While technology enhances the experience, it should not become a crutch.