Sarah+Peterson

toc 1201109152

=Biography=

I am a junior at the University of Kansas from Olathe. My preferred way to be contacted is through my email, which is sarahrp@ku.edu. I plan on becoming a secondary Spanish teacher somewhere in the inner city. I have worked with kids in camps of all age groups but mostly from Junior High and above.

I'd say my level of understanding and using technology is basic or a low intermediate at best. In a foreign language classroom, technology can provide a more visual and creative way to learn and improve the skills of language learners. There are many programs or websites that help with the memorization of grammatical structures and vocabulary. Recording technology also allows several ways to improve pronunciation and is one thing I would like to learn more about.

My worst experience with technology in a classroom was a teacher trying to use a smart board when writing out math equations. The reason this was so terrible was due to the fact that the writing once transfered to the screen was fairly illegible while the material was fairly important in understanding the concepts for the class. It also wasted valuable class time while he tried to make it legible.

=Assignments=

Web Exemplars
Bad: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/columbus.shtml This is a bad design because the first thing you see are ads for the website itself. So after you scroll down and actually find the part about Columbus you have fairly simple explanations of what he has done. This would be a good resource for teachers to pull from but not for kids to navigate. The information is presented without extra links for things that may not be there but does have worksheets and activities to do. The site really has very little design at all which is its biggest problem. There is all sorts of information all over the page instead of link to specific information regarding a different topic. The site does have an alphabet at the top so using it to explore several topics may be easier.

Good: http://www.columbusnavigation.com/ This is a better site because the first thing you see is a picture and main questions about things Columbus has done. Also, easier for kids to navigate themselves because the site has headings of what information is available in the site. Each section has questions regarding more specific information. The site also offers extra links for more information about Columbus. The site also has a link for awards and has been created by a historian so the information on the page can more or less be trusted.

I found both my pages by putting explorer Columbus in the search box on google.

Talk 1
It seems to me that what makes a website good in the context of having students use it would be minimal advertisements, easy navigation, and quality information. Many of the bad websites we discussed in class had tons of advertisements on the right on in the middle of the information. Another flaw was that the links on some of the websites led to advertisements and never took you to the information the links suggested. Furthermore, some sites had paragraph after paragraph of useless or inaccurate information.

Lindsay and I had the same website as our good site. I think this is due to the fact that the website has credibility, links to other websites that may be helpful, and the fact that it was not very distracting, mostly because of its simple design which some didn't like. As far as her bad site goes, I agree it's terrible. There is no information about Columbus at all within the site. None of the links take you to information and the main page is has a scroll bar for the center frame which is nothing more than a picture and some text. This site is amazingly horrible.

Inspiration and Standards




Wiki
http://petersonspanishon.wikispaces.com/

Talk 2
Most people seemed to keep their maps as clear and simple as possible, which is a good organizational tool in design. Having too many or too few choices can confuse users. Another important aspect to people's design is a place for students to find help. Be it help with technology tools, difficult areas within the subject, or simply help for assignments. Providing help and support within the wiki is a good idea so that students don't get discouraged.

The person above me included a lot of detail in their map. I liked that there was links for the technology tools the students would be likely to use. Also, the categories were clear as to where I could find the information I was looking for. However, there seemed to be a lot of material within the categories which made it hard to know where to look since there were links to certain thing in more than one place. Also, there was a travel section but no calendar included. I think that it would be good for parents and students to have a monthly calendar with up coming travel in order for them to prepare and change their schedules.

Talk 3
This essay was definitely interesting. I think he does a good job explaining the reasons behind both sides and gives reasonable evidence to support them. However, I think it is a bit out of date for present day debates. The overall ideas still apply and propose the same question. Should we question all parts or accept them blindly. I personally don't see a group answer for that though. I think it's an individuals responsibility to find the answer to his question. The essay does a good job using references as examples. So, if I where to use this in a classroom I would have the students map out the arguments using inspiration. Or have them find pictures or other materials they feel like reflect the article.

Talk 4
Name: Flashlight Problem: Generally you need batteries to operate a flashlight and you can't tell when they will be dead. Also the light tends to dim when the batteries are low. Modification: A flashlight that doesn't need batteries and can recharge itself. Universal Design: There could be a handle on the side that comes out and that you can turn in order to generate energy. The system inside would capture the energy produced and use it to produce light. That way if you are on a camping trip you don't need batteries to be able to see.

Communications
media type="file" key="entrevista.mp3"

Music videos provide examples of the many different native Spanish speaker accents, introduces students to a different cultures music, and allows them to practice comprehension skills.

media type="youtube" key="EJ7adaCpSts&hl=en" height="355" width="425"

Media
media type="file" key="picodegallo.mov"

Talk 5
My favorite aspect about the course was that it gave me the opportunity to explore new technology and how to use it to better my teaching methods. I enjoyed this because I think that it can be a useful tool when used appropriately within a classroom. My favorite part of the wiki was that I was able to do and understand all the editing. It was really easy to change things I didn't like and it also showed me how to apply a wiki to the subject I'll be teaching.