Final Education Technology and

Design Portfolio for EDST/FOCI

218:

Student Name: Lauren Fenato

Student Number: 10000097
Professor: Richard Reeves

Due Date: April 30th 2016

Contents
Entry 1: September Perspective on Educational Technology Use.............................3
Entry 2: October Reflection on Growth.....................................................................3
Entry 3: November - Reflection about Tech in teaching..............................................3
Entry 4: April Reflection on Growth Throughout the Course.....................................4
Entry 5: April Connection between Alt Prac and Course Focus.................................4
Activity 1: Technology and Me Mind Map (September 2 nd; 9th 2015)........................6
Activity 2: Forms of Student Expression Comic Strips..............................................7
Activity 3: Create a Sketchup Object..........................................................................8
Activity 4: 3D Printed Artifact..................................................................................... 8
Reading Reflection 1: Smartboard and Interactive Whiteboards................................8
Reading Reflection 2: Games and Immersive Simulations..........................................9
Reading Reflection 3: Reading An Educational Framework for Digital Manufacturing
in Schools................................................................................................................... 9
Reading Reflection 4: Collins Chapter Enthusiast about Technology.........................9
Reading Reflection 5: Maker Movement Blog Post......................................................9
Reading Reflection 6: Computers in Classroom A Scandalous Waste.......................9
Additional Postings:.................................................................................................. 10
The Song Remains the Same:................................................................................10
Not What but How Design wise Educational Technology.............................10
Kahoot Technology Presentation............................................................................10
Socrative Presentation.......................................................................................... 11
Comic Life First Day Fears Creation....................................................................11
Tumble Books:....................................................................................................... 12
Technology in the Classroom End of Course Reflection.......................................12

Entry 1: September Perspective on Educational

Technology Use (Posted September 9 2015)
th

Technology within the educational system has since I was in high school seen a radical shift in the acceptability and
extent of incorporation, which has led to technology becoming the apex method of engaging students. This rapid
growth however, has led to many clear deficits in the implementation skills and design applications, resulting in
many teachers falling behind with this movement. I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to engage
in the practical application of educational technology design through many of my practicums as well as my own
teaching experiences at Brandon University. Even within this period however, the methods, and forms of technology
used have altered, requiring constant improvement. That being said however, much of my own experiences with this
process have been focused on computer-centric programming, which although useful, does not provide a very
holistic understanding of the potential of educational technology.
As such, it is my hope that this course will assist in not only formally demonstrating how to engage in the design
process, but will open up the possibility for more diversified technology awareness and competency. With such a
simultaneously disconnected and interconnected student body however, I also feel that it would be important to
understand the limitations technology has within the classroom as a highly individualistic approach to learning.
Understanding of how to utilize technology in a group or a larger body would prove to be extremely beneficial in
developing critical communication and social skills while ensuring that the students remain technologically literate.
Therefore, I believe that currently my outlook towards educational technology is predominantly positive, although I
do recognize that there are limitations and challenges that come with utilizing this form of design within the
classroom and am excited to learn about how others view these issues.

Entry 2: October Reflection on Growth

In EDST and FOCI thus far, I feel that I have had an excellent opportunity to develop an understanding of the
various perspectives and factors that have helped to shape and influence the way that technology is used within the
classroom. From the initial presentations of a program or app that we have had, I feel as though many of them are
tools which I will be hopefully try to implement within this next practicum block. The one that has shown the most
promise so far has been Kahoot and the Smart Ideas 5 both of which could help to engage and organize the students.
One of the biggest challenges I have come to understand after this course block is that while in theory there is an
infinite number of avenues for incorporating technology in the classroom, the challenge for teachers remains that it
needs to supplement and assist rather than be there simply for the sake of being able to incorporate it. Perhaps the
most valuable skill that I was able to begin developing was the ability to take risks with different technology and to
not only learn about how best to utilize it, but also how to learn from the mistakes made with the type of technology.
One of the areas that I am hoping to work on in the future when we come back from practicum is to continue to
work on developing technology skills for my teaching tool kit, whether it is from the group presentations or more
work with the design process. Another area that I am hoping to work on is how to effectively integrate the types of
technology into the lessons and to be able to effectively explain and demonstrate the use of technology to the
students. This I know will come with time and perhaps from working on my practicum, but overall I am very excited
about the prospects that this class will have when we return in December.

Entry 3: November - Reflection about Tech in teaching

Pre-Practicum Expectations:
Prior to going on my practical placement to La Salle Secondary, I am hoping that I will be able to implement unique
and diverse lessons using a multitude of technology and applications to make history more engaging. My aim during
this would to be examine how effective different programs are with different learners and how best to engage them
with material. The materials I hope to find in my classroom would include; Smartboard, computers, video devices, a
projector, Ipads/computers.
I believe that the incorporation and adaptation of technology into the classroom is a vital skill that new teachers need
to have a grasp on prior to entering into the education system due to the fact that many of our learners are
continuously plugged in to their devices. While cell phones are a useful tool when doing certain activities, they
can also be a highly effective disengagement tool for students to remove focus from the class to their devices. I am
hoping that in my time in the classroom I will be able to effectively balance the students use of devices with their
learning experience.
Post Practicum Reflection: November 25th 2015
When I arrived at La Salle Secondary, it became immediately apparent that the school had indeed focused on
developing accessibility to technology within the classroom. They had available 2 complete labs, two laptop carts, a
set of ipads for the whole school of 800 students. In my own classroom the set up consisted of an Elmo, Smartboard,
VHS/DVD player, and a specified teacher computer. While this set-up was ideal for testing many of the programs,
the biggest concern however was the internet. On the best of days you had to have your doors open, students
gathered by the entrances attempting to log-in and receive some form of accessibility; despite the wireless router
being directly outside our door. This lack of consistent access proved extremely disruptive to my endeavours to
engage the students with these new applications. More often than not, lessons that required the playing of a Youtube
video or some form of online component would have to be either loaded in 2 periods prior to classes (which for my
first period meant coming in up to an hour and a half) before it began, or abandoning the endeavour and returning to
more conventional means of presenting information. I felt that while the school was beginning to gain technology,
their ability to implement in the classroom was stifled by the lack of internet.
In my own teaching, I was able to develop a more comprehensive awareness about numerous programs such as
Nearpod, Kahoot, Smartboards, and Elmo. I would say the biggest problem that I encountered in respects to
technology was focused on the smartboard and its applications. Many of the students had a more comprehensive
understanding of how to use this technology and while it was extremely informative retrospectively, the students
time and the effectiveness of the lesson was decreased because of the lack of training I felt I had on this particular
version of the device.
Overall, I thought that these challenges were eye-opening to the conditions and experiences of teachers within the
classroom. I often take for granted the extent to which universities and us as university students have available in
comparison. From this experience, my expectations and requirements for lesson planning and development of
teaching styles has severely altered from pre-practicum expectations.

Entry 4: April Reflection on Growth Throughout the

Course
Throughout this year, I feel that as an educator I have been able to expand my understanding and competency of
technology through the work we did in EDST and FOCI 218. From the presentations and times dedicated to working
with new apps and programs, I was able to gain an appreciation and grasp on over 15 different programs, the

benefits/limitations and practical applications that they can be used for within the classroom. The ability to engage
and discuss our knowledge with our peers also provided me with extensive opportunities to facilitate and participate
in discussion on the challenges and benefits of incorporation.
Many of the chosen topics for discussion were initially very negative and with many of us having limited
backgrounds in the practical application of these programs within the classroom certainly made for a challenging
area of discussion. When we returned from practicum however I was certainly more passionate and understanding of
what the researchers and articles had been mentioning. The discussion was extremely engaging and I was able to
challenge the idealism behind technology but also recognize that despite limitations, technology in fact is becoming
a necessity in the schools to prepare students for a world where everyone is connected through it.
Perhaps the most important and critical area that I was able to grow in was through the collaboration and design
process challenge that we took. While there certainly were road bumps with communication and differences of
opinions, we were able to successfully address the real issues presented to us about working with students with
difficulties within the classroom environment. From this process, I was able to understand the steps to executing a
design style project and develop extensive abilities to problem solve and lead a team from start to finish on a product
that we can certainly be proud to include as part of our extensive work for this course.
The purchase that was also made of the 3D printer also enabled me to gain an appreciation of how to work with and
design a Maker-style activity and how challenging this can be for teachers and students alike. From this section in
particular we were able to continuously develop and challenge assumptions that we had in our teacher tool kit and
come out of this class prepared for the multitude of different professional paths that we are preparing to start.
Overall, I feel that the combined practical, reflection and discussion used in this class has prepared me effectively to
be an educator who thinks critically about technology and how to use it within their classroom in an effective
manner. Over the course of this year, I feel as though I certainly have grown to appreciate the difficulties and
challenges that come with technology, but leave this April knowing that whatever the future holds I will have the
tools and technology background necessary to help my students.

Entry 5: April Connection between Alt Prac and Course

Focus
During my three-week placement, I was fortunate to find myself in a setting where the implementation of
new technology was a fundamental part of the work that the Mini University program was focusing on this year.
When I arrived, my first week was focused on preparing course content on Minecraft and Construct 2 as part of a
spring break camp. Using these programs, I developed material that encouraged students to engage in coding, game
development and collaborative design projects over the week for 48 students to complete over the course of each
day. While this was not a new experience for me to work with these types of programs, the students came from all
different technological backgrounds and levels of experience which made the implementation of some activities
challenging. Perhaps one of the largest challenges though was the age variation, in the laboratory I was responsible
for students age 7 16 which meant that there was an extreme gap in the capability and comprehension of some
students. In some circumstances, I was teaching fundamental elements such as how to manipulate both mouse and
keyboard for games; while across the room, the older students were developing complex wind farm energy plants in
Minecraft. This diversity made me really appreciate the ability for my older students to act as peer mentors with the
younger ones allowing technology just to be a medium for displaying work, but an opportunity for bridging the age
divisions which typically separates these students in schools. I feel that this particular aspect of my alternative
placement was extremely beneficial for my understanding of the EDST course because in a sense I was able to see
how students engaged with technology at multiple different levels, and the challenges that students and teachers face
when using programs that promote and facilitate learning through gamification.
In addition to this, I was also given the opportunity to develop a new curriculum and course for them to
implement in the summer which focuses on implementing the design process in the creation of different mobile
games and apps for students to collectively work on designing and creating a final product for display on the

programs free applications page. Previously working with this organization, I was responsible for simply delivering
content, but with this alternative practicum, I was given the liberty to propose to the program director (Ivah) a new
tentative program which we could implement to grow the computer science and technology component of their
camp in order to meet the growing competitive nature of the grants that organizations such as Google, Acuta and the
Code Makers organizations are searching for. In response, we were able to not only get the majority of the content
templates prepared for the instructors, but actually advertise and begin searching for funding from alternative
streams for unique programs to help indigenous and female students engage with this material. I believe that this
component above the others was fundamentally the most directly linked to the work and design centric projects that
we were focused on for the majority of the course. I was able to undergo the design process working with the
program facilitator and his expectations for the direction of the courses and proposed a multitude of potential
directions until we narrowed it down and entitled it Beta Testers.
Overall I feel that because of this practicum, I was able to see how technology and different programs are
able to assist students in their education beyond the conventional classroom. I was able to make proposals and
implement some changes to the program based on the different material and experiences that I was able to bring
from our classes at Queens University. One thing that I would have perhaps supplemented if I had additional time at
this placement was to work on creating resources for the new instructors to help them with their professional
development in order to limit the challenge of having to learn from scratch a new technology for each of the classes.
As such, I believe that this practicum placement has numerous connections to what we were working on this year as
part of our EDST and FOCI classrooms looking at how technology can be implemented in the classroom.

Supplementary Information
Below is a copy from the application pamphlet that was distributed around the city and the outlying regions
advertising the new course and the old ones that I had designed as part of the Mini University curriculum programs.

Activity 1: Technology and Me Mind Map (September 2nd;

9th 2015)
From our first Class, we jumped into the use of Educational Technology as a communication strategy for engaging
the students by doing an introductory lesson on how to effectively display who we are using different apps on an
Ipad to create a map of ourselves.

After this class, we were then given a chance to focus on creating a conceptual map about ourselves. The program
was called Smart Ideas 5 a mind mapping program which as OSAPAC approval. It can be used as an introductory
tool or alternatively used to create worksheets or handouts to accompany a specific lesson. This process while fairly
simplistic was tedious in its mechanism. The one major difference that was evident from this program compared to
the previous was that this program had the capacity to add audio or video enabling further information to be
integrated.

Activity 2: Forms of Student Expression Comic Strips

(Bitstrip) Posted September 16th 2015
In this activity, we were to create a visual or poster based explanation of the design to learn process and how to go
about completing and conducting this inquiry based prototyping. This assignment was a challenge initially because
the program online itself required individual time and understanding of how the features and functions could do. I
decided to do it in a simple six panel design process which made things in a step, by step process clearer.

Activity 3: Create a Sketchup Object and Place on Google Earth

For this activity, we were asked to utilize the program Sketchup to develop a three dimensional object that had
personal meaning to a place and put it into Google Maps. I decided to select the island of Sulawesi and to create the
raft and diving board that my Dad made for us to go out onto and travel on the lake. This item has a lot of personal
meaning as it was the spot that we spent most weekends as a family. This program however at the beginning proved
to be extremely challenging since we worked individually through an inquiry style learning where we were sent
forward to explore the program. In the two hours that I had to work on this, I was only able to get a base frame and
the diving board and ran out of time to place it into Google maps.
This was the introduction to the Maker style educational technologies which we tried to design and create a model
that we would want to use the 3D printer to create. I feel that this niche of educational technology while fun, is
going to be a challenge to implement in many of the conventional classrooms and will depend not only on the
confidence of the teacher but the students ability to design in three dimensions effectively.

Activity 4: 3D Printed Artifact

Continuing on the Maker classroom style technologies, we were given the task of finding a design and three
dimensional model that we could use from thinkiverse.com to print using the new 3D printer. While I was sick the

day that we were doing this in class, I did find a design that I am hoping to print prior to leaving the program. It is a
crest that is awarded from the game League of Legends which means that you have reached the status of Challenger
for North America. I feel that this shape will print effectively since it has an ideal base size which can help the
plastic to form as well as small enough to not take immeasurable numbers of hours to print.
One of the big challenges I have discovered with this type of equipment is that each one is very particular in the type
of models that it is effectively capable of printing, meaning the teacher needs to understand the limitations of the
device prior to assigning a project. Overall, I fell that this type of technology definitely has a future in the
curriculum and for the focus of design classes. With the growing scholarship and literature about this type of
technology warning about the hazards it has for the 200-degree tip that can burn students to the small particulates
that it releases when it superheats the plastic are growing concerns that teachers should be familiar with.

Reading Reflection 1: Smartboard and Interactive

Whiteboards: Posted September 23 2015
rd

In this monograph, the author does an exceptional job outlining IWBs multifaceted and interactive elements which
make this technology useful for students to conduct diverse learning exercises.
My main concern however is that although proven to be a useful teaching tool, the cost of IWBs remains relatively
high and inaccessible for many schools; and those that do have them sometimes simply use them as fancy
projectors. Therefore, when reading this article, I found myself asking do IWBs really provide such a unique method
of engaging students? Or is it simply a replacement and adaptation of teaching methods to the new digital age? In
addition, do you believe it is still vital to focus school budgets towards these forms of technologies?
i know that as a Tech-Savvy individual, that I loved having an IWB in my classrooms when I taught, but when told
the price I could understand why many schools were moving away from the limited accessibility of the IWBs
towards the iPads.

Reading Reflection 2: Games and Immersive Simulations

In Sasha Barab and Chris Dede's journal was excellent in understanding the merits of game play and simulation
based inquiry as a key skill for a generation whose jobs and technology we as teachers cannot anticipate or prepare
students for. In these styles of games, teachers engage students not only in developing independent problem solving
skills, but understanding how to maintain a positive online digital presence.
We spend so much time as educators attempting to make material fun and engaging, but very few of us actually
realize that many of the games developed do have people who attempt to make the material realistic. As a teacher
who during the summer works entirely in virtual computer labs; students who are given problems are able to utilize
these programs as a creative outlet to engage with the issues. In my own classroom I have simulated everything from
preparing and launching missions for mars; developing underwater civilizations, even entering into the cells to
understand how the individual parts interact.

We could even go one step further and use programs such as Construct 2 to encourage students to develop games
which can be tested by peers for review of topics or for younger students to understand a multitude of topics. The
possibility that these programs have is endless and teachers are only beginning to understand the value of
gamification to the classroom. While technology is still catching up with the environments students have been
engaging with; we are slowly working towards bringing these programs into the classroom

Reading Reflection 3: Reading An Educational

Framework for Digital Manufacturing in Schools
Despite this reading being long and in many ways repetitive, I feel that the authors definitely had some extremely
valuable points. My focus from this reading came from the attempt to convey that development and manufacturing
while typically associated with certain subjects, are actually core and fundamental beliefs across all disciplines. By
incorporating and moving towards the accessibility of 3D printing in the classroom, the authors stressed how
educators need to take advantage of this novelty and engage students by proving that their ideas and theories can be
realized. The power of creating through 3D printing goes beyond a collection of random designs, but makes learning
concrete and real. They argue that this element has been missing from education which has predominantly been
focused on the theoretical; with 3D printing however future scientists, engineers, and even historians have the
capacity to create.
While reading I felt that this benefit has not been stressed enough, yes its a lot of work for a teacher to use and
completely understand the process behind incorporating 3D printing into the classroom, but the possibilities it has
for inspiring and engaging students in supporting their classes with tangible products.
My one concern about this however, that I feel they did not really touch upon was the cost and accessibility. While
the 3D printing is slowly becoming more available, the cost of production and the time needed to run it makes this
process really challenging in the larger 30 student classrooms. If schools had more than 2 or even 3 it may be
possible to produce on scale for students but even, then the cost of the plastic makes this a challenging process. The
3D printing is a novel new approach, but I think that before we can implement it widespread, we need to consider
the benefits and if they are cost effective for the classroom.

Reading Reflection 4: Collins Chapter Enthusiast about

Technology
I found that as I was reading the Collins article, numerous good points were made about the perception of
technology and the methods in which it can be personalized or customizable. While I was reading, I immediately
found myself focused in on the argument made about how we think is changing and how even in the short span of
time I have been in Concurrent education how that is true. When I began my path towards education, much of the
classroom still remained focused on the traditional or conventional lecture, or activity based learning styles. As I
have progressed and perhaps gotten more exposed to education there has been a shift where teachers strive to
incorporate technology at a pace which meets their students. The generational gap as it relates to technology is only
growing as students entering into high school have lived in a world where the worlds information is at their hands
and the technology is integrated with their life.
As teachers who are striving to integrate technology we have to remember that the world we live in and much of the
technology that we use is slowly becoming redundant. It is because of this that I believe we have to strive for that
life-long learning in a new way; where the tools that we use and the technology available must not only support our
students but prepare them in a way that they are inquisitive, designers and creators prepared to enter into a world
where their careers or chosen professions may not have even been invented yet.
We often get after students for the inappropriate use of technology or timing, but I also wanted to point out that I felt
Collins had an interesting notion that we as teachers have never taught them how to properly use or communicate
with these devices meaning we have a responsibility to prepare our students for not only being socially literate and

respectful but digitally as well. Overall, I found that this article was exactly what I believe many of us have been
thinking throughout this course.

Reading Reflection 5: Maker Movement Blog Post

While reading this article on the advances and movement towards the promotion of Maker style education in the
classroom, I found that many of the key principals that they were advocating were methods that we had tried to
implement within our own EDST/FOCI classroom. The Maker moment refers to the transition in education away
from the lecture and content focus towards supporting learning through the development of play and creation. By
proving students with the opportunity to create or interact with digital and physical artifacts, students are able to see
topics and content come to light in a whole new frame of reference. As an educator I strive to move beyond the
traditional rhetoric and to search for ways for students to inquire and model the content in order to engage and
identify as learners how they are able to learn best. While this notion certainly seems idealistic, it is also important
to remember that with every new trend there are concerns that teachers should recognize. These issues are addressed
in Lee Martins research entitled The Promise of the Maker Movement where he outlines that while it certainly
seems to be a unique method to engage students with, its growth and rapid implementation has led to questions
about whether it will be like many of the adaptations during the early integration of technology in the classroom. He
proposes that affordability, just like with technology will not make this an equitable means of implementation or that
while we are engaging students, the lack of empirical data that can be gathered from the play style experience is an
area that needs more focus.
For me, this is an area that I hope to continue following, because I believe that this will be another shift in the
education paradigm that could have positive impacts on the way students engage with content. I hope to in the future
have the ability to design and implement a form of Maker programming in my classroom, but always appreciate
understanding the limitations and impacts that other professionals have had in the field.

Reading Reflection 6: Computers in Classroom A

Scandalous Waste
When reading the article, Computers in the Classroom, A Scandalous Waste I was concerned initially by the title
believing that it would be a story advocating the removal of technology as a redundant skill or means for students to
demonstrate work; however, I can say I was pleasantly surprised by the article and its premise. Sydney Grammar
School, one of Australias prestigious high schools is looking at the cost and value effectiveness of implementing
technology on a massive scale like the Australian government has. The principal has proposed that because the
limited effectiveness and easy distraction that technology has in the classroom to conventional or old-quality
teaching methods students are losing valuable skills such as debate and collaborative questioning. As such, the
school is going to be removing smart boards, implementing a no laptop policy and requiring that all students in
grade 10 and below will have to hand write all assignments. I found that as I was reading, I was definitely able to
relate to the experiences that he was expressing about the disconnection technology provides in the classroom from
my own practicum experiences, yet I feel that technology however still does definitely have a place in the classroom
and is a skill that students need to develop in this age in order to have the experience to get into competitive jobs.
While I do understand that the costs can be certainly high in a private section and the redundancy of technologies
such as Smart boards which have become extremely expensive projectors, but that laptop skills and coding are
becoming fundamental skills necessary for preparing students for jobs that havent even been created. I think that
while extreme, there is a necessary consideration at the school level that technology is not a cure-all, but a means to
balance and supplement education in order to promote diverse learning.

One of the questions that I still had after reading this article was around the feasibility of this program and why they
believe going back to a previous form is expected to be beneficial for a generation that has been linked into
technology for their life will impact them academically or socially.

Additional Postings:
The Song Remains the Same: Posted September 9th 2015
This article, I found was extremely effective in reflecting my concerns as an educational designer regarding the
revolutionary pace in which technology implementation remains significantly behind the innovation. The issue that
immediately emerges to me is that in the endeavour to keep up, many teachers will begin designing technology
superficially. That is to say that, rather than searching and critically evaluating and determining whether the
technology is compatible with the intend use, many teachers could fall into the trap of utilizing the latest, and
greatest technologies in a more ineffective manner. I feel that the title is very apt in describing the cyclical nature of
progress that the education system experiences. While many teachers still strive to implement new and fresh ideas,
because often there are barriers (finance, time, accessibility) to receiving the latest and greatest, many teachers
integrate cheaper or more ineffective versions of technology without understanding the holistic benefit it could
provide.
Within this article however, perhaps the most pivotal quote that I found suggests that rather than mastering a
technology or skill set, educators should be taught to experiment and become competent in understanding how to
effectively utilize technology to design lessons. From what has been conveyed thus far in the course, it is this notion
that I feel that EDST and FOCI 218 is going to focus on developing.

Not What but How Design wise Educational Technology : Posted

September 9th 2015
When examining this chapter, what immediately intrigued me was the emphasis on design based technology as
reflective of the scientific method of learning. This comparison really enforced the notion that by physically
engaging and testing various forms of technology within an educational framework; teachers felt more capable of
adapting and utilizing them. Despite growing up consistently engaged with technology and the rapid system of
redundancy and innovation spoken about in this piece; at the rate new technology is being designed, the challenge of
effectively designing and manipulating the technology within the classroom is still a real obstacle. Nevertheless,
from this chapter it becomes apparent that in order to remain design-wise, teachers must actively engage in the
process in order to continually improve upon their designs.
One critique regarding this article however is that despite being rich with information regarding the dynamics of
technology and educational design, the statistics which illustrated the issue were highly outdated and did not
effectively represent the contemporary issues and capabilities of design now available. Nevertheless, this article
certainly assisted in illustrating what is expected within this course and similarly the responsibility teachers have
within the design process as self-motivated learners.

Kahoot Technology Presentation September 23rd 2015

I found the presentation by Katie and Kumiko showcased an exceptional piece of educational technology which
could be easily integrated into the classroom. As a history teacher, this form of trivia/quiz allows teachers to utilize
this form of quiz as a diagnostic or as a fun method of review.
Some of the immediate concerns that I would have as a teacher is the time dedication necessary to create the quiz
questions (interactive with videos, pictures ect). In addition, the use of the scoreboard while detrimental to

individual self-esteem if not being able to compete with peers could perhaps be overcome by creating an activity
that is small group based (2-4 individuals). By increasing the individual time allotment, teachers are able to foster
table group discussion.

I believe that this technology application would definitely be something that I would use in the classroom and may
possibly try to use this out on practicum.
Post-Practicum Addition:
I was able to use this technology while on practicum and found it extremely useful! The students love doing this on
a Friday as a form of review. I felt that it was really engaging and that it didnt take time at all to either set up my
own or to find one that suited the needs of the class that another teacher had created. The only drawback was that if
the students knew we were doing one then they would be fidgety and less inclined to focus during the class. In
addition, it is extremely important that the school has excellent access to the internet because that can make the
already competitive atmosphere even more tense when people are getting frustrated with the lack of internet access.

Socrative Presentation: September 23rd 2015

The Presentation by Alicia and Katie shows an alternative to Kahoot known as Socrative. I enjoyed the fact that this
program does not have the time pressure unless you wanted it to be, it is very formal. In addition, this hides the
students names and can navigate learning through answers rather than points. My immediate notion would be that
this program would definitely be more beneficial, having the answers and questions on our own devices and doesn't
display the names. The information and reports also get saved which is great way to see the pace and location of the
students learning. I also enjoyed the fact that this program can also act as a teacher resource for creating tests that
can also be printed out.
Overall, I really enjoyed this program! I feel that it could be more useful than Kahoot and that while there are still
limitations, its multifaceted nature and ability to be easily accessed by teachers and students.

Comic Life First Day Fears Creation (Teachers Perspective)

An interesting program which was initially difficult to use. It does have some issues with photo collection and
integration, but it does have some valuable merits as a teaching tool. I think if I was preparing units or attempting to
engage students visually it would be an effective program, although I definitely would use it more as a teacher than I
would for my students. This exercise though was absolutely hilarious and fun. I felt that it definitely showed off the
program well.

Tumble Books: Posted October 7th 2015

Elementary Benefits: Daily 5 rotations - replaces on books on tape stations and is something that engages them and
can assist in developing vocabulary. Different voices assist in making it fun, not just the teachers. This online
application does also have different forms of media (songs, books ect).
Senior Benefits: Tumblebook cloud - More serious books for English a lot of them are in a graphic novel while
maintaining the same literary language. Does cover a lot of different subjects can be used for geography and history
as well. Doesn't always read to the students which is one negative that stood out for me. Has the older books but not
the newer resources?
I do not think that as an IS teacher I would use this software, its very limited in its content and is very Americancentric. Most of the resources that I could use appeared to only view in preview and did not have the interactive or
engaging aspects that I had hoped for my areas of study. Also, numerous books can be found on different mediums
for free and remains fairly out of date for use in most classrooms.

Technology in the Classroom End of Course Reflection: