Article review-Enhancing Instruction

My article entitled Enhancing Instruction with Web 2.0 by Chris Riedel. In this article was discussed why educators should embrace technology. Our students already do!

With budgets becoming smaller and education expectations becoming higher, using creative solutions to meet instructional difficulties becomes key. With a little extra time and effort everyone can use programs available on the web to enhance their daily instruction. If you take the time to use these tools you will soon see an impact in student learning.

Sites were given as examples to help the reader understand technology.

Social bookmarking: some examples given were Delicious, Stumbleupon and Digg as wonderful resources to share information. Teachers can create a list of websites for students to follow through Delicious for example. By book-marking these sites it makes it easier for students to access pertinent information even if they are gone. It can also be closed so students can not change the websites listed.

Photo sharing: can be completed in sites like Flickr and Picasa. These sites allow photos to be visually changed for creative expression. Beyond that, photos can be tagged, free storage and you have access to thousands of user generated images.

Blogs and Wiki: blogs and wiki are available for no cost (or minimal cost) giving students the ability to collaborate and create an environment where learning can be shared and edited by a larger group.

Twitter: According to Futch, "Twitter is a great way to push all sorts of information, from announcements to homework assignments to last minute notifications that might not be appropriate for other venues."

Wordle: Go crazy with words! Wordle allows you to take terms, vocabulary or have students answer questions and put the answer in a jigsaw picture creating a creative picture to enhance vocabulary. This program also creates a word cloud allowing students to see what words have a limited use and what words have been overused. It’s picturally amazing!



Riedel, Chris. Enhancing Instruction with Web 2.0. The Journal. 01/20/10
Retrieved on March 9, 2010
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/01/20/enhancing-instruction-with-web-2.0.aspx

Introduction

Introduction: My name is Carmen Staudt and I teach Family and Consumer Science classes at Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock CSD in Rockford, Iowa. Besides teaching, I am a married to my husband Bill. We have three beautiful children ranging in ages from 6-19. Our children are very involved in sports and other extra curricular, so we are found cheering them on in all of their pursuits. I graduated from Mankato State University with a degree in Food and Nutrition. After working in a Hospital and Long-term care facilities for several years, I returned to school (Iowa State University) to complete my teaching degree. I have loved the transition from the business aspect of Nutrition to teaching nutrition to JR/HS students. My next goal is to graduate from Peru State with a Master's degree. I have really enjoyed my classes so far and am ready for the next challenge.Tech Experience: My technology experience has really improved over the years. I grew up without color tv, so it tells you how much technology I had in the formative years. My school is all MAC computers which I have grown to love. The software included on a MAC is very user friendly. I also use a PC at home or at my husband's business. I can use both with proficiency but definitely feel more comfortable with a MAC. As for my classroom, I would say that I use a lot of technology. On a daily basis my classroom usage includes a overhead projector, MIMIO smart board, PC computers, CAD software for Fashion design and the Microsoft Office package.Why Pursue? My inspiration was to complete a goal. I have wanted to pursue my Master's degree since I graduated from Iowa State. My youngest child helped to put that goal off for a few years.The program at Peru State allows me to work on homework during my own hours. This is more than convenient time wise and I don't have the hassle of travel time either. I have been pleased with all the information I have studied to this point. I know that the curriculum has enhanced my lesson plans and delivery of curriculum in the classroom.