Blog Journal 10

 When I worked on Assignment 5: Powerpoint Interaction, I learned many different useful skills for creating interactive presentations. I learned how to use hyperlinks, embedded media, alt texts for pictures, and more to make the slides interesting and user-friendly. In addition, I learned how to design useful layouts to showcase information and help guide the viewer throughout the presentation. I liked how the assignment allowed me to understand more about Microsoft Powerpoint but I did not like how time-consuming the assignment was in terms of finding information to display. Overall, I believe the assignment was extremely helpful in improving my understanding of Microsoft Powerpoint. 

In my future career, as a doctor, I will use data collection tools to get feedback that can help with different aspects of my responsibilities. For example, I would use online surveys to assess the patient’s understanding of my diagnosis and the effectiveness of my hospitality and bedside care. In addition, these tools would improve accommodations for patients and help shape my care towards them based on their needs. Overall, I believe that data collections tools such as Qualtrics would help me analyze different trends as well as improve my productivity and effectiveness within my job.

A technology-related skill I would like to learn next is the use of Canva for designing different graphics and other teaching materials that would be helpful. Using a SMART goal to accomplish this goal, throughout the next eight weeks, I will use Canva’s templates to create two different projects, one being a marketing flier and the other being a presentation for a lesson. By creating these two unique projects, I will be able to gain a greater understanding of the tools that Canva offers. I will be able to accomplish this goal by developing the two projects by setting aside 20 minutes a day to work on my goal. 

Blog Journal 9

 During my K-12 experience, I used many different types of educational technology. I used Google Classroom, Zoom, and Kahoot, which helped my productivity and other classroom work. For Google Classroom, my teachers would use it to post assignment which helped me fulfill my responsibilities for the work. In addition, Zoom helped for meeting my teachers and my peers online and helped us collaborate over the distance. Finally, Kahoot was used for measuring our knowledge of different skills and other topics essential for the class. 

OER or Open Educational Resources are teaching materials and resources that are accessible to anyone and can be in any format or medium, which both educators and students can use and share. OER can extend to textbooks, lesson plans, worksheets, and quizzes. I found an article published by UNESCO on open educational resources which spoke about how OER is extremely important as it permits the use of resources and creates equity among students because it is "no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others." (UNESCO) Overall, OER is extremely beneficial to both students and instructors as it creates a foundation for everyone within education to receive access to high education materials. Link to the website: https://www.unesco.org/en/open-educational-resources

Through my work on Assignment Four: PowerPoint for Information Dissemination, I learned how to use Microsoft Powerpoint more efficiently. I was able to learn how to use recordings in order to add my voice to the powerpoint slides, I learned how to use SlideMaster, and finally, I was able to learn how to efficiently use speaker notes. Within the assignment, I liked how the assignment encouraged us to add our voice and present the powerpoint as a show, however it was difficult to create eight content slides while keeping the information on the slides vague. Overall, I thought the assignment was beneficial to understand how to use Microsoft Powerpoint within the future as it highlighted the key aspects of Microsoft Powerpoint. 

Blog Journal 8

 The design principles I used when designing my website was the CRAAP test which is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. I used currency as the information has been recently published and updated because I just posted the website and the announcements and weekly updates have to do with the week I made the website. For relevance, all of the links on the website have to do with the topics the students have to learn and other materials required for teaching. Finally, I used purpose for the information and the other links on my website because the purpose of all the information is to inform parents and students of upcoming events, ways to contact me, and other required information. In my future career, I can use website design skills to create an efficient website for my practice or page to obtain clients. 

A creative way I could use QR codes in my classroom is by integrating them more with everyday lessons. For example, I could use QR codes for games after lessons or for more information about the lesson. In addition, I could add website links for the QR codes and have the students use them for educational activities after the lessons. Finally, I could use the QR codes for online quizzes to check their understanding of the knowledge and topics.   

Ethical Case: “Data, Devices, and Digital Dilemmas”

Ms. Lopez, a middle school teacher, has recently introduced a new educational platform in her classroom that uses artificial intelligence to personalize learning for each student. The program tracks students’ progress, identifies learning gaps, and provides customized assignments based on performance data. The district encourages the use of such technology to improve student outcomes and prepare learners for a digital future.

However, after a few weeks, Ms. Lopez begins to notice potential ethical concerns. The software collects detailed data on student behavior, including time spent on tasks, error patterns, and even emotional engagement through webcam analytics. Parents express discomfort about how much data is being gathered on their children and who has access to it. Some students from lower-income households also struggle because they lack consistent internet access at home, leaving them behind in completing online assignments.

Ethical Dilemma Description:

Ms. Lopez faces an ethical dilemma between promoting innovation and protecting her students’ rights. On one hand, educational technology enhances learning by providing personalized instruction and improving engagement. On the other hand, it raises serious ethical concerns about student privacy, data security, and educational equity. She must decide whether to continue using the platform for its clear academic benefits or to limit its use to protect her students from potential harm and inequality. The dilemma lies in balancing the ethical duty to advance learning opportunities with the responsibility to safeguard students’ well-being, privacy, and equal access to education.

I would address this ethical case by identifying who is affected by this situation, which are the students, parents, teachers, and admin. To make a decision regarding the case, we should look at what would be the greatest good for everyone affected and what is Mrs.Lopez’s responsibility as a teacher. Some possible solutions for the case is to provide alternatives and to limit the data collection. I believe that this case is an ethical issue because it exploits the privacy of the students and it is not protecting the student’s data. In addition, it limits autonomy and consent of the students as they don’t understand exactly what data is being collected and there needs to be transparency by the company. 

Blog Journal 7

I used a school called Seminole Science Charter School and the website provided information about the school and classes. The information one can see publicly are the main events upcoming at the school, the different clubs/organizations the students can join, and other miscellaneous information about the school. I was able to access the different class pages by clicking on the curriculum link under the academics tab, and each different curriculum for each of the grade levels described the goals that the classes wanted to accomplish. For example, within first grade, the curriculum of the math class would like to accomplish the “eight key areas as required by the Florida Standards: Number and Numeration, Operations and Computation, Data and Chance, Measurement, Geometry, Patterns, Functions, and Algebra.” Overall, lots of information useful for parents and students alike can be found on the schools website, https://seminolescience.org/index.php. 

I envision myself using technology to accomplish my professional responsibilities more efficiently and effectively by relying on tools that boost my productivity and help with collaboration with my peers. For example, I would boost my productivity by using tools such as Canvas and Google Classroom to post assignments, my syllabus, and deadlines so students would know what is expected of them. In addition, I would use Google Calendar so students would be able to see the schedule for the future year and they would get reminders. I would boost my collaboration with my peers through tools such as Google Docs and Microsoft One Drive to work with other teachers to create a suitable curriculum and rubric for students. Overall, through the use of technology, these tools would help me complete my professional responsibilities.  

During my experience with Assignment 2: Critical Evaluation, using Canvas group, I used Generative AI to create a lesson plan suitable for students as well as accurate with its information. The aspects of lesson planning that AI could support are creating an outline for the lecture and activity of the lesson. The aspects of lesson planning that I think still require human teacher expertise are keeping the students engaged with the material and adjustments to the lesson plan in order to accommodate students. This assignment taught me that a “good” lesson plan keeps the students engaged, the information is accurate and reliable, and the material is appropriate for the student’s learning. Evaluating the AI-generated plan changed how I think about designing my own lesson plans because it taught me that the information should be more detailed and the lessons should include more real-world examples in order for students to understand how the lesson applies to the real world. I like that the Canvas group tool allows for the group to be able to communicate efficiently and work together in order to create the different pages/work that is required from the assignment. I would not recommend another tool as I feel that the Canvas group tools fulfills the responsibilities that the assignment asks for.

Blog Journal 6

 During the tour, we learnt about the different aspects of the Tech Sandbox and the activities available for students to learn. If I were to envision myself using any of the tools in my future classroom, I would use the VR headset and the small robotics. I think that the VR headset would be an interactive way to explore different lesson plans while keeping students engaged with the technology and the content. I would implement the VR headset by having lectures and then having the students play learning games on the headset. The robotics would be beneficial to students because they could interact with the technology and play around with the robots while learning the material, and I would implement this tool the same way as the VR headset. 

A Florida Standard that implements technology is SC.8.ET.2.1 – “Explore the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) device to accomplish a task.” This standard is used for 8th graders to explore how AI works within the real world. Within the standard, students understand the effect of AI on the real world and use examples such as generative AI like chatbots and algorithmic AI like seen in social media. The standard focuses on digital literacy therefore prompting students to understand the inner workings of AI and not just surface level AI. I think that I am somewhat prepared to implement the standard based on my current skill set, because while I do understand AI to some level, I am unaware of some of the tools that AI offers. 

A resource I can use in my teaching is the Original Student Tutorials, because these tutorials help bridge gaps in understanding that students, parents, or teachers may have. The tutorials are interactive and include lesson plans designed to motivate students, embedded practice activities, and are focused on the standards that are appropriate to the grade level of the student. Therefore these three criteria help keep students engaged with the content as well as helping students stick to the curriculum. Original Student Tutorials can be used in my teaching because these tutorials are mobile and extremely easy to use as well as it requires no preparation to use, so I can use this resource on days that require less lectures and more interactive activities.

Blog Journal 5

 Within my experience blogging, I like the interactive format it introduces. For example, blogging allows for the blogger to use different formats such as text as well as images in order to convey their thoughts. In addition, it allows for viewers to comment and include their thoughts on the pieces written by the blogger. So far, I have learned how to add text to the blogs, how to add images to the blogs, and how to add copyrights to the blog posts. Overall, blogging is an interactive and exciting new experience that I enjoy. 

Artificial intelligence within education has become more popular within the last couple of years. My initial thoughts about using AI within a K-12 setting, is that while it can be helpful in the short term, I believe it to be harmful in the long run. While AI can quickly find answers for specific questions, it lacks originality, by paraphrasing or plagiarizing other sources, as well as even sometimes lacking credibility/accuracy. Therefore, due to the lack of originality and credibility, I believe that if students were to use AI from K-12, it would limit their understanding of the knowledge and core skills that K-12 provides, instead relying on AI which ultimately fails the purpose of schooling. 

While using Generative AI for Participation Portfolio Item #10, I used the Generative AI ChatGPT. I asked ChatGPT to generate a science lesson for 7th graders about cells and their functions and the lesson plan it gave me was highly detailed. There wasn’t anything that didn’t work, as the lesson plan covered activities and accommodations, and was extremely helpful. Next time, I would possibly use it to create an outline for an assignment or I may use it to structure tables or other miscellaneous objectives. 

Within my teaching practice, I would use Generative AI sparingly. I would use it for outlines, tables, or other small items within my lessons, however I would be hesitant to commonly employ the use of AI. I would use very little AI in order to address ethical concerts, because I believe that many of the ethical concerns from AI are because people use so much of AI. For example, the ethical concern of originality being lost when AI is used is eliminated if one simply does not use AI. Overall, while Generative AI may be very helpful, this is mainly due to other materials that AI is taking from, therefore rendering your work when one uses AI as a copy of something rather than a unique and original piece of work. 

Blog Journal 4

During my early experiences using social media tools such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat for my Personal Learning Network, I interacted with multiple different aspects of my PLN. Mainly I would interact with my family and my friends through comments, likes, and other interactions on social media. I have found it to be beneficial because social media has allowed for a broader understanding of social tools and other aspects of social media. These platforms may be beneficial in my future career because tools such as Pinterest and Instagram have allowed for me to see more of my peers in healthcare and what they are doing currently and what they are looking to pursue which helps me gain a greater understanding of my future career. 

The digital divide is the division/gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not. Growing up, I went to a digitally rich school as it was a school focused on STEM programs therefore we had a computer class. Through my experience from K-12, I think that the integrated use of technology within classes allowed for a higher level of college preparation and the use of technology within college. My early experiences around technology allowed for computer class and other tools such as Google Docs, Canvas, and other tools that allowed for me to develop my understanding of digital tools. 

Collaborative writing is writing with someone else and it allows students to work together digitally such as using tools like Google Docs, Microsoft Word 365, and Microsoft OneNote. Social annotations are digital bookmarks, highlights, and comments among a group of online users. I would use these tools to foster learning by having students work together to annotate studies and write reports together for different classes, therefore promoting teamwork as well as other skills such as analyzing texts and writing. A lesson I would implement that would include collaborative writing and social annotations is having students annotate a study or a historical document and then write a report together in groups about the time period or the study.