My Answers

1. Cite specific examples wherein using IT in teaching becomes a liability.

Answers:

Using IT in teaching has been a very useful tool for teachers. Using IT can simply make our work faster, provide a meaningful and nice-looking presentations and arouse the interest of the students . However, if it is not used properly it can become a liability. Like for example using a PowerPoint for presentation of lessons wherein some teachers do not know how to use the software properly so that they can deliver the presentation where students can learn and interact. And also, for those teachers who have the knowledge to use the software can somewhat become blinded by all those concepts that they can put into their presentation and they might forget to make their lesson interactive as well. Power Point presentations become already lectures with students who are watching only the slide show passively. Students and teachers had become so focused on the technology that they forget to interact with each other. Aside from PowerPoint, there are some instances that both teachers and students do not know on how to search from the Internet properly. In surfing from the internet, they must be responsible to consider the ethics and rights on how to search from the internet. Teachers must teach the students the proper way to surf or research so that it will prevent them from visiting unpleasant websites.

Therefore, there must be a big responsibility to utilize the IT properly so that students can give importance in the use of technology and not just using it for the sake of knowing. At the same time, teachers can integrate more their lessons through the use of IT properly. So, before using any software, there must a clear orientation on how to use it and tips for further enhancement of using any software.

2. How will blog/ using blog becomes a hindrance to learning?

Answers:

There are many issues how blog or using blog can become a hindrance to learning.

a. One's PERSPECTIVE (either true or not)

• All the information are posted on the blog can be true or not that is based on one's perspective. Every person has their own viewpoints. So, once you believe means it is true for you but once you don't believe on a certain issue can mean to False or not true. Some people do not write down or share their ideas in a persuasive manner. In this case, this would be a hindrance to learning because you are somewhat complicated and confused of what is really the right information. One does not have the focus where to follow or what to follow. People might provide an invalid information based on their own opinion that makes you think not to believe. Definitely, you will not learn out of a certain blog if you will ignore the importance of it.
  

b. Losing/ without Interest

• Posting any information or reading articles from the blog can be a hindrance to learning if one does not have any interest at all; someone who lost his interest or someone who ignores it. So, once you don't have interest, you are not updated and not learning as well

c. Ineffective strategy in using blog

• Using a blog is not an effective strategy for sharing knowledge because people might not interact, oppose your viewpoints, and give more inputs against the issue. Aside from this, blogs are not updated regularly because it is hard to maintain wherein it is not easy to write and it is really a time-consuming task. Therefore, this kind of situation will hinder us from learning.
  

3. What is the impact of Internet Technology in education? How important is it?

Answers:

The discovery of the Internet technology has paved the way to a lot of major developments in life. Internet has played a very significant role in the improvements of many industries especially in the field of information technology and business development. There is really a great impact of internet because it changed our ways of living and teaching in a positive manner. There are so many things that we can do from the internet that may lead to good or bad effects to teachers and students. Thus, the Internet will inevitably bring about major changes in our educational system. As more and more schools gain access to the Internet, teachers will be confronted with the challenge of how best to incorporate this valuable tool into their classrooms. Of course there will not be a complete move away from conventional teaching methods, but the Internet will definitely alter classroom routines in one way or another. However, it must used properly so that a great impact can lead to good one. On the other hand, Internet might not be important to other school because of not having connection or their school is having a financial constraint.

Useful websites for an Educator

For me, the best 2 useful websites for teaching are the following:

1. http://www.edutopia.org

• A good website for all educators because I can merely see the vision of powerful teaching and learning. It's actually applying an innovate teaching to students wherein they are visualizing the real world in education with the use of technology.It empowered education to change for the better in a high tech form of teaching. Looking at the overview, there are 6 core concepts that will help students to be more motivated to learn, and reach the level of high learning and for the teachers, it helps them to be more energized and assertive to teach.Through the core concepts, it will help students to increase their capacity to learn online.It helps the students to gain knowledge in a truly interdisciplinary fashion; explore real world problems and challenges; they re more likely to stay engaged and on task, reducing behavioral problems in the classroom; develop the skills to manage their emotions, resolve conflict nonviolently, and make responsible decisions. Thus, this kind of tool will bring both the teachers and students into a better learning compared the traditional form of teaching. It is a student-centered activity. All the works, projects and activities are done by the students instead by the teachers. Students learn more through exploration like the way they are doing their project wherein they have the knowledge and skill to create a project with the use of their different multiple intelligences. At the same time, teachers are becoming effective to use this kind of tool that will help them to expand the boundaries of their creativity and the students' creativity, beyond the walls of the classroom.
• Therefore, this website helps make teaching and learning more meaningful and fun, and ultimately move them toward greater and higher learning.

2. http://www.iknowthat.com/com

• This is a good website for kids because you will find here full of fun and interesting learning activities in different subjects. As a Grade school teacher, I would encourage my co-teachers to supplement their lesson plans with activities and games from this website or use this tool in their teaching because it helps students to be more attentive, excited, interested and motivated. They would understand the concepts/lessons clearly if it is presented to them in a way of game activity because they interact and learn together. It is somewhat a game but students learn a lot through interacting in a certain game. This will be a good tool for grade school students to develop a mastery skill in a certain subject.
  

How to improve your teaching practices using MS PowerPoint

PowerPoint is really a big help especially in presenting your lessons because it helps you to create, organize, illustrate and deliver your ideas formally and professionally. It simply allows you to produce web presentations, overhead transparencies and more creative and comprehensive presentations. Using PowerPoint in common classroom tasks improves the teachers' teaching, as well as, it makes instruction more dynamic and interesting to today's computer-savvy students.

The following ways can be improved your teaching practices using PowerPoint:

• Put your opening activity or warm-up on PowerPoint instead of the overhead. As students share their responses, add them to the next slide that teach them new ideas and concepts to students. (Presentation the flow of lessons/ activities)
• Presenting lessons through the use of PowerPoint can be in many ways such as presenting the concepts, pictures and activities. It enables you to prepare quality visual aids using computer technology. it can be used to display diagrams, graphs, charts, tables and photographs.
• Prepare lectures in PowerPoint. Adding pictures and short video clips makes the presentation truly multimedia and more fully engages students in the material. Instructional goals will be met while multiple learning styles are addressed.
• Use the website links that can also be added to presentations. For example: Take a virtual tour inZamboanga City or browsing an online biography of an author will be a click away. Post links so that they are available to students who want to explore the sites more deeply.
• Post all PowerPoint presentations on a class website. Students can revisit material from home or in the library. Absent students can also access the class presentation while they are at home or sick.
• Create your own games to review and practice the concepts to students beacause students love team competitions and more visual students can easily see the questions and answers.
• PowerPoint presentations are great for reviewing ideas which have already been taught. After the students have learned and practiced something, it is good to see a presentation. Not only do students find this interesting, but it is also a good way to check and see if they have mastered a concept. Thus, PowerPoint presentations are also good ways to review before a test.
• Design any types of tests or evaluation through the use of PowerPoint.
• Design a tutorial or activity on any topics.

Therefore, through the help of PowerPoint, it builds the self-esteem and confidence of the teachers in tecahing the concepts/lessons to their students. It has a big impact to stduents because it arouses their attention to learn and understand more.

3 Factors that will help teachers in integrating IT in their teaching parctices

1. Gain PERSPECTIVE and INTEREST

• To achieve this perspective, ask yourself these questions:
  
  · Did I use technology?
  · If I did, did the technology enhance the lessons? If not, why not?
  · If I didn't use technology, how can I use it this year to enhance
  and/or reinforce what I teach?
• A teacher must gain perspective in a way of having a basic knowledge or skill on how to manipulate the following:

a. use the Facilities and software applications

b. browse the Internet and use e-mail.

c. face the problems encountered

d. select the appropriate software/ programs relating to their content areas and
learning goals.

e. develop strategies for learning and instruction through the use of technology

2. Professional Development

• Provide more professional development to all teachers to help them choose the most appropriate technologies and instructional strategies to meet their goals and demands of the students.
• Each teacher must have a continual series of seminars and trainings on IT and in other areas. On-going professional development is a must to help teachers learn not only how to use technology but also how to provide meaningful instruction and activities using technology in the classroom.

3. Provide Adequate Time and Support

• To learn the use of technology, we must give them time before expecting them to use it.
• The integration of technology into the curriculum will not succeed without giving teachers ample time to practice, explore, conceptualize and collaborate.
• Afterwards, close monitoring must be done on the application of knowledge and skills acquired on seminars/ trainings to the teachers.
• teachers must have the knowledge and expertise to design and implement projects in which students can work on inquiry, design their projects and present outputs.
  

Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students

1. 
   In your experience, what section/s of this write-up is/are not applicable to our students and/or educational setup? Please explain your answer.
   
   Answers
   
   · All of the sections in the article I’ve read are applicable to my students and to our educational set-up. I have seen the positive impacts of technology to my students in a way of their development creativity, problem-solving abilities, informational reasoning skills, communication skills and other higher order thinking skills. I have seen also that my students were more motivated to learn and have increased their self-confidence and self-esteem.
   · However, among the sections stated in the article, 2 sections are less applicable to my students such as Collaboration with Peers and Use of Outside Resources.
   Why?
   - Students are working in one computer and questions are not allowed to ask from one another or helping one another because they need to learn on their own or learning independently.
   - Less of offering assistance and discussions on what to plan and act.
   - Lack of peer assessment to critique each others’ work
   - Lack of broadening their horizons with technology in the use of online research, telecommunications/teleconferencing, satellite broadcasts and etc.
   
2. Change in student’s and teacher’s roles was seen as a positive effect brought about by technology. But how do you reach the kind of level (of change) described here (teacher becoming a facilitator, students are in the position of defining their goals)?
   
   Answers:
   
   · As a teacher in the Grade School, I have become a facilitator than a lecturer through the use and integration of technology. I became a facilitator in a way of explaining the objectives; giving the instructions/ guidelines and series of activities to them. Let the activities work by them independently in order for them to learn on their own learning and exploration. I had seen their changes and development through their output. Aside from this, I also monitor the activities given to them by moving around from one student to another. Being a facilitator changes my role as a teacher because I talk less but more learning and improvement had developed and enhanced to my students. Compared to being a lecturer, they talk and explain more but only few of the students are learning and the rest felt boring.
   
3. Technology is a two-edged sword, its effects on classrooms and students could be both positive and negative. Under ‘more collaboration with peers’, the author talks only of the positive impacts of technology. What could be the negative impacts under this section?
   
   Answers:
   
   · The negative impacts of “Collaboration with Peers” are the following:
   
   -- Loss of Communication in a way student who doesn’t communicate might not understand on what she/he is supposed to do.
   ---Without Teamwork will lead students not to create a secure space for sharing ideas, solving problems and etc.
   ---Students might loss their ethics and right conduct to comment on others’ work.
   - Some students might give bad comments and conflict might arrive between the two opponents..

----Loss of Interest, Self-confidence and Self-esteem
----Lack of Satisfaction and creativeness to make one work/task a presentable

----Insufficient time to accomplish one task
--- No convenient source of assistance
--- Poor recitation and participation of the students

4. For you, what is the most positive impact of technology on classroom and students? Why?
Answers:

· The most positive impact of technology on classroom and students is the section, “Increased Motivation and Self- esteem”.
- Through the use of technology, students must learn to think, analyze, research, and do in different ways, more enriched and more powerful ways. As a teacher, I want my students to understand ways that technology helps them to learn, adapt and increase their motivation and self-esteem because …..:
-- students must be well- motivated in the use of technology to acquire their interest and enhance their achievement.
-- motivation is somewhat a driving force to encourage students to learn and pursue their studies and dreams if technology is present.

-- it gives satisfaction to continue achieving one’s work.
-- helps student to be more confident in designing a nice looking and presentable output.
-- once students are motivated and confident, all the effects or impacts of technology on classrooms and students can be under this section, wherein they become an active role, acquire a level of more technology skills, more complicated task can be accomplished, more collaboration with peers, increase the use of outside resources, and improve the creativity or design skills to audience.