TPACK Questions Final

My final TPACK responses to the questions presented with the Harris, Mishra, Koehler article at the beginning of the semester are complete. I really felt more confident responding to these questions after all the experiences that Dr. Pierce provided for me through this course. In regards to the 2008 National Education Technology Standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education, this assignment correlated well with the fifth standard. Being able to reflect on what we learned throughout this course and contemplate how we can apply to our content, pedagogical, and technological educational practices provides and excellent opportunity for us to engage in professional growth and leadership. With this, we are able to convey our feelings towards our professional growth through our mastery of different technology that can be added to our practice as well as contemplate and convey how we can apply these to our instruction.

Computer Self Efficacy Survey

I remember taking this survey at the beginning of the class back in May. Most of my responses were more to the center/left area of the scales provided with the questions. I remember being rather unsure about many of the questions. Upon taking this survey at the end of the class, most of my responses have moved to the right of the scales provided. I felt very comfortable taking this survey at the end of the class. This survey enabled me to see how much I actually progressed in regards to my ability to use technology for educational purposes and teach my students to use it as well. In regards to ISTE NETS 2008, this survey accomplished standard 5 very well. I really felt that it enabled me to see my professional growth in regards to technology use as well as my feeling of increased competence in regards to being able to teach my students to use technology for educational purposes.

Google Forms Survey Spreadsheet

I was able to get two people to take my survey. My survey results reflect their responses. I created a hyperlink to my survey in my posting yesterday, but I also included in today's posting as well. It is also embeded in yesterday's blog post. In response to the question regarding how I would get a Google form to parents, students, or co-workers, I could use a variety of methods to do this. If it was a class related matter, I could post it and/or create a hyperlink to it on a class blog. I could also e-mail it to students, parents, and /or co-workers. This would require me to have all of their e-mail addresses. I could also embed it on a blog. Even though it is not advisable, hyperlinks and embedding can also be done through social networking sites such as Facebook. This is an area where teachers need to use extreme caution.

Google Forms Survey

My survey is embedded and posted if anyone would like to take it. It pertains to opinions about vacationing in America today. I will post the spread sheet illustrating the results as well as my answers to the questions pertaining to this assignment. I can definitely see myself using this tool for a variety of reasons including the administration of assessment online. With this, I would be directly using technology to achieve standard two established by ISTE in their NETS for 2008. This is an excellent way to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments.

Jeopardy Lab

I used Jeopardy Lab to create a Civil War Jeopardy. Jeopardy Lab is definitely something that I will use right from the start of the upcoming school year. I would like to show it to my students so they can create Jeopardy boards based on the content themselves. This is definitely something that can inspire student centered learning in my classroom. In regards to ISTE standards, this definitely meets standard 2. As a teacher, this is an excellent way for me to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments. I could use this as a game for test review, or I could use is as formative assessment in itself. As I mentioned, students could also use it to assess each other on what they learned. I will probably get much use out of this tool this coming school year.

Photo Story 3

My Cyberbullying Public Service Announcement was pasted on the popular web site You Tube. I really liked this assignment because it forced me to learn how to use You Tube and upload videos to the site. I always liked to view videos from You Tube, but I never uploaded anything through an account. I really like Photo Story 3. I have been using this program in my classes for a year. I learned about it at a dual session workshop that was part of the Special Education Teachers Leadership Academy (SETLA) that I attended in Charleston, WV last July. It is a great tool for students to create narrative presentations. I really liked the idea of creating a public service announcement. The use of this tool for an assignment like this is a direct match to standard four set forth by the ISTE and the educational standards for teachers that they established. Using Photo Story 3 and You Tube to create a public service announcement is an excellent way to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. This is a way that students can create presentations on issues that are important to them. This gives them a sense of civic participation which is part of being a responsible citizen. I would like to use this type of assignment for my students in the English classes I teach. My school, like all schools in West Virginia have blocks on websites such as You Tube. I could have them past their assignments on a Teacher Tube account that I will set up. I am looking forward to using Photo Story 3 for an assignment such as this for the upcoming school year.

My responses to the TPACK questions are updated but not complete. I am learning more with each project, and this helps me to better develop my responses. The link is to what I have at this point in the semester.

Prezi

Wild Wonderful West Virginia on Prezi

As I played around with Prezi, I had so many ideas come to mind as to how I can use this. I got a little carried away with my Prezi Presentation, but I had fun creating it. I just started with a simple idea that was Social Studies related. From there the idea just evolved. I found myself working on this late into the evenings, but I enjoyed it because it was about something that I love to teach and present. Feel free to check my presentation out. I hope you enjoy it. I know there is a lot of stuff there, but it should be pretty easy to manipulate. I created a path, but it is easy to choose your own route of interest with my presentation. The second slide explains that the easiest way to maneuver this presentation is to click the forward arrow and choose as many or as few of the examples from the characteristics that you want. Definitely check out the map. I had the most fun creating this.

The more I experimented with this tool, the more I liked it. I like it just as much as Power Point, although I have more experience with the latter. Power Point is more oriented towards following slides in a specific order. With Prezi, users can establish a path or order, but viewers can deviate from following that order by just using the cursor to slide the screen as opposed to pushing the play arrow at the bottom of the presentation screen. Prezi is also a good tool for creating cognition diagrams that are interactive. Ultimately, as I become more familiar with Prezi, I can see myself preferring this tool over Power Point because of its flexibility and interactive nature. I really would like to introduce this to my students and give them the opportunity to show their knowledge of different content specific topics through the use of this tool. This is an excellent tool for students who struggle with writing because it enables one to use cognition strategies in order to convey a thought or topic. Students can create a Prezi and use their information that evolved from their thoughts to create a written composition. I really like the possibilities with this tool in regards to writing strategies.

As with many of the tools were used in this course, the use of Prezi by teachers and students could coincide with all five standards set forth by ISTE. The three standards the work the best with the use of this tool are standards 1, 2, and 3. The tool is definitely a great way to inspire student learning and creativity. As I mentioned earlier, I started with a basic idea, and as I used Prezi to convey that idea, my thoughts continued to evolve as to coming up with more ways to improve and develop my idea. Before I knew it, my basic idea expanded into a web of supporting details that developed my topic in a more thorough manner. I also see the use of this tool by both teachers to instruct as well as by students to learn as well as convey their knowledge as a way to provide opportunities for students to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments. One characteristic of the 21st Century Schools classroom is that assignments are more student centered. Enabling students to use this tool to convey their knowledge is an excellent way to facilitate student centered learning that is flexible yet rigorous in regards to students mastering content standard objectives CSO's established by the state. By this, I eam that students can create Prezis about given topics in a manner and order that they decide on themselves. The use of Prezi is also a great way for teachers to model digital-age work and learning. As teachers use this, students are able to see how modern technology can be used to guide one's thinking and expression. As they are given the opportunity to become familiar with Prezi and use it they are able to become familiar with technology that is common to digital-age work and learning.

I definitely plan on using this in the fall with my classes. I really see this as something that will benefit my students tremendously. I really liked using Prezi.

Motion Path

I had fun creating a motion path slide. Finding clip art that works for my ideas was a big challenge, but I had fun with this nonetheless. In regards to ISTE standards, this is an excellent way to achieve Standard 1. By enabling students to become familiar with motion paths for Powerpoint, teachers can open up the door for student creativity as they think of different ways to employ this function to their presentations. This is something that can be used to make Powerpoint presentations more interactive.

Labels

My Animation Slide is geared for social studies classes at all levels. At the high school level, it would be used mainly in 10th grade classrooms. I really liked this activity. This is something that I can use when I teach by using Power Point, and it is also something that I can teach my students to use in order to make a student centered interactive presentation to each other as well as myself. In terms of standards established by ISTE, the use of this feature with Power Point as well as being able to create a URL through an institution's online library is an excellent way to foster the fifth standard. Teachers can model professional growth and leadership to students, and students can use this to develop their leadership abilities in terms of presenting information.

Ignite

Ignite presentation 1

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I actually found this assignment to be a little more challenging than the others, but I did enjoy thinking about the possibilities. Ignite format is definitely something that I would like to share with my students. My ignite presentation is one that I would forward to my students at the end of the school year. Using this format correlates very well with Standards one and two established by ISTE. Student learning and creativity are definitely fostered with activities done in this manner, and students are definitely given the opportunity to engage in learning experiences and assessments that are student centered and ideal for a twenty-first century classroom. The Slideshare website is definitely something I can use to enhance my teaching.

Slideshare

Post industrialization

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My Slideshare presentations is one that I can use in my high school Sociology classes during Chapter 5. It addresses social and economic conditions today in most first world nations and discusses the problem of economic instability. This was really cool how slide shows such as these can be shared on the Slideshare Website. The use of this tool correlates well with standard 3 established by ISTE. Using this tool to create and share informational Power Point presentations is an excellent way to model digital-age work and learning. I plan to create and store content related power point presentations on my account. I also plan to view other presentations created by others on the same subjects.

Jing 2

My screen cast is an activity that could be used during an extended period of school closure caused by inclement weather. This is the context I used when I created this activity. What I liked the most about the Jing activities is that they correspond closely with standard 5 set forth by the ISTE NETS. Using this tool as well as teaching students to use it is an excellent way to use technology to engage professional growth and leadership. This is an excellent tool for instructing and leading. Teachers and students alike would benefit tremendously in terms of leadership by knowing how to use it.

Learning Outcomes Responses to Test Questions:

1. The two types of files that come out of Jing are .swf files and .png files. If a graphic or screen cast is saved as a .swf file, it is only viewable by the individual who created it. In order to be viewed by others it must be shared via screen cast. By doing this, the file is then given a URL and can be viewed on the Internet.

2. Upon completing a graphic or screen cast, we can save these files in our Jing history by clicking the save button. With this these files are stored in the Jing history of the account we created.

3. Upon completing and saving a graphic or screen cast it can be linked by clicking the save button. Once it is saved it is automatically stored in the Jing history file. Upon viewing it in the Jing history it is given a .swf file by clicking the share button. In order for it to have a link that can be viewed by others, it must be uploaded via screen cast. To do this, the user needs to view the graphic or screen cast and click the share via screen cast button. With this, one's computer may take a few minutes to upload the video and assign a URL address. Once a URL address is assigned, it can then be pasted and sent for others to view.

4. Both saving and retrieving Jing objects is simple. Upon completing a graphic or screen cast, one only needs to click the save icon located at the bottom of the screen. This automatically stores the file as a SWF file in the Jing history. In order to retrieve an object, one needs to click on the Jing sunshine icon and choose history. This will open the cache containing the all of one's saved files. All one needs to do is click on the icon of the saved file that he/she wants to retrieve.

5. Importing Jing graphics was a little more complicated than I thought. I tried several methods to doing this. The one that seemed to work the best was saving the files to my computer and uploading them to the blog via adding them through my computer as opposed to having it search the listed URL. Blogger would not even let me upload a video via URL. I had to use the video file from my computer in order to import it to my blog. As far as creating hotlinks, the process was the same as for other assignments. All I had to do was highlight the keywords for the hotlink and use the link function from Blogger in order to designate the URL address for the words I chose to link to the websites.

6. A Jing screen cast is saved as a .swf file, but once it is shared via screen cast it is assigned a URL that enables it to be viewed by anyone.

7. We can covert Jing objects including images and videos. When something is captured it can either be stored as a still image or if it is a video it can be converted to a Jing file so long as the capture video function is chosen. With this, the original sound from the video can be used, or it can be altered based on what the user chooses.

Jing 1

I really thought Jing was a pretty cool tool to use. I played around with it last night and tonight. I can definitely see where I can use this in my instruction. I never knew about it until now. I struggled with using it even though I watched the introductory video and screen presentation that followed registration. As I played around with it the easier it became. I went ahead and created an initial visual pertaining to the creation of a proper cover page for compositions for my English classes. I actually had students submit their compositions via e-mail. I always run into the problem of them understanding things like proper margins, spacing, and font size. This is an excellent tool to help me convey processes such as this. It is also a great tool to assist students in using applications that I assign to them in order to better master content or processes in my classes. I am sure that I will improve in regards to my ability to use this tool. This seems to be like central air conditioning. I went most of my life without it, but now that I have it I cannot imagine life without it. I can see how this tool can make life easier for teachers who implement technology into their classrooms. In regards to ISTE standards this would be an excellent way to perform standard 1. Enabling students to use this tool to explain something such as is typically required in a process analysis would be an excellent way to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. It is an awesome tool to supplement assignments such as these. I can see myself teaching my students in English class how to use this tool for several assignments.

Google Draw Tool

I have not used many drawing tools, so my experience is very limited. The only other drawing tool that I have ever used extensively is Microsoft Paint. I have never used an online drawing tool mainly because I have never really needed to use one. The experience from this assignment was really good because it forced me to use an online drawing tool. With this, I was able to contemplate how I could use this application towards the functions of my job. In terms of standards set forth by the ISTE, I would say that my experience meets standard two, but the use of it in the classroom could coincide with all five standards. As a social studies and English teacher I would mainly use this tool to meet the third standard. I would teach my students to use creative media in order to convey a thought, idea, or even product. The use of this would be an excellent way to do this. This tool has the ability to allow students to use images from other locations as well as creatively use the art applications to create their own. This is an excellent way for me to model digital age work and learning. My students can not learn to do the things that were once only reserved for the few. When I was in school, being able to do this was unthinkable.

The graphic that I created was mainly on the applications that we used in this class so far this session. I also embedded it with this post.

Self Assessment

Upon taking the self assessment survey, I have discovered that I have some things missing in my blog, and that I need to go back and fill some things in adequately. I need to figure out how to manipulate the blog in order to make sure that my assignments match the dates they were assigned. I am learning a lot about new technology, but I am struggling with the rigor or the format required for each assignment. I just have to pull things together.

Glogster

The Glogster website created an excellent opportunity to get creative.

My Glog can be viewed at the following link:

Jason Armentrout's Glog

Learning Outcome Questions:

1. A Glog is an interactive poster created through the Glogster website. A Glog can range in diversity and flexibility. Users of Glogster can create posters which contain multimedia such as pictures, audio, and/or visuals.

2. Glogs can be used in my classes in several different ways. First, Glogs can be used to enable students to create and compose e-narratives. This could assist with or possibly take the place of written narrative requirements that are common to typical English curriculum requirements. These can also be used for project based assessment in so many ways. As a teacher of high school Sociology, I plan on having my students use this application to model their mastery and understanding of the concept of culture. I would also like to enable my students in other social studies classes to use this application in order to display their mastery of content materials in the form of a project as opposed to taking a standard test. I also think this could be an excellent tool to communicate with and create assignments for students in my class during extended periods of school closure as was the case last winter during the blizzards of December and February. During the February blizzard, we missed a whole week of instructional days. Many parents of students in the school where I teach conveyed their frustration about this and how their children missed a whole week of learning. With this, Glogs can be used by students to create products demonstrating mastery pertaining to assigned work during these periods. I plan on implementing this tool in both social studies and English classes.

3. Just like with voice thread, I think that the implementation of this tool corresponds with all five standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education. In my opinion the use of this tool corresponds with the first standard very well. This would be an excellent tool for teachers to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. This is especially true with the use of it for project based assessment. based on all levels of thinking. I really like the possibilities that it creates for better facilitating more student centered instruction where students are forced to think outside of the box and solve real-world problems as opposed to just regurgitating facts. I also think that the implementation of this tool would be an excellent way for teachers to deal with the fourth standard. This tool can be used in order to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. Issues such as copyright and plagiary can be taught as well as issues pertaining to etiquette and responsibility.

4. Once I got the hang of it, I really did not have many problems with Glogster. I did have a little trouble with the grab feature in terms of grabbing my audio and video recordings completely. I had more luck uploading my audio and video applications from the media centers on my computer. Other than that, I really enjoyed using it. My kids and I had a blast making posters and videos. I guess the only hesitation that I would have would be making sure that students understand all of the aspects around the fourth standard established by the International Society for Technology in Education. Like any application that is free and easy to use, a major concern is that of users who push the envelope in regards to the content they post. Most websites that facilitate tools and applications such as these are usually well policed by web administrators. Even though this is a concern, I do not see any reason for schools to block websites such as Glogster from users.

Self Portrait

Upon completing my self portrait on the Pablo Picasso website the one major issue that I had a question about was how to post my self portrait to my blog. To resolve this I used the snipping tool in order to save it as a jpeg. and upload it to my blog from there. I have included the link to my self-portrait.

Jason Armentrout's Self Portrait from Picassohead

The image that I made is included with this posting. In regards to the five standards set forth by the ISTE, the use of this tool correlates very well with the first standard. Using this tool in the classroom is an excellent way to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. Students would have a wonderful time using this tool. They would also have an excellent opportunity to be creative with digital-age learning medium.

VARK Questionnaire on Learning Styles

Upon taking the VARK Questionnaire pertaining to learning styles, I have been classified as multinodal RKV. My results indicated the following: Reading/writing = 12, Kinesthetic = 11, Visual = 10, and Aural = 8. The report and strategies stated that I fall into the majority of learners. The results from the questionnaire described my preferred learning style pretty well. I really do not have a favorite learning style, but of the four listed I seem to be most comfortable learning by reading and writing. I really liked this questionnaire, and I felt that it was a valid indicator in terms of describing my preferred learning style. I also liked the study strategies included with each learning style. I plan on using this tool in order to help my students self-assess their learning style. This would also help me to become more familiar with their preferred learning style in order to better differentiate my instruction in order to better meet their learning needs. Using this tool would enable me to cover standard 2 established by ISTE. This is an excellent way to design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments. Students would be able to use technology in order to better understand their individual learning styles.

Snipping Tool

These are a few of the snips that I could use as a Social Studies teacher when teaching my students about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement. I really like this tool because it enables me to snip passages directly from important documents and photographs without copying and pasting and doing the needed work such as cropping and touch ups. This tool would be great for making digital collages and other visuals. This tool would facilitate standard 1 established by ISTE. It is an excellent tool to facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity. Students can use this for a variety of medium used to manifest their creative abilities.

Voice Thread

I really liked using Voice Thread. I was aware of it, but I never used it until now. I did not realize that using was as easy as it was in this activity. I plan on using this tool next semester in my classes. There are so many possibilities with the use of it in the classroom especially for teachers of social studies and English. In regards to the International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Teachers, this activity can be matched with each of the five standards in one way or another. If I were to choose from the five standards I would say that it most closely matches Standard 3. The product from this activity enabled me to better understand an model my mastery of this digital age tool. I really felt that being able to model digital age work and learning in this activity will prove to be valuable in making me a better 21st Century educator. I also think that Standard 2 was covered very well in this activity. This activity enabled me as a student to have a valuable digital age learning experience that I can take and apply to my practice in order to better provide a classroom more conducive to 21st Century learning skills and standards.

Learning Outcome Test Question Response

1. What is a VoiceThread and how can they be used in any learning enterprise?

A Voice Thread is a tool that enables people to converse around images or video. With this, a group discussion can be contained on one page. This tool can be used in a variety of ways in any learning enterprise. It can be used as an introductory tool for students to "break the ice" about themselves as it was for this activity that we performed. It can also be used as a discussion or tutoring tool for students and teacher to converse with one another as well as provide assistance where it may be needed. It can also be used as an instructional tool. It can also be used to facilitate project based learning. These are just a few of the ways this tool can be used with any learning enterprise.

Google Reader

Upon viewing the video and setting up my Google Reader, I found two blogs that I would like to follow this semester. The first blog is entitled “Free Technology for Teachers.” The second blog is entitled “Edgalaxy.” As I explored both blogs, the blog post that caught my eye was entitled “100 Ways to Use Voice Threads in Education.” The entry came from the “Free Technology for Teachers” blog. I plan on acquiring many resources from this blog throughout the semester. From the blog entry that I picked, I learned many different ways that voice threads can be used by teachers as well as students in order to assure quality learning in a 21st Century classroom. I really like how this particular blog entry consisted of numerous ideas submitted by other teachers who are followers of the blog. The ideas themselves were submitted via voice thread. This entry was one of the blogs that I chose to share. The other blog entry that I shared is entitled “More Than 100 Webcam Resources from Simple K12.” It is very neat how I can follow other blogs in this manner. Others can follow my blog as well as Google profile.

Learning Outcomes:

1. What is a blog syndication and how does it differ from your previous strategies for information gathering?

Blog syndication uses RSS in order to publish and deliver web content that changes regularly to individual computer users who request the content. This differs from previous strategies for information gathering in that in the past one would have to look up informational web sites one at a time or open up numerous windows simultaneously in order to display all desired information at the same time. With blog syndication such as that from Google Reader, users can get new postings and information from their favorite websites sent to them immediately as opposed to having to make frequent checks on their favorite websites separately.


2. What does RSS stand for?

RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication as well as Rich Site Summary.

In regards to ISTE standards, using Google Reader would be an excellent way to facilitate standard 3. Being able to access other blogs in the way made possible by Google Reader is an excellent way to model digital-age work and learning. This is definitely how learning will take place in the 21st century.

Google Docs

I really liked using the Google Docs application. When I created my online resume, the application published it on my blog. I also linked my online application so that it can be accessed from this posting. Along with this, I experimented with the spreadsheet application and created a little spreadsheet on the fifty states just to play around with it. It can also be accessed from this posting. I really like this blog. The more I use it, the better I am at it. The use of Google Docs and the things that can be done with this tool correlate well with standard 3 established by ISTE. This is an excellent way to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations. It is also an excellent way to collaborate with others to use digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.

Copy of Circles Resume

Jason Armentrout

Rt. 1 Box 188A2, Keyser, WV, 26726 • 304.298.3480 • jarmentrout70@gmail.com

Profile

I am a educator with fourteen years teaching experience. I have a passion for what I do. I presently teach at Frankfort High School in Mineral County, West Virginia. My areas of certification are Social Studies, Special Education Multicategorical, and English Self-contained. I am presently working on my M.Ed. in Special Education Multicategorical at Fairmont State University. I also have eight years experience coaching football, wrestling, and track. Recently, I was named the head wrestling coach at Frankfort High School.

Education

Name of Recent School Attended

Fairmont State University

Fairmont, WV

Degree: Masters of Education in Special Education Multicategorical in progress

West Virginia University

Morgantown, WV

Various courses towards certification and recertification

Frostburg State University

Frostburg, MD

Various courses towards recertification

Shepherd University (96)

Shepherdstown, WV

Degree Earned: Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education, Social Studies, 5-8; 9-12

Potomac State College (94)

Keyser, WV

Degree Earned: Associate of Arts in Secondary Education

Skills

Certification

West Virginia Dept. of Ed.

Social Studies 5-12

Special Education Multidisciplinary

Special Education English Self-Contained

Work Experience

2004 - Present

Name of Current Employer, Location

Position Title

• Mineral County Schools
• One Baker Place
• Keyser, WV 26726
• Position: Teacher and Head Wrestling Coach at Frankfort High School

1996-2004

Name of Former Employers, Location

Position Title

• Lighthouse Christian Academy (98-04)
• 2020 Bedford St.
• Cumberland, MD 21502
• Position: Teacher
• 
  
• Hampshire County Schools (96-98)
• 46 S. High Street
• Romney, WV 26757
• Position: Teacher at the Alternative School

Activities

2003-Present

WV Relay for Life - Mineral County Chapter and Potomac State College

2004-Present

Active member in WVEA, West Virginia's chapter if National Educational Association

2003

Who's Who Amongs American Teachers

References

Available upon request

I thought this was a really good feature of Google Docs. This is definitely an example of how career and job networking will be done in the 21st Century. This is something that can be used in order to cover standard 3 established by ISTE and the 2008 NETS. Creating these as well as teaching students to create these is an excellent way to model digital-age work and learning. It is definitely a great way for teachers and students to demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technology and systems.

Speakeasy.net Internet Speed Test

I ran the download and upload speed test on my computer based on the Washington, D.C. location since that was the closest listed metropolitan area on the list to choose from. The test did not take very long. The results revealed upload and download speed in terms of Millibytes per-second (Mbps) and Kilobytes per second (kbps.) According to the diagnostic, my computer's download speed was 0.60 Mbps or 601kbps. The download transfer rate was 75.1 KB/Sec. My computer's upload speed was 0.65 Mbps. or 645 kbps. The upload transfer rate was 80.6KB/Sec. This is an area that I need to become more familiar with in terms of being aware of my computer's performance. I do like the fact that I can check this regularly. This is definitely something that could come in handy. I know the frustrations of watching a computer loose its speed and efficiency. In regards to ISTE NETS 2008, this activity covered standard 2. It was a great digital-age learning experience.

Results from Personality Test

Guardian........ Well I guess I really am a guardian. Upon taking the personality test, the results have shown that I am in this personality type. I know that is how I was raised. My folks were guardians for sure. They were very conservative when it came to matters pertaining to conduct and behavior as well as when it came to respecting institutions such as religious, political, and educational matters. They always told me to keep things in perspective. By this they meant to always remember faith, family, and career in that order. I would have to say that I still abide by this, and I'm sure when my boys are old enough I'll instill this as well. I just figured that I would be more of an idealist. I do respect institutions, but I don't always agree with how they are run or every single belief they espouse. In fact, I'll be the first to admit that I struggle with matters pertaining to both religion and politics. I try not to discuss these matters because they can be very divisive, but I don't always subscribe to the status quo on many of the issues around these. I just try to do what is good or right to the best of my ability. In regards to ISTE NETS 2008, this activity correlates well with standard 5. Teachers using this tool with their students is an excellent way to engage in personal growth and leadership. This type of activity enables teachers and students to better understand themselves as well as others in the class in regards to different types of personalities.

Four Personality Temperaments Prior to Taking the Quiz

I have taken different personality tests at different times, but I don’t recall taking one based on the four personality temperaments. I cannot remember much about the personality assessments that I took mainly because I took them for fun and did not really investigate them further. I really liked the reading about the four personality temperaments. I thought each personality temperament was very thorough. I liked how each temperament was further broken down into types. The reading forced me to evaluate myself based on the criterion.

Upon reading about the four personality temperaments, I have concluded that I have a personality crisis. I can see a little of each temperament in myself, but if I would use one to best describe myself it would probably be that of a healer idealist. Looking back on my life, I was raised pretty much to be a guardian. I still actually seem to strive to be a guardian. I always have and still do believe in traditional institutions and values as well as a sense of right and wrong. I take pride in being dependable and trustworthy, but I am not one for honoring customs and traditions just because it is “the best thing” for society. The description of an idealist seems to best describe me. I am one who strives for cooperation, and aside from sports, conflict and confrontation bother me. I also desire harmony in all settings even though this is rarely the case. I am eager to take the quiz on order to find out how I rank in regards to these personality types.

Current Status

Just finished up an exciting day. After work, I went to my son's Pre-K graduation. I had a blast watching my son perform the role of the archduke to the prince in Cinderella. Watching those little ones perform that play was a blast. I really enjoyed the whole event.

My Experiences with Browsers and Answers to Test Questions

I remember very well the days of the competition between Netscape and Microsoft Explorer. The Wikipedia article pertaining to the Browser Wars is a reflection of my technology experience as an early adult. As a child, I had access to several means of technology common to middle class families at the time. I remember with fondness the days of the Atari 2600, Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and our Commodore 64 computer. I learned about modems for computers in late elementary and early middle school. One of my childhood friends had a father who worked with computers. He always talked about the things his father told him about computers. I also recall with humor the scene in Ferris Buhler’s Day Off where Ferris (Matthew Broderick) changed his grades with the modem on his computer. All this was in the 1980s. I still did not know what the internet was until my junior year of college in 1995. I remember going to the computer lab at Shepherd College with some of my friends from larger metropolitan areas so they could check “this messaging system referred to as ‘e-mail.’” I really did not take the time understand what these things were until my senior.

During the student teaching phase of my undergraduate years, we were required to take an accompanying class in which we were to develop a thorough portfolio of our student teaching experiences. The professor held several sessions in the computer lab, and she had us become familiar with the internet. I remember the browser available for us to use was Netscape Navigator. I remember the little steering wheel for the hull of an old ship with moving comet like objects in the sky that designated that the browser was still performing the task of loading a page. I only became familiar with the internet in college during my last semester in the spring of 1996. I always tell my students the story about my experience with intense changes in technology in that I began college in 1992 writing my papers with a Smith Corona electronic typewriter and ended in 1996 by writing my papers with computers that had Microsoft Word Perfect.

Upon graduating from college, I purchased my first modern computer at the time. It was a Packard Bell with Microsoft Windows 95. I also purchased dial-up internet access through a small local provider. I can’t even remember the exact name of the provider. (I think it was part of the Mindspring chain.) I just remember the frustration of not being able to log on at times because the Net was overloaded and the dial-up process would not complete itself. I remember thinking about how I wished my computer would have worked like the ones at Shepherd in that all I had to do was click on the Netscape Icon and I would automatically be logged on. I did not know anything about DSL or even wireless at the time. Remember this was 1996. I couldn’t even find Netscape on my computer. The only way I could surf “The Net” was by clicking on the icon with the blue, lower-case letter e after the dial-up process was successful.

Most of my early surfing days were done via Microsoft Explorer. Later on, I was able to find downloads for Netscape Navigator, but it seemed as though explorer did not lock up as frequently as Netscape. Oh yeah, that was another frustration during my early days with the internet. In the early part of the first decade of the 21st Century, (2002-03) my wife and I (I got married in 2002) decided to try this service offered by Verizon called DSL. I really liked this because it reminded me of the computer lab as an undergrad in college. Along with this, my wife purchased her first lap top computer, an IBM Think Pad. With this, we also decided to get wireless access with our DSL package. This was really awesome, but in terms of browsers, we both patronized Microsoft Explorer mainly because our computers were equipped with Microsoft Windows operating systems. I do remember wondering in the early-middle part of the decade where Netscape went. It seemed as though it had fallen off the face of the earth.

I was exposed to Mozilla Firefox a few years ago when I used my brother’s computer for something, and he told me to click on the Firefox icon in order to access the net. I really liked using this browser because it opened with two screens. It also allowed me to save the page I was viewing if I had to log off. When I logged back on, that same page automatically opened. I downloaded this browser on all of more recent computers even though the all use Microsoft Windows as the operating system. I wasn’t aware that Netscape had heavy influence in the creation of Mozilla Firefox until I read the Browser Wars article. I also was exposed to Google Chrome in the fall of 2009. I really liked it, but shortly after downloading it, the IBM Think Pad issued to me by my school crashed. I doubt that this was due to Google Chrome, but I just didn’t download it again after that. This pretty much sums up my experience with browsers.


Browser Wars Test Questions

(Upon reading the article on browser wars and the statistics on browsers)

1. What is a web browser?

A web browser is an application tool that enables computer users to easily maneuver through the many facets of the World Wide Web. Along with assisting users with traveling through the World Wide Web, browsers also enable them to retrieve and present information

2. List the most popular 4 web browsers currently?

According to most recent statistics, the four most popular web browsers are Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Safari. Three different versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer are more popular that Safari however. Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 are still more commonly used than Safari.

3. What does the term 'browser war' mean and what drives the competition between web browsers? What is the big deal in having the #1 browser?

The term “browser war” describes the competition between several internet browsers for use. This is all about economic advantage. The browser that receives the most use and popularity has the financial advantage in the browser market. As with anything in the economy competition to be the best and profit drives the competition. Having the top used browser assures a greater share in the market place. With this, it also hypothetically puts the corporation in a stronger financial position to invest in research and development in order to continue to improve the browser in order to strive to maintain their economic advantage.

This assignment corresponded well with standard 4 from ISTE's NETS 2008. Learning about the history of internet browsers and the current state of browser use is an excellent assignment 21st century educators to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. This is an economic issue relevant to anyone who works in a field that depends on the use of the World Wide Web. It is always important as citizens to study these types of issues and to be as informed as possible.

My Current Answers to the TPACK Questions

I went ahead and answered the TPACK questions as best I could. I embedded them as well as provided a hyperlink to them with this posting. The use of Google Docs to answer questions such as these is an excellent example as to how teachers can use technology in a way the corresponds with standard 2 of the NETS (2008) established by ISTE. This is a great example of a digital-age learning assessment that is designed and developed around a course scope and sequence as well as learner objectives.

I will definitely provide updates to these questions throughout the semester.

Blogging Post 2

I am really getting the hang of this blogging thing. I have experimented with the different functions from it, and I have figured out many of the things I can do to it. I like the different gadgets that can be used and displayed. I also like how easy it is to move those gadgets around on the page. I also figured out how to upload documents as well as links to web pages to my blog. As I use it more and experiment with it the better I get at it and the more comfortable I am at using it.

Blog Address Survey

I did the Blog Address Survey without a problem. I thought it was pretty easy to use, and I hope that it processed properly when I submitted it. I am going to practice with the blog a little mores. This activity was a great example as to how teachers can provide digital age learning experiences and assessments with their students. It matches with the second standard established by the International Society for Technology in Education and their National Education Technology Standards (NETS) set forth in 2008.

First Day of Class (Summer Semester)

I got off to a slow start with class today. After completing a busy day at work with IEPs as well as getting my students prepared to take their final examinations in the coming weeks, I had a ton of chores to do when getting home. I was fortunate that my wife and I worked together at completing these as we took turns between completing the chores and taking care of our children. I did manage to become familiar with the course syllabus, content, and demands. With this I set up my first gmail address (I always used hotmail, but I figured I would eventually create a g-mail account). I also set up my blog for the class. Upon looking at the National Education Technology Standards for 2008 that were established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), I have concluded that the use of a blog in a class pretty much covers each of the five standards adequately. The standard that is most covered by the use of a blog however would probably be standard 1. The use of a blog is an excellent way for teachers to enable students to express their knowledge in a creative manner that is outside of the box in terms of traditional learning. Students are given more leeway with a blog to demonstrate their mastery of content. With this, the use of a blog facilitates and inspires student learning and creativity. I felt a little inundated when I first looked at the schedule from the "home sweet home" page for the course, but I figure I will get better acquainted with it. Anyhow, I am looking forward to learning more about how to use technology in the classroom for the benefit of my students. I am also looking forward to meeting my classmates this summer. I shall return for more discussion tomorrow. Good night all.