Post #5

The ASSURE Model is a procedural guide for developing any instructional method. The first step is Analyze the learner. You must assess who your learners are, their skill levels, and their learning styles. The second is State objectives. This is basically what you want your learners to gain knowlege of and what the specific learner outcomes are. The third is Select methods, media, and materials. You must decide the method of instruction, choose appropriate media, and select , modify, update, or design materials for instruction. The next step is Utilize methods, media, and materials. You must assess how you will use the methods, media, and materials and also what your instructional strategy is. The next step is Require learner participation. This is basically what the learners will be required to do and if the learners will engage in active or passive learning. The last step is Evaluate and revise. You must assess if the lesson met the objectives, evaluate content and technologies used, and revise and improve.

I haven't acquired any new skills since my last post. I did think the ASSURE model was very interesting. I'm sure I'll use this in the future.

I had a job interview today and I really hope I get the job! I need to start saving up for my trip this summer. I'm going to Spain to visit my family. Spain is such a wonderful place to visit, and I'm not just saying that because I'm from there! There's so much to see and just not enough time to see it all. So I'm hoping to pick up where I left off this summer. I really want to go back to Italy but that will probably have to wait for another year. I know I didn't appreciate the experience as much when I was younger as opposed to now. I mean I remember complaining when we visited Venice! How many ten year olds can say they've been to Italy? I can't believe I didn't realize how lucky I was back then. My aunt is the same way as me, she wants to see the whole world too. So I hope we can squeeze a trip in to Italy this summer too!

Post #4

Something that caught my eye in this chapter was the section on K-12 educational software applications. Honestly it caught my eye because of the picture from an Arthur game. I loved that show when I was a little kid. Well an educational software application refers to computer software that is used to support teaching and learning of subject related content. The number and quality of educational software applications have increased dramatically in the past few years. They are available in many different designs, forms, and curriculum levels. Educational games usually include a set of rules, and students can compete against other students or the game itself. Many students find these games a fun way to learn. These games create problem-solving environments making students use higher order thinking skills. An educational computer simulation is a computerized model of real life that represents a physical or simulated process. The user can cause things to happen, change conditions, and make decisions on the criteria provided to simulate real-life situations. SimCity, Sim Theme Park, and Sim Coaster are examples of this type of program. I never liked SimCity so this was not a fun program for me when I was younger. I remember many educational games that were used in my classrooms especially throughout the elementary school years. We had games to practice math and reading. I also remember a game called Oregan Trail. I loved that game when I was little! How many people remember playing this?

I haven't acquired any new skills since my last post. Probably because I wrote my last post about ten minutes ago. I found the Powerpoint presentations to be very tedious though. I spent so much time on the interactive game. I did enjoy it though and am quite proud of it. I definitely will try to use this in the future. I just think it would be a different and fun way to give a quiz.

About two weekends ago I took the General Knowledge Test. It wasn't very hard. I didn't enjoy waking up at 6:30 am or having to be there for six hours either but it's a requirement. For anyone who hasn't taken it and will have to take it, I highly reccomend brushing up on your geometry. That's the only portion of the math exam that I had a little trouble with. I completely forgot about the types of triangles and complementary and supplementary angles. I'm not sure when I get my results but hopefully it's soon!

Post # 3

Storage refers to the media on which data, instructions, and information are kept and also the devices that record and retrieve these items. It stores these items when they are not in use. A storage medium is the physical material on which data, instructions, and information are kept. Floppy disks and zip disks can be used to store items, but they are quickley being replaced by other portable storage devices. CDs and DVDs can also be used for storage. A USB flash drive is a flash memory storage device that plugs into a USB port on computer or mobile devices. They are very easy to use. They can hold from 64 MB to 4GB and higher. Experts believe that this type of device will eventually make 3.5 inch and Zip disks obsolete.

I learned how to link different slides to each other in Powerpoint presentations. I think I will definitely use this in future classrooms. If I want to make interactive quizzes in Powerpoint this is something I will have to use.

I can't wait to go home this weekend! I haven't seen the beach in over two months. I miss having the beach so close to my house. It's only ten minutes away back home. And here, we are like an hour or so away from the nearest beach. If the weather is good I am definitely making a beach trip.

Post #2

Types of graphics and multimedia software include desktop publishing software, paint/image editing software, multimedia authoring tools, Web page authoring software, and many more. Desktop publishing software allows you to design, produce, and deliver documents that contain text, graphics, and brilliant colors. Many home, school, and small businesses use a much simpler form of this software designed for individual desktop publishing projects. With this type of software you can create newsletters, brochures, postcards, greeting cards, business cards, banners, calenders, logos, and other such documents. Paint software allows you to draw pictures, shapes, and other graphics using tools on the screen like a pen, brush, eye dropper, and paint bucket. Image editing software allows you to modify existing graphics and also provides the same capabilities of paint software. A popular type of this software is called photo editing software. It allows you to edit digital photos and also create electronic photo albums.

I learned how to apply animation schemes to individual pictures in Powerpoint. I did my Powerpoint presentation on the solar system because I will be teaching first grade and this is a concept that could be taught in the lower elementary school grades. I thought it would be cute if a rocket ship would fly off the introductory slide. I learned how to do this and also applied sound to it.

So last week I was supposed to go home for the weekend but I woke up on Friday morning and it was pouring! I wasn't too thrilled about driving in the pouring rain all the way home so I stayed here for the weekend. I hope the weekend brings better weather because I definitely need to do some grocery shopping! I try to only do my shopping at home because food is much cheaper at the grocery store on base. The drive is really long though but it's so worth it.

Post #1

The ARCS Motivational Model was developed by John M. Keller. He stated that even the best designed intructional method will fail if students are not motivated to learn. Teachers should try to create motivation in their students to learn new skills. He specified four areas that could account for the differences in student effort. One area is attention. An effective learning method would eliminate boredom and captivate the student's attention. Another area is relevance. When the student feels that learning is relevant to their lives, they will become more motivated to learn. Another area is challenge/cofidence. Lessons created with digital media allows the student to develop confidence by allowing them to succeed, and also presents a degree of challenge for the student. The last area is satisfaction/success. Basically when the student feels good about himself/herself, they will feel motivated.

I learned how to make checkboxes in word. As a teacher I believe this could be useful because I will probably make some sort of checklist for my future students. I know that this seems like a very easy thing to do (make a checkbox) but I honestly didn't know how to make one until assignment # 7.

I am so behind on these posts! I'm trying to catch up while I still have the time. My schedule is crazy right now and it seems like my class assignment are piling up. I've had three exams in the past two weeks and three assignments due. It has been a very hectic two weeks!