COEHP:
Mission:
The College of Education and Health Profession's mission is "to enhance the quality of life of the citizens of Arkansas, the nation, and the world through the development of scholar-practitioners in education, health, and human services. " The website that I have developed pursues this mission as it was created to provide information and resources for educators, specifically elementary teachers, in order to enhance their classroom and teaching practices through the use of technology in the classroom.
Goals:
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Strengthen the academic and reputation of the College of Education and Health Professions by development and enhancing programs of excellence in teaching, research and service
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Improve the quality and diversity of our students, faculty and staff, and increase the size of our student enrollment
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Generate increased private and public support for the college's research, academic and service initiatives
Through the completion of this course I have helps to accomplish the COEHP goals as my work is an example of their educational experience, aiding in the academic reputation available for the college. In the development of this website I have provided resources to educators, students, and parents as assist/advance toward their college career. Providing these resources and associating my knowledge back to the University of Arkansas will direct new students, and generate support for the college.
ETEC:
Mission:
The College of Educational Technology Program's mission states "Educational Technology is the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to the practical tasks of education and learning. This mission statement is based upon our beliefs about education and learning."
Goals:
- Advancing the study of learning theories and techniques
- Designing instruction that integrates technology appropriately
- Advocating integration of technology to support learning in diverse instructional contexts
- Promoting learner-centered assessment of technology supported instructional environments
Through the creation of this website I have demonstrated the mission statement and goals of the ETEC program by developing a website dedicated to integrating technology in the classroom and demonstrating specific examples of how technology and education go hand in hand. These examples are specific representations of their beliefs of education and learning.
Competencies (based on AECT standards):
Upon completion of this course, the learner should be able to:
- Identify and define common words and terms relating to instructional technology.
This standard is met by the numerous examples of common instructional technology terminology found throughout out the various pages of my website. As the semester progressed the list of words we have learned has continued to grow, this can be seen in the progression of my work throughout the semester leading up to the final project.
- Identify issues related to internet safety.
This standard is met by the information found on the Internet Safety page of my website. On this page there is a video displaying the common hindrances found on the internet, which would be a great information video for students as they prepare to use the internet. Additional resources associated with internet safety can be found on the Resources page.
- Evaluate acceptable use policies.
Learning the acceptable use policies is very beneficial to every teacher, especially those who are looking to create a technology integrated classroom. The Resources page found on my website contains some great information about the how to's for using technology in the classroom, including articles written by fellow teachers talking about their personal experiences.
- Compare and contrast copyright laws related to educational content presented in the classroom and content presented online.
The importance of copyright laws is one of the most important things to know when dealing with the internet, there are so many ways to break a copyright law, that many are unaware of. My knowledge of copyright laws can be seen throughout my website as I cite and reference all of the outside information used in my site.
- Identify plagiarism issues for online content.
Avoiding committing plagiarism online is similar to avoiding it when writing a research paper, all outside sources must be cited and given credit for their work. The website I have created abides by this as I have linked back all information to the host site from which the information was obtained.
- Examine electronic communication tools that can be used in the classroom.
This standard is met, for one example, by the Literacy page of my website. On this page I discuss many different electronic communication tools that are available for students to use in the classroom. Another example of this standard can be found on the Foreign Language page, as there are resources provided for communicating with others to help develop your foreign language.
- Locate existing content that can be used for classroom instruction.
This standard is met by the pre-existing resources that are made available on my website. Many teachers are reluctant to use technology in their classroom because they think it will require more work and they are unaware of the resources already available to them. The Expertise in Technology pages of my website are full of links to free online content that already exists.
- Utilize online technology training resources.
This standard is met with the resources made available on the Resources page, among the many student and teacher websites found on this page, there are also numerous articles which are beneficial to teachers who are not accustomed to using technology in their classroom. These articles provide examples, how to's, and even lesson plans as a starting place for these teachers.
- Evaluate validity and reliability of online content.
This standard is seen in the links found throughout my website. All of the resources and links provided on my website were first accessed and evaluated by me before I included them on my webpage. Teachers who are looking for reliable content found on the internet will access a host of information when review my pages.
- Research the effectiveness of technology in the K-12 classroom.
The resources that are found on the Expertise In Technology Integration pages include web pages that have been used by other teacher and who have stated the effectiveness of their use. While technology does not change the fundamentals of teaching, that every students learns in a different way and not every student will be positively impacted by every type of technology, the support of other teachers is a good sign that a specific technology could be beneficial.
- Identify good examples of computer-based educational materials.
This standard can be seen on the Internet For Instruction pages as well as the Social Media page of my website. Each of these pages provide examples of educational materials that can be accessed using a computer. Many of these resources include websites that conduct entire content areas or assignments using only a computer based tool.
- Evaluate effectiveness of computer-based educational technologies.
Examples of this standard can be seen on the Internet for Instruction pages and the Expertise In Technology Integration pages. Along with the example technologies found on these pages are descriptions for how the technology works and how it could be used in the classroom. Even further, each page of my website contains a relative advantage of the technologies provided.
- Identify ways to help students use the internet effectively.
This standard is met by the content contained within my Internet Safety and Resources pages. The video found on the internet safety pages is student-friendly and could be used by educators to alert students of the dangers that are associated with using the internet. The resources page also contains many great classroom tools that help students complete work effectively, including a list of kid-safe search engines.
- Evaluate instructional design models that assist with planning instruction.
There are variety of instructional design models that can be used in any given educational situation, resources with examples of of these can be found on the Resources page of my website. Many teacher become accustomed to teaching in the same manner, and using the same design model over and over again. Incorporating technology into the classroom can help to break instructors out of this repetition. On the resources page I have included link to various lesson plans that teachers can adapt as well as various instructional tools that can assist in planning instruction.
- Identify online tools that help teachers develop educational activities.
One example of how this standard is met can be found on the Internet for Instruction pages of the website. The resources listed on these pages include free online tools that can be used in the classroom, software that can be incorporated into pre-existing materials, as well as interactive lesson plans that can be used in a variety of classrooms.
- Identify classroom hardware
Examples of classroom hardwares can be found on the Internet For Instruction and Assistive Technology pages of my website. These pages include information about various hardwares, tools, or programs that can be used in the classroom. That includes hardware that can be beneficial to student with learning disabilities or physical impairments.
- Develop strategies for working with limited technology resources in the classroom.
The standard can be seen on the Social Media, Cell Phones, and Expertise In Technology Integration pages of my website. These pages provide numerous examples of free technologies that only require a computer or even cell phone in order to use them in the classroom. Using technology in the classroom does not have to mean buying a device for every student in the class, there are lots of free resources available online.
- Identify and evaluate existing technology standards.
Standard like the AECT standards are important for educator to be aware of. As we learn these standards and become familiar with them it becomes easier to see the benefits of using technology, and how to use them in the most effective way.
- Evaluate online resources for professional development for teachers.
One example of how this standard is met with my website can be found on the Assistive Technology page. This page is dedicated to showing teachers all of the resources that are available for students with disabilities or impairments in order to improve their educational experience. Incorporating these resources into the classroom is a great way for teachers to learn about the differences between different disabilities and impairments.
- Develop an interactive online lesson.
This standard is met with the lesson plans made available on the Lesson Pans page of my website. During this semester I developed several interactive lesson plans which are great examples for integrating technology into the classroom. These lessons are also formatted in such a manner that they could be easily altered for different grade ranges.
