Journal Entry #7

Teacher Pages

    Teacher websites can be a great way to interact with students outside of traditional learning environments. These websites can be the host site for content that is reviewed during the instructional time that may be missed, additional reference material, and even content for students who are interested in learning more about a specific topic. During my search on a school website for a teacher webpage, I was able to publicly see content that is related to course material. Information such as weekly reminders, assignments, and general classroom notes were found on the website showing that the instructor worked hard to ensure that both students and parents were able to stay up-to-date with information on what's occurring in the classroom. One thing that can be noted is that with the progression of time teacher websites are disappearing. As more and more school districts are adopting learning management systems such as canvas and blackboard the need for teacher websites is declining as teachers can now have one central repository for students to access documents, submit assignments, and participate in learning activities. I personally believe that in the near future there will not be any need for teacher websites as learning management tools will become the norm as they are currently being adopted at a rapid rate in our proven to be highly successful and engaging students in a learning experience.

https://lmarrsenglish.weebly.com/ais-english-9.html

Technology and Professional Responsibilities

    In order to accomplish my professional responsibilities in an efficient and effective way as a teacher, I would adopt the same approach and strategies that I currently use as a student. In my day-to-day duties, I will be sure to keep a well-maintained list of tasks that must be completed or even items that I wish to complete with my class. Through the use of Apple technologies, I will be allowed to access to-do lists and reminders across various different platforms and all of my devices. I will then use this in my organizational time to ensure that I am completing the task in a timely manner and nothing gets forgotten. I will also use an Outlook calendar to ensure that I am keeping a timely schedule of items that must be done during instructional time and during organizational time as a teacher. To ensure that I am able to have adequate access to an organized filing system I will be sure to utilize a share point solution that will allow me to keep all of my digital files and items safely stored in the cloud and ready to be accessed at any moments notice. In addition, this is also beneficial because it will allow me to share reference material with other teachers who might have queries on how they can engage with their students through various activities and worksheets. Technology is a great part of the learning experience both for the teacher and a student and its proper use can make the learning environment so much more fun!

PB Works

    PB Works is a great platform that allows groups and teams to collaborate collectively to generate a Wiki page with content on any topic. This page is great because it allows students to interact with each other through a platform that will host the contact that students put into it. One of the great things that this page offers is that it offers the ability for multiple users to have access to a single site to continuously add content as further research is conducted. What I really dislike about the platform is that it seems very aged and dated. The user interface is not very welcoming and is desperately screaming for updates. I have previously used PV works for another class and have run into various different issues with the site. From contact not saving properly to content disappearing overall this site has presented several challenges in my previous use. While the overall concept of the website is great as a teacher I do not feel that I would use this tool in my classroom just because of its instability and problems I've previously experienced. If this platform were to receive an update or there was another platform that exists with the same concept I will definitely consider using it in my learning environments. It would be a great tool when students are working on projects and need to document information on multi-faceted topics or topics that have various different sub-topics making up one central theme. However, if these improvements are not rendered I would not use them in my classroom environment.