Wk 4 DB: Topic 1

Topic #1: Briefly share what your dream teaching or presentation environment would be like, be specific about what such a place would include (beyond just the tech toys).

Hmmm...this one is somewhat hard for me because my dream job has always been to become an Art teacher, but when I went for my undergraduate degree in Arkansas there were no Art teachers in the schools. It wasn't until about a month before I graduated that they put it back into the schools and at that point I was not financially able to add another 60 hours in art courses that were needed to obtain that degree. Therefore, I went into Elementary education (P-4).  After completing my student internship in 2006 I was sure that if I couldn't teach Art that I would very much like to teach 4th grade in a school very similar to the one that I completed my internship at.  I was placed at a technology school where all of the classrooms had a Smartboard, projector, computer, and printer.  Then one classroom from grades 2-4 had laptops for every student.  It was amazing the things they were learning and with my technology background I was totally immersed in that style of teaching.  Unfortunately most school districts aren't that fortunate and are lucky to even have a computer in their classroom at all.  After taking my courses here at Full Sail online I have really become very interested in becoming an online instructor, but am not quite sure where I would even begin looking or becoming qualified for such a position.

At any rate, my dream teaching environment (regardless of the grade level) would be one where I could implement many of the strategies that we have learned during our time here at Full Sail. I loved the gaming strategies course and completed my Action Research on teaching social skills for the workforce using gaming, so I would love to be able to implement some form of game-based learning into my classroom.  Other than that being able to communicate with my class online through Schoology or a platform similar to Full Sail's would rate high on my list.  This has been an incredible journey and left me wanting to unleash my creativity and explore all I can do with the technology available to me.  I would love to share that passion and journey with other students. Just being able to keep the students engaged and in a comfortable setting is important as well.  Wouldn't it be great if classrooms weren't full of stark white walls and 30 or so wooden desks or tables tightly crammed into a small space?  Having the opportunity to teach others online from the comfort of their own home provides a much more personal feel to me. I know that it is not the same as being in a classroom full of students who are right there in front of you, but I really think I am tailored for the online atmosphere or at least one where I could integrate both the classroom and online aspects equally.  

Check out how you can use gaming in the classroom

Are you interested in using gaming to teach in your classroom?  You should check out the great work that Lucas Gillispie has done with his WoW in School project as well as the flyer below: 

http://wowinschool.pbworks.com/f/PCSGaming_Flyer.pdf

BP4_Skype

What is Skype? It is a software program that allows you to make FREE Skype-to-Skype video and voice calls that are available for your computer (Linux, Mac, or PC), mobile phone (depends on your service plan), and now even on certain TV’s. 

I had used Skype before and pretty much thought that it only did the video and voice chat, but when digging deeper I found that it could do so much more. Users can send instant messages, screen share and share the files on their computer with another Skype user all for FREE. When I downloaded it I put all of my contacts into easy to find categories. 

I have used Skype to talk to family and friends. I have also used it during the program at Full Sail to have meetings with my group members. We have had conference calls, transferred files, and instant messaged one another in order to meet the needs of all group members. Especially since one of our members was all the way in Saudi.

It can be used by regular home users to talk to family members or friends who live far away or who may be out of town on business. What better way to connect to a sick grandparent than by making a video call where she can see you and all the grandkids wishing her well? You can even use the instant messaging feature or Skype-to-Skype conference calling to talk to a group of friends you haven’t seen in awhile.

 

It can be used at your place of business to make conference calls, meetings, transfer files, and calling contacts from around the world. You can also use it to screen share in order to better explain something to a business contact that might take longer to simply type out. By downloading some of their extra apps you can also record calls, forward calls from Skype to your mobile phone, integrate it with Outlook and use the voicemail feature. 

You can even add a Skype Me button to your company website. Now that’s what I call keeping connected!

It can also be used in the classroom for educational purposes. One of the best benefits of using Skype in the classroom is the ability to invite guest speakers from all over the world to speak to your students. You can even connect to other classroom for group projects or virtual science fairs. The possibilities are endless and with an interactive white-board it is easy to make it easy for the whole class to see. This link provides you with 50 different ways Skype can be used in the classroom: http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/.

It can even be used by Gamers to talk to one another while they play video games on their PC. I have used it for this to enable me to talk to other gamers all over the world while playing games like Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and more.

As you can see there are many applications for Skype from personal to business to education. All of which are mostly FREE to use. So if you haven’t tried it out yet then what are you waiting for? Go download Skype today and connect to the world of possibilities around you.

Visit Skype.com to download it today.