IT 755
A Little About Me
My name is Jennifer Majors, I have a B.A. Economics, a K-6 Teaching Certificate, and now I am seeking my M.S. IT. I was a technology paraprofessional for 3 years before I began teaching 6th grade reading. I enjoy teaching, and I see how technology impacts student learning every day. I enjoy learning the best practices to merge education with technology.
Click on any word above to go to that page.
Resources:
Credits:
Webdesigner Depot:
20 examples of great design
7 unbreakable laws of UI:
Importance of thinking like a user when designing.
Tips for designing Online courses. Excellent ideas what to focus on for online teaching and
learning.
Copyright in Online Courses: Giving examples of what you should and should not do.
Designing a better page: This helps create a better contact page.
More info on copyright laws: Excellent ppt for understanding the law.
Principles of Website Usability: A great webiste for understanding the user.
NEA principles of Website design: Great website to help understand the important aspects of website design.
Difference between IU
and UX: This is an interesting
article thathelps explain termin-
ology
17 Tips for Designing
online courses. Very good
site for designing tips.
I want to help teachers bring their knowledge together with technology to provide the best learning environment possible.
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I also want to create online learning sites. I want to utilize these sites both in the classroom and as a distance instructor in a virtual environment.
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My ideal job would be working with teachers or companies to create online instruction that focus on helping the learner take information and implement into their everyday lives.
My Expectations
I want to learn how to avoid this response to my creations.
I want to learn how to create websites for distance learning that make both the teacher and students feel this way.
My Philosophy
My beliefs regarding teaching and learning can always be summed up as: It is a process. I believe in the Growth Mindset, and the difference in learning versus performing. I realize the stress that this causes, and teach/model appropriate coping skills for this. I learn a lot from my students and their reactions everyday. Reflection on my lessons has helped me become a better teacher.
I am also strongly aligned with the belief that everyone is born wanting and being able to learn. There will always be differentiation in ability, but not in desire. Every person deserves respect and to be helped to live up to their potential. The ability of a teacher to see the potential and communicate it consistantly to each student is not just a gift, but something for every educator to work towards.
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The merge of traditional classroom pedagogy with online learning does not have be adversarial. A pivotol issue is the instructor's depth of knowledge and experience with student learning, and that leads to influence what, when, how, and why any level of technology is involved. Technology is a support and enhancement tool for learning. Many students have technology readily available at their fingertips, but they lack a compass to guide them in their learning. This compass is the teacher who provides purpose, direction, clarification, and assesses the amount of learning increase. Technology makes is possible for many students to work towards and achieve their academic goals, but the role of the teacher is pivotal in this process.
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When a class is converted from face to face to an online medium it is not just uploading the graphic organizers and providing a book for students to read on their own and answer the questions. The teacher although not physically present needs to purposefully create opportunites for communication between student and teacher and student to student. There are many ways to achieve this such as discussion threads, collaborative assignments, peer review, teacher "check in"appointments, and online mandatory meetings. The teacher is integral to the learning process even when the class is considered distant learning.
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Learning is a lifelong process, and to demonstrate the love of learning and pass it on to another generation is a wonderful thing.
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