Assignment 4

This assignment gave me great insight and knowledge of how a teacher forms the foundation of a lesson before it is presented to a class.  One of the most important piece of information that I gathered from this assignment was designing a lesson plan according to state educational standards.  Creating a lesson plan not only prepares the student with the necessary knowledge and education needed to meet the goals and standards of the state but it better prepares the teacher to lead and guide the student to be successful by doing the necessary preparation to present an interesting, challenging lesson for the students.  Understanding how to create a lesson plan has taught me to make sure I prepare before instruction in order to connect with the student in a positive manner and keep the students mentally stimulated.



https://jimcrowlessonplan.wikispaces.com

Assignment 3

   LeTray T. Womble         

The Myers-Briggs Test consists of 16 possible outcomes and gives each individual a 4 letter Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).  The results of the cognitive test concluded that my MBTI is INTP which stands for Introversion, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.  My MBTI categorized me as being a dominant introverted thinker.  There were similarities and consistencies that was noticed when I took the Edutopia learning style test.  The results of the learning style inventory test concluded that I am an intrapersonal learner out of 8 possible outcomes.  Based on the questions answered the intrapersonal category ranked the highest at 70% among all eight learning style categories.

            As I reviewed the results of both tests it was surprising to see how accurate the statements were concerning my cognitive and learning styles.  For example, the cognitive tests labeled me as dominant introverted thinker and the summary of this personality type indicated that “Introverted Thinking personality types have a finely nuanced ability to analyze situations, find root causes, and foresee consequences.  They distrust action taken too quickly without necessary investigation” (Poirier, n.d.).  Most of the time I will spend several hours or even days researching a topic before I make a decision.  Also, the Edutopia learning style test stated that an intrapersonal learner is “connected to who you are and how you feel, and you know your own limits and abilities.  You often set goals for yourself, self-manage, and reflect on results” (Roberts, 2013).  I am very reluctant to commit to any task which I have no or very little ability to accomplish and I enjoy managing the time and way in which I accomplish tasks.  The results for both tests were interesting because they revealed my cognitive style and learning style as being introverted and intrapersonal, respectively.

            As a teacher I can can use these results to better understand the strengths in my personality in order to focus on using characteristics such as being levelheaded, objective, independent.  Some of the statements such as “They are curious and capable of explaining complex political, economic, or technological problems, taking great pleasure in explaining all the factors and intracacies” (Poirier, n.d.) is a characteristi that I am self-conscious of because I am constantly thinking I am giving someone too much detail which can be a weakness or aggrivation to the receiver in general conversation.  But in a teaching environment these characteristics can only help the students that need a subject simplified in order to fully understand, within reason.  As a student I have to remain aware that I am an intrapersonal learner in order to maximize my learning experience.  The suggestions from the results of the learning style inventory test suggested that I study alone in a comfortable and quiet place and set personal goals while frequently monitoring my progress which has proven to be very effective when utilized. 

        

                                                  References

INTP ISTP Personality Types | 16 MBTI Personality Types. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.personalitypathways.com/dom-ti.html

Learning Styles Quiz Results: Digging Deeper | Edutopia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/your-learning-styles

Cognitive Style Test:  http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html

Learning Style Test:  http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-learning-styles-quiz

Assignment 2

Technology in Today’s Education

LeTray T. Womble

The University of Alabama

CAT 200

Michelle A Hale

September 3, 2013

There are several definitions of educational technology and this definition has changed with time.  Through my experiences in formal education or personal edification, educational technology is the continuous advancement of education as a result of improving the current way of learning or solving problems in any form of education through the use of several types of media such as a projector, computer, books, whiteboard, social media, video chat, letters, computer based learning, simulation training, DVD etc. 

I remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird in 10^th grade and shortly after, watching the movie in class.  My reading skills were great but my imagination wasn’t the best.  I am a visual learner so it was very difficult to enjoy the story and empathize with Boo Radley until we had the pleasure of watching the movie.  Reading is the foundational building block to a great education but technology enhances the educational environment for those students that have different learning styles. 

Technology in the classroom has dramatically changed the way educators teach their curriculum and how students learn.  Today the role of educational technology, as it relates to teaching, can be categorized as more of a facilitation role.  Teachers do more guiding than directing or instructing due to technological advancements that have been incorporated into the classroom.  For example, an accounting teacher may explain the concepts of a balance sheet but the student can create a balance sheet in Microsoft Excel and also learn practical application that can be applied in the real world.  This provides more opportunities for students to play an active role in determining the outcome and knowledge gained from the curriculum of the class.

There are several factors that may encourage and discourage the use of technology in the classroom.  Some factors that may encourage the use of technology in the classroom is a student’s desire or curiosity to learn a new technology being introduced into the classroom such as the use of Google Glass which is being used in Penn High School in South Bend, Indiana.  Penn High School teacher, Grant Carlile stated  “I would be able to do attendance, augment presentations with notes and give them grades on Glass,” (Gonzalez, 2013).  Many students become intrigued with new technology, which encourages its use.  There are also times when the use of technology can be discouraged which could be for several reasons but the main reason is lack of technological literacy.  Students become ashamed or embarrassed of lacking the skills or knowledge to use certain technology and lose interest very quickly.  

References

Gonzalez, Gabby (2013, July 21). New Technology From Google Finds its Way to Michiana Classroom. News Center 16. Retrieved from www.wndu.com