Week 14 Using Games for Teaching and Learning

We learned this week about gaming and the impact it is having on education and learning. We learned of the different ways and types of games being introduced to more educational. Since games are so violent and have no educational value introducing educational games may be a solution to this problem.With video games become more and more popular it is only wise to introduce educational games so parents do not feel as guilty allow their children to play these games. However even with the large amount of these games being introduced it still takes away from a child wanting to learn without the help of video games. This is beneficial because of how much kids in this generation wants to play video games.

Educational games can be extremely beneficial with teaching children with special needs because they can use visuals and interactions of the software to learn better. These children learn better with visual hands on tools and having them do computer games can help them benefit more from what they learn. Also this would be a good way to allow them to try and learn on their own instead of me sitting by them and helping them out. It is a great way for them learn more affectedly. They will also look at it as a reward for good behavior to be able to go on the computer and play educational games.

This video talks about the advantages of educational gaming. It says that this can benefit children in the long term because of the style of learning. He also talks about different types of educational gaming from math to English games that a child can use to help improve their test scores. It is a good way to study for an exam or to just refresh your memory

Week 13 Distance Education and Virtual Schooling

During this week we learned what distance education and virtual schooling is. They both provide a way to still be educated even if you do not have time to attend classes at a university. Distance education is a certain class that you can take online while you are still attending other classes at a University. While virtual schooling is for people that do not have time to attend a university and they will take all of their classes online through a school that provides. These people that do virtual schooling have the same option to earn a degree of their choice. We also learned the pros and cons of these two ways of going to school and taking classes. The pros are that if is an easier way for someone to go to school if they do not have the time for example single moms and people in he military. The cons are that you can cheat on exams/quizzes and some places may not hire someone with an online degree.

This would be helpful in my major because if I do not have time to take a class or I have a conflict with one I can simply just take it online through a distance education course. I believe that this is a good options to a point. Teachers need to be able to do an internship in a classroom to see how they would interact with students and if you have to do an internship online that might defeat the purpose.


This is a commercial for Phoenix online schools. It shows people still being active in their everyday lives but being able to earn a degree at the same time. This is a good alternative to schooling and they show this in their video. They show a mother with a baby and others trying to raise a family still wanting to go to school and make a better life for them. Phoenix's commercial introduces people to a way to go to school and still live the life they have so they feel like they have the same chance to succeed as everyone else.

Week 11-Open Source Software

During week 11 we learned about the advantages to having technology with open source software. We learned that there are many different programs out in the world wide web that you can download for free. These programs range from a free version of photoshop to many different Microsoft document tools. More examples of open source software include Audacity, SourceForge, and Open Office.org are good ways of using the wide variety of free software available to anyone willing to find it.

This is an excellent tool to use as an education major because it offers free software for me to use in the many different classes I am taking. As a college student I find it hard to balance my money and when an emergency comes up that I have to pay for it is good to know that I can have some free document tools that I can use instead of paying for them.

This video is about how open source software is beneficial and widely used. He goes into detail about how to use it and what risks are involved in using it. If someone did not know much about open source software they could watch this video and learn all the information they needed. It is a great way to learn about this software because it not only talks about the benefits but also discusses the risks of using this software. Like many types of virus that could potentially enter your computer.

Week 12-Teaching a professional web presence

I learned how to make a web page using google sites. We were introduced to google sites to help us make a professional web page for potential employers to see. In today's society many employers will now either look at your facebook, myspace, or live journal, so it is good to have a professional alternative for employers to look at.

This will be extremely beneficial to me when I become a teachers because when I go to interview for a job at a school the principal can look at my web page to see all of my accomplishments, and experiences in education. I feel that they will be impressed with a web page because it will show that I am serious about a career and it will stray away from them looking at my facebook. Also I can show my students how to make one so when they go for a job or apply for a program they can show this instead and make a good impression on that specific person.

This is a tutorial on how to use google sites. He shows you how to set up a google site step by step and uses images. This is extremely helpful incase you forget how to do a step and need a small reminder or you are using google sites for the first time. This was a very helpful how to video.

Week 10 Tech tools for Critical Thinking

During week 10 I learned how to make a graphic organizing tool, which can help me organize my ideas in a more effective way. These tools are used to have a main idea or bubble and branch out off of the main idea into more detail. I learned a great new way to stay organized, that is free and fun to use.

This would help me in my major greatly. It can help me be more organized, I can have a separate graphic organizer for each class. For instance, for my math class I can have a main bubble that says math and under it have a section for quizzes, exams, and home work assignments. Than under each of the categories I can put what is due or when an exam is. Since it is a more visual tool I can also change the colors of items that are more important. I do not think this can only benefit me but is a great organizing tool for anyone in college.

Thia video is a tutorial on how to use bubbl.us. Bubble.us is a great way to use these visual organizing tools. It shows you step by step how to set up one and the cool tricks you can use to make it look outstanding. He also gives an example of one of the bubbl.us he has made to show what the final outcome will look like.

Bubbl.us graphic organizer

Pod Cast

Check out my podcast that I made.

It is a mix of me playing the drums and piano on garage band. They are both done in the pop genre and are really fun and will make you want to dance. I can use this in education as a fun way to add to a presentation in a PowerPoint. As a teacher I could use this to help the kids learn in a fun way with adding music to back ground of a lesson being taught and even record my voice to teach them.