20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 6

           A lot of the questions I had at the beginning of my research have been answered through my findings. I wondered before I started the project how exactly the iPad helps Speech Therapists. A reoccurring statement I have found over the course of the project is that it helps keep patients/students engaged and interested in learning. This is very understandable, especially with children. Constantly doing verbal activities and flashcards can get very repetitive and boring. I also wondered what applications on the iPad in specific therapists and patients recommend. I found several and put some of them on my website. The most important aspect of the use of the iPad in Speech Pathology and any other field for that matter, is understanding that it is a tool to help both the therapist and the patient. Neither can rely on it to do the full job of teaching or learning. Another one of my main concerns is how much time exactly do Speech Therapists dedicate to using the iPad? Do they break it up so that they use half of their sessions with just interactive activities and the other half with the iPad? I have been trying to find the answers to these questions, but I really think it just depends on the therapist as well as the patient. Different people have different needs as well as various ways of learning. Overall, my research has answered most of my questions, and I have really enjoyed getting the chance to learn more about what I aspire to do in the future!

Augmented Reality Reflection

There are many advantages and disadvantages of using augmented reality in the school setting. I believe it will create too much dependence on technology. Using computer produced content in education. As technology improves every single day, augmented reality (AR) programs will as well. Students can benefit from using these by keeping up with modern day programs and learning how to work technology so that they can use it as a tool inside the classroom and outside of it. Also, it provides a new perspective for students to see from. They can use AR apps to change perceptions so that they are more understandable or relatable. Especially because most teenagers these days have access to iPhones, AR can be extremely useful.

In the article provided, a teacher lets her class use their phones to go on a quest through the zoo using AR to learn about biology and certain sicknesses of animals. I have never had an experience with AR personally, but I would definitely be willing to try it if I had a couple days to learn about the program and figure out how to work it properly. I think this has the ability to be a very useful tool, letting students be designers and help them gain confidence. I think in the future AR will allow me to use technology to its highest potential in the Speech Therapy setting. It could help me use games and other methods to help patients with speech and sound activities. They will be able to use interactive games that will really help them.

I researched the Augmented Car Finder app; this app allows you to take a picture of where you are parking, shows you a map of where you are and moves with you to find the car. A type of GPS in the app tracks the car and keeps up with the car’s gas level. The app even allows parents to track their kids’ locations and how fast they are going. This app just shows the ability that AR brings to all people. Augmented reality is capable of so many highly advanced actions. This will change learning and teaching as the world knows it. In 20 years, education might only take place with technology.
Overall, I think using augmented reality in the classroom is beneficial to some degree. Just like any other technology, teachers should use it as a tool for teaching and not depend upon it. I did not use it in the classroom in high school because I went to a small private school, and they did not usually let us have our phones or iPads out. I could see myself using it when we dissected animals or something like that. However, ARIS can be beneficial if there is not a reliance on it.

This first picture is a collage I made of interesting pictures of Augmented Reality being used. Clearly, it can do such complex things. 

This second picture is a collage I made of students actively learning by using Augmented Reality. There is even a nursing student using it in the picture on the left.

20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 5

           Earlier this semester, we read about what attributes make learning meaningful. As the reading said, there are many attributes that make up meaningful learning; it’s not simply lecturing or sticking a student in front of a computer. Understanding these attributes, such as active learning or collaborative learning will help one teach with meaning and success. In my research on Speech Therapy, I have found that it is important for both the therapist and the patient/student to be able to collaborate efficiently. I included on my project that the ability of a Speech Therapist to cooperate orally and in writing with a student is a means of effective communication. In Speech Pathology, learning can become more active if the therapist is patient, understanding, and resourceful. Therapists use the iPad as an interactive tool to guide the patient and include another resource that he or she can use for help. I found in a lot of my research that most Speech Pathologists like using the iPad to back up their own activities because younger students and patients find it more fun. This illustrates its ability to engage a child and make learning more fun and easy. We talked about how teachers use technology as a tool to help them, but not a primary method of teaching. When I researched what apps make therapy effective, I found several apps used by Speech Pathologists. Speech Therapists have talked about these apps, and most say they make learning more fun and appealing, especially for children. In one of the articles I read, a Speech Pathologist who has created 14 Speech Therapy apps wrote on them. She said, “Today the iPad is seen as the number one therapy box for many therapists. It is also the number one topic many speech therapy groups discuss online.” Clearly, the iPad serves as a reliable and useful tool in the speech therapy setting. Any aged patients can benefit from using it in the hospital setting, as well.

7th Reflection: Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

           Personally, I have never taken any online courses. I am taking two this summer, though! Last semester, my health teacher did issue two Fridays of a month as online classes where she would give a lecture online either through videos or interactive notes. She would then have us do some type of activity after. I did like this because it was not only efficient, but also very effective because she would usually give us very interesting videos to watch. I also liked that I could do it while still in my PJ’s… As the articles illustrated, online courses have pros and cons. It is harder to keep up with students and make sure that they are doing the proper work if you are not standing in front of them. Since students are not actually meeting in person, there is a possibility that they will forget about the work they have to do. They might push it off until the very last minute then fail a timed online assignment or something of that nature. They also require better time management skills because students are able to procrastinate much easier. Most importantly, online courses are designed for rather independent learners that might face having to teach themselves their own material to some degree. Obviously, a major pro of online courses is the ability to be anywhere and access the class. This gives students more flexibility; they just have to make sure they don’t take advantage of it. MOOCs, according to articles, are becoming problematic for various reasons. As Professor Hacker stated, using lecture material from other faculty and from other institutions can be tricky. Outsourcing class material can be confusing and lead to inefficiency. There is a higher risk of disorganization. If the teachers are not as skilled and determined as Professor Hacker seems to be, there could be big problems. If a teacher makes one small error, it could have an extremely negative impact on the students. As the second article stated, people rebelled to the expansion of MOOCs because it is as if they are created for highly motivated students to succeed. Governor Jerry Brown said they are essential to democratizing education; however, completion rates and grades went down. A former Stanford professor added that they are designed for one type of student. A student that participated in a MOOC said they are “mechanistic, dreary, and ineffectual;” she referred to it as learning in a void because there is no proper social interaction. I completely agree with this statement about MOOCs. I don’t believe they have the ability to be as effective as sitting in a classroom with personalized attention does. Not to mention, the demand for teachers will decrease dramatically if MOOCs become more popular. Most importantly, I believe social interaction in a classroom is vital; MOOCs do not provide that opportunity.

This picture demonstrates an efficient, interactive classroom setting. Here, students have the ability to participate on a social level as well as ask questions that can be quickly answered by a teacher. 

This picture shows all the questions that come along with MOOCs. I think these questions demonstrate the instability of MOOCs.

Lastly, the article I found talks about why MOOCs are bad for science education in particular. In short, people have the wrong idea that classroom lectures are simply for a teacher to transfer knowledge to students. MOOCs are premised on this idea. 

http://www.psmag.com/education/why-moocs-are-bad-for-science-education-59400/ 

Creativity and Innovation Project Personal Reflection

           By completing this project, I not only learned how to better collaborate with my group, but also how to creatively use new tools. This project required us to work more efficiently and really think about how to relay information about the tool in a useful and creative way. We believe that the Edmodo site is an innovative way for teachers to communicate with students, as well as students to communicate with teachers. This is a problem that I have experienced myself before. There are various problems students and teachers encounter in the classroom setting, and the other groups did a good job demonstrating creative tools that can help overcome these issues. From viewing other groups’ projects, I was able to see the train of thought of other students. Some groups had really great ideas and used their technology very well. It made me want to keep watching and also learn more about what they were advertising. They illustrated issues, creatively showed how to solve the issues, and explained how to actually access and use the tool. I really liked the Evernote tool; the group did a great job explaining it. I could completely relate to the issue because I have so many notebooks and folders, which can become very disorganized and stressful. They marketed the tool to catch the attention of students who struggle with organization creatively and effectively. Overall, from just completing the project, I believe I learned how to think in bigger terms and better work technology in the process. (We used Camtasia to film the Edmodo website). Also, I learned about new creative tools I could take advantage of now and in the future from other students’ videos. 

Partner Blog #5

There are several apps on the i-devices that help keep up general knowledge and brain stamina through a variety of ways. I thought it was very interesting that Jim Gee says games work like we know books work. I do not play games, so there is no one that comes to mind that teaches me knowledge. However, I might start after these videos and articles! Some of my friends and both of my siblings play games through applications on their phones that test them and can even challenge them against other people on history facts to everyday life knowledge. My older sister has an app that trains memory and attention. Even in games designed just for fun, there lie better uses that build up knowledge in ways we would never think about. I think games help because they help maintain brain fluidity and speed. People that use their time to play games that trigger thought and memorization of facts as opposed to people that use their free time to watch TV will obviously benefit in the long run.

As Jim Gee says, there is more going on when someone plays a game, such as World of Warcraft. He continues saying there is a collaborative problem-solving idea behind playing games. It has become so popular in the 21^st century because as other technologies increase daily, the game technologies improve, as well as the technologies that advertise these games. As he asserted, it is all about the experience of the game. There is learning involved in every aspect of games—rules, characters, identification, and thought processes to achieve the intended goal. There is a natural inclination to become better and better and then understand the world differently, as stated by Kurt Squire. Other players push your own understandings and strategies. He says that games help people understand the actual current ways of the 21^st century. Teachers can take this into account. In the 21^st century, we continue to see improvements in technology advance. In a classroom setting, I believe teachers can use books, lectures, and possibly games to back up their own lessons and teachings. I believe this improves the learning environment, especially when it comes to issues of keeping the students engaged.

            I can use this idea to help myself so that I can better understand technology integration, follow rules, and build complex methods and ideas that lead to a desired outcome. Games are proven to achieve these things, and I hope that in my future job, I can use games to enforce learning. Especially in the field of Speech Therapy, improvement may be achieved through the use of interactive games, apps, and verbal exercises. Kurt Squire also points out that games lead to a better understanding of civic engagement and its importance—something all people can benefit from. In my future job, I plan to use both verbal means of communication and teaching, as well as games to spark interest in patients or students, keep them engaged, and provide them with ways to use their brain differently.

I have used this image perviously, but it illustrates the use of gaming as a means of learning. She is playing games on this toy computer that trigger learning as well as complex thinking. 

This image of Emma shows her coloring in a picture of a character from a game she plays based off a series called Doc McStuffins. From this game, she has already made associations of how this character is portrayed and illustrates these through remembering how this character is represented and coloring based on this. 

20% Proj. 6 Blog Reflections: Number 4

           Speech Therapy in the hospital setting has always interested me. As I research technology such as the iPad and its use in this setting, I am even more intrigued by the possibilities and success it brings. The iPad already has so many features that people do not realize. As I wanted to learn more about this, I asked two of my mom’s friends, who both practice Speech Pathology, if they integrate any of the i-devices into their work setting. One of them, Mrs. Epstein, works in a school setting. However, she informed me that she uses many methods, including the iPad. She said there are several helpful apps on it. She then proceeded to name some off, which I have taken note on.  She proceeded by telling me that she also uses flashcards, listening and speaking programs on the computer, and verbal interactive activities. The second lady, Mrs. Alexander, is a Speech Therapist at a hospital—my intended goal. She said she emphasizes a wider range of interactive hearing and speaking techniques, but she also uses the iPad because it provides many helpful activities. She said there are even apps that track improvement. I think that these women really helped back up my research about the various effective methods and advantages the iPad brings to the hospital setting, as well as other settings such as the school. Both of them were fascinated about my project and were glad they could contribute to such an interesting topic. They recommended I do more research on the specific apps they told me about. They gave me some useful tips about not only the project, but also about the career. I plan on shadowing both of them over the summer and see for myself exactly how technology, such as the iPad, is integrated into their work.