Merlot Evaluation

The resource that I found on Merlot that would be very useful in my classroom was a STAIR project about addition and subtraction. My first graders are currently working on addition and subtraction facts and it take a lot of practice! This game/activity would be fun and helpful for them.

http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=552444

Quality of Content:
1. Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes, the software presents correct concepts, models and skills for teaching addition and subtraction to early elementary students.

2. Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes, the software presents educationally significant concepts, models and skills. There are models to show the skills and also help students who have a miss understanding.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
1. What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?

1. Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem
This activity would not be used for an explanation of the topic.
2. Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem
Brightly colored pictures are used to demonstrate the skills of addition and subtraction.
3. Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem
The activity would be used best for practice of addition and subtraction facts. Students could use this activity to practice on their own.
4. Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems
The activity starts out doing simple addition and subtraction problems then it moves into word problems. The students have to apply the simple facts to a word problem.
2. What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
The students will understand the concept of addition and subtraction.
3. What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)
The learners should be able to use the computer to navigate themselves through the PowerPoint slides.
4. Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
Yes, there are visual representations of the problems, which allow students to visually see the materials, and math problems that they are solving. It also provides support for students who are not successful answering a problem.
5. Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
Yes, the activity could easily be integrated into a unit about addition and subtraction.
6. Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
This activity could be used to help students understand and practice addition and subtraction facts.
7. Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
Yes, they are presented in the description of the activity.
8. Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
Yes, the activity is a great learning assignment for students to use.

Ease of Use:
1. Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
Yes, very easy to see.
2. Does the user get trapped in the material?
No, it is easy to navigate.
3. Can the user get lost easily in the material?
No, it is very easy to follow.
4. Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
Yes, if a student makes a mistake they are able to see what they did wrong.
5. Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?
Yes, if a student makes a mistake they are able to see what they did wrong.
6. Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
No, it would be simple for students to use without having a difficult time.
7. Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?
Yes, students are use to having pictures to help them solve problems.

Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?

Yes, very brightly colored and kid friendly.

Reflection

• What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
During this course, I learned about a lot of technologies that I was not familiar with before. The teaching strategy that really helped me to understand these technologies was having time to explore them on my own. I liked how we were introduced and given background knowledge about them but then were given activities where we could “check them out” on our own. This helped me to have a deep understanding of the different technologies. I learned that giving tasks related to the technology would help students understand and be successful in using the technology. I have also learned that different forms of technology are very effective at creatively getting students attention, which will help them to be engaged in the lesson. These are the teaching strategies that I learned about how to effectively integrate technology into the classroom.

• How did integrating the Internet help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Integrating the Internet helped me to explore the different forms of technology in order to get a good understanding what how they could actually be used. Also the Internet allowed me to research the different technologies more in-depth and find answers to any questions that I had. The Internet was also a key mode of communication between my peers in the class and also the instructors.

• Which of the assignments that you turned in do you feel really exemplifies good teaching with technology and why?
I think the assignment that I turned in that exemplified good teaching with technology would be my groups SIG project. We created a presentation about interactive whiteboards using the program of Prezi. The presentation was clear and easy to understand. It had a great deal of useful information but was not overwhelming in the presentation. I think our presentation kept peoples attention and also taught them a lot of information about interactive whiteboards and how to use them in their classroom.
• How have you met your goals established in your Personal Growth Plan?
I was able to accomplish two of the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the semester. The first one that I accomplished was becoming familiar and learning about creating a blog. I was interested in creating a blog for my classroom to communicate with parents. This course had given me the opportunity to have practice at creating a blog and also posting to it often. The next goal that I accomplished was learning about SmartBoards. During the research I completed for my SIG project, I learned a great deal about SmartBoards. I can’t wait to use everything that I have learned about SmartBoards in my daily teaching. I am excited that I was able to successfully accomplish the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the semester.

• Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
One of my goals that I hope to accomplish next school year is applying everything that I have learned about interactive whiteboards into my teaching. I will have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom next year and I can’t wait to put everything into practice that I have researched and learned through my SIG project.

Another goal that I am still working on is to investigate and explore technologies to aid in my daily communication with parents. I have learned about blogs and think that they would be a great mode of communication but I would still like to explore webpage making and wiki’s. I hope that future courses will address these technologies.