An overview of communication and technology as it relates to teaching and learning; including the design,
production and utilization of materials and operation of audiovisual equipment and microcomputers.

Assignment 3.2: Inspiration
Inspiration Outline

I think this assignment was very fun and helpful. I had never used inspiration software before or even heard of it. I think its a great tool and it can be used by many for planning and organizing ideas.  It is also a valuable tool because it allows you to link websites and videos to it as well. It makes the websites easier to find and all in one place.  It can also be used by students who have difficulty writing essays or children with learning disabilities. They can create a simple diagram and outline, which can be very useful to them in different classes. As a Speech Pathologist, I think inspiration will be a great organizer. I can use it to plan my therapy sessions and write objectives for each of my clients. I can even recommend it to clients who may need it.  I will definitely order a copy of the software for future purposes. 

Assignment 3.3: A Georgia WebQuest

I really enjoyed this assignment and I also had a lot of fun with it. A WebQuest seems more complicated than creating a course portfolio. Even though I copied and pasted the information and pictures, I learned about the whole process behind it. I was not familiar with how to do links on a website and how to copy and paste codes.  I also did not know how to add videos to a website. I think that learning how to do a WebQuest will be very beneficial for me in my career and in future classes. I can create web pages like this for class projects during my masters in Speech pathology. I can also use it with my future students as an educational resource.  I plan to someday teach college students once I obtain my Doctorate degree in speech pathology. Knowing how to create a webpage gives me a great advantage in my teaching career and I plan to learn more. I am really looking foward to creating my own WebQuest for the next assignment.

Assignment 3.4:  Google Docs

This assignment was very helpful especially since I had never used Google Docs or even heard of it. I had created many surveys for my college research papers and it was always a time consuming task. I  had to print multiple copies and then look at each entry and type out the results. Google Docs makes it possible to just email the survey and it organizes the results for you. The only thing you have to do is analyze the data. It makes taking surveys a more simple and fun activity. I created my survey about Online vs On-campus courses. The main reason why I thought about this topic is because I used to prefer on-campus courses. My thoughts have changed because I have really learned a lot from MEDT 6401. Knowing how to use Google Docs will be very helpful in my graduate program and career. I plan to obtain my doctorates and I know I will be conducting surveys for research purposes. In my career, I can also create surveys for my clients to see their opinion about my speech therapy sessions. Also, if I teach College students I can also provide them surveys about their class experience.

Assignment 3.5: Creating your own Web Quest
PDF of My Webquest

Creating my own Webquest was an interesting assignment. This time I had to input my own ideas and think of the format I wanted. I picked "Fairy Tales" because I enjoy to read and I used to really like fairy tales when I was younger.  I included  icons and colors since my webquest is geared towards children. I also incorporated more pdfs in the links for guidelines during the reading and writing process. I enjoyed creating it because I could remember how to do most of the technical aspects of the website without referring to the tutorial.   I think that knowing how to create a Webquest  will be very beneficial. I will probably use it for my own career and later on when I teach college students. For my therapies, I could use it  for children who have similar problems. For example, the fairytale webquest would be great for children practicing their writing and expressive abilities. I could assign it and modify certain details  for therapy use. I could also create more advanced ones depending on my client and student needs. 

Assignment 3.6: Copyright Activity
AUP for Gwinnett County Schools

This activity was very informative. At school, teachers always talked about plagiarism in regards to writing  papers.  That is what I immediately thought about when I saw the word "copyright". After reviewing the websites I realized that copyright laws apply to many types of media not just publications. I think that learning about copyright is very important for both students and educators. I also liked doing the Copyright lesson plan because I had to think of a creative way to teach the material. I tried to incorporate technology and group work. In addition, this information is helpful to me in many ways. I am constantly doing assignments in which I have to use many on line resources. In the future I will do presentations and use all kinds of information for my therapies. I also plan to teach college students and I will need to be familiar with these rules to not make violations. 

Assignment 3.7 Assure Lesson participation

I really liked this form of meeting. It was the first time I had a meeting online via Adobe connect. I used to go into chats but it wasn't possible to connect your camera. I also used MSN messenger but only had a one to one conversation. I really liked that with Adobe connect  it was possible to see everybody at the same time.  It was also a large group so it offers a great advantage. Everybody can talk and take turns to give their feedback. The only problem I encountered was that my sound and camera kept going on and off. I was missing important information and it was taking long to work again.  Even though there were problems, I think it will be a great tool for my profession and I will be able to use it in many ways. I can use this medium to have meetings with my students and even with parents. I can also use it to communicate with other fellow speech pathologist. If I have a business and I am out of town I can use it to communicate with my co-workers.  All these meetings can be done on line , which is great! :)

Assignment 3.8 Task Analysis Activity

This assignment was interesting because it shows that every task requires many steps. It can be a simple task such as making popcorn, but once the process is broken down there are many steps to consider. It was kind of tedious because each step can be broken down to further steps. I think that it is necessary to learn how to do this especially as an educator. People with disabilities and also young children may have difficulty with certain tasks. It is often necessary to write down every step so they can perform the desired task correctly. It also makes you more aware of teaching strategies. If you want your students to follow the lesson then they need to be given through directions. Task analysis will be very useful for me in my career. I plan to work with children who many have conditions such as autism, ADHD, and mental retardation. It will be necessary for me to learn to analyze tasks and be able to write or tell step-by-step directions to my clients.

Assignment 3.9 Addressing diversity with Technology

This assignment was interesting because there are a lot of assistive devices for people who have disabilities or other problems.  I found different forms of technology to aid people with motor and speech problems. Technology is definitely great because it allows people to participate in class just like any student, and to communicate effectively. Computers allow students who cannot write to do any type of assignment by typing. I also discovered  that there are a lot of applications for Ipad which are very helpful. I will definitely purchase one later on. As a speech pathologist, I will be seeing a lot of clients with motor and speech problems. Especially those who are unable to speak due to a condition such as autism or Cerebral Palsy. I will use software and devices mentioned in the pdf link during therapy. I will also recommend different technology such as Tap-to-talk system to my clients. It will help them to be successful in the classroom and to communicate with others.

Assignment 3.10 Behavioral Objective

This assignment was good practice for me. Sometimes we know what we want students to learn and how we will teach it, but it is hard to write it in one short sentence. I think that defining a behavioral objective its important for any lesson. It is also important to use the right vocabulary. It ultimately states what is the goal of the whole lesson, how you will implement it and what you expect the students to do at the end. This will be important for me in the future especially since I will be writing objectives for my speech therapies. I will  have to define what  and how I will provide therapies to my clients. I also have to state the degree of accuracy that I will be observing for during the therapy.

Assignment 3.11 Website Evaluation

This assignment was interesting and informative. It makes you become a good critic to the websites that are available online. I had personally browsed the ASHA website  many times. I thought I had discovered everything but I was wrong. Since I was evaluating it, I paid more attention to detail. I actually found some resources that I had not acknowledged. Knowing how to evaluate websites its important not only in a personal level but when you are using it in an academic setting. In the future, I have to evaluate the websites I use for many reasons. I have to make sure that the data comes from a trusted resource and its accurate. Especially, since I will probably base my therapies on some of the information I read. I also have to make sure that the websites are useful and user- friendly when I teach my Speech students.

Assignment 3.12 ADDIE Model

Overall, this assignment was helpful. Not only to plan my lesson for the course but also for the future. I may not need to write my therapy plans in this format exactly but it is a good reference. For each of my clients in therapy, I need to include an objective and define what material are used and how I will access mastery. The ADDIE mode will help me to organize my thoughts and plan instruction more effectively. I think I can  use it in the future to make my therapy plan more detailed and organized. I can see how teachers benefit from using this model to plan their lessons.

Assignment 3.13.Technology based lesson plan

This assignment was helpful because it is important to follow an organizational structure especially when doing a lesson plan. It is also important to list what technology you will be using as a remainder. Even though I don't plan to be a teacher. As a speech pathologist, I will have to document my therapy plans. I may have to document it differently but I will also use technology. This activity was interesting  and it also showed me all the work that teachers need to do before a class. I now understand why teachers are always so busy. 

Assignment 3.14 Assure Lesson Plan/Presentation
Assure Lesson plan Webpage

I really enjoyed creating this Assure Lesson Plan and all its parts. When the class started I thought it would be a very difficult task. Since all the steps were broken down it was actually not that hard. The actual process was a great planning tool and it also allowed me to be creative. When I become a speech Pathologist, I will have to create my own therapy plans. I will also have to write down what tools I will use and define an objective for my therapy. All the activities that led up to the finalization of the lesson have been very helpful  to me. During the actual presentation I was having technicals difficulties but at the end everything went well. I also enjoyed seeing the efforts of all my peers and their presentations.

Assignment 3.15 Web based Portfolio

Overall, the creation of this portfolio has been a very fun and  instructional task. I learned to do things I had never done before. I have learned a lot over the course of the semester. All the assignments provided me with more knowledge than I already had. It is good to be up to date with technology.  I also know that I will use a lot of the skills I learned when I work as a speech pathologist. Such as making my own surveys, webpages, lesson/therapy plans. This class has been very informative and I enjoyed it.