Mrs. Fox's Website

Final Project

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:36:35 -0500

Overview
I have worked with Access and designed websites for quite a few years now, but have never taken the time to figure out how to use databases with websites. I know that using relational databases with websites works effectively when you want to retrieve, store, or run queries on data. I would think that its effectiveness lies in the fact that stored data and returned data is organized in a linear fashion as demonstrated by this flowchart. My principal approached me a few weeks ago about creating a page within our high school website where parents could "sign up" for spring parent/teacher conferences. I told him that would be a great idea since relying on the students to sign up their parents is usually ineffective. My plan has been to learn how to run a database within a web page form so that all of the data entered can be stored, queried, and updated.

Final Project Progress Review

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:33:35 -0500

My project focuses on creating a form on our high school website that would allow parents to sign up online for spring 2008 conferences. Teachers would need to receive the time slots that parents signed up for and a teacher specific schedules would have to be available on the website so that parents would know what time periods were already taken. To acheive this I have to create a relational database.

Mini Tech Review-#4

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:13:27 -0500

A team from the University of Wisconsin has established a Local Games site that focuses on integrating augmented reality games into classroom curriculums. Augmented reality (AR) games focus on making learning hands-on and integrates virtual reality settings within real-world elements. There are eight different types of AR games listed on the site. Some of these games were discussed in Chapter 11 of The Design and Use of Simulation Computer Games in Education in detail, some were just mentioned. I will be focusing on the Hip Hop Tycoon simulation which enables students to experience being an entrepreneur.

Mini Tech Review-#3

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:53:11 -0500

Second Life is a Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has recently become one of the cutting-edge virtual classrooms for major colleges and universities. Second Life allows educators to host lectures and projects online via islands that have been purchased for educational use. Residents can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items (virtual property) and services from one another.

Mini Tech Review-#2

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:50:37 -0500

Our group previewed the Youda Games Simulation Website. The website can be found at here. We looked specifically at Kindergarten and Konnectors. We focused on the essential criteria on pages 109-110 from the book The Design and Use of Simulation Computer Games in Education and wanted to specifically address the questions "How can online simulation games be used at the Elementary grade level?" and "Which games would be appropriate to use in classrooms and which ones are for entertainment purposes."

Mini Tech Review-#1

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 14:21:39 -0500

How can we rethink our approach to design and development, that is, how can we create games that will merge with instructional design to create learning environments that are authentic and engaging as well as make our students engage in critical thinking?

Spreadsheet Mini Project

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:28:52 -0500

Objective: This assignment will be used in Business Foundations during the unit discussing financial planning. The students in this class will not have the skills to create this spreadsheet on their own. The spreadsheets have been protected so that the students can only manipulate data in the loan payment calculator portion. I will use this model to explain the different formulas and functions used, so that students understand the concepts behind the spreadsheet. Students will use an Excel loan payment calculator to manipulate data that includes an interest rate schedule, amortization schedule, hyperlinks to financial institutions, a chart that visual depicts yearly interest payments versus amount paid on principal, and a vlookup function that determines poor, average, good interest rates. Students will use this spreadsheet to determine the financial cost of credit when purchasing items using a loan or credit card. This worksheet is set up so that students can manipulate the key factors to calculate interest in different types of consumer credit situations such as student loans, home mortgages, or credit card purchases.

Spreadsheet Phase 1

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:29:38 -0500

Project Goals
Students will use Excel to create a loan payment calculator that includes an interest rate schedule, amortization schedule, hyperlinks to financial institutions, a chart that visual depicts yearly interest payments versus amount paid on principal, and a vlookup function that determines poor, average, good interest rates. Click here to see an Inspiration Model of my project.

Technology Review-#1

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:03:53 -0500

Rose-Hulman's Institute of Technology has developed a web site that focuses on providing digital teaching materials and professional development materials. The web site is called PRISM (Portal Resources for Indiana Science and Mathematics). PRISM is a free, assistive web site for Indiana teachers. Originally designed for middle school math, science, and computer teachers, PRISM has extended its content for teachers of all grades and subjects. Teachers can quickly find engaging, standards indexed, online learning activities in PRISM'S database. A little over a year ago they began offering free Moodle hosting, enabling teachers to create their own course/communities on PRISM.

Literature Review-Educational Blogging

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:54:59 -0500

The Web has introduced the world to ever changing tools of communication. Today, students, parents, teachers, and administrators have access to technologies that were unfathomable fifty years ago. The educational field seems to be the sector in our society that lags behind in technology, especially when we look at the public realm. Teachers are left with little time to explore new integration techniques for technology. The focus of core curriculum is state standards, No Child Left Behind, and standardized testing scores. So how do teachers use the Web as a content management tool without the effects of learning curves and time constraints? The answer lies within the creation of a Web communication tool known as a blog.

Book Review-Oversold & Underused

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:52:37 -0500

Schools have technology...at this point in education that is not the debate. What we as educators do with the technologies available to us is the core of Larry Cuban's observations and research in the book Oversold & Underused. The blame cannot be placed on educators. Policymakers and technology innovators make it difficult for anyone to integrate these tools into the classroom. Educational policies and practices are constantly changing and teachers are expected to keep up. Technology innovators make it difficult for educators who have limited budgets to maintain computer integrity, up-to-date components, and reliability. We have been marketed to believe that technology is the "saving grace" of our educational system.

Technology Policy Paper

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 22:41:35 -0500

Students in classrooms are using the Internet at an increasing rate. With Internet accessibility becoming more prevalent in schools, the need for Internet and computer usage guidelines have increased as well. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (May 2001), 98% of schools with Internet access have Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) in place (Loverro, 2002). These policies help teachers, media specialists, and administrators determine what actions should be taken when students misuse school computer/Internet privileges. Considering that most students are more computer and Internet savvy than the adults that supervise them, it is important for teachers and other staff members to be familiar with the content of an AUP. This helps teachers and staff members to understand what types of infringements they should scrutinize. One of my students recently installed a software package that could "kill" programs, he sent an inappropriate network messages to over two hundred workstations throughout our corporation, and deleted another student's work that was saved to the computer. These infractions occurred all within one week. Since our corporation has an AUP, the assistant principal was able to look at those guidelines specifically to determine a punishment. He did not have to try and fit such a violation into the student discipline chart. The infraction was part of the AUP, so his punishment was clear. The student lost his computer and Internet privileges school wide for the remainder of the year and has received a grade of "WF" for the Web Design class in which he committed the infraction.

National Educational Technology Standards-NETS

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 20:20:34 -0500

To live, learn, and work successfully in an increasingly complex and information-rich society, students must be able to use technology effectively. Within an effective educational setting, technology can enable students to become:

(1) Capable information technology users
(2) Information seekers, analyzers, and evaluators
(3) Problem solvers and decision makers
(4) Creative and effective users of productivity tools
(5) Communicators, collaborators, publishers, and producers
(6) Informed, responsible, and contributing citizens

As a teacher it is important that I demonstrate my ability as an educator to facilitate technological skills to my students. I have outlined the following performance indicators:

IT Profile-Shelbyville High School

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:19:06 -0500

Shelbyville High School currently has technologies that correlate to state standards so teachers and administrators can assess student proficiencies in math, reading, and writing. There is always room for improvement anytime we look at our technologies and technologies that are currently available. It is important for schools to use these tools to generate data that corresponds to NCLB and promotes learning to all of those involved in the educational process.

Quia Assessment Tool-Technology Review #2

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:44:26 -0500

I downloaded and reviewed all of the assessment tools in Quia. I really like the variety of assessments that were available. Helpful tools included creating quizzes, activities, and surveys. I spent most of my time reviewing all of the types of activities that were available to create. Quia allows you to create a plethora of activities. I could not believe how simple it would be to use Quia to set up some pretty elaborate assessments. There were basic assessments such as flash cards, to scavenger hunts, even a challenge board whose layout looks like a Jeopardy board. I also liked the Quia site because it allowed you to view other assessments that had been created by teachers in different disciplines called the "shared activities area". I was very surpised at how many activities had been created in my discipline, business education. You usually cannot find a lot of "different" activities in the business education realm. There were categories for business, business law, accounting, computer applications, and computer literacy. If you would like to try out this tool click here. You can download a free 30 day trial.