Melissa

 Last Update: 6/28/12 =Melissa Brochu= toc

Facebook: Melissa Brochu Twitter: @mbrochu3 Skype: Melissa =1. About Me= I graduated from CCSU in December 2009 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education. I am also certified to teach History/Social Studies for grades 7-12. My academic concentration was History with a primary focus in American History and a secondary focus in Medieval and Modern Europe. I am currently 2 classes away from graduating from CCSU with my Master of Science Degree in Educational Technology. For the past two and half years, I have been substitute teaching in many different school systems and can't wait to get my first full time job! I am currently working as a building sub in Southington.

Top =2. My Educational Technology Experience= Over the past two and half years, I have dabbled in many different technologies throughout the Educational Technology program. I have designed all of my lessons and units for upper elementary/middle school students. The primary focus if these lessons is American History. I would love to be able to use these lessons when I have a classroom of my own.

Top =3. Reflective Essay (6/7/12)= According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, research is defined as a studious inquiry or investigation, especially the investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical of such new or revised theories or laws. This definition explains the two different ways in which research can be conducted: the scientific way and the "standard" way (History, Psychology, Sociology, etc.).

Having been a History major for my undergraduate course work, I am familiar with research. There are many different ways in which research can be performed and those ways are constantly changing and evolving with the technology that is readily available. I recently finished EDT 521 which is the class where the big group project is started. My group members and I decided to develop a computer-based instruction program centered on the historical inquiry process. The group leader is a 7th Grade Social Studies teacher and he sees that middle school students today don't really understand how to conduct research in an organized fashion. This program will be used to teach middle school students the appropriate way to do research. There are 7 vital steps that need to be followed: observation, hypothesis, obtaining quality resources (unbiased, credible and reliable), quality primary sources, quality secondary sources, organization and synthesis. When a student follows these steps, they are sure to develop a well-researched paper.

One thing that I consistently forget when conducting research is which format resources should be cited. The two styles that I have used are MLA and APA. Just between these two styles, there is a big difference in how the sources should be cited. In the MLA format, the writer must include footnotes and endnotes into their research. When following the APA format, however, it is suggested that the writer not use footnotes because it can be too expensive for publishers to reproduce (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/04/). Why does there even need to be different ways to cite sources?

Top =4. Partner Exploration= Steve and I were trying to find something that we could research together and we agreed to look into how interactive clickers are being used in the classroom. After reading through some articles we decided on contacting the author of this article. We are also found another study that focused on the use of interactive clickers in the classroom. We found them on Linkedin and sent them both messages. We are waiting to hear back from both.

Top =5. Twitter Search= Looking through Twitter, the first thing I saw was ED Tech Talk. According to the short description that was available, this page is a collaborative community talking about Educational Technology. Their tag is @edtechtalk. Another page that I found was TEDTalks. This is a website that offers lectures to be watched about education. I had to watch a lecture for a previous class and it was really interesting. Their tag is @tedtalks. I am still in the process of learning how to use Twitter so hopefully I will begin to find more pages about Ed. Tech.

Top =6. Research Topic= I would like to research iPads in the classroom. I want to see how education is becoming revolutionized as a result of using the iPad in the classroom. Stay tuned!

Top =7. Interactive Whiteboard Videos= This video is a little cheesy but it shows awesome interactive whiteboards are in the classroom and how easy they are for all teachers to utilize on a daily basis. media type="youtube" key="RGNVcD5ADK8" height="315" width="560"

This video needs no explanation. In 3 minutes, you will be able to see the newest technology that is part of the SMART Board and Notebook Software.

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This video (Part 1) looks as though it was recorded during a Professional Development training on SMART Boards. There are 27 tips and techniques that will be talked about during this video, plus some bonus tips that are talked about.

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Part 2 of the 27 tips and techniques of the SMART Board

media type="youtube" key="9sHItX0X-tA" height="315" width="560" = = Top =8. Inquiry Plan Draft= SMARTBoards Really Are Smart!

For my inquiry plan, I want to study the affect of SmartBoards in the classroom. The study that I plan to use as a model for the inquiry plan is titled, //Interactive Whiteboards: Boon or Bandwagon? A Critical Review of the Literature// written by Heather J. Smith, Steve Higgins, Kate Wall and Jen Miller. This study was trying to prove whether interactive whiteboards were a new technology that would eventually fizzle out or if they would become a staple in any classroom. Since this study was written in 2005 when interactive whiteboards were just making their way onto the educational scene, I feel as though the authors weren’t completely able to answer their own research question. If the authors were to take another look at this study with current research, I think they would find that interactive whiteboards are an educational tool that every school district should invest in to enhance the learning of the students. A study called, //Interactive Whiteboard Evaluation (2000),// is an article that “examines the ways in which the Whiteboard technology was integrated into a number of areas in the curriculum during the first half of the Summer term, 2000” (Http://www. Mirandanet. Ac. Uk/publications/smartboard. Htm)1.For the purpose of this study, teachers volunteered to test the new technology in the classrooms and received minimal training. “The technology was applied to existing lesson plans, used with existing software and the Internet and evaluated in terms of the learning and motivational gains of the students” (Http://www. Mirandanet. Ac. Uk/publications/smartboard. Htm)2. As of right now, I do not have a classroom from which I can find a problem. For the purpose of this inquiry plan, I will be designing a problem that could happen in a high school History class. Connecticut high school students are required to learn about the different political systems that exist(ed) throughout the world. This can be a very difficult concept for students, and adults, to understand. The CT state standard that will be the focus of this inquiry plan is as follows: In my classroom, students are learning about the different political systems that exist(ed) throughout the world. This is a difficult concept to understand and I am noticing that my students are struggling in determining the major differences between the different political ideologies. After correcting a recent pre-assessment given to my four 10th grade World History classes (100 students), 65% of the students were unable to receive a grade of 90 or higher. This data shows me that I am going to have to spend extra time on this difficult topic. For the activity, my students will be given a question, “What is government?” They all need to provide me with one word that they believe describes government. I know that all of their words will be describing either America’s governmental model of England’s governmental model. Most students don’t usually think about the other governments that exist(ed) throughout the world. After our list has been compiled, they will then begin to learn about the different models of government throughout the world, for example, Communism, Dictatorship, Oligarchy, and Aristocracy. They will also be provided with a list of countries that follow these models and the people who are in charge of these governments. Providing my students with a list of countries and people will help them to remember and apply the concept throughout this unit of study. Even though this activity is designed for high school students, I believe that asking them to take part in an interactive matching activity will provide them with a memorable learning experience. Being able to be actively engaged in a lesson helps students to fully understand what they are being taught. I know that memorizing facts isn’t always the best way to learn information but sometimes, memorization is the most effective way to retain new information that has been taught. This activity will aid in the memorization of learning where each governmental model exists(ed) throughout the world. The audience for this study will be made up of 100 10th grade students. The gender make up of this study is 67 male students and 33 female students. Of the 100 students 2% are African-American, 3% are Latino, 6% are Asian/Pacific Islander, and the remaining 89% are White. The prior knowledge that my students have in regards to different models of government is a brief introduction to this topic in previous grades. These classes are survey classes that introduce certain topics to the students but do not delve deeply into each topic. There are no English Language Learners in my four classes and no out of state transfers. Using the guiding question “What is government?” the students will demonstrate their knowledge of different governmental models, organizations, groups and individuals. For this study, the materials that are needed are: The methods that I use for my data collection is using diagnostic, formative and summative assessments throughout my units. I also give a pre-assessment to every topic that I teach. This pre-assessment allows me to see what my students strengths and weaknesses are and what topic I am going to need to spend the most time on. Throughout the teaching of the unit, I also use formative assessments. These assessments help me to see what needs to be reviewed before moving on to the next topic in the unit. The summative assessment is the exact same test that the students took at the beginning of the unit. This test allows me to see which students have excelled and which students are still struggling. It also allows me to evaluate my teaching throughout the unit. At the culmination are my units, I always give my students a cumulative test in which the students are tested on everything that they learned during the unit. To evaluate my unit, I will use the data collected from my different forms of assessment. The cumulative assessment will be the determining factor to see how my students performed throughout the unit. The data will also allow me to reflect on my teaching so that I can adjust for the next unit and possibly teach the topic differently for the following year. The timeline that is suggested for this project is about 4-6 weeks. This amount of time is suggested because it depends on how many different governmental models will be taught. One the first day of the unit, the students will be given the pre-assessment and will take part in the “What is government?” activity. After every two-three lessons the students will be given a formative assessments that will test their knowledge of just the two-three lessons that were recently taught. On the last day of the unit, the students will take the same test that was given for the pre-test and the following day, they will take the cumulative assessment that has information from the entire unit. I will spread the word about my work by first telling my principal and colleagues about my study. I will also ask my principal to come in and watch a lesson/activity so that they are informed about what is taking part in my classroom. If I have parental permission, I may even put some videos of the activities onto TeacherTube. 1-2. Smith, A. (2000). Interactive whiteboard evaluation. Retrieved (2012, June 18) from Http://www. Mirandanet. Ac. Uk/publications/smartboard. Htm
 * Studying You are Using for a Model **
 * Literature Review **
 * The Problem **
 * Strand 1.3 – Significant events and themes in world history/international studies.
 * Grade Level Expectations – Compare and contrast political systems across historical time periods (e.g. totalitarianism/authoritarian, monarchy/theocracy, representative/parliamentary democracy)
 * Correlation to 21st Century Skills – Global Awareness, Civic Literacy
 * National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (2010) – NCSS #2: Time, Continuity and Change and NCSS #7: Production, Distribution and Consumption.
 * The Activity **
 * The Audience **
 * The Objective **
 * The Materials **
 * Smart Notebook Software
 * SMART Board
 * Computer
 * Notebooks/Paper
 * Pencils/Pens
 * Text Books
 * PowerPoint/Keynote
 * Internet Access
 * Data Collection **
 * Evaluation **
 * Timeline **
 * Dissemination **
 * Footnote**

Top =9. Blog Response= I read [|Grading with Voice on an iPad]. This is a cool app (iAnnotate) that will definitely make grading and commenting on student work much more interactive. Once school districts turn towards using more technology in the classroom, this app will come in handy in the future. Below is my comment on the article:

Knowing that there are apps like iAnnotate out there is great! It's difficult to really display your thoughts on student papers even when teaching in a traditional classroom setting. Some students and teachers don't take the time to seek each other out to talk about student work. Granted this method might work better for an online class but since education is moving more towards technology, this app will definitely come in handy in the future. Top =10. Podcast Review= I listened to a podcast by Sir Ken Robinson entitled //[|How Do Schools Suffocate Creativity?].// Parts of the podcast has excerpts from Robinson's TED video. Robinson believes that we are educating people out of the capacity to be creative. At times, I believe that he is correct in stating that our education system doesn't really allow students to be creative any more. In today's education world, Kindergarteners are have reading drilled into them on a daily basis. I enjoy using the Reader's Workshop model to teach children how to read. I think it works and it improves their reading scores. However, I'm not sure if I believe that Kindergarteners should have to follow this model exactly. There is such as pressure on teachers to get their students reading at a higher level every few months. Kindergarteners should be under that much pressure to learn to read in a 2 hour and 15 minute school day. With the pressure on teachers to receive passing scores on all of the required assessments, there is no room for creativity in the classroom anymore.

Top = 11. Reflective Essay (6/28/12) = Throughout the 5 weeks of this course, I have learned a lot about research, specifically in the field of educational technology. Research in other fields, such as History, is slightly different than research in the technology field. While both fields require a hypothesis that needs to be proven or disproven, a hypothesis in educational technology sometimes can't be determined for years. Because technology changes so quickly, research in this field can be much more complicated than taking part in research in another field. However, research in educational technology is more interesting and enjoyable because of the fact that technology changes so rapidly!

Any questions that I had about performing research, how to write research, action research and inquiry research have been answered over the past 5 weeks. Designing an inquiry plan that could someday be put into action is a great way to better understand the field of educational technology. Also reading all the studies about the different technologies that are available for educational purposes shows how advanced education can become.

Some significant lessons that I have learned about research and technology is that technology in education is here to stay. The SMART Board, for example, is something that every school district needs to strive for to have in every classroom. This type of technology is not going away any time soon. I also think that given more time and more data, the iPad will begin to enter every classroom. Despite the initial shock of how much a school set of iPads will cost, the long term investment will be huge. There will be no need to buy actual textbooks any more. Simply buying the e-book version of the textbook will be sufficient and more enjoyable for the learner. The education field is being revolutionized by technology and that's a wonderful thing!

Top =12. Inquiry Plan Extension Activity=

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