Blog Journal 10

Blog Journal 10

By:Jamie Rudden

This week, I had the opportunity to design my very first online survey, using Qualtrics. This is a software that allows you to easily create a survey, and then share your quiz with anyone to analyze the results! After completing my survey and collecting 13 responses, I downloaded my information into an Excel Spreadsheet. This is a great tool for organizing data, and calculating further information such as mean, median, and mode. I would definitely utilize both of these softwares as a future educator, as a way to survey my class or organize data. For example, I could create a Qualtrics survey at the end of a semester to ask for feedback from my students on different classroom activities and projects we have done. After the students take the survey, I can organize the information in Excel to determine which class activities the students liked the most, and which they disliked. This is just one example of the many ways that Qualtric surveys and Excel can be incorporated and utilized in a classroom environment. 

After reviewing my classmates blogs, I discovered some very interesting opinions and ideas about incorporating technology in the classroom environment. My classmate, Kevin Dacruz wrote about his own experience with adaptive technology in his Blog 7. He explained that in one of his High School classes, there was a student who was considered  "legally blind" and needed assistance. Kevin explained how the teacher attached an HDMI cord to the projector so that this student could have the same information that was displayed on the front board, shown on his own closer screen on his desk. I found this to be very interesting, as I have never personally had the experience of viewing adaptive technology first hand. 

Throughout this semester, I have learned to become much more skilled at using technology resources, such as PowerPoint, Excel, Diigo, and many more! As I continue my journey in learning more technology-related skills, I would love explore the uses and benefits of Smartboards. This is something that I have seen utilized in many classrooms, but I have never had the personal experience of learning how to use the tool myself. I think understanding and mastering how to use Smartboards is a very important skill as a future educator, because they are becoming increasingly common in classrooms across the country. I plan on learning about Smartboards by visiting the Technology Sandbox next semester and practicing my skill.