M1 Reflection

Quizlet-- http://quizlet.com/

Drill and Practice

Roblyer and Doering (2013) state that drill and practice “allows learners to work problems or answer questions and get feedback on correctness.”  The website above allows students to create their own flash cards with words and meanings. Flash cards are an easy way for students to prepare for vocabulary tests mainly. In other language art classes, such as Spanish, the flashcards can be made to practice translations.

            I would personally use this website for vocabulary as well as reviewing key concepts both in literature and grammar. Many students can be bogged down by reviewing in this manner; however, flash cards are a simple review strategy and allow for immediate responses. This could be converted into a game as well, but for this purpose the typical drill and practice method is the main goal. By constantly reviewing the terms or other information on the flash cards, students would be able to retain the information by learning by rote.

Alison-- http://alison.com/courses/Diploma-in-English-Language-and-Literature

Tutorial

            While tutorial software may seems to replace teachers in a way, Roblyer and Doering (2013) state that “self-instructional tutorials should in no way threaten teachers, since few conceivable situations make a computer preferable to an expert teacher.” What this website provides is several different tutorials in both English as a language and also literature. The website does require a person to sign up to access the tutorials but signing up is free. If using an online tutorial is not the preference of a teacher, one could create their own tutorial using Word processor. Word processor is very versatile and therefore can be used for many different things and is free to be used in whichever type of instructional approach the teacher prefers (Roblyer and Doering, 2013).

            Again, most teachers may steer clear of computer based tutorials because it bypasses the teacher. However, the teacher should embrace them and use them as a spring board. I would personally use these to lead into a lesson on a particular topic in English. I would also suggest the website to my students for extra practice outside of the classroom.

Super Teacher Tools-- http://www.superteachertools.com/index.php#games

Instructional games

                While worksheets do have their place in the classroom, these activities can become tedious to students. Instructional games should be considered as an alternative to worksheets and also as a motivational way to educate students in a fun way (Roblyer and Doering, 2013). Super Teacher Tools offers a variety of games for the classroom such as Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

            I would gravitate towards the use of Jeopardy. This game would allow me to combine different topics such as grammar, vocabulary, and literature. This would work well with groups and also would lend itself to offering a reward such as bonus points.

Wikipedia-- http://www.wikipedia.org/

Research and Reference Tools

            Research and reference tools are basically electronic encyclopedias, atlas, and similar resources (Roblyer and Doering, 2013). While there are many ways to go about research, Wikipedia is a good starting point. It allows users to do a basic search of a topic and provides information on the topic.

            I do not personally advocate Wikipedia because in practically all of my English classes the teacher has said not to use Wikipedia. That opinion has changed it seems because I have found teachers and professors saying to use it as a starting point for research. I would use Wikipedia as a quick reference for topics in class and show students how to start research for assignments.

Test Maker-http://www.easytestmaker.com/

Materials Generator

            Because testing is such an integral part of education, many websites have been established to streamline the creation of documents for teachers. Test Maker is one example of those types of cites. The basic aspects of such generators include test creation, revision procedures, random question generation, question selection, answer key, and test banking (Roblyer and Doering, 2013).

            While these types of generators can be useful, there can be an element of danger in my opinion. Should a teacher rely too heavily on a test generator, teachers lose a bit of originality. The trend of material being online is becoming more and more common. Yet who is to say that students, who typically have more technological knowledge than some teachers, would not be able to go to the test generating website and obtain the test before it is administered? While I will undoubtedly be a part of the technological infused classroom, it is still important to be wary of the dangers of relying too heavily on tools like test generators.

Below is another example of a material generator. 

#ED527UM M1 http://t.co/XhCKYtGXRU Here is an awesome website to create puzzles for reviewing vocabulary terms.
— Michael (@mfisher8akl) September 4, 2013