Blog Journal 9

I have learned many new skills because of all of the assignments we have completed in class using Diigo. First of all, I have learned how to pick out important information in a web page filled with information. I have also learned to comment relevant ideas about information so that I not only reiterate the concepts, but I also add in my own ideas and experiences. A third skill that I have found relevant is that of being able to collaborate with my peers in order to share information that could benefit all of us. I have enjoyed seeing what others have posted in our Diigo group, commenting on their posts, and them commenting on mine. This application can be incredibly useful in the future for me, especially in my classroom, with team members, and in my individual professional efforts. Diigo can be used for so many different purposes. I can envision myself giving my students an English activity where they must find different, relevant literature and share it in the Diigo group, and comment and highlight important information. I can also see myself communicating with team members and others in my profession to better my knowledge of teaching. We could share ideas and lesson plans in our Diigo group that we find online, and we could support each other through our comments on each others' annotations. I can absolutely see myself using this application in the future. It is a wonderful tool!

Bloom's Taxonomy is a very interesting idea, and I think it is important to keep this idea in mind when thinking about learning. This idea is a pyramid, with different concepts on each level of the pyramid. Starting from the bottom and working to the top, the concepts include "remember", "understand", "apply", "analyze", "evaluate", and "create". As the concepts get higher up on the pyramid, the more rigorous they become. Student learning at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy can be supported with PowerPoint in a particular lesson. A lesson I think of right now is an English lesson for a high school class. "Remember", the first concept on the pyramid, could be represented through a slide that asks students to recall a specific character or story they have read. Next, "understand" can be represented with a slide that asks questions about each of the characters or plot details in a story. Thirdly, "apply" could be represented through a slide that asks application questions about the story, and the students could discuss in small groups. An example of a relevant question could be "Why do you think this character feel a certain way during this point in the story?". Next, "analyze" is a step further. This concept could be represented through a slide that tells the students to compare and contrast a few of the characters. Then, "evaluate" can be represented through a slide that tells each student to defend their stance on why they compared or contrasted characters the way that they did. Lastly, "create" could be represented with a slide that explains information on an upcoming project that the students will have to complete and create that is relevant to what they learned in class on this day. As one can see, there are many ways that Bloom's Taxonomy can be utilized in the classroom and on PowerPoint. 

Technology can be directly related to teacher professional development. There are many examples of how teachers can use technology and different web pages or social medias to connect with their peers, colleagues, and fellow professionals. By staying up-to-date with technology, teachers will not feel alone in their profession, they will connect with others, and they will never cease to learn new things about educating. A site that I have found that can be used to stay informed of technology trends is Microsoft.com. Microsoft is one of the leading technology producers today. On this website, Microsoft does not only keep people up to date on the latest technology products they have produced, but it also provides information and courses for teachers that want to use these new emerging technologies in their classrooms. There are many different lessons and courses one can access from the website in order to develop their knowledge of education technology further. The website also focuses highly on STEM education, so it has a lot of resources surrounding this goal for learning. 

link to the website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/educators/stem?&OCID=AID2000043_SEM_6Nfe8IGM&utm_source=bing&msclkid=1a6e1b18d0381d8fa26d46a3e58aab50