Amy Killilea's portfolio highlights her journey in educating with technology as part of her K-12 intervention specialist licensure program at Ashland University. It showcases her work in integrating various digital tools – such as blogs, wikis, and interactive presentations – into classroom learning, emphasizing the importance of technology in education. The portfolio concludes with the assertion that technology is essential for preparing students for future careers and engaging diverse learning styles.

1. A Portfolio for Technology in
Education
AMY KILLILEA

2. Introduction
My name is Amy Killilea. I am a student in the Bachelor Plus program at Ashland
University seeking licensure as a k-12 Intervention Specialist in Education. I have
previously earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland, and
currently work as a Special Education Paraprofessional in the Licking Heights School
District.
This portfolio showcases coursework I completed in EDCI 505, an Introduction to
Technology in Education course. Throughout the course, I learned a variety of ways to
facilitate and enhance learning by integrating technology into the classroom.
For more information,
please contact :
Amy Killilea
akillile@ashland.edu

3. Web 2.0: The Wiki
Web 2.0 describes World Wide Web sites that use technology beyond the static pages of
earlier Web sites. I began my quest of learning Web 2.0 format by creating my own wiki. To
begin my wiki, I created an account using the Pb Wiki program. I then created my wiki
page featuring three Emergent Technologies in Education. I gave a detailed description of
my selected technologies, examples of curricular activities for integrating the tools within
the classroom, and technology and content standards met with the use of the tools. I was
mindful to make the site visually appealing, to include references, and to use technologies
other than text-based representations within the page (i.e. images, embedded videos and
slide shows). To view my wiki, click on the link below or the image at the top of this page.
My Wiki

4. Web 2.0: The Blog
A blog (a truncation of the expressionweblog) is a discussion or informational site
published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically
displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first). I created a
my own blog with entries detailing my feelings about my experiences in EDCI 505. To
read my blog, click on the image below.

5. Web 2.0: Glogster
Glogster is an online learning platform which provides users with digital educational
content and a tool for its creation. Currently more than 17 million students and 1.9
million teachers are using Glogster EDU as an online educational system which is
designed for interactive, collaborative education and is suitable for teachers, students
and a school as a whole. The program aims to allow teachers to be able to access digital
educational content and create projects, presentations and assignments, grade students’
work and communicate with students online. Glogster EDU enables users to combine
videos, music, sounds, pictures, text, data attachments, special effects, animations and
links in a Glog interface. To view my Glog featuring The Dancing Raisin Experiment ,
click on the image below.

6. Visual Learning: Graphic Organizers
Visual thinking is a learning style where the learner better understands and retains
information when ideas, words and concepts are associated with images. Visual
learning helps students organize and analyze information, integrate new knowledge
and think critically. Graphic Organizers, diagrams and outlines are just some strategies
of visual learning. Inspiration is a thinking and learning tool designed to help the user
with visual mapping, outlining, writing and making presentations. For a detailed
explanation of how to use Inspiration, click on the following link: Using Inspiration.
I created my own Inspiration graphic organizer comparing bacteria to viruses. To view
my Inspiration graphic organizer, click on the image below.

7. Spreadsheets and Forms: Collecting and
Organizing Data
A spreadsheet is an interactive computer application program for organization, analysis
and storage of data in tabular form. The user of the spreadsheet can make changes in
any stored value and observe the effects on calculated values. Spreadsheets are a useful
tool in the world of education, as educators are constantly collecting data, and the
program makes it simple to observe how data is changing or related to other data.
Google Docs offers an array of online record-keeping documents, including a
spreadsheet. Click on the images below to see the documents I created using Google
Docs.

8. PowerPoint as a HyperMedia Tool
Microsoft PowerPoint is a slide show presentation program developed by Microsoft.
PowerPoint presentations consist of a number of individual pages or "slides". Slides
may contain text, graphics, sound, movies, and other objects, which may be arranged
freely. The presentation can be printed, displayed live on a computer, or navigated
through at the command of the presenter. Many people have used PowerPoint’s
functions to create a basic slide show, but PowerPoint can also be used as an interactive
hypermedia tool to create non-linear hyperlinks to guide student learning. Used in this
way, it can greatly benefit the teaching and learning process! Click on the image below
to view the interactive PowerPoint presentation I created. Students love games, and this
one is based on the T.V. game show, Jeopardy. It is designed as a unit review.

9. Desktop Movies
Many people are not aware that they can easily create attractive digital stories and
movies right from the computer desktop for free using Microsoft Moviemaker (or a
similar program). These digital creations can then be uploaded to youtube for the world
to see! Educators can create engaging digital movies using a video editing program to
include with their lessons. Click on the image below to view my desktop movie which
is an example of how to to facilitate an elementary lesson in life science.

10. Web Authoring
Web Authoring is a category of software that enables the user to develop a web site in
a desktop publishing format. The software generates the required HTML coding for the
layout of the Web pages based on what the user designs. Typically, the user can toggle
back and forth between the graphical design and the HTML code and make changes to
the Web page in either the design of the accompanying code. It’s not as difficult as it
sounds! There are several user-friendly platforms that enable a user to create a simple
and attractive website for a variety of uses. The educator can utilize this tool for
countless reasons in and out of the classroom. Click on the image below to view the
website, featuring a lesson on the marine biome I created using the Weebly platform.

11. The Web Quest
You were first introduced to the Web Quest if you viewed the link on the previous
slide. A Web Quest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the
information that learners work with comes from the web. These can be created using
various programs, including a simple word processing document that
includes links to resource sites on the web. Click on the image below to view the Web
Quest I created. This Web Quest contains the same lesson you viewed on the previous
slide, but is presented on a different platform.

12. Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to peruse my technology in education projects! I hope
you have enjoyed them.
Implementation of technology in the classroom is a 21st century necessity. Here are few
reasons why using technology in today’s classroom is important:
 It helps prepare students for their future careers, which will inevitably include the use of wireless technology
 Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles
 It gives students the chance to interact with their classmates more by encouraging collaboration
 Integrating technology in education everyday helps students stay engaged - students are excited about being able to use
technology and therefore are more apt to learn
 When mobile technology is readily available in the classroom, students are able to access the most up-to-date
information quicker and easier than ever before
 The traditional passive learning mold is broken
 Students become more responsible - technology helps students take more control over their own learning
 Students can have access to digital textbooks and other platforms that are constantly updated and often more vivid,
helpful, creative, and a lot cheaper than traditional textbooks