post #10

I looked at a bunch of the blogs of other classmates and found many interesting things that had not been brought to my atention before. I read Goddess' post #9 and found alot that she had to say extremely interesting. I also did not know that you can have an e-mail account through Google that can be shared amongst a group of people. It is a neat tool to use to communicate with parents and is fast, easy, reliable, and efficient. I like that even a busy parent on the go can have the opportunity to track their child's progress throughout the day! I also liked that she mentioned you tube. I think that as long as it's used appropriately, then it is a good way to keep students attention. I have a lot of teachers who use you tube to tie in a funny video into the lesson. Everyone has a negative view on using you tube in the classroom, but as goddess said, as long as it's used appropriately then I think it's a great asset to the classroom and an awesome way to tie in technology! Another thing that I liked from looking at different blogs was the fact that a lot of people find excel to be difficult, but after listening to your lesson and having you go over it, they don't think that it's as bad anymore. I couldn't agree more! I was so confused with excel until you went over it, and I'm glad everyone learned as much about it from you as I did! I loved reviewing everyone's blogs because they brought to my attention even more things that I had never thought about using in my classroom.

I would most like to learn more about Excel. I know we already learned a lot in class about how to use it, but I feel like it can be used for so many different things! I like that if you don't have many resources to have a high end grade book, then there are ways that you can create one on excel. I also like that it does things such as mean, median, and mode. I think that I learned a lot about excel, but I want to learn more! What an awesome program with so many different uses. I would also like to learn a little more about Inspiration. I want to teach younger children and love the idea of a creative and intersting way to teach students. The last thing I want to learn more about next is smart boards. After listening to final projects, I would love to be able to have that kind of technology in my classroom. I don;t know much about them, but I'm interested in learning more!

I plan to acheive my future educational technology-related goals in a few different ways. I plan to practice what I have learned in this class so that I don't forget anything. I also plan to keep increasing my knowledge of new technologies. Like I said before, I would really like to know more about about smart boards (both for individuals and for the class). In order to learn more about this terchnology I could research them and learn more about them. In my opinion, a good teacher is a well informed and educated teacher. I plan to continue my knowledge on different technologies so that I can help my students to learn and grow from them to the best of their ability. I think that the best way to acheive my future educational technology- related goals is to keep myself updated on the newest and latest technologies that are out there. There are constantly new technologies and I can't think of a better way to acheive my goals then to stay in tune with what there is out there. I think I owe it to myself and to my students to give them the best education possible, and in todays society that means staying alert on the newest advancements in technology. This class has shown me just how important technology really is and I think that I am now more aware of ways that I can further my awareness of technology.

Post #9

This class has really opened my eyes to different web based technologies that I can easily use in my classroom. When I become a teacher I want to teach kindergarten. I've researched a lot of resources that can be used on the web for younger children, and one site in particular stood out to me as one that I will certainly use. The site is http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/kindergarten/, and it colvers every basic skill that kindergarteners need to leave the classroom with. It goes over colors, math, art, different memory games, shapes, differences, and I-spy games. The website has everything from fun games to educational and learning ones. I believe that it is an excellent site that has so much to offer. My students will love it!

I think that I will use this daily. I'm going to train them on how to use it, then during their computer time they can get on and decide what they want to play. If there is a certain subject that is giving them trouble, I can show them where that game is and they can work on it. All of the games and tutorials that I have looked at on the website have been very well thought out and informational. The site is easy to navigate around, so the students will be able to work very independently. I think that this site is excellent. It is educational, fun, easy to use, and informational. Even students as young as 5 can work on activities especially for their grade level. I think it's cool because the website is so organized, and I believe that my students will really enjoy it. I also think that it is a good website for my age kids because it is a site for solely kindergarteners. Any game that they plan on the entire site is for their skill level. There are tons of web-based technologies that I plan to use with my students. The world of technology is rapidly growing so I think that good, fun, and educational sites, even for young children, are an aweosme way to learn!

Excel was one program that I knew nothing about before taking this class. It has been my most challenging, but has also taught me a lot. I think that Excel will be most useful for me as a teacher with my organization. I can make lists and charts, and keep track of students assignments and grades. I can also do things such as surveys in order to get students feedback on certain programs. I never knew that you could do things such as the mean, median, and mode, and also think that will be useful in many ways. I can record students grades and then see what the average grade was so that I can see what progress they have made from assignment to assignment. Excel has been the most difficult, but also the most informational and I think useful. If you're a teacher, one thing that you need to be is organized. I think that Excel will help me stay organized and keep track of assignments and students progress. I want to teach kindergarten and will use Excel to keep track of all of their assignments. This way I know what they are all doing well in and what area I need to spend a little extra time. I can't wait!

Post #8

I think that overall I did pretty well on my powerpoint project. I honestly never thought that powerpoint had the capability to do such awesome things, and I'm glad that I got the opportunity to learn them. I think that it's important for a teacher to be able to make learning fun and exciting while also keeping it educational, and what better way than to create a game that goes along with the days lesson! You can specialize what you think is important in the lesson for the students to learn and then review with them in a less formal way. It's extremely important to keep your student's attention no matter what age they are, and a game is a perfect way. I love that with something so common as powerpoint, as an educator I can do so much. I always thought that powerpoint was just for plain and boring slides before I took this class, but now I realize that there are so many neat things that can be done in order to spice up the learning atmosphere. Above is a slide that I thought addressed many of the concepts talked about in chapter #8 such as making slides easy to look at and informational. The pictures on the page are not meaningless, and everything looks neat and orderly. The color scheme on the page is simple the colors compliment each other. Most importantly, it is not distracting.

There are a few peripherals and non-computer audio-visual technologies that I will definitely plan to incorporate into my classroom. I like that things such as printers and scanners are available to teachers. Obviously these are things that I will use on a daily basis in order to make things easier for my students. If I create a worksheet that I want my students to complete, having something such as a printer or coppier will make it so much easier for me to get it to them in a timely fashion. Also I would like to educate my students on the many helpful ways that a zip drive can be used. They are so simple and compact now that many people even carry them on their key chain. It is a good way for students to store work that they did at school and work on it at home. In case something happens with the computer and their work is lost, they can have a back up version on their zip drive instead of having to do it all over again. This also minimizes copying. Students can delete the project from the computer once they are finished for the day so that no one else can come in and read it. This is just an example of one non-computer technology that I plan to use in my classroom. One other that I am interested in is the overhead. This is a way to show things that are printed on paper for everyone to see. Many different documents and objects (such as a newspaper or page from the textbook) can be enlarged for the entire class to see them. All of these can be used in conjunction with computer- based technology in order to make the classroom run more effectively.

This past week I learned so much about powerpoint! Powerpoint will no doubt be something that will be useful in my educational career no matter what grade or subject I teach. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that powerpoint could be used in so many fun and innovative ways. I love that you can create a game with powerpoint. I also like that you can present material that you feel is important for the entire class to see. As an educator, I learned this week just how important powerpoint can be. I plan to teach my students how to use it, so when they do things such as a presentation, they have the option of using Powerpoint. I also learned this week the basics of Excel. Excel is one program on a computer that I know obsolutely NOTHING about. It's going to take me a little longer to get used to doing things on this program, but I definitely think that it will be worth my time. I know that once I figure out Excel, there will be just as much if not more thing that I can do to make my classroom a more efficient learning environment.

Post #7

There are many advantages and disadvantages of using presentation software in the classroom. Personally I feel as though there are more advantages than disadvantages, and that the good outweighs the bad. Some advantages of using presentation software in a K-12 class are that it enhances learning, and gives students a visual while the teacher talks. I think that it is true of all ages that it is hard to keep the undivided attention of students, and I believe that something such as a powerpoint is extremely helpful in giving the students something to look at besides their textbook. Another advantage of using presentation software is that it can be an organized way for teachers to sort out the main points that they want the class to take from their lesson. Sometimes it's easier for students to take notes when they have some sort of outline to help them organize their thoughts. Although I think that presentation software is great, I also feel as though there are some disadvantages that must not be overlooked. Students can sometimes be distracted by the slides or presentation and not catch the entire lesson. Teachers must be extremely careful when deciding what to put on their slides because things such as animation or colorful text can be distracting for the students. Another disadvantage is that students don't get to be necessarily interactive which is very important. The teacher has complete control over the presentation software. Although this is an advantage, I think that it is something that can be fixed. Teachers can let students give presentations and teach them how to use the presentation software so that they can be interactive in the lessons. It's all up to the teacher as to ways that presentation software is used in their individual classroom, but there are plenty of opportunities open for the teacher to use it in their classroom!

I plan to use powerpoint all of the time to aid student learning! I want to first teach my students how to use powerpoint because I think that is very important. Once they have an idea of how to use it, I can assign projects for them to do that involve the use of Power Point. Say for example I was teaching a business class in high school. I might assign them a project that requires them to research a type of business and report on it to the class. They can use powerpoints for things such as pictures of the business type and interesting facts that they found during their research. This engages the other students in the project and also lets students practice using technology. Powerpoint is a way that students can sort their ideas and give them a reference to go by when giving their presentation. This is my idea of a lesson that can be devised where I get to teach the students how to use powerpoint, then get to see how they apply it in an everyday situation such as a project.

One issue of educational technology that really interests me is one that is fairly new. I think that it is so weird that students now can go to school completely over the internet. This new phenomenon is called "virtual school" and I think that it's rediculous. Anyone who has been to school knows that it's just as important to get the socialization as it is to get the actual education. If you go to school over the internet your entire life, then you're missing out on so much more. What about school sports, homecoming, football games, learning to work together, and learning how to adapt to conflict? All of these are extremely important in developing as a person and I think that if you choose to go to this new "virtual school" you are truely missing out. I'm all about technology and using it in the school system, but this is taking it too far. It's teaching kids that they don't need teachers and they don't need friends to make it through school. From my experience, this is completely untrue. Starting at the age of kindergarten a student can now go to school full time ONLINE! What's next? Are we going to just do everything over the computer? Click here to see what you think.

Post #6

"Web 2.0 is a category of new Internet tools and technologies created around the idea that the people who consume media, access the Internet, and use the Web shouldn't passively absorb what's available; rather, they should be active contributors, helping customize media and technology for their own purposes, as well as those of their communities."

When I was reading on the internet about Web 2.0, I came across this definition on tech soup and thought that it was a really good one. I really like the idea of using technology to enhance learning. I think that technology has so much to offer that a teacher cannot give to every individual student. More and more schools and classrooms are moving towards technology based classrooms, and I think that it's a good idea that teachers start now in order to ease the transition for students later on in their lives. In a sense the world now revoloves around technology. Everything from ATM's to e-mail and text messaging, all are causing the world to grow more and more technical. If students don't have a basic idea about technology, then they are going to be out of luck. I personally want to teach younger children, so I wouldn't be using as much Web 2.0 as teachers who are teaching older children classrooms would be. But this does not mean that I think that it is not important. There are still learning tools that younger children can use to enhance their learning, and I think that it is extremely important. I think that students, young or old, need to learn to socially network through the tools available with other students and members of their community. Technology so far has proven to be the best means of doing that.

I do not think that wikipedia should be able to be used as a web resource. I think that a lot of the time it does have accurate material and facts, but it can still be tweaked by anyone who choses to do so. If a student happens to come across a site where there is some changed and unture information and they use it as a fact, then they are giving wrong information without even knowing it. I don't think that as an educator you should approve any website for research information that could potentially have false information on it. It is very important that educators give their students strong and reliable learning resources, not ones that could potentially have faulty sources on them. Wikipedia is very informational, the only problem is that it can be changed at any point and you never truely know whether or not you are obtaining true information.

I learned a very important skill this week that will be extremely helpful in my career as an educator. I learned about powerpoint and how to present one to a class. As a teacher, powerpoint will be very useful. I will be able to present material to my class in an exciting and creative way, instead of just reading it to the class. I can also teach my students (if i have age apropriate students) to read and then present what they learned to the class through a powerpoint. This will allow them to be able to use technology while applying the material that they just learned. Not only will I be able to use this skill a lot when I become a teacher, I will also be able to use it through my college career. If you don't know what you're doing, then it is going to take a lot more time to create a powerpoint presentation. I now know how to effectively create a powerpoint presentation. I really like all that powerpoint offers and I think that it will be helpful in many areas of my educational and professional career.

Post #5

I think that the internet can be used as a great way to aid students in research. I think that this is especially important when students are of an age where they fully understand that the internet does not have all factual things on it, and the site that they wish to use needs to be thoroughly evaluated before it is used as a reliable source. I think that research on the internet is an extremely important thing when it comes to students working on various projects and papers. The internet is filed with so much important and easy to access information that I believe it is most likely the quickest way for students to access information. I think that it is extrmely useful when students need quick information. It is also useful when they need a lot of different opinions and sources, because the internet is filled with information regarding almost every subject known to man! Another great thing that the internet offers to students for their research is online catalogues and databases that are pretty much written documents and books, just online. Although I think that the internet is a great source, I also think that students need to have some understanding of the fact that not everything is true on the internet and that it is important to be able to distinguish between what is facutal and what is false. I think that students should also be able to have an understanding on how to research things in the library and other sources besides the internet so that their research has a wide variety of sources. The internet is by far the most convenient and quick way to obtain facutal information, I just think that there is a time and place when it is appropriate to do so.

After being in this class for a while I have learned all sorts of differnet web-based resources that are available to students that teachers can use to support learning. I really like the idea of using blogs. They are free and easy to sign up for and students can use their creative side and also technical side. Teachers can also benefit because they now have an easy way to check and see if students are understanding what is being taught to them. I also like the idea of chat rooms. Teachers can set up online chat rooms where students can connect with other students and help eachother with things that don't understand. This aleviates some of the stress because students can ask eachother instead of always having to ask the teacher. Another great way to bring technology into the classroom, especially with young children is web-based educational computer games. I volunteer in a kindergarten class once a week, and there are so many games that she uses that are both fun and educational, and she finds them free on the internet. It keeps their attention and is very effective in followng up with lessons that she just taught. When I teach in a classroom I plan to use all of these web resources.

Although I am completely for students being able to use technology in the classroom, there are some reservations that I have as a teacher about the internet. There is so much great information out there, but all it takes is one wrong click and a students can be on a bad website. There's disqusting sites all over the place and it's hard for students to distinguish which sites are okay and which are not before they actually click on the site. Also a lot of sites are very bias and, without even knowing it, students can be reading false or one-sided information. Just because you google something and get a huge amount of webistes, it doesn't mean that these websites are all reliable. Most are acutally trash, which is why you need to give your students strict criteria as to what is good and what is not. I want to teach younger students, so I need to be especially careful when they are on the web. I think that if they are young then it is even more important for a teacher to make sure they are heavily supervising them. I think that a good idea would be to have smaller groups go at a time so that the teacher is constantly aware of where they are. The younger they are, the less they will be researching on the internet, so my students will probably be doing more educational computer games then anything. It is important to assess which age group you are teaching when deciding how much access and freedom you are going to allow them on the web.

Post #4

Chapter #7 was extremely interesting to me. I especially liked the idea maps and honestly think that it will be something that I use in my classroom as an educator. I want to teach young children and think that idea maps, although they can be used for older children, are also an excellent way for young children to sort out their ideas. It makes students think about the relationships between topics and also use their creative side. I think that it is easier to look at then simply words on a slide, and I'm really excited to give it a try! I will definitely get more familiar with Inspiration so that idea maps will be that much easier. It is important for teachers to realize that they need to keep the interest of the students and one way to do that is to educate yourself on programs that allow you to present material in a more fun and creative manner.

I hope to use many of the concepts other then idea maps in chapter #7 also. As a teacher, especially for older students, I think it is important that they know how to make an outline. It is important to separate and sort your ideas and can be an effective way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Idea maps were definitely my favorite, especially for younger children. I love that they can sort their thoughts by using technology! Not only are they learning how to use a computer, without even knowing it they are also learning how to connect one train of thought to another. It is something so simple but yet has so much content to it that I think that it will be an excellent thing to teach students in a classroom.

This past week I have learned a lot and gone over many different skills, all of which I believe will be helpful in my career as an educator. I especially liked microsoft word. We had a skill check on it this week and I think that it is so important to have a strong knowledge on the software. There are SO many different things that can be done with that one program and I think that teachers are doing students a large disservice if they do not educate themselves on all of the benefits of Microsoft Word. I also learned a lot about Inspiration, which will be a program that I think I will use a lot as a teacher. I want to teach young children like I've said before, and I think that Inspiration is a very good way to keep their attention. I can start talking about an idea and have the students chime in with ideas that I can start to link together. This way I am using technology and the students are also engaged in giving me ideas for the idea maps. It's a more interactive way to learn which I think is awesome!