LAST BLOG!

What I found most interesting from reviewing my classmates' blogs was how most people used Google to research. Whenever we were asked to find a websource, most people went through Google to find it. I prefer yahoo, but either way, so many people usethose sources to discover other sources.
The technology skill I would like to learn next is one that can include all of my pictures I take from my digital camera. Many people have differentsoftware programs that can organize, edit, & fix your pictures. I would love to have that and learn how to use it, especially since I love to take pictures!!
I know that everything I learned in my class will be useful for my future, which is mainly why I took the class. From excel to Inspiration to Word, all of those tools will be an asset to teaching or even something else that I might get into. Technology is rapidly improving and I believe it is important to keep up with it. This class was excellent in giving us the basics and helping us to learn how to use the very popular web sources and software.

POST 9 BABY!

The Web-based resource I found most interesting was one that was aimed at creating effective learning resources in the geosciences. If I were teaching an elementary school class, I would choose one that focused in the area of science, being that my favorite subject. Geoscience revolves around the study of the Earth. The web-based tool is perfect for this. In fact, it is designed just for geosciences.
This site contain information, activities, references and links to help faculty creating on-line teaching materials in the Geosciences. With this, I would be able to post my information that I want my class to know on the site, and they could easily access it and learn what they need to know. The site that I found was: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/webdesign/index.html
If I were to use Excel in the future, it would be for a gradebook. To me, that is the easiest form to use in Excel, and using Excel for other things, like charts, appears confusing. However, it is excellent for a gradebook. I can't really be specific, because I would use it for all grade levels. The program is not just good for numbers, but also recording things like grades.

Post Numero EiGHT!

My Powerpoint 2 project, a game based on the Incredibles movie, was a difficult task for me. I am just now becoming familiar with the powerpoint program, so including all the graphics and sounds,etc. was a challenge. However, I believe the overall assignment turned out well. As for the concepts: the writing/grammar in my game was appropriate for the age-level I was shooting for, which was elementary. The content it contained had to do with the movie as well as stuff I made up. I would say things like "Click here to go..." which I used as some of my navigation moves, or I just put a "next/previous" button. The screen design was very appealing and was made so it would focus the student's attention to what was going on in the game. The development of the presentation was that of a game.
(I was unable to perform a screenshot for this..)

I would definitely integrate peripherals in my classroom. Sometimes it is easier to do work away from class and then show it later to your students. So, in this case I would use my zip drive. Using your camera is another good idea. It would be useful in showing pictures from various things that maybe are on your computer at home, but not at school. Peripherals will also teach students that another great use of the computer!

In the past week, we have learned about Excel & Powerpoint presentations. I already knew pretty well how to work Excel, but once again, Powerpoint was something new to perform. Acquiring this skill has helped a great deal in that I will be using this program for teaching lessons, presenting various information in my future. I believe PP will be most useful to me because it is most aesthetically pleasing. You can decorate it in many ways, and it is good to use for all sorts of information. Since I hope to be working for younger kids, a.k.a. elementary level, PP will be the easiest for them to read and understand.

POST 7 =)

Presentation software can have advantages and disadvantages. Using it with k-12 graders is a challenge in itself because different students are on different levels of computer knowledge. So that can be a disadvantage when you are not sure how advanced everyone is with what you may be presenting. It also takes away from the "old-fashioned" way of learning which some students may learn better with. However, it is advantageous because students are learning early on how to use technology that they will more than likely use all throughout life. It can prepare them for the tasks they might need to learn to do in their future.
PowerPoint is a great way to teach students lessons and is highly supported. The knowledge dimension shows facts, concepts, and procedures. These three things help a student learn exponentially. They not only learn a fact, but also how to use it and ideas that come with it. Flow charts and concept maps are perfect for displaying such information. For example, I might pick 8th grade history. While they are learning a topic such as WW2, I could give them a list of facts, and with those facts they would have to present concepts and procedures that follow such facts.
After researching some issues that are currently present when it comes to educational technology, the one I found the most interesting was about keeping kids safe on the internet and its legal issues. This website discusses the legal issues schools face regarding the internet and also talks about filtering. You do not want a student wandering off into a website that is not appropriate and that should not be a worry when doing technology in a classroom. I would like to know how individual school's deal with this problem. The website I found this at was http://www.mcmel.org/tech/issues.html

Post 6

Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom is a great learning tool for students K-12. It has many useful purposes including inforrmation, sharing, and a way to show creativity. I would definitely use Web 2.0 in the classroom if I were teaching. I would first make sure the website I was to use was appropriate for the ages in my class as well as the information.

Wikipedia is another great learning tool. However, it is best not to rely on it too much for information. Anyone can post anything on Wikipedia so it might be necessary to check other resouces to make sure the information given is accurate. Wikipedia has tons of useful information, but should not be the only source you go to when trying to collaborate information on a subject.

Something that I learned this week that would enhance my teaching abillity is the use of Powerpoint Presentations. It is an excellent way to present information, and you can decorate it so it is aesthetically pleasing, which is very important when teaching. I hope to learn more about it so I can teach it later on in life.

Post 5

Using the internet to support student research is an excellent idea. It gives way to tons of useful information that students can use in the classroom as well as outside the classroom. It is especially useful when trying to find information that that student may not know, or for looking up information when doing a project. It is not so useful in the aspect that there is a lot on the internet that can draw a student's attention away from learning.
Some other ways you can use web-based resources for student learning is for learning in other special areas such as art, cooking, etc. For example, if a student is in a home-ec class, I would suggest using www.joyofbaking.com for some great examples of things to cook. There are other websites similar to these, that provide useful information on learning other things instead of the basic subjects used in school.
There are many concerns that follow teaching in a technological environment. Especially for teachers teaching at the elementary school age, technology can be a confusing, and even dangerous thing. Using the computer is a tool that takes quite a bit of time to learn, and should be taught thoroughly for such young children.

Post 4!

Chapter 7 covers information needed to know to present idea maps and outlines. I think using outlines and concept maps are an excellent way to show information to a classroom full of students. As a teacher, I would make my own concept map (like the book suggests) and show and explain it to the class. My map would be colorful and aesthetically pleasing, but also carry necessary information that needs to be taught. This way, the students will see that learning does not always have to be boring like reading a paper, but rather it could be fun!
I would definitely encourage my students to acquire the skills to make outlines and story boards, etc. I would not make it mandatory because I believe the students should learn information in the best way that they individually can. However, by using these skills in class, they learn that there is more than one way to learn something, which in the long run can broaden their thinking abilities.
Learning about Inspiration really gave me new ideas on how to teach something! I loved learning about this software, especially since I had never even heard about it before this class. There are so many things you can do with this program, and I will definitely be trying it out more and consider using it in the future for teaching. It really is not that difficult to use, once you have had a tutorial, and is for sure worth using in a teaching environment.

POST 3

If I had to create a lesson plan, I would make one for 5th graders for a health/science class. I would present my plan using a presentation software program. According to Chapter 2, such a program would allow me to describe knowledge, use videos and graphics, and be able to display steps to a procedure if needed. This would be a perfect tool for this kind of learning for 5th graders. They are getting smarter with computers and have hopefully learned enough about them to make this a useful tool.
I'm not sure of the instructions for this second paragraph, but I did find a website that is an art lesson plan. It has information, instructions on how to teach the class, and even pictures of what the students can make.
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/Leanne-okeeffe.htm
Copyright is a very important thing to teach students. It is not fair to copy someone else's work, and one could get in a lot of trouble for doing so. It is easy and tempting to copy and paste someone's thoughts or ideas, but unless quoted by the original person of rewritten in your own words, it is not fair. But, sometimes rewriting every word you read will not help the student learn anything according to the text. As a teacher, I would test different methods of taking down information from someone else's work. This would also make sure the copyright is protected.

Post #2 MS Word

Microsoft Word has been of frequent use to me as I have continued through my education. It is very handy and my number one tool for writing papers for classes. I also use it to organize some of my other personal work; I find it easiest to type it out and have it available to me when I need it. As far as how my teachers have used it, they seem to utilize it in a similar way as me. MS Word is very useful in many settings, especially in the classroom.
From reading Chapter 9, a lot was familiar to me, but I also got some ideas. Chapter 9 covered a lot of basic things I already knew, but it was a good review on word processing. The ideas I retrieved was in the "Making Links to the Internet". It gives advice on how to give feedback for students' sources. I liked the ideas the text gave, and would probably use them for feedback in the future.
What I am learning most in this class, honestly, is trying to figure out how to understand MS Word 2007. I am so used to the old one, that some things are difficult to find out to do. But, while in this class I am learning more and more on how to use MS 2007, and I believe it will teach me to use it effectively later on in life.

Post 1

Computers are a crucial part of learning and technology and take a part in our everyday lives. To truly be able to experience technology in today's time, it is important that people are taught about this technology. There is so much information on just about anything readily available on the internet. Being able to access such information and know how to use the technology available can increase our knowledge. Also, since many jobs rely on techonologically advanced employers, it is vital that people learn to keep up with what is going on with technology. I agree with most issues raised in Chapter 1. The learning environment should be challenging, and there should be a good amount of social interaction between teacher and student.

I hope to learn more about computers in this class. I am comfortable doing basic things, such as browsing the internet and typing up a report. However, there is much I do not know how to do on a computer that I believe would benefit me in the long run. As for using computers in the classroom, I think that it is a great way of teaching and I hope that this class will be able to assist me in acquiring the skills in creating a website for a class, as well as organizing other class activites on a computer.

What I think everyone should know, is that this class is important regardless if you "have" to take it or not. Living in America, we have a lot of things that other people in other countries will never have or never have access to. Here, a computer can be found looking almost anywhere, so I think it is important to know how lucky we are not only to be living in this country, but also to not take advantage of the technology that is at hand.

First Blog

My prior experiences using technology are not very advanced. I am familiar with how to use web browsers and basic things such as "paint" and "Microsoft Word". However, powerpoints and Inspiration are quite unfamiliar to me. I have had access to computer technology for I would say about ten years, and I enjoy learning new things as technology progresses.

I hope to learn a great deal about computers in this class. I am looking forward to really gaining knowledge from this course. I want to easily be able to create a Powerpoint and also be more familiar with other skills that could help me later in life.

From the "learning styles" survey, I learned a little more about how I learn. Overall, I am fairly balanced. The most extreme I got was the visual versus verbal section. Apparently I am more visual which makes sense because once I see things, I am more likely to understand how it works.