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.