Blog Journal #10

I have learned so much from this class throughout the semester. I learned how to use technologies such as a blog, podcast, Inspiration, and Wiki. I did not know how to use these technologies prior to this class. Even though I have worked with Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, I learned so much more about the technologies. I was able to acquire the in depth skills that are very useful.

I feel good about the final project. I think that the components in my group's project will work well together and effectively teach students about the different parts of speech. I think our project is an example of a fun and interesting lesson plan that will engage the students.

I will use so much of what I have learned from this class as a teacher in the future. I am definitely going to be using Excel to keep my grade book organized. I think Excel is such an efficient way to calculate grades or anything else for that matter. I am going to use Word and Inspiration often to create handouts and charts with. I will also use PowerPoint as part of my lectures. I think PowerPoint is a great tool because it allows you to make a fun and interesting presentation.

I found my classmates' blogs very interesting. I learned about some great resources and websites from reading my classmates' blogs. I also found that many of the opinions I have about the technology we learned are similar to my classmates' opinions. Many of us thought that the new technology will allow us to teach more effectively and incorporate a lot more creativity into our teaching.

Blog Journal #9

I feel like the project is going very well. After finding many resources and meeting with our teacher from Fairview Middle School, my group is on the right track and has come up with some really great ideas for the final project. My group benefited a lot from our meeting with our teacher because she was able to give us some really good advice as to what she wants from us and what the students need. By following a few rules that we learned from our teacher, I think our project will turn out to be a really great learning experience for the students.

During the previous week, I have contributed some good ideas and resources to my team. I came up with a good idea to give the students worksheets on the subject to test their knowledge of the content. The worksheet can be a fun and creative game. I also came up with the idea to give the students handouts on the subject so that they can visually see what they are learning. This visual can be something like a concept map. I think this will really help the students because they can always look back to the handout if they are having trouble.

I have learned a lot more about wiki during the previous week. Before, I was a little confused as to how wiki works. Now, I think I am getting the hang of it and can use wiki efficiently. I know how to upload external images and links onto my wiki page. I like how wiki works because my group members and I can share ideas and edit each others work.

Blog Journal #8

I can adopt WebQuest in my project by creating a WebQuest for my 6th grade Language Arts class that incorporates the theme of speech. I think that WebQuest will be beneficial to the students because the assignment will help them learn and synthesize their knowledge on a specific topic. I think WebQuest will get them involved because it is designed to let students learn in an abstract and creative way.

A good example of a WebQuest I found is called a Travel Quest. In this specific WebQuest, students are told that they are about to embark on an exotic vacation to a destination of their choice. The students will organize an itinerary of their trip, taking into consideration weather and different tourist attractions. The students will be required to keep a journal for each day of their trip. The goal of the WebQuest is to enhance the class's appreciation of different geographical areas and culture. I think this is a good example because it is exciting and I really think that it will get the students active and engaged in learning.

New skills that I have acquried in the past week that I think will be especially useful to me in my educational career are how to use excel for calculations and how to use excel as a gradebook. I learned that excel makes calculations so much easier and more efficient. As a teacher, I can definitely use Excel because it serves as a great way to calculate grades. With just one formula, student letter grades can be calculated. I will definitely use Excel in my educational career because of its efficiency.

Blog Journal #7

An interesting web-based tool or resource that I might use when teaching is a website called A to Z Teacher Stuff. The site provides creative resources such as worksheets, themed lesson plans, and teacher e books. You can also find teacher tips on the website. This is a great site for teachers because all of the resources and worksheets are completely free and the site offers really great ideas for fun lesson plans. The link to the site is http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/.

As a teacher, I will use Excel and similar programs to keep track of my students' grades and for class projects. Excel is a great program for keeping track of grades because it is efficient and saves time. Once the formula is typed in, there is nothing more to do. Also, if there are a lot of students in my class, Excel will be a great help keeping track of all the grades. I also plan to use Excel and similar programs to keep track of class projects. Science projects require data and graphs, so if I were to do a science project with my third grade class I might record the data on Excel and then graph it for the class to view.

A good example of a case that uses Excel creatively in a school setting is in a science experiment. The theme of the experiment is the temperature of water at different times of the day. Students will be given a cup of water that they will put outside. They will be asked to record the temperature of the water in the cup every three hours. The students will then record this data in Excel and find the mean, median, and mode of the temperature. The students will learn how the time of day affects water temperature and how to use excel to find solutions to formulas.

Blog Journal #6

My PowerPoint 1 assignment shows the correct use of spelling and grammar. The content in my slides include text, graphics, and animations. The explanations are clear and accurate. The speaker notes are essential for the complete presentation of the material. The screen design follows all of the guidelines. All of the colors and fonts are appealing and consistent. The development of my presentation is very organized. There is a title, content, and conclusion. The presentation is complete.




A way in which I might integrate peripherals and non-computer audio-visual technologies in my classroom would be if I asked my students to use a video camera or other recording device to record themselves acting out a major historical event. The groups of students would have to make sure that they are dressing, speaking, and acting appropriately in order to demonstrate, to the best of their ability, the historical event. A way in which I would use peripherals with computer-based technologies is if I asked my students to bring in their videos so that they can edit them. I could teach them, with a simple editing software such as Windows Movie Maker, how to add text, rearrange scenes, and add credits to their videos.

New skills that I have acquired in the last week that I think will be especially helpful to me in my educational career are how to use Inspiration and how to add some fun elements to my PowerPoint presentations. I will definitely find Inspiration helpful in my educational career because the software helps organize information into a concept map or chart. I feel that students learn best when ideas are presented to them in an organized manner and Inspiration will help me to do that. Adding fun elements to my PowerPoint presentations such as animations will help me in my educational career by drawing in the students' attention. I feel that with fun elements, the students will more likely pay attention to the lesson and will remember the lesson better. I think that these new skills that I have learned will help me be a better and more effective teacher.

Blog Journal #5

I critiqued http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/. The website contains news about science and is geared toward children. The site is well-organized and demonstrates general design principles. The site has written information as well as pictures. To the left, there are various links that students can click on if they want to learn more about a particular subject. Finding information withing the links is a little difficult especially for young students. After clicking on a link, there are various other links to choose from. Headings and captions are properly used throughout the website. The site does a good job at using only one font type but makes the screen look messy by using too many colors. It is clear that the site's audience is for young students. The site does not make use of any lists. The site makes good use of placing more important information at the top of the screen. The top of the screen promotes "The Weekly Scoop." Overall, the site is a good resources for students.




The biggest advantages of using presentation software in the K-12 classroom are that presentation software allows you to convey ideas in an organized way and encourages students to think about relationships. Presentation software organizes information, breaks it down, and puts it into a visually pleasing concept map of flow chart. K-12 students are much more likely to grasp concepts when presented in an organized manner. Presentation software also encourages students to think about relationships because students can visually see the connections of different subjects. This allows for better thinking and understanding in the classroom. A disadvantage of using presentation software in the classroom is that presentation software does not do much to aid the learning of non-visual learners. There are different types of learners and students that do not learn well when presented with visuals will not gain much from presentation software. This is why teachers much present concept maps or flow charts while still orally explaining the relationships that are depicted.

An example where I might use PowerPoint to support student learning at each knowledge dimension in a particular lesson would be if I told the class to create a PowerPoint on the Founding Fathers of the U.S. I would expect that the advanced students use their knowledge and creativity to make detailed PowerPoints. I would like if the advanced learners included graphics in their presentations. For my beginner and intermediate learners, I would want them to include a few of the Founding Fathers in their presentations and expand on each person just enough so that they understand the Father's role in U.S. history. I would not expect the beginner learners to include graphics in their presentations but I would like for the intermediate learners to look for graphics to include in their PowerPoint. If the intermediate learners need extra help downloading their graphics, I will be more than happy to help.

Blog Journal #4

As a teacher, I will teach my students how to use outlines, idea maps, and storyboards because these organizational techniques can greatly assist in the learning process. Outlines help students to think about relationships of their subject and organize information accordingly. I will teach my students how to create an outline using Microsoft Word because I think the computer will help them to neatly organize their outlines. Idea maps help students to think about relationships and organize information. I will teach my students how to organize their information using presentation software such as Kidspiration, a version of Inspiration for younger children. Storyboards help students organize their information after they have already created an idea map. I can teach my students how to incorporate graphics, text, video, audio, and other features into their storyboards.

I would encourage my students to develop outline, idea map, and storyboarding skills. Outlining is a great way to get students thinking and making relationships about information. Idea maps help students to think more in depth and to connect information. Story boards are a great technique because they let students present their organized information while incorporating graphincs, text, video, and audio. These skills will help students make connections and really think about their subject.

New skills that I have acquired in the last week that I think will be especially useful in my educational career are how to use mail merge, how to make a podcast, and how to search better. I think that learning about how to use the mail merge feature will definitely save me time in my teaching career. I can send out mail to parents and to other teachers more efficiently than before. I think that learning how to make a podcast will benefit my students because I can post podcasts on my class website. I will include podcasts of lecture material in case my students want to review. Many students learn better by hearing and can get more out of the information if it is spoken aloud. Learning how to search better will benefit both my students and I. I will be able to search for class material faster and smarter. Consequently, I will be able to teach my students how to search for material more efficiently.

Courtney's Podcast

Enjoy!

Blog Journal #3

A lesson plan that I might create that incorporates technology would be an activity about the September 26th birthday of Johnny Appleseed. This activity would be geared for 4th and 5th graders. To celebrate the birthday of Johnny Appleseed, I would read the story of Johnny Appleseed aloud to the class. Then, I would have the class research Johnny Appleseed on the internet. I would have the students type a sentence on their favorite aspect about Johnny Appleseed and then type one to two sentences on whether they like apples or not. These sentences will be printed. The students would then receive an apple cut out to decorate. The class will use their printed sentences and draw different forms of apples to decorate their apple cut outs. I think that this would be a great way to engage the class in a history activity that incorporates technology. The students will be using the internet as well as Microsoft Word.

My concern about being a teacher who supervises students in a technology environment would be that I am significantly outnumbered. The age group that I would like to teach is elementary students. I think that supervising elementary age students is a difficult challenge because the children are not yet experts at internet-use. The greatest challenge I think would be trying to help all of my students but only being able to help one at a time. If multiple students had questions or difficulties using the internet, I would not be able to help all of them at the same time. In these situations, I would try to do the best I can to help everyone and try to demonstrate the activity very well so that there will be less questions or concerns.

A helpful web-based resource that I found is “ABC Teach.” ABC Teach offers thousands of worksheets and activities for different grade levels. Teachers can find almost anything they need for their lesson plans here. At the website, you can create a custom worksheet or use one that’s already been made. ABC Teach also has printable flashcards, templates, labels, bookmarks, and other fun stuff that teachers can print out. I will definitely use ABC Teach when I start teaching because I think it is a great resource. The link to this website it http://abcteach.com/

Blog Journal #2

As a student, I have used Microsoft Word in so many ways. I am using it now to type my blog and I have used it in my past classes to type up reports and assignments. I have used MS Word to make tables, charts, graphics, and Word Art. I have seen my teachers use MS Word to type up assignments, syllabi, notes, etc.

A good example of a case that used Microsoft Word creatively in a school setting is in high school, when one of my teachers would use MS Word to make calendars. My teacher would make calendars that included all of the assignment due dates and other special dates and then hand them out to the class. She would insert a table and then use Word Art to make the calendar look attractive. On special holidays, my teacher would insert clip art into one of the dates. For example, on Thanksgiving my teacher inserted a picture of a turkey in the calendar. I liked these monthly calendars because I thought it was a nice way of making school and assignments more cheerful than they actually are. I liked how my teacher used the different tools in MS Word to brighten up the strict school schedule.

I have acquired many new skills in this class so far that I can definitely use in my educational career. I learned how to make a quiz which I think will be especially useful because I am now able to test my future students and make sure that they are learning the material. I learned how to use the Prt-Sc button on the computer. I think that this will be useful if I am trying to demonstrate something to my students and want to show them what is appearing on my screen. I have also learned many different shortcuts including how to copy and paste quickly, how to make a superscript and subscript, how to sort text alphabetically, and how to find a specific word in a text. I think that these shortcuts are very useful because they will save me time and let me work more efficiently.

Blog Journal #1

Computers and new technologies are important parts of the educational experience because the world around us is rapidly changing, as is the necessity for technological knowledge. Computers and new technologies teach students many of the tools they need to know in order to enter the work field. Learning about new technologies teaches students higher-order thinking skills as well as information management skills. Computers can act as a cognitive tool in the classroom along with outlines, flowcharts, and Venn diagrams. Teachers must have a basic understanding of computers so that they can thoroughly teach new concepts to their students. Technology makes communication with parents and attendance recording more efficient for teachers. I agree with the issues raised in Chapter 1. It is important to be aware that not all students are on the same page in terms of technology. The book said that, “sixty-eight percent of your students will have used a computer before they get to you.” That is the majority of the classroom but the other thirty-two percent will not have basic computer skills. It is important to take the time to teach students technological skills without overloading them with information. Another issue that the book raised is that, “the role of the teacher is changing from lecturer to guide or even co-learner…” This is why it is so important that teachers learn the same basic computer skills as students. Students cannot get the best technological education if their teacher knows even less about technology. Computers and new technologies are essential to both teacher and student, as they enhance the educational experience.

I am planning to use computers in my classroom for instructional, communication, and organizational purposes. I want to be able to teach my students basic computer skills so that they can start to build their knowledge for the working world. I will also use computers to keep in touch with parents and coworkers through e-mail. I can keep electronic attendance and construct lesson plans more efficiently. I hope to learn better organizational skills pertaining to the computer so that I will be able to make lesson plans, syllabi, etc. I hope to learn everything I can about education technology so that I can better assist my students.

I am an Elementary Education major and have always wanted to be a teacher. It sounds silly but I remember being a little girl and pretending to teach to a classroom full of stuffed animals and Barbies. I absolutely love taking the required education courses and am looking forward to learning a lot from this course. I know I want to be an elementary teacher but I think I might also want to become an administrator as well. I like change and I cannot see myself in one position for the rest of my career. I am very excited to learn everything I can in this course so I can be the best teacher I can be.

Matt and Kim

Blog Jounral #0

My prior experiences using technology have included different technology classes that I took in high school as well as learning technology at home. In high school, I took computers and web design. In computers, I learned the basic skills of using a computer and the basics on a few programs. In web design, I learned how to compose my own web site as well as create different images for that web site. At home, I have learned a lot of computer skills from my dad. He taught me how to use excel to manage my budget.

In this class, I hope to learn the softwares and skills necessary for a teaching career. I hope to learn how to manage my own gradebook. I also want to be able to compose my lesson plans in an efficient way. I want to be tech savy so that I can manage my classroom quicker and more efficiently.

Today I learned that I prefer reflective learning over active learning. This makes sense because I have always liked to think about imformation for a long time before doing anything with that information. I also learned that I am both a sensing learner and intuitive learner. I like facts but I also like to think abstractly. Today I also learned that I am more of a visual learner than verbal learner. Although I do like information to be explained, I learn better if the information is clearly displayed. I am both a sequential learner and global learner. Depending on what I am learning, I either learn with ordered steps or the information just clicks at the end.