Everything was valuable for me from this class. Although, blogs were a bit too much for me, but that is just because I did not like having to reply to two people's posts. It makes sense that we must do that and in fact I hope to use this with my students but for me it was too much as the semester progressed.
I will definitely find ways to implement everything I learned in this class. Whether it is for me personally, or for my students, I will implement it all. Some of my favorites were filamentality (which I have already used twice), inspiration, PowerPoint (especially jeopardy), the video, newsletter and the assessing we did at the beginning of the semester and at the end. I am able to clearly see how much I grew in technology and how to implement it in my future classroom.
What I would improve for the class would be working on the digital portfolio a bit more in class. I would have liked a bit more guidance as we received with other tasks. Even if we created an example as a class. I enjoyed the semester in this class and will take all I learned with me, especially to keep updated with technology because I want to be able to keep up with my students and implement variety in my classroom.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Blog 14: Filming Process and Video Making
When we first began the project on making a video I was confused! I knew the basics but because I am a hands on learner I had to go out and try it. I was happy our Professor gave us time in class to work on this project. Because she was there to help in the process, I was able to, with my group, complete the project and enjoy it.
My main concern during this project was copying the video onto a CD and submitting it through e-mail. The recording process was fine, we knew we weren't great actors and our focus was not on that but rather learning how to use i-movie. Tasks were divided equally and due to cooperation the project was a highlight of this class.
I would love to use i-movie and the making of video for my students. It teaches them an alternate way to explore a topic, how to work with technology, cooperation, and responsibility. Our strength was responsibility. We assigned different group members small, outside tasks, such as finding songs we would use in our film, researching information on the topic etc. Everyone had their materials on time and that is what allowed everything to run smoothly in my group.
My main concern during this project was copying the video onto a CD and submitting it through e-mail. The recording process was fine, we knew we weren't great actors and our focus was not on that but rather learning how to use i-movie. Tasks were divided equally and due to cooperation the project was a highlight of this class.
I would love to use i-movie and the making of video for my students. It teaches them an alternate way to explore a topic, how to work with technology, cooperation, and responsibility. Our strength was responsibility. We assigned different group members small, outside tasks, such as finding songs we would use in our film, researching information on the topic etc. Everyone had their materials on time and that is what allowed everything to run smoothly in my group.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Readings
"The World Wide Web: Interfaces, Databases and Application to Education"
This reading's main topic was the creation of web pages for teachers use. The article discussed a software that would allow teachers to take advantage of web pages without being experts in the area. I appreciated the software extremely. Part of the reason why I felt that, eventhough, the software had its drawbacks, was because it is better than having to create a web page using HTML. I am currently taking a CS 301 class where we are learning how to write web pages using HTML and Java. It is painful! There is so much you have to write just for a title. For example, there are certain tags to let the computer know where a heading starts, you must always close the heading and there is a particular format to do that. Colors, font, centering all takes so much writing and at times it is just one line on the web page but in the writing of it you have 6,7 lines. Of course it all depends in the complexity of the web page but as a teacher I would rather use something that is already there and will facilitate my job yet allow me to implement web pages in my classroom but leave me with time to focus on other areas as well.
"The Database: America's Presidents"
It was neat to read about an example where a database served a great purpose in the classroom.
"Database: Bells and Whistles"
As I read the article I found similarities in the program the author was describing and Access. The article talked about check boxes and value lists which exist in Access as well. I can see how Access can serve as use in the classroom. In my CS 301 class it was covered as though the administratio would be the ones to take advantage of these databases. I enjoyed reading the article because it presents new ideas by showing how students can take advantage of these databases. It is complex to set up a database. When I was learnig it in CS 301 it was challenging but I walked out with extremely valuable information that can easily be applied in the future. Just as I saw that, I am sure students would value learning about databases and would leave having used critical thinkin in a variety of ways.
This reading's main topic was the creation of web pages for teachers use. The article discussed a software that would allow teachers to take advantage of web pages without being experts in the area. I appreciated the software extremely. Part of the reason why I felt that, eventhough, the software had its drawbacks, was because it is better than having to create a web page using HTML. I am currently taking a CS 301 class where we are learning how to write web pages using HTML and Java. It is painful! There is so much you have to write just for a title. For example, there are certain tags to let the computer know where a heading starts, you must always close the heading and there is a particular format to do that. Colors, font, centering all takes so much writing and at times it is just one line on the web page but in the writing of it you have 6,7 lines. Of course it all depends in the complexity of the web page but as a teacher I would rather use something that is already there and will facilitate my job yet allow me to implement web pages in my classroom but leave me with time to focus on other areas as well.
"The Database: America's Presidents"
It was neat to read about an example where a database served a great purpose in the classroom.
"Database: Bells and Whistles"
As I read the article I found similarities in the program the author was describing and Access. The article talked about check boxes and value lists which exist in Access as well. I can see how Access can serve as use in the classroom. In my CS 301 class it was covered as though the administratio would be the ones to take advantage of these databases. I enjoyed reading the article because it presents new ideas by showing how students can take advantage of these databases. It is complex to set up a database. When I was learnig it in CS 301 it was challenging but I walked out with extremely valuable information that can easily be applied in the future. Just as I saw that, I am sure students would value learning about databases and would leave having used critical thinkin in a variety of ways.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Blog 11
Hello to all,
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
I enjoyed this weeks readings mainly because it did not only provide information (just like many other articles) but it provided solutions. A problem that was discussed was the use of pre-programmed software. The article mentioned that this is one of the only ways teachers will implement technology into their classrooms, by using pre-programmed software. As I read this I thought about all that we have learned thus far and the many ways there are of implementing technology in the classroom. Unfortunately, the article mentions teachers are not yet prepared to correctly implement technology into their daily lessons. Teachers not being properly trained is another problem that was mentioned in the article. It is very true that our students are very advanced in technology and unfortunatley our teachers are not. Since a good teacher is always learning then obviously we must take into consideration that technology is becoming necessary, like the article mentions; they are no longer "extras" yet we only have them in computer labs or the library and for certain hours. As good teachers we must begin to seek the training in order to move our students ahead into something that is no longer a privlidge but an asset.
On another note, I like the wikis so far. I still feel like I need to explore how to create them and become confortable before I can truly enjoy wikis and begin to find ways to implement wikis into lessons. When we first began to look at wikipedia I thought wikis were not that great, especially for school purposes, due to the fact that they could be edited. When I learned you could set your wiki to certain properties and criteria then I began to feel they were safe to implement in the classroom. I love the fact that a teacher can monitor the planning and organizing of the wikis through the discussion board. I can see wikis working well for group project but I will make my final decision after the current group project we have is done.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
I enjoyed this weeks readings mainly because it did not only provide information (just like many other articles) but it provided solutions. A problem that was discussed was the use of pre-programmed software. The article mentioned that this is one of the only ways teachers will implement technology into their classrooms, by using pre-programmed software. As I read this I thought about all that we have learned thus far and the many ways there are of implementing technology in the classroom. Unfortunately, the article mentions teachers are not yet prepared to correctly implement technology into their daily lessons. Teachers not being properly trained is another problem that was mentioned in the article. It is very true that our students are very advanced in technology and unfortunatley our teachers are not. Since a good teacher is always learning then obviously we must take into consideration that technology is becoming necessary, like the article mentions; they are no longer "extras" yet we only have them in computer labs or the library and for certain hours. As good teachers we must begin to seek the training in order to move our students ahead into something that is no longer a privlidge but an asset.
On another note, I like the wikis so far. I still feel like I need to explore how to create them and become confortable before I can truly enjoy wikis and begin to find ways to implement wikis into lessons. When we first began to look at wikipedia I thought wikis were not that great, especially for school purposes, due to the fact that they could be edited. When I learned you could set your wiki to certain properties and criteria then I began to feel they were safe to implement in the classroom. I love the fact that a teacher can monitor the planning and organizing of the wikis through the discussion board. I can see wikis working well for group project but I will make my final decision after the current group project we have is done.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Blog 9: Midterm
I was nervous before taking the midterm but not too worried. I feel that because everything we do in this class is hands on, it is easy to retain the information.
I have been applying a few of the activities we have learned about and I know that had a lot to do with the midterm being easy in some areas but difficult in others. Excel was one of the areas that was not difficult for me. I feel fairly comfortable with the program and formulas because I have been working in another class with the program. The information that was asked about PowerPoint's was not difficult either due to the fact that I was interested in the subject matter. We do many presentations and I took that lecture as an opportunity to learn how to improve my presentations for other courses.
There were two areas in particular that were difficult. Question 1 asked about the endings when we save documents in particular programs like excel, inspiration etc. This should have been a simple question but because I never pay attention to the endings, it took me sometime to come up with the answers. Another part of the midterm that became difficult because of memorization was how to do a snapshot of the inspiration. That took me sometime to remember. Although I finished the web itself fairly quickly, I took twice the time trying to remember how to do a snapshot. The midterm was not as difficult as I thought it would be. When I left the room I felt I did well and now that I know my score I am happy with the outcome.
I have been applying a few of the activities we have learned about and I know that had a lot to do with the midterm being easy in some areas but difficult in others. Excel was one of the areas that was not difficult for me. I feel fairly comfortable with the program and formulas because I have been working in another class with the program. The information that was asked about PowerPoint's was not difficult either due to the fact that I was interested in the subject matter. We do many presentations and I took that lecture as an opportunity to learn how to improve my presentations for other courses.
There were two areas in particular that were difficult. Question 1 asked about the endings when we save documents in particular programs like excel, inspiration etc. This should have been a simple question but because I never pay attention to the endings, it took me sometime to come up with the answers. Another part of the midterm that became difficult because of memorization was how to do a snapshot of the inspiration. That took me sometime to remember. Although I finished the web itself fairly quickly, I took twice the time trying to remember how to do a snapshot. The midterm was not as difficult as I thought it would be. When I left the room I felt I did well and now that I know my score I am happy with the outcome.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Excel and Reading
Good afternoon to all!
I hope everyone is having a good week thus far. I was very happy to learn we would be working on Excel. I have previously worked in Excel and feel comfortable using it. What I like most about Excel is the shortcuts it provides. For example computing a formula for one cell and then being able to drag it to the rest of the cells and having the formula apply to the rest. Another reason why Excel is a program I enjoy working with is because of the organization. I am an extremely organized person and need everything to be in its place in order for it to work for me. I really enjoyed learning about graphs and the various ways in which you can change details in the graph from color to 3-D graphs, to what data is being graphed etc.
Teaching Students to use the Internet as a Research Tool basically emphasized what we have been discussing in class. As I read about search engines I continued to reflect on the Four Nets assignment that we did in class. I was able to learn about ways in which I could improve the success of my search in search engines. This is something that the article mentioned would be useful for out students. Teaching them how to do successful research. It is a fact that our students use the internet as their primary tool for research so why not teach them how to do successful research.
I hope everyone is having a good week thus far. I was very happy to learn we would be working on Excel. I have previously worked in Excel and feel comfortable using it. What I like most about Excel is the shortcuts it provides. For example computing a formula for one cell and then being able to drag it to the rest of the cells and having the formula apply to the rest. Another reason why Excel is a program I enjoy working with is because of the organization. I am an extremely organized person and need everything to be in its place in order for it to work for me. I really enjoyed learning about graphs and the various ways in which you can change details in the graph from color to 3-D graphs, to what data is being graphed etc.
Teaching Students to use the Internet as a Research Tool basically emphasized what we have been discussing in class. As I read about search engines I continued to reflect on the Four Nets assignment that we did in class. I was able to learn about ways in which I could improve the success of my search in search engines. This is something that the article mentioned would be useful for out students. Teaching them how to do successful research. It is a fact that our students use the internet as their primary tool for research so why not teach them how to do successful research.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Blog 6
Wow! I have spent so much time searching for games for my students on the web. Games that I do not have to purchase software for, games that I could use a few times (without any cost) and then change to new ones. Never would I have guessed that a web page like evalutech existed.
What first caught my attention was the explore lesson plans and other resources link. Since I began this class I have been taking the implementation of technology into the classroom extremely seriously. Every time I work with my students in math I try to find ways to implement technology. Like all of us, they love computers and especially computer games. Under the math section of the explore lessons and other resources links, I found two links that took me to games. What was better was that these games were just for what I was looking for, times tables.
Another section that I enjoyed looking over was the evaluating criteria section. I browsed the evaluating computer course ware and the evaluating websites. As I read the criteria for websites I decided to go back to some of the links I liked and wanted to try to use with my students. I read the criteria and looked for it in the websites, especially the a+math. Fortunately it did follow most. I found this to be extremely helpful. This works so well, especially for teachers who are just beginning to implement technology. Of course it is helpful for any teacher because of the variety and vast amount of information found on this web page. I loved it and plan to come back and look through it whenever I need resources. This webpage reiterated what the professor has mentioned a few times; we shouldn't try to invent something when it is already there. Just use it, modify it to fit you and your students and have fun.
What first caught my attention was the explore lesson plans and other resources link. Since I began this class I have been taking the implementation of technology into the classroom extremely seriously. Every time I work with my students in math I try to find ways to implement technology. Like all of us, they love computers and especially computer games. Under the math section of the explore lessons and other resources links, I found two links that took me to games. What was better was that these games were just for what I was looking for, times tables.
Another section that I enjoyed looking over was the evaluating criteria section. I browsed the evaluating computer course ware and the evaluating websites. As I read the criteria for websites I decided to go back to some of the links I liked and wanted to try to use with my students. I read the criteria and looked for it in the websites, especially the a+math. Fortunately it did follow most. I found this to be extremely helpful. This works so well, especially for teachers who are just beginning to implement technology. Of course it is helpful for any teacher because of the variety and vast amount of information found on this web page. I loved it and plan to come back and look through it whenever I need resources. This webpage reiterated what the professor has mentioned a few times; we shouldn't try to invent something when it is already there. Just use it, modify it to fit you and your students and have fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)