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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

At this point in the semester . . .

When I signed up for this course, I knew that technology can be incredibly useful in the classroom, providing teachers with many opportunities. However, I was unaware of the extent to which this really is true. Already this semester I have learned so much that is beneficial to me as student, and more importantly, as a future teacher. Learning about Wiki and making my own teacher website, for example, will definitely be something that I incorporate into my student teaching and my first classroom. PhotoStory is also something that I can see myself using with future students as an interactive project. And, even though we have only begun to touch the surface of Smart Boards, I can see that if I have access to one as a teacher, it will no doubt create countless possibilities in lessons and activities.

Although putting everything together does take so much time (especially for me), the end result of this technology is definitely worth it, and I am so glad to be learning all about it.

Learning so much!

These past weeks I have learned so much! Wikispaces are so useful. I love the idea of making a teacher website so students, parents, and other teachers can have access to my resources. I am so glad that I learned how to embed videos and pictures because it is beneficial that you do not have to click on the link but you can view it on the page. I also enjoyed learning how to do the photo story. There are so many fun ways you can use it in a classroom. You could make a class scrapbook or have it be part of a writing activity in which the students create a story based on pictures they took. Basically I have learned a lot and cannot wait to use it in the classroom!

Monday, October 27, 2008

The Influence of Technology

The experience that this class has given is in and of itself enough to make me better capable to using technology in the classroom. Not only are some of these projects content specific that we can use for particular lessons, the wikispace that we have been cumulatively been working on for the past few weeks will be something that we can keep adding to throughout our time at IWU, but also when we graduate and are actually in the teaching world.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

So far in this class...

I have learned many things in this class that I believe will be very beneficial for when I am a teacher. There are so many things that I feel proficient in that I had never even heard of before this class, such as wikispaces and photostory. I also have learned new things about tools that I have been using forever, like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I have learned to think creatively about how to use the internet and computer programs in the classroom, and that has opened the door to so many new opportunities.
I am excited that I have so many more resources to use when I am a teacher, and I look forward to learning about even more technology that will help me in the future!

All That I Have Learned

I have learned so much in this class so far, things I have been able to apply immediately and skills I will use in my future classroom. Although frustrating at times, I have really enjoyed learning about wiki spaces. This is something I can work on and experiment with now but use later. When I become a teacher I will be even more proficient and will be able to provide a great website for my class. I am still very excited for learning about the smartboard! By learning all of these skills I know I am enhancing my ability to cater to every type of learner.

My Experiences Thus Far

My experiences thus far with this class have been very beneficial to me as a student and also to me as a future teacher. Each medium that we have used (Excel, Powerpoint, Wiki, etc.) has taught me new things and helped me improve on my previous knowledge. I have especially enjoyed creating my teacher website with Wiki. I know that there are many resources available on the Internet, but I like being able to put the ones I want to use in the future all in one place. I have also enjoyed seeing what my fellow classmates have come up with. In a lot of classes, people will get mad if you take a good idea and transform it into your own. I think in this class, by sharing ideas, we are just strengthening each other's progress for educating our future students. I love seeing what other people create because it gives me ideas of how I can expand what I am creating.

I try to think about what I would not have access to if I was not in this class. Granted, I would probably eventually find all the resources that I am being exposed to, but knowing them now is going to help me with my last 2 years of school rather than just when I'm out of college and already teaching. This class is helping me to create lesson plans and ideas right now, and once I am finished with it, I can just keep expanding on my knowledge.

All in all, I am very glad that I decided to take this class. I also hope in the future this is made into a required course for Education because I think some people get too frustrated with learning about technology. For us teachers, however, this is essential for the future.

Changed by Technology

So far, I have learned more about different forms of technology then I ever could have imagined. I have enjoyed the process of creating projects using different types of technology and being able to see what creative ideas my classmates have come up with as well.  It is very helpful to receive feedback from classmates, and be exposed to ways that other people have used technology.  Previous to this course, I had no idea how to create a wiki site. Now, I am in the process of creating my very own teacher website. It is exciting to be putting together resources and activities that one day I can use in my own classroom. A teacher website is a great tool to communicate with students, parents, and other teachers, and is a tool that I will use in my future classroom.  At times creating a wiki site can be frustrating, but I am grateful to have the experience of creating a wiki site now in order to learn more and become comfortable with the technology for the future.
Creating a photostory is easier then I would have thought, and can be incorporated into many lesson plans.  Students can create their own photostory as a way to practice writing in a unique, interactive manner. I can also create a photostory to share with my students for an interactive learning experience. It is especially beneficial that photostory allows you to focus on specific objects of interest within a photo, and record your own voice.
There are so many different forms of technology and ways to incorporate them into teaching. I think that this course should be required of all education majors because technology is very beneficial to teaching and to the learner. I'm looking forward to continuing to build my technological knowledge.