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.

Call Me Old-Fashioned

Call me old-fashioned. When I read the first sentence "The Internet will change the way teachers teach and students learn," I was irritated. Personally, I was all about the real library with real books, encyclopedias, and sources rather than the "virtual library." HOWEVER, this chapter helped me expand my views.

I never realized how wide-scale the Internet is. Yes, I know that it is huge and you can find just about anything you want on it, but for teaching purposes, it can help a student's work grow. They are still getting the same skills (critical thinking, problem-solving, written communication, and the ability to work collaboratively). It also helps the students write effectively for an audience other than the teacher. Maybe, this would motivate the student to write more towards that audience and enjoy writing, rather than writing for the sole purpose of an assignment for the teacher. The fact that a student can correspond to a student in a different country with a possibly different view or opinion is amazing! What struck me the most was Ted Nellen's story saying "but my classes have the special-ed kids, the bilingual learners, and the visual learners...and what the Web does is provide access to the world so that my kids can fly." Considering that I hope to work with students who are not your typical AP English students.

The other thing I took from this chapter was the different templates to make a website off of. It is no longer a chore or a hard task to make a website. Fill in a couple of lines, pick an organizational type, and you can have a website. Now that they are so readily available, anyone can do it, even a teacher without and experience or a student using it for the first time.

Overall about the class, I am finding it challenging but overall a great experience. Many things that we are learning are things that I would have never even had time to experience or learn. I see so much possibility it creating these different documents for future teaching and see so many more possibilities in making a website for our next project.

chapter 9: class websites

This chapter provided a lot of great information about the importance incorporating the internet and class websites. Creating a class website provides students with access to many beneficial resources and is an easy way to exchange information. I liked how the chapter broke down the important steps of creating a website. It is important to think about classroom goals before creating a website. I also liked the emphasis on getting feedback from people viewing your website. If there is a problem with your website, people will tell you about it. Also, I thought that using the internet to edit students work and taking advantage of telementors is a powerful tool. I found the checklist for developing websites to be helpful and very relevant to the process of creating a class website. So far I have learned so much from this class. I am beginning to feel more confident about my capabilities to incorporate technology into the classroom. I am able to create an interactive excel and a powerful powerpoint. I am looking forward to learning how to create a class website and how to use smart board because I believe these are both important tools for the classroom.

class websites

I thought this chapter was very interesting because it showed me the benefits of creating a class website, as well as how easy it was to incorporate them in the classroom. This was important for me to see because I am always complaining about how I am bad with computers...this showed me that I don't have to be good with computers to do this!
This chapter discussed things like templates and predesigned formats, so that people who don't know much about computers can make websites just as easily. It makes it easy for students as well as teachers.
I also thought it brought up a good point when it said that not just advanced kids can benefit from this; special-ed kids do, too. I liked the one teacher, Nellen, who discussed how the computer is an enabling machine for them, "It can work if it is done correctly," he says, "It approaches Dewey's 'learing by doing' and Gardner's eight intelligences. This one machine allows for all of that." I think it is good to know that there is technology out there that helps special-ed kids succeed better in school.