blog #12

I really enjoyed reading my classmates blogs this semester because it was interesting how much some of us related and how much some of us differed. It was also interesting to see the different ways people plan to use technology in their varied classrooms and I think I will walk away with some borrowed ideas to use in my own career. I really enjoyed all of the snapshots from everybody's powerpoint presentations and seeing all of the different creative ways everyone can use one piece of technology. I also enjoyed listening to everyone's podcasts and hearing all of the different stories that could be written for one title. 

I would like to learn how to operate a smartboard. I know that more and more schools are getting them, especially elementary schools, and I think I will need to know how to use them in my career. They seem very neat but also overwhelmingly foreign and difficult to operate. As far as computers, I would also like to learn how to use audacity. We were briefly introduced to the program in my high school and it was so interesting, I would love to learn more about it. 

I cannot wait to incorporate technology into my career. Throughout this course I've learned so many interesting ways to use technology, and programs I had once thought to be simple have proved to have so many complex functions that can create such entertaining classroom aids. I definitely plan on using Inspiration in my classroom as well as interactive, non linear power point presentations to spice up my classroom. 

blog #11

I honestly didn't really use the twitter we made in class at the beginning of the semester. I genuinely just forgot that it existed, on top of all of the other technologies we were using (blackboard, blogspot, etc.). I feel like (even though a majority of us neglected it) it was a really good idea and if we had all committed to it it would have really helped us out. I didn't necessarily need it because I came into the class with some of my close friends so if I needed help I could just text or call them and ask, but it would have really helped me if I didn't know anybody and I had a question about the assignments. It could have also helped us when collaborating on our group projects, but my group members all had facebook so we added each other and communicated through that. 

I think that twitter is a really cool website, and I might take up using it in my every day life, just because I like to follow celebrities and people I find interesting. I don't think it's a very relevant tool for everyday communication because not everybody has internet on their phones and not everybody accesses their twitter accounts super often and they would receive a text message or email faster. But for sheer entertainment (again, following celebrities) I might use it. 

If I were planning to teach high school I would definitely consider using twitter because I think at that point it would be age appropriate and most students would have one. I think it's important to show high school students that you're on their level with technology and it would make school a little more interesting for them. However, I don't think I will use it in my elementary aged classroom. I think the technology in that case isn't very age appropriate. I think it may be too complex for them and if not, it would become easy to abuse and I wouldn't want them getting out of hand or following twitters that again, weren't age appropriate. 

blog #9

A web based resource I might use in my classroom is Ning.com. This was a website I became very familiar with in high school. It is another networking/blog styled website where students can practice their writing, either in english or a foreign language. It is an extremely helpful when teaching a foreign language, because students can blog in the language and comment each other, encouraging them to communicate in the foreign language. As an english teacher I would encourage my students to keep up a blog on the ning because it is a good habit to write everyday, no matter what it's about. It would also be nice to have a year or semester's worth of writing saved in an organized way online so that the students can go back to it whenever they want and won't accidentally throw it away.

I honestly don't think I will use Excel in my classroom. I plan to teach elementary school aged students and if I do teach an older age group, I would be teaching english. If I do use excel in my career, it would be to calculate grades and keep a grade book, which I think is a really great tool excel has to offer. 

blog #8

I think that I did a good job with my powerpoint 2 presentation, making an interactive jeopardy game. A critique may argue that it's a little dull or too simplistic, but I really like how clean and professional it looks. I think it's simplicity adds to it because it is very striking and easy to read and understand. 

The pictures I included show the game board and an example question. 

As far as non-computer audio-visual technologies, I am partial to projectors, and would use them alongside power-points in class. I also like when teachers incorporate pop culture in class, and would consider bringing my ipod into class to use it in select lessons.

I think the new skills we've learned will be extremely helpful in the elementary aged classroom I plan to teach in. Now that I know how to make powerpoint presentations interactive instead of just linear, my students will be more engaged in the lesson and will want to play and be quizzed instead of just sleep trough a lecture. 

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