The thing that I found most interesting from reviewing my classmates blogs was how similar everyone is, but at the same time we are really very different. I discovered that I agree with peoples views on different things like presentation software and students use of the internet. At the same time I many students talked about different applications and websites that they love that I had never even heard of. I learned about some many new things by reading their blogs.
A technology related skill that I would like to learn more about it how to create and design a web page for a class. I believe this would be very useful in the class to both me and my students. I would be able to post up information, assignments, and reviews so that everyone would be informed even if they missed school and well connected.
I could reach this technological goal and others by continuing to take technology classes. I need to stay current with everything that is coming out so I can use it to my students advantage and not fall behind. Technology is becoming very important in our world and in our classrooms and I need to continue to learn about it if I want to stay ahead of the technological curve.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Post #9
I think that as a teacher it would be very helpful to have a website for your class. On it you could display your lesson plans, homework and other useful things that would keep the students and parents informed on whats going on it class. If a student is not telling his/her parents what is going on than they could just go look on the website or if a student misses class he/she will still know what homework is due. You could also post things like reviews to help the student study for quizes or tests that are coming up.
A teacher that I was observing for my Intro to Edu. class had one of these websites for his 6th grade history class and he said it was very helpful. The students could no longer use not knowing as an excuse because everything they needed was posted online. When they went over homework or worksheets in class the answers would be online so they could use it to study for the quiz that week. A site you could use to make a webpage would be www.teacherweb.com.
As an elementary education major I would probably use Excel as a gradebook. I would enter all my students grades into it and it would easily calculate all my averages and scores for me. It would make things a lot faster so I could spend more of my time working on lesson plans for my class and less on worrying about doing grades.
My group is doing our project on putting Photographic microscopes into high school science classrooms. These microscopes can be connected to computers through a USB cord and take pictures of the specimen you are looking at instead of having to draw it. So far we have not hit any major problems in our project.
A teacher that I was observing for my Intro to Edu. class had one of these websites for his 6th grade history class and he said it was very helpful. The students could no longer use not knowing as an excuse because everything they needed was posted online. When they went over homework or worksheets in class the answers would be online so they could use it to study for the quiz that week. A site you could use to make a webpage would be www.teacherweb.com.
As an elementary education major I would probably use Excel as a gradebook. I would enter all my students grades into it and it would easily calculate all my averages and scores for me. It would make things a lot faster so I could spend more of my time working on lesson plans for my class and less on worrying about doing grades.
My group is doing our project on putting Photographic microscopes into high school science classrooms. These microscopes can be connected to computers through a USB cord and take pictures of the specimen you are looking at instead of having to draw it. So far we have not hit any major problems in our project.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Post #8
I greatly enjoyed the PowerPoint 2 project. It was fun puting together all the questions and making the slides in the gameshow format. It has more slides than is required, but that is mostly because I am a perfectionist, well on certain things anyway. I think I did well on the project. I included sounds and pictures on a lot of the slides and tried to make the questions interesting. Everything is clearly stated and it is easy to navigate through the PowerPoint.
Most teachers use computers and powerpoints in the classroom but it is also good to incorporate other technology into the class. Using things like cameras and music to inhance learning can be beneficial to the class. A couple of weeks ago I had a teacher who used songs to emphasize the differences in age and how things have changed over time, but also how some things have stayed consistent. She then gave us an assignment to find a song that we could use in a classroom and write a paper on why we would choose it. This a very creative way to teach a lesson. You could use this with computer based technology by having to present it in a PowerPoint instead of a paper.
Last week I learned how to make connection links within powerpoint. This will be very useful in my class because I can now make a gameshow presentation that will help my students learn and review the material in a fun way. They won't just have to do worksheets or read notes but can make a game out of it.
Most teachers use computers and powerpoints in the classroom but it is also good to incorporate other technology into the class. Using things like cameras and music to inhance learning can be beneficial to the class. A couple of weeks ago I had a teacher who used songs to emphasize the differences in age and how things have changed over time, but also how some things have stayed consistent. She then gave us an assignment to find a song that we could use in a classroom and write a paper on why we would choose it. This a very creative way to teach a lesson. You could use this with computer based technology by having to present it in a PowerPoint instead of a paper.
Last week I learned how to make connection links within powerpoint. This will be very useful in my class because I can now make a gameshow presentation that will help my students learn and review the material in a fun way. They won't just have to do worksheets or read notes but can make a game out of it.
Post #7
I feel that Powerpoint can be effectivly used in Elementary schools. Its a great way to teach young kids who do not learn well by just hearing a lecture. It is another way to present the information to insure that more students understand the material. However, it can have some negative effects also. If the teacher puts on too many words and not enough graphics or makes it too long than he/she could quickly lose the attention of the students resulting in the powerpoint doing more harm than good.
PowerPoint and other presentation software can be a great tool for teaching at any grade level. The teacher just has to adjust the presentation to fit with their particular grade level. Take a history presentation for example. In an elementary class you would have the basic facts and a lot of pictures and graphics to support the information. You would not lose the attention of the students. In middle and high school you are able to put more information on the slides and go more in depth with the material as you move up. You would still want to include graphics to make it interesting, but you are able to put more information because they can pay attention for longer periods of time, most of the time.
I am curious to see the development of document cams and how they will be used in classrooms. They were just beginning to come into use when I was in high school but were still not that popular because of the use of computers and powerpoint. It will be interesting to see if and how teachers use them or if they will just fade away due to the use of computers and other technology.
PowerPoint and other presentation software can be a great tool for teaching at any grade level. The teacher just has to adjust the presentation to fit with their particular grade level. Take a history presentation for example. In an elementary class you would have the basic facts and a lot of pictures and graphics to support the information. You would not lose the attention of the students. In middle and high school you are able to put more information on the slides and go more in depth with the material as you move up. You would still want to include graphics to make it interesting, but you are able to put more information because they can pay attention for longer periods of time, most of the time.
I am curious to see the development of document cams and how they will be used in classrooms. They were just beginning to come into use when I was in high school but were still not that popular because of the use of computers and powerpoint. It will be interesting to see if and how teachers use them or if they will just fade away due to the use of computers and other technology.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Post #6
Web 2.0 technologies can be fun and useful, however you have to be careful of the sources you are using. With more and more people having access to the Internet you have to pay more attention to the information that is being put up. These new technologies will help a lot a people spread their message, get exposure and raise money, especially non-profit organizations, but it will also open up the doors for people to put up false information. If these technologies are going to be used in schools than teachers and students are going to have to be especially careful of what they are using.
However, wikipedia should not be used as a credible source of information. Anyone can contribute information to these sites and you cannot tell who you are getting the information from or if it is even true or not. This source should not be allowed to be used in research papers or projects at any level of school.
Last week I learned more about how to use PowerPoint. I already knew a lot of the information because of my use of the program throughout my years of school. However, I learned more about how to do transitions and how to get different designs from Microsoft Office Online. I also learned some of the do's and dont's of PowerPoint. These new skills will help me make better and more interesting presentations to help keep my students focused rather than having long and boring presentations.
However, wikipedia should not be used as a credible source of information. Anyone can contribute information to these sites and you cannot tell who you are getting the information from or if it is even true or not. This source should not be allowed to be used in research papers or projects at any level of school.
Last week I learned more about how to use PowerPoint. I already knew a lot of the information because of my use of the program throughout my years of school. However, I learned more about how to do transitions and how to get different designs from Microsoft Office Online. I also learned some of the do's and dont's of PowerPoint. These new skills will help me make better and more interesting presentations to help keep my students focused rather than having long and boring presentations.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Post #5
The internet can be a very useful place to find informtion for papers or other research. There is so much knowledge and information out there for students to access and the internet makes it so easy get to it. However you have to know how to use in correctly in order for it to be beneficial. Some students can take advantage of this access and plagerize there work from sites instead of just using it to gather information. You also need to know where to look to find credible information. You can't just trust the information you get off of any .com site; you don't know who posted it or what their credentials are. The safest bet is to use .gov, .edu, and .org sites when doing research.
Search engines such as google and yahoo are nice, but you can also use things like online library websites that can help you find the books you need. Online dictionaries and thesauruses such as www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster) can be extraordinarily helpful when doing papers if you need to look up or define a word. You can also find many online games and educational tools and videos to help facilitate learning in your classroom.
As an elemantary education major it will be important to teach my students about the proper use of the internet. Although they will not be using the computer as much as older students for things like research papers, it is important to teach them at a young age the rules of the internet so they do not create bad habits. They will be doing some things on the internet and it will be imparitive that they know what they can and can't do on the internet, like which sites to use and how to use them properly. They need to learn what sites a credible and appropriate, what plagerism is and why it is wrong.
Search engines such as google and yahoo are nice, but you can also use things like online library websites that can help you find the books you need. Online dictionaries and thesauruses such as www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster) can be extraordinarily helpful when doing papers if you need to look up or define a word. You can also find many online games and educational tools and videos to help facilitate learning in your classroom.
As an elemantary education major it will be important to teach my students about the proper use of the internet. Although they will not be using the computer as much as older students for things like research papers, it is important to teach them at a young age the rules of the internet so they do not create bad habits. They will be doing some things on the internet and it will be imparitive that they know what they can and can't do on the internet, like which sites to use and how to use them properly. They need to learn what sites a credible and appropriate, what plagerism is and why it is wrong.
Post #4
Chapter 7 talks about using outlines, idea maps and storyboards to create a presentation. As a teacher I would use these technology to present information to my students in a quick and consise way. Intstead of just presenting information in large paragraphs that they have to read and decide what is important I could use these concepts and present all the data that they will need in a straightforward way. To do this I would use programs like PowerPoint or Inspiration.
As an elemantary education major my students would probably not use this technology too often but I still think it is important for them to be introduced to it. I would show them how to make these things and how they are useful. The outline and the idea maps would probably be the only programs they would use until they were older.
Learning how to use Inspiration will useful in my future career. I know now how to easily make diagrams and trees that I can use in my classroom to teach my students. I can present the lesson to them in an interesting way that will keep their attention and help them learn the material.
As an elemantary education major my students would probably not use this technology too often but I still think it is important for them to be introduced to it. I would show them how to make these things and how they are useful. The outline and the idea maps would probably be the only programs they would use until they were older.
Learning how to use Inspiration will useful in my future career. I know now how to easily make diagrams and trees that I can use in my classroom to teach my students. I can present the lesson to them in an interesting way that will keep their attention and help them learn the material.
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