Skills Learned

I am very happy about what I learned while taking this course.  First of all, I have to admit that I would have not learned most of the tools on my own, or through just catching on as in the past.  I learned the terminology and simpler programs first, they were built upon later in the semester.  The most important skill of all was the ability to problem solve and not give up.  I gained some confidence as a result of my teacher's expectations and assignments.  There were many sources of technology introduced and covered during this course.  Staying willing to investigate and try new things was crucial.  I liked the idea of having a choice when we set up various sites or accounts.  I chose what I felt more comfortable using.  I am looking forward to during this break, practicing and spending more time developing the skills that I have learned.  Like my teacher said, I have to plug away at some of these tools inorder to become faster and more knowledgable.  I feel very comfortable using Excel, Powerpoint, blogging, and using the Whiteboard.  If it were not for this course I would have not known that bookmarking and free websites exsisted.  I believe I have come to a place where I would be willing to use technology in the classroom because it is challenging and rewarding.  Students could benefit as a result of learning through technology, just like me.  They can develop skills beyond the classroom, that will assist them in life.    

E-Portfolio address/ What did I Learn?

My address is http://edufortomorrow.webnode.com/  I have learned from this class how to persevere and problem solve better.  I believe this will make me a more effective teacher because I will be willing to go the extra mile for my students.  I believe that the perfect lesson plan and the time involved in creating one, that will be effective, is worth the time and effort.  I will make a conscious effort to integrate technology, mostly because I know that this is something that will engage students and make learning interesting and fun.  I have learned that today's students are requiring more initiative from the teachers to be willing to include technology into the classroom.  Students use technology everyday and since there are so many creative ways to teach through technology, I say "why not"?  I feel comfortable with alot of different ways of using technology to teach.  I will need to continue to investigate and stay willing to learn new methods and techniques thay will teach and engage students.

Peer Presentations

I enjoyed the peer presentations because they demonstrated everyone's creativity and interests.  Based on the articles people chose, they presented the information to us through mostly Powerpoint.  I especially enjoyed seeing what different people did.  My favorite was when a student used the Interactive Whiteboard to get the information across to us.  I learned the importance of knowing your technology tool well when you are presenting, the importance of practicing a presentation, and picking topics that are not wordy and complex, would be a plus when delivering information to others.

Another Look-Interactive Whiteboards

I really enjoy using the Whiteboards because of the many uses and creative ways you can display your ideas. They are fun and can be very engaging and interactive for your students. This particular form of technology could have been very useful in my past learning experiences. I wish I had access to it when I was young. That's it, children growing up today are so very fortunate for the various technologies available at their disposal. I will definitely benefit from using the Whiteboard in my classroom and as a teacher overall. I was told that this is a great time to be a teacher and it should be just as exciting to use technology for them as it is for the students to learn. I agree with this and am looking forward to learning more about ways to integrate the Whiteboard into my classroom when that time comes. I hope whenever I chose to work can afford to use the Whiteboards, and recognize the benefits for their use in the classroom. One benefit would be the exciting and interactive possibilities for the teacher and student. It really does get the attention of the students and has the capabilities to keep their attention provided it is used effectively.

Interactive Whiteboards

I can't really comment to much on the video project. I will say that I noticed how engaging and fun everyone was having. This is a group project, and everyone should participate and do their part. The time and effort it took to make it good is well worth it.
I read the articles and listened to the demo about the interactive whiteboard. They can be a very useful tool in the classroom.  Students who are not paying attention and the misbehaved seemed to become very interested. In fact, grades went up and school suspensions went down as a result of using this technology. The boards are very important to teaching as one explained.  It can be as important as the curriculum itself.  The demo showed how to change handwriting to actual text. I especially was impressed with how using colors and the eraser is known from removing the item. The studies that were done were important to find what progress is made by using this tool.  Information and knowledge seemed to help everyone understand more and to get on the same page.  I would definately be willing to use this in my classroom because it engages the students and they seem more interested in learning.

Video a Powerful Tool

I could have used videos to do class presentations that I had.  I used power point however the videos would have been more engaging and interactive.  Videos tend to be more personal as well.  This makes it fun to use because you're using your own material from pictures on digital cameras, music, and to saved clips that you stored previously.  Today podcasts are used and recommended for classroom use.  This engages the students and changes the audience, making learning a lot more interesting.  The techniques that were mentioned helped me alot to know better ways to make videos. The way to use tripods for interviewing and time frames.  The lighting and effects make a difference when you consider where you are shooting.  I could incorporate into my classroom by allowing my students to edit their pictures from digital cameras and to change the backgrounds and effects.  The students could create a podcast and share it with another class across the country. they could be creative and work in groups to make videos on safety, learning, and how to do guides.   

The Net Generation

In order for me to be sucessful with the net generation I will need to be able to access the tools that are readily available for me to use.  The net generation thinks and acts alot different from my generation.  I want to be able to adapt and communcate with them through technology.  Today's views are headed more and more towards communicating through texting, emails, blogs, twittering, and various other methods.  The RSS feeds and social bookmarking are very convenient ways to save information and help assist with websearching.  I have found that all of these new technolgies have increased my social communication with others and I have found what we may have in commom via websearches,  research, and books, etc.  If I do not have the tools needed to keep up with technology and my peers, I will fall behind and not be a good and interesting teacher. I look forward to learning more about the net generation and what they could offer me .  I wiil continue to try and keep an open mind about ways to use these technologies in my classroom and life. 

On Excel

 I gave alot of thought to how I could use Excel in the classroom.  We already used up so many good ideas.  I based my ideas on what I like to do and find out about.  The first idea had to do with music.  I would find a way through Excel and with the help of the students, to find the most popular song and genre amongst the class.  We could have the newest songs sent from Itunes and vote on some.  We could get others from a volunteered list created by the class.  We would vote on a genre or each student could just pick their faavorite one.  The winning or most popular song would be downloaded and copies burned for each student.  All information would be labeled on Excel with each student's name listed, along with their choices.  We could use excel to help us as a class pick a winning lottery number based on each student and their choice. We would then narrow our choice based on the most common choices and numbers.  We could see how close to the proper class ranking order the students could guess on their own.  The choices and correct orders would be listed on Excel.   This would determine how close they came to being right and how they decided their choice. The fourth idea is that the class could try to find the most common tv show amongst them.  They would make their choices then Excel would show us what is most popular.  Another idea would be to list birthdates and zodiac signs for everyone in the class. We could use Excel to determine what the alike signs had in common based on answers and questions from a collaborated list by the class.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking can be used a number of ways to help teachers and students. Let's take for instance a class that could not meet on it's regularly scheduled time, but the assignmentment still needed to be carried out.  Communication for this class could be done through social bookmarking.  The students and instructor would share information coming from links and RSS feeds.  Whatever the instructor anticipated for that class could be shared and verified via the route taken through links, tags, and the followings in a class. the instructor could insure the information was accessible.  Social bookmarking will help me with findinglinks to better serve my interests with the help of others who have the same intersts.  I picked Delicious as my bookmarking source.  I had some complications, but I feel that I have the idea and I find it interesting as well.

Lesson Plans summaries

I chose 4th-6th grades and Language Arts as my content area because these are my preferences. I could probably choose any subject, but I enjoy Language Arts and English most. I will be working in Special Education and would like to make learning as fun as possible. The two lesson plans I found are similar in some ways. In the first lesson, the students had to choose an Adventure story that they could work on collaboratively in pairs. They chose and created their own Adventure story about a Leprechaun. The students used Google Docs to create a presentation and slides. Each student was responsible for completing a certain number of slides pertaining to the story and then shared them and edited them together. They learned how to add pictures and create hyperlinks. In the end the students presented their story to other class users, allowing them to view only, but not edit. The second lesson plan was challenging but fun. The students worked together collaboratively on various books they chose and created Reader's workshop groups. The groups were broken into pairs where responsibilities were shared and deadlines set. They had to create online activities and documents related to their book. Once completed by using Google Docs and setting up Google sites for each group, the students would be able to share their literary activities with other students reading the same book.

Google Apps

The webinar and Google Apps quick tour clearly defined the educational, business, and personal uses for this new and innovative technology. If I had known about this a long time ago, it would have helped me with getting my papers proofread, group projects, checking my children's homework from anywhere, and just plain old convenience and organization at my fingertips. I was most interested in how the apps are used for collaboration. In my classroom I could encourage teamwork by allowing the students to edit and finalize papers that they collaboratively wrote. They could all contribute to the process by selecting group leaders and planners for their project. Once the project is organized, each student will write a paragraph on certain sections of the project and submit to the leader through google apps where all information is shared with each student and the teacher. The leader edits and constructs the submitted info, then sends it back to the group for input and more ideas. I was most impressed with how the app could go back to a specific point in the editing process if need be. It shows editing as it is happening (live). I would give homework on a particular topic that would require social bookmarking. The students could locate their classmates through web choices, known or unknown tags, and shared interests. The object would be to see how many classmates you could find.

Response to Readings

When I read the Educase text, I must admit that I wasn't familiar with all of the language the students' used. In my perspective the language to them is technological terms to me. Terms like flickr, feed readers, and bloglines to name a few. I had no need to use or learn about most of what comes second nature to the Net Gen ers. College life has thrust me into the mainstream of technology and I accept the challenge. This time around the language is very different and I would not have been able to connect the dots had it not been for this course. I accept the label of Gen Xer, because the descriptions giving for this population of people fits me well. For instance , independence is preferred, I think that too much class interaction is pointless for an online course, and I get better time management as a result of my work efforts. I will continue to learn and be willing to use new and innovative technology in the classroom. The students' will motivate me, as well as my curiosity to stay up to date with better methods for teaching.
I didn't know about some of the read/write tools from the readings. The ones that were familiar were wikipedia, Kodak gallery, and Microsoft Exel. It was surprising to me the capabilities of these programs and the fact that I could change, author, enhance, or edit them. The category of read/write is new to me. What could most benefit me would be social bookmarking and blogging because of their connection to making school more convenient. Google Docs also known as (Writely), can be used to write and edit text. It is similar to Microsoft Word, but can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection and can be worked on collaboratively. Collaboration seems to be the key to these read/write tools. They are considered tools in my opinion because they assist with learning other skills. My goal is to set up a Facebook page, search podcasts, and engage into the social learning of these applications.
I was impressed with the graphs and the research that went into defining the three generations of learners. We are all together in learning environments and we must find a way to coexist and learn together. We have plenty of experience to contribute to each others learning and I believe technology actually is helping to bridge the gap. Libraries, faculty, and classrooms are still much needed resources despite the changes through informational technology. Every generation felt that classroom instruction, teacher presence, and encouragement was important.

Articles response

These articles were quite interesting. I believe that Digital Natives and the Net Gen have more in common than to differ. They are people that learn more through doing, be it socially in groups or hands on working with software and programs. I'd say, I learn by tinkering as the article mentioned. Various learning methods work better for different people. Step by step methods, memory from experience, and hands on to name a few. They really don't learn differently because most of their learning is through technology. Technology creates the opportunity for socialization and different ways of thinking. It enhances a persons' ability and options to accomplish a task. The articles' expressed the importance of an individuals' knowledge and experience however; their knowledge is not as purposeful as to the means they use to get the knowledge. They are privileged to be able to access so many resources, including other peoples' experience and knowledge. I like the new concepts because they speak the truth and are enlightening to me. It makes me look at where I fall in all this. The new concepts like: Digital Immigrants and Connectivism struck me as most interesting. These concepts make alot of sense. Connectivism suggests all is needed inorder for the big picture to be complete. I felt like an immigrant when I was first introduced to technology on a needs basis for school. I continue the fight to keep up with new technology and use the risk and courage it takes for me not to go back to being an Immigrant where technology is concerned. I chose teaching as a profession because of my love for children. New ways to educate has emerged and I am up for the challenge to move with the times. The articles suggest that children need more from their educators especially a voice, to know how they think. It is time to bridge the gap between educators and students due to lack of knowledge and lack of interest. The articles suggests interactive rograms lke twittering and blogs have a great impact on teaching and can be used so creatively.

Steps to beauty

Always comb your hair in the morning.