My Beliefs

              I think utilizing technology is vitally important in the classroom. Technology is going to continue to grow and become a bigger and bigger part of people’s lives and it is our job, as educators, to help future generations be prepared to make contributions in the world. They won’t be able to do that if they aren’t comfortable with the devices and programs in the technology world. I think teachers need to be continually trained in new programs that they can implement in the classroom. Technology is just as important there as it is in major companies around the world.

                However, this assignment also made me realize that the schools that have access to the more advanced technology will have a huge advantage over other schools that can’t afford or don’t have that same level of technology. It made me wonder if this technology age will create a larger gap between communities with less money and wealthier communities. I think we, as a society, have to prepare for a very different world and allow every student an opportunity to become knowledgeable about technology and its uses.

                Technology isn’t going anywhere but up and in some cases the classroom will be the only place a student has access to it. I think it’s very important that we allow students to explore the world of technology and that they have a way of applying its uses to their own lives and future endeavors. It’s amazing what people have been able to do is just that last decade. Future students will be able to take it even farther if they are able to gain the right education.

Lessons Learned

                I learned a lot from the readings, videos and websites for this assignment. I always thought of myself as a fairly tech savvy person, but it’s amazing what some of the younger people came up with.  It was interesting to learn how new technology will affect education in the future. It will change the way classes are taught and how students gain information. It may even influence the way schools take attendance, give out hall passes, and cafeteria organization. It may even allow announcements to be more personal and target each child individually.

                The readings also brought my attention to future grammar and writing problems I might encounter as a teacher. With the popularity of texting and IM-ing it is likely that this will affect writing in an education setting as well. I guess I never really thought about that but thinking back I’ve seen it in my own writing. It’s hard to transfer from “texting language” to a more academic language.

                I also thought it was interesting to learn about how technology may allow teachers to apply a higher level of learning in their classroom. They don’t have to worry so much about memorization because information is quickly and readily available for the students. However, there also may be a problem because life is becoming more and more about instant gratification. This can be good and bad. It will require teachers to shift their teaching methods to meet the needs of a generation based on technology.

Strengths and Weaknesses

              I think one area of weakness I have is NET Standard IV: A, “apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.” Utilizing technology as an assessment resource is something that I would like to work on. I feel that there are a lot of opportunities for me as a future educator but I need to be comfortable enough to actually use it in my classroom. I’ve said before that I want my classroom to be a place where students enjoy learning and I think allowing them to use different forms of assessment will create such an environment. I found a short professional development course in UEN on creating educational games. I think this would help me discover new ways to assess my students by incorporating technology into the test.

                Another area of weakness is continuing to take classes on technology after I receive my degree. This is NET Standard V: A, “use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.” I really want to continue learn about new programs and ways to utilize technology in my classroom and I hope that I can do that even after I start my career as a teacher. I found quite a few tutorials on UEN that will help me understand different resources. I also know that a lot of community colleges have short classes on computer programs that could enhance my understanding. My goal is to take courses or allow time to research new programs whenever I can.

                However, I feel that I also have a lot of strengths as far as the NET Standards go as well. Growing up around computers has given me a better understanding of computers than I otherwise would have. I think I am well versed in Standard I which “Technology Operations and Concepts.” This knowledge also helps me to do better in Standard VI which is on the social, ethical and legal aspects of technology.  I’m not sure I’ll ever have a perfect understanding of technology because it is constantly changing. However, I hope that I can maintain a level of understanding that will allow me to help my future students become acquainted with technology and help them apply to their own lives.

PowerPoint Activities Blog

    Today we were told about our PowerPoint Activity assignment. We're putting together a "how to" on making an interactive PowerPoint. This will eventually be part of our assignment.
    I think PowerPoint will be one of the programs that I will use the most in my future classroom. It's a great way to provide visual aspects to your lesson. However, I don't know much about how to make an interactive slideshow. I'm excited to learn more because I feel that it will be very beneficial in my future. PowerPoint slideshows are used in so many professions and presentations. In other words, the knowledge that I am learning will help me no matter what I end up doing in my future and will be especially helpful as a teacher.
    I think having interactive slideshows will be very helpful in a classroom. When I was in high school we would play Jeopardy games as a review for a test and I found this to be not only fun, but also beneficial. Especially today, where so many students are consumed with technology, having something that they can actually play around with will help a lot of them understand the concept better. I can see myself using slideshows as a review but also having them as homework or requiring students to come up with their own. There are so many directions and areas that you can take PowerPoint slideshows.

Picasa

This week we learned about Picasa. We had a scavenger hunt that took us around campus to take pictures. We will then use Picasa to change the pictures and make a PowerPoint.

I think this will be a helpful took. Picasa seems like a good way to manipulate photos and make them look the way you want them to. It also seems like a fairly easy program to use. I can tell that this tool will be helpful in my current job when I need to put together a slide show for graduation. It will also be helpful in my personal life as I put together pictures of events or travels. I'm not sure how I will be able to use this in other areas but, perhaps as I get used to the program more, I'll find different ways to use it. I feel like this is going to be the kind of program that will be fun to just play around with.

As I've been writing, I've been trying to come up with ways that I can use this in my future classroom. I think it could be beneficial to have slideshows of pictures of different events or eras. I'm not sure how often I will do this but I'll have to try and see how the kids respond. It may make a bigger impact on the students because it utilizes pictures and provides visual components to the lesson. I want to provide different learning styles a way to enjoy my class and I think Picassa will definitely appeal to many students. I can also have students use the programs themselves to create a project especially when we get into the 21st Century where there are many pictures to be found. Or perhaps they can do a project that tells the history of their own lives and they can use their own pictures. I'm really happy that all of these programs are free downloads because I'll be able to share it with others and I'm much more likely to use them.

Cyber Ethics Blog

   Today we learned about cyber ethics and cyber bullying. Cyber bullying and sexting have become a huge problem in today's society. There are a lot of stories on the news about people whose lives have been ruined by their involvement in these activities. We skimmed through different resources to help us as teachers and as members of society avoid these things.
   I think this is very important to go over especially as future teachers. This is something that more than likely one or more of our students will be involved in. I don't have a lot of personal experience with this myself so it was interesting to me to read accounts of cyber bullying. I'm thinking about sending some of the resource information to my siblings who have kids because I think it's easy for adults to think that this stuff doesn't really happen. It does. Cyber ethics is also an important aspect in any professional world. Whether it is a teacher or some other job a lot of work will be done over the internet and knowing the correct etiquette, or "netiquette" as one site called it, is valuable information.
    One of the questions raised in class today was how we, as teachers, can respond to these problems. I'm still a little unsure of where my place is being the teacher. We talked about a lot of things that teachers can do, but some of them didn't seem realistic. Still, I think it is beneficial to have a lesson on cyber bullying and sexting. I think it's important the kids realize that there are major consequences. I didn't realize that anyone involved in these activities faced such major problems with the law. Maybe knowing those things will deter some of the students from doing it. This is such a new problem that we, as a society, are still learning how to respond and what the necessary actions to take are. That puts teachers in a difficult position to teach them the right and wrongs of cyber ethics.

Digital Stories Blog

Today we worked on our Digital Story Assignment. My group and I are doing ours on the American Revolution. We're hoping to evoke a patriotic emotion and help students understand what the early American colonists were willing to do to be free.

I think Digital Stories can really enhance a lesson. History can often inspire emotion and I think using a Digital Story as a introduction to a new topic can help students become more emotionally vested into the topic. This will hopefully help them to be more interested and willing to learn. Not only can Digital Stories be beneficial in the educational world, but also in other aspects as well. These can be used to create photo diaries of an event or time. In my current job I have to put together a PowerPoint to show during our GED Graduation. PowerPoint can be difficult to work with and I'm excited to have a different program that I can use.

I'm hoping to implement Digital Stories as an introduction into new topics. I can utilize audio and pictures to help my students prepare for the new unit. I think both of these can really enhance the learning experience. Depending on the type of media I have access to, I may be able to assign my students a Digital Story to design on their own or in a group. This will not only allow me to discuss the importance of not using copyrighted material, but also allow them to research a topic in more depth. Perhaps I can share the Digital Stories I prepare with my future colleagues and vice versa. This will put a lot less stress on both of us. I'm looking forward to using Digital Stories in my future classroom.