Signing off...but not forever

Well, the tech class experience is winding down. It has been more fun (and at times, more frustrating) than I thought it would be. That been said, I really enjoyed this class. I think I learned some technological skills that I will be using in the future. I am surprised to admit this since I fully expected to not use or enjoy most of the things we were going to learn.

I am soooooo proud of my website. I know it is simplistic but I also think I will maintain it and that is pretty cool. I like that it is relatively easy to create these spaces on the web and that I can use this as another way to connect with my students and post information for them. I also feel like I am one step closer to using technology that intimidates me at first. It is not easy to struggle through something you do not understand but now I have hope that if I stick with it, I can learn new technology and use it to enhance my instruction.

That being said, I must confess that I am still weary of using tons of technology in the classroom. I do not want to resort to smoke in mirrors effects to make my teaching more interesting and I think this is one way that technology can be abused in the classroom. Whenever technology is being used, we as educators need to consider if the technology is, in fact, enhancing what it is we are trying to do that day in class. Otherwise, it will feel like a cheap trick and the students will see right through it.

I do think giving students an opportunity to work with technology is very important and for that reason, I will strive to find ways to tie its use into the classroom and expose them to new developments. This class also made me aware of what a tremendous resource I have in my friends in regard to technology. A lot of my friends are more skillful with computers than me and I will be able to ask them for help and new ideas for how to use technology. Overall, this class has opened me up to new ideas and skills that will make me a better, more resourceful teacher for my students. And that is a good thing.

iMovie baby!

Going to the Movies

I have now been playing/working with iMovie for a few days now and am mostly enjoying myself. Some of the program is very user friendly. For instance, the photo clips are easy to move around to change the order of display in the imovie. However, some of the program is not easy to use. Sometimes, when I am working with a media feature, it will preview the effect on a random slide. Also, the Ken Burns effect, while cool looking, is hard to alter in a straight forward kind of way. This program is very interesting but I feel that I am not good at just fiddling around with a program to figure it out like some of my classmates.

I do think this program would be great for English instruction. I like the idea of using it as a trailer for a new book we will be covering. I also like the idea of using it to make a short presentation of biographical information on an author or a time period in which a book was written. I think that students would enjoy seeing the technology used in this way. Also, it will be a program that they could use at home for projects and presentations, if they have the technology. Knowing how to use this program will also be helpful with tech instruction in school, so both teachers can help students who are learning how to use it. I am excited to see how my imovie turns out. It will be featuring my youth group from church. Stay tuned...

Inspiration and other Abstracts

Inspiration is a great program. Great production quality (I love stuff that makes me look good with little effort). It is relatively user friendly and has lots of options. I really like that there are web templates for easy creation for my specific classroom stuff. I enjoyed exploring this program with items I am going to be teaching in the upcoming year.

Since we are half way through the session, I think I will reflect on my time so far in this class. I have really enjoyed learning how to use Wikis and Google Presentation. I like that these pieces of technology are accessible from anywhere and I can change stuff as I go along. I also had a great time working with classmates Lauren, Danielle, and Justin on our slide show pictures (shout out!) So far, I must say, this class has been surprisingly enjoyable and useful for the future of my teaching career. Until next time...

Scavenger Hunt

Digital Collection

Electric Lessons

I really liked working with the technology standards. They got me thinking about ways to incorporate different ideas with technology resources. I want to explore more of these options with my students. I think you have to find a balance though. There is a big difference between using technology to help with a lesson plan and just putting it in there for no reason. I think we need to always be thinking about how we can facilitate learning and I think technology gets them involved in a unique way and provides practice for work in the future. I think we as teachers need to look for new and fresh ways to work with knowledge in a technology based way. Planning a lesson that will incorporate technology was not easy but it did stretch me to think about how this can be done effectively in the classroom.

Talk to Me

Webquests are pretty cool. Now to find one that I like or create my own. I think they have the potential to be creative and facilitate group work so I am most definitely on board. However, most of the ones I have seen seem to miss the boat somewhere. I think there are more meaningful ways to ask students to collaborate which ask students to really dialogue about their thoughts and feelings or ideas. Most of the group work in the Webquests I reviewed did not seem to want students to really reconnect and discuss the information they had gathered in their research. I think giving students opportunities to hear each other think is so important and I think overall most teachers still do not know how to facilitate this time in their classrooms. I want to look for good tactics to generate sharing ideas in the classroom. Webquests are a good use of technology and I hope to create some fun Webquests in the future.

Wikis Hang Ten

I think Wikis are a wonderful resource for teachers. I am not sure that I will use them in the classroom among my students. Still thinking about their various uses. I think I could with group work and projects because I think Wikis could facilitate group collaboration and sharing of ideas. I also think Wikis allow students to work out of individual strengths and it is more possible for everyone to flesh out the various aspects of a good project for everyone to be successful in the class.

I really like the idea of using Wikis for interpersonal collaboration among teachers in the departments and in school systems. I think there is potential for professional sharing of ideas or activities and also a place for discussion or problem solving among fellow colleagues. After all, two heads are better than one, right? I see Wikis as a quick and easy way to share information and ideas in a job that is becoming more busy and taxing by the day. I think staying connected with other teachers is vital and Wikis seem like one way we could do that.

Don't believe everything you see on the Web

The Internet is a great resource but it is not without its flaws. A major flaw in this information super highway system is that there is little accountability for sites and lots of access. Anyone can post anything. Therefore, it does not mean every post or site is necessarily credible. There are skills that one can acquire to develop a critical eye for information on the web. The website

http://www.edselect.com/web_Site_evaluation.htm

is helpful for several reasons. This page has links to other websites that explain how to read sites for credibility and how to look for other pieces of information that will clue the reader into whether or not the information on the site is reliable, accurate, or if it is opinion based. As educators, we need to encourage our students to think about these things and examine the information that they encounter on the web.

Portfolios and Prisons

Portfolios. Hmmmm…I like them. I am not a big fan of standardized testing and I think portfolios could be another way to display and assess a student’s progress. Portfolios also give a concrete look at what the student has actually constructed in class. Grades do not tell a parent much at all and I wonder, if a parent could see what a child is capable of, would there be more involvement and support at home towards the child’s overall enrichment and education? Because right now, all we do is throw numbers and percentages that are supposed to represent that child’s progress but you need a decoder ring and some whiskey to actually be able to decipher the information (decoder ring for the complicated number system and graphs and the whiskey to keep you patient and sane in the process). I realize that looking through portfolios and assessing them will be very time consuming and costly and that a trained monkey could run a scantron machine. But it is hard to take education seriously when no one is willing to fork over the dough to make things happen in that arena. And I wonder who we are hurting when we are not willing to pay up for better opportunities for our students. There are tons of studies (yes, I used the super scientific word “tons”) that connect education and literacy to future performance or future imprisonment. If we know that a student doing poorly now has a greater chance of going onto becoming incarcerated later, then why not really invest financially in education to turn this around? The way I see it, we will be paying for them one way or another and I am pretty sure the prisons are already over crowded. Phew, rant over. Tune in next time when my tangent from Macs vs. PCs leads me to discuss all that Lady Gaga stands for. Until then…

Growing Pains

I was really nervous to take this class because I am not super savvy with technology. I do not like being in a classroom where I will be acutely aware of my inexperience and weaknesses. However, I think this can be a positive experience for me. Some of my future students will feel the same about English class (“I don’t get this.” Or “I’m no good at this stuff.”) To remember how vulnerable this feels will help me reach out to my students in the future. My goal for this class is to learn, learn, and learn some more. I am fascinated (in spite of myself) by technology and all it can accomplish. I really enjoy good graphics and well designed sites. I worked with an old letter press all last school year and learned a lot about design, form and balance. I want to continue to learn about these artistic elements using computers and technology. Mostly, I want to find cool resources that I think will engage my future students and get them thinking and creating. So the beginning of this class for me is bittersweet and growing pains usually are.

Intro to the world wide web

I am from Houston Texas originally and moved to Knoxville to go to UT for undergrad. I went to Stratford High School and we were the Spartans. I really enjoy working with adolescents and I want to make a difference and challenge my students to become critical thinkers and achieve their dreams. I want to teach 9th grade English. I like the idea of preparing students for the rest of high school and equipping them with skills that will serve them wherever life takes them. I want to nurture their minds and get the students invested personally in their own learning. I like to cook, ride my bike, read, watch movies, dance, enjoy the arts, theatre, visiting with neighbors, gardening, and other basic forms of merriment. I am a baby when it comes to tech stuff. I basically keep a handful of friends very close to help me with issues that arise with my various tech needs. I do look forward to learning how to use equipment and tech resources at my fingertips.