Final Reflection

Taking this course has been a very beneficial thing for me! I have really enjoyed learning about all of these programs, web tools and different websites that will be great to use when I have my own classroom. I have discovered that even though I am not the most technically savvy person, I have been able to do many of these programs and web tools without too much trouble. The one program that I believe would provide some trouble for me would be Excel. I think that it is very tricky and some of the formulas would be hard to figure out. I have discovered through this class many great tools that I will use in my class. I plan on using all of the tools that we used in some way to have my students work collaboratively together. I am glad that I took this class because I believe that it helped open my eyes about the future generations and what learning style works best for them. It also provided me with a chance to see how  I can provide the best learning experiences for the children  I will be teaching.

iMovie/Digital stories

I think that using digital stories as a tool in the classroom could be extremely beneficial. I think that it is great for visual learners who may need that little bit extra to help them comprehend a subject. It is great for engaging students in the subject and making it creative and fun. Since I will be teaching younger children, I would probably create the movies myself, or have the class collaboratively make a video with my help. I would use it for every subject. For example, in Science I would explain about different animals habitats, for Math, I would explain the process of addition and subtraction, and there are many other ideas. For older students, I think it would be beneficial for them to use the movies to create history projects, projects on countries, or people's personal histories.

iMovie-The five senses

Animoto

Animoto is a really great tool to use in the classroom. I think that it would be more acceptable to use for older children as an individual tool, and would be better for younger children to create a movie collaboratively. It would be great to do a movie on the history of a state, a country, or the process of an event. It would be beneficial for teachers of younger children to create the movies themselves and show them to the children and base an activity off of the movie. I really enjoyed this tool, it is a fun creative way to teach not so interesting subjects.

Google Forms and Spreadsheets

Google forms was a neat tool to use in the classroom to create quizzes. It would be great to take these types of quizzes rather than the traditional pen and paper tests and quizzes that most children are given. I do not think that I would use it all the time given that I will be working with younger children, but I would use it occasionally to introduce different types of technology to them. The spreadsheet activities were really great. I had no idea that they could do that! I would definitely use these in the classroom. They are interactive and fun and would give children a chance to type in simple text words but still become familiar with this type of technology.

Wordle, Taxgedo and Inspiration

I really enjoyed using these web tools in class last week. I think that Wordle was a good beginning point to word clouds, but Taxgedo would be my choice of site to use in the classroom. I like how you could upload your own images and choose from a great amount of fonts and colors. It would be great to use for history and doing something like the Constitution or The Declaration of Independence. It would be neat for younger children to learn about words that have to do with animals and other topics of the such. Inspiration was a great tool to use especially when children are learning how to make webs and venn diagrams and other types of charts. I would use it to compare and contrast and carry on discussions with the children.

Inspiration

I really enjoyed using the tool Inspiration. I had not been introduced to this tool before tonight and I had a great time creating a web based on Kindergarten Tennessee State Curriculum Standards. I think it would be a great tool to use for the classroom especially for younger students who may still be learning to read. The pictures and mix of text provide a great balance for younger children, but still provides a great educational experience. I think it would be great for introducing weather, landscapes, space/planets and many other novel topics to young children.

Twitter, Delicious and Google sites

I have had a Twitter account for a while, but I was very interested in learning about Delicious. I had never heard of this site before and I really think that it is a neat concept. I like how you are able to access your bookmarked pages from any computer. I think that this would be beneficial for projects in the classroom, because the teacher would have a list of websites for the children to choose from and this would help with monitoring the internet use. I do not really see how Twitter could be beneficial for classroom use unless you are following a news site and getting information from them. Another idea would be to follow your classmates and have them follow you so you would be able to keep up with your assignments and classwork. I think Google sites would be great for older kids like middle school or high school ages to create websites and projects. They are very basic and easy to use and do not require any HTML codes to create the site. I am a beginning website creator and I have not had any difficulty creating my site so far.

SmileBox and Story Bird

I really enjoyed working with the web tools Smile Box and Story Bird in class this evening. I feel like SmileBox would be beneficial to use in the classroom to make collages of historical figures, countries, animals, science experiments, etc. Story Bird would be great for children to create stories and use their imaginations to create stories based on images. It would be great to do a class activity creating a story that the children could create collaboratively. I feel like Story Bird was pretty limited in the art work, and some of it to me at least was a little bit creepy. It may be enjoyable to children. I do not know if Smile Box would be that beneficial for younger students to use in the class. It may be better for older children to use.

Hunt Presentation

Glogster and Picnik

I really enjoyed using the web tools Glogster and Picnik. I had some difficulties using the toll Glogster though, so it would be important to make sure that your school would allow the use of the site. It would be great for interactive lessons and projects. Children could make history projects with cool graphics and text, or study animals or countries. This is a neat tool because it puts projects into a new kind of perspective. Picnik is neat to edit your own photos on and is easier to use than photoshop, but I do not see it as being as beneficial as Glogster. Students would be able to edit their pictures or add graphic text on different images to put on a poster or create some type of graphic design project.

Oceans Slideshow

Slideshow from Picasa

WebQuest

I really enjoyed the activity that we did involving looking at the WebQuests. That was my fist experience dealing with them, I had never really heard of them before that class! I think that they are a wonderful tool to implement in the classroom. They are fun, engaging but educational all at the same time. We did learn however, that there could be some that are not appropriate or not to the highest level. It is important to choose wisely when you are picking a WebQuest to use in the class. It must be appropriate for time, educational use, have a good format and many other aspects to be a successful WebQuest. I think it would be beneficial to use in the classroom for history projects, such as studying and researching historical figures, and they would also be great for making language arts activities fun!

What I think about Wikis

I have really enjoyed working with the Wikis overall so far. I think that it is a great collaborative tool and is great for getting ideas and messages across quickly. My only complaint that I have so far about them is that only one member can edit a page at a time. I know that outside of the class we probably will not have that problem, but it is frustrating when you have a good idea but have to wait to get it posted. It is also a little strange having people on the members group that are not even in our section. I think that I would use this tool as a way for me to communicate with the parents of my students. I may put weekly updates on the site and let parents comment and voice their concerns if there are any. I will be teaching younger students, so I may do some activities with the computer on a large screen like we do in class and type their ideas and thoughts on the wiki page.

National Geographic Evaluation

National Geographic Kids is great site for kids to use in the classroom! This website was very helpful and full of wonderful information and photos.I even learned some information about interesting animals and countries. It would be wonderful to help younger children with projects and class activities. There are games, photos, polls and news. I would suggest this website for Elementary aged children since the vocabulary is fairly simple  and limited.  The material is just right for this age level. The site is very well organized, easily accessible and covers many different topics that may be of interest to children. The information that is provided on this site about animals, countries, places, etc. is perfect for a short report on a given topic.  I learned that even credible sources do not always meet every checklist criteria for being a trustworthy source.The author information and publisher information is not given, but other than that, the site is a credible source. National Geographic has been a major source of educational information for decades.

What I have learned/ looking forward to learn in 486

In class on Tuesday, I was excited to learn new things about blogging, and maneuvering my way around a MAC. Before class on Tuesday, I had no idea how you even saved a picture on a MAC. I was excited to get to work with Photoshop as well. I haven't worked with that program since high school. As I  was listening to the podcast for class this morning, I realized that children in Elementary, Middle and high school most likely know more about computers, and that worries me a bit. I am glad that I'm taking this class so that I will be able to know what is going on with technology and what the children in my future classroom will be familiar with. I think it would be a little bit embarrassing if a 2nd grader knew more about computers than the teacher. The teacher is the one who is supposed to be doing the instructing, not the students. I am looking forward to building websites, continuing work on my blog and expanding my knowledge about the items available on the internet.

Evaluation site

This is the evaluation site that I found. I liked this site because it specifically states that this is the criteria for classrooms to follow to properly identify a credible site. It is very clear and organized neatly. The site is also from an educational resource which is on the checklist for being a credible source.

What I expect to learn in 486

I have always been a PC user. I have rarely used a MAC so I am a little intimidated by the differences between the two. I expect to learn how to use a MAC properly  and learn my way around using one. I hope to learn how to become more experienced with technology. Honestly, I only use social networking sites and check email. I don't even know how to use I-tunes. I would like to become more knowledgeable and caught up with technology and get up to date on things. I hope to learn ways that will further children's education and understanding in a classroom environment. I want to know the techniques that will help me become the best teacher that I can possibly be.

Informal Introduction

My name is Emily Smith and I am from Chattanooga Tennessee. I have worked at Buffalo Wild Wings for over a year now. I went to an all girls High School in Chattanooga called, Girls Preparatory School. I graduated in 2007. I enjoy working out, baking, spending time with family and friends and reading. I also  got a Jack Russel Terrier about four months ago and my life has been turned upside down! I was just accepted into the PreK-3 Early Childhood Education program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. I will be finishing my undergraduate career in May 2012 graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Psychology. I will begin the ECE Master’s program in the Summer of 2012 and student teach in the fall of 2012.