It has certainly been interesting to review my classmates blogs and see how they are keeping up in the class and what issues that concern me either do or do not concern them. The compare and contrast is interesting. It is truly fascinating to glimpse into the minds of future educators and my future co-workers. The contrast in ideas and diverse thoughts is exactly what is going to make the future of education such a bright place.
The next technology-related skill I would like to learn is probably web design. I feel like as a teacher I might want to maintain a website for my students and web design, such as basic HTML would eventually come in handy for this purpose. However, we did learn how to make wikis, which will probably suffice. I also have a tiny bit of knowledge of HTML, enough to get by, and do not feel that web design kept this class from being great, because I definitely learned so much in this class about technology, more than enough to get by.
In the future, I hope to make sure each of my students is completely knowledgeable about every technology-related aspect of my class before giving an assignment with it. I know that in the past I have sometimes been faced with a technology task that I was not familiar with and my teachers just expected me to pick up on it or teach myself, and I hope to never leave my students with that issue. Futhermore, with the skills I am now familiar with due to this class, I hope I can help my students carry their knowledge into other subject areas, as well.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Blog Post Number 9
One web resource that I feel I might use as a teacher is a website called enchantedlearning.com. I had a teacher in middle school who used this website a lot so I became pretty familiar with it. Enchanted learning.com is a website that offers resources to teachers such as lesson plans, handouts or worksheets and background reading and information. Even if a teacher wanted to create his or her own resources, it has a lot of ideas and jumping points.
The website design is user-friendly, and easy to navigate. When you enter the site they have an area for each resource that they offer, and the user can select which resource they wish to utilize. Furthermore, the site is copyright friendly and making copies is allowed, so none of those issues need to be worried about. It is a great site, and I hope you all enjoy.
I am going to be teaching middle school English, therefore I will not much have to worry about spreadsheets, Excel and similar programs so much as incorporations of my lessons. However, I will be using spreadsheet programs in order to organize grades and maintain a gradebook. Before this class, whenever I needed to use Excel I was completely lost and had no idea how to use the program. This class has not only taught me how to create a basic data table, which I could not even do before, but has taught me such valuable features as calculating averages, medians, minimum, maximum and more. The skills I have learned in this class regarding these programs are beyond valuable.
For the final course project I am teamed with the Zach’s, and everything is going well. The only obstacle we faced was when we discovered that we would have to change our idea since the original idea we had was to create a “technology lab” for the students to use after school. However, we later discovered that the school in question already has a computer lab. However, this obstacle was quickly solved and I believe our new idea is even better. We are creating a Marine Biology lab for the students, and I think it’s going to go over really well.
The website design is user-friendly, and easy to navigate. When you enter the site they have an area for each resource that they offer, and the user can select which resource they wish to utilize. Furthermore, the site is copyright friendly and making copies is allowed, so none of those issues need to be worried about. It is a great site, and I hope you all enjoy.
I am going to be teaching middle school English, therefore I will not much have to worry about spreadsheets, Excel and similar programs so much as incorporations of my lessons. However, I will be using spreadsheet programs in order to organize grades and maintain a gradebook. Before this class, whenever I needed to use Excel I was completely lost and had no idea how to use the program. This class has not only taught me how to create a basic data table, which I could not even do before, but has taught me such valuable features as calculating averages, medians, minimum, maximum and more. The skills I have learned in this class regarding these programs are beyond valuable.
For the final course project I am teamed with the Zach’s, and everything is going well. The only obstacle we faced was when we discovered that we would have to change our idea since the original idea we had was to create a “technology lab” for the students to use after school. However, we later discovered that the school in question already has a computer lab. However, this obstacle was quickly solved and I believe our new idea is even better. We are creating a Marine Biology lab for the students, and I think it’s going to go over really well.
Blog Post Number 8
In my Powerpoint 2 assignment, I created a Jeopardy game with questions regarding Housing at Florida State University. As for the writing portion, the presentation included no grammatical or spelling errors. Content was clear and accurate, students would know exactly what they were being asked. Navigation is clear and concise, it would be impossible to “get lost” in the presentation with navigation buttons clearly marked on each screen. Screen design was average—fairly aesthetically pleasing and themes were consistent. Development of the presentation makes sense, everything seems to be set up in the traditional Jeopardy style.
In the future, peripherals and all technology, computer or non-computer, will be essential in the classroom. In my classroom, I fully expect students to utilize zip drives, and I believe that they will have this kind of technology and be familiar with it of their own accord in the first place. Furthermore, there are so many different types of technology that can assist in the classroom these days, from digital cameras to iPods. If the students are going to be using these technologies in their spare time, why not gear them up in order to make them educationally valuable?
I have learned so much more about Powerpoint in this classroom that I feel will be incalculably valuable to me as an educator. Powerpoint is perhaps one of the most important technological tools available to teachers and through the new skills I have learned regarding Powerpoint, I feel like I truly know the ins and outs of the program in order to make the best lessons possible using the program. I have also learned that I should definitely update my Microsoft programs because I find the new version of Powerpoint we have been using in the classroom to be much more user-friendly and technologically, I feel that it makes using some of the more advanced features much easier.
In the future, peripherals and all technology, computer or non-computer, will be essential in the classroom. In my classroom, I fully expect students to utilize zip drives, and I believe that they will have this kind of technology and be familiar with it of their own accord in the first place. Furthermore, there are so many different types of technology that can assist in the classroom these days, from digital cameras to iPods. If the students are going to be using these technologies in their spare time, why not gear them up in order to make them educationally valuable?
I have learned so much more about Powerpoint in this classroom that I feel will be incalculably valuable to me as an educator. Powerpoint is perhaps one of the most important technological tools available to teachers and through the new skills I have learned regarding Powerpoint, I feel like I truly know the ins and outs of the program in order to make the best lessons possible using the program. I have also learned that I should definitely update my Microsoft programs because I find the new version of Powerpoint we have been using in the classroom to be much more user-friendly and technologically, I feel that it makes using some of the more advanced features much easier.
Blog Post Number 7
Presentation software is great in the K-12 classroom. It is hard for me to think of any disadvantages unless the concept is misconstrued and the software not used properly. Advantages are obvious- displaying the information needing to be portrayed in front of the class in an organized and interesting manner. The pitfalls I believe many fall into however, are clear. One thing many people do is make powerpoint presentations using too much text. Bulletpoints are the best way to keep audience attention while you can verbally expand on each point, rather than simply reading off the powerpoint. The other pitfall is getting carried away with too many graphics and/or special effects.
Powepoint is a very useful program for supporting student learning at each of the knowledge dimensions covered in Chapter 5 for a particular lessons. For one of our assignments we had to prepare a powerpoint to teach a certain lesson and mine was designed for a kindergarten classroom in learning the alphabet. This powerpoint was able to cover each learning dimension in order to ensure a full knowledge experience for the students. The first knowledge dimension is memorization. This was ensured in the powerpoint through an exercise presented upon the powerpoint where students recited the letters. The next dimension is understanding, the powerpoint offers points for discussion and questions in order to ensure that the students understand what is going on. The next point is application, and like the exercise for memorization, the students have to apply what they learned in order to identify objects and names starting with that particular letter. Analyzing is supported by the previously stated points as well. The students are asked to evaluate the exercises to see what worked and what didn’t. And finally, the students will assist me in creating a powerpoint for the next series of letters.
The issue related to educational technology that likely most interests me is the issue of Web 2.0 technology. I believe that the controversy surrounding this is both fascinating and uncalled for. Web 2.0 technology is simply the future of technology. The students we will be dealing with as educators will be raised in a society where “Twittering” and “BBMing” are the norm. They will see blogging and social networking from the time they are born. The idea of incorporating these aspects of technology into education seems not only wise, but necessary. An environment where these types of endeavors are not welcome would be uninviting and not conducive for the future learner.
Powepoint is a very useful program for supporting student learning at each of the knowledge dimensions covered in Chapter 5 for a particular lessons. For one of our assignments we had to prepare a powerpoint to teach a certain lesson and mine was designed for a kindergarten classroom in learning the alphabet. This powerpoint was able to cover each learning dimension in order to ensure a full knowledge experience for the students. The first knowledge dimension is memorization. This was ensured in the powerpoint through an exercise presented upon the powerpoint where students recited the letters. The next dimension is understanding, the powerpoint offers points for discussion and questions in order to ensure that the students understand what is going on. The next point is application, and like the exercise for memorization, the students have to apply what they learned in order to identify objects and names starting with that particular letter. Analyzing is supported by the previously stated points as well. The students are asked to evaluate the exercises to see what worked and what didn’t. And finally, the students will assist me in creating a powerpoint for the next series of letters.
The issue related to educational technology that likely most interests me is the issue of Web 2.0 technology. I believe that the controversy surrounding this is both fascinating and uncalled for. Web 2.0 technology is simply the future of technology. The students we will be dealing with as educators will be raised in a society where “Twittering” and “BBMing” are the norm. They will see blogging and social networking from the time they are born. The idea of incorporating these aspects of technology into education seems not only wise, but necessary. An environment where these types of endeavors are not welcome would be uninviting and not conducive for the future learner.
Blog Post Number 6
Web 2.0 technologies are a concept that makes up our future. The concepts of social networking and communication with others through the use of technology are most likely the future of technology itself. Therefore, the transfer of this concept to K-12 education technology is most likely inevitable. These students will be using this Web 2.0 technology in their daily lives outside of school, therefore when they enter the classroom and start using technology, their mindset is going to be set for the Web 2.0. Utilizing this and channeling it through educational purposes will be beneficial for the students in that they will be able to transfer into “education mode” more quickly in the classroom.
I touched on Wikipedia in my last post. I believe that Wikipedia is a positive learning resource. Wikipedia can be a GREAT starting point. In fact, I just used Wikipedia. Of course, I did not use a Wikipedia page to write an entire paper using just that page. However, while studying, I came across a concept I was not immediately familiar with and used Wikipedia to give me a base of knowledge on the subject. This is just the purpose I believe Wikipedia is great for, and the purpose it should be used for in a learning context. Everything you read there must be taken with a grain of salt and scrutinized using the resources at the bottom, however, most of the time basic information on Wikipedia is accurate and useful.
This past week I learned so much about Powerpoint that I never knew, I was simply amazed. I feel that the new Powerpoint is infinitely more user friendly than the former version that I have on my laptop, and I definitely plan to utilize the new version when teaching. Powerpoint is perhaps my favorite educational tool and I believe that it will be more than essential in almost every class that I teach, used to display information and lectures in an aesthetically pleasing and instantly more interesting manner designed to hold students' attention and keep everyone on track, as well, myself included!
I touched on Wikipedia in my last post. I believe that Wikipedia is a positive learning resource. Wikipedia can be a GREAT starting point. In fact, I just used Wikipedia. Of course, I did not use a Wikipedia page to write an entire paper using just that page. However, while studying, I came across a concept I was not immediately familiar with and used Wikipedia to give me a base of knowledge on the subject. This is just the purpose I believe Wikipedia is great for, and the purpose it should be used for in a learning context. Everything you read there must be taken with a grain of salt and scrutinized using the resources at the bottom, however, most of the time basic information on Wikipedia is accurate and useful.
This past week I learned so much about Powerpoint that I never knew, I was simply amazed. I feel that the new Powerpoint is infinitely more user friendly than the former version that I have on my laptop, and I definitely plan to utilize the new version when teaching. Powerpoint is perhaps my favorite educational tool and I believe that it will be more than essential in almost every class that I teach, used to display information and lectures in an aesthetically pleasing and instantly more interesting manner designed to hold students' attention and keep everyone on track, as well, myself included!
Blog Post Number 5
I believe the internet is not only useful, but essential to supporting student research. Of course there are some pitfalls and negative aspects that could occur, but most of these issues are easily avoided through awareness and caution. Some would say that sites such as Wikipedia are terrible as far as student research, and I would not agree at all. When Wikipedia becomes a problem is when a Wikipedia page is simply viewed and an entire basis of research comes out of it. However, Wikipedia can be a great tool for research. When you are looking for a basic outline, most of the time Wikipedia can provide a very solid background of knowledge. A lot of people also might not realize that Wikipedia lists the sources used in the article at the bottom of the page. Individual sources can be visited and scrutinized for accuracy, thus leading the student to yet even more research. Beyond this basic "Wikipedia hang-up" that a lot of educators have, the Internet is also great for research in a lot more ways. Research databases basically carried me through the several research projects I had to complete my Senior year and I simply love the convenience of having thousands of published books, articles and periodicals at my hand in one inclusive search engine. Without the internet, research would be taking one giant step backwards.
Student learning, beyond research, is also greatly supported by the internet. First of all, the internet allows teachers find countless lesson plans and contact millions of other teachers in order to create only the most innovative in learning ideas, which then transfer to the students. Furthermore, students can use the internet on their own to access a wealth of information. Anything a student is studying can be found on the internet, as well as backed up using games, web hunts, you name it, you can definitely find it on the internet. Personally, I am an English Education major and have always loved to read and write so websites such as this, and other blogs, for example are great for me to express myself and meet others who enjoy expressing themselves in the same manner. Beyond that, I love poetry websites, such as poems.com, which offers daily poems and even websites where you can access a database of hundreds of e-books, such as wattpad.com.
Supervising students in a technology environment can be a harrowing experience, and I speak from past incidents- observed as a student, as well as while working as a student teacher. However, I feel that a lot of educators stress themselves and students out with over-strictness in this area. Of course, when presented with a computer with Internet access, students are bound to become distracted. The Internet presents so much temptation, especially when students are used to being exposed to the Internet in a home and social environment so often these days. To be honest, beyond close supervision, there is not much that can keep these students completely away from distractions such as social networking sites like Facebook. Of course, blocks and Firewalls can be installed, but students might even find a way around that. However, the occasional Facebook check or quick IM shot to a friend across the room, while annoying, might not be the end of the world- although of course something such as a dangerous or obscene website will warrant punishment and disciplinary action. One thing that might work in a middle school setting... the student should have some sense of personal responsibility as far as completing schoolwork and making the student responsible for completing a time-sensitive task within the time allotted should be enough to make many of the students focused and if they choose to fool around and not complete the assignment it is simple his or her loss grades-wise.
Student learning, beyond research, is also greatly supported by the internet. First of all, the internet allows teachers find countless lesson plans and contact millions of other teachers in order to create only the most innovative in learning ideas, which then transfer to the students. Furthermore, students can use the internet on their own to access a wealth of information. Anything a student is studying can be found on the internet, as well as backed up using games, web hunts, you name it, you can definitely find it on the internet. Personally, I am an English Education major and have always loved to read and write so websites such as this, and other blogs, for example are great for me to express myself and meet others who enjoy expressing themselves in the same manner. Beyond that, I love poetry websites, such as poems.com, which offers daily poems and even websites where you can access a database of hundreds of e-books, such as wattpad.com.
Supervising students in a technology environment can be a harrowing experience, and I speak from past incidents- observed as a student, as well as while working as a student teacher. However, I feel that a lot of educators stress themselves and students out with over-strictness in this area. Of course, when presented with a computer with Internet access, students are bound to become distracted. The Internet presents so much temptation, especially when students are used to being exposed to the Internet in a home and social environment so often these days. To be honest, beyond close supervision, there is not much that can keep these students completely away from distractions such as social networking sites like Facebook. Of course, blocks and Firewalls can be installed, but students might even find a way around that. However, the occasional Facebook check or quick IM shot to a friend across the room, while annoying, might not be the end of the world- although of course something such as a dangerous or obscene website will warrant punishment and disciplinary action. One thing that might work in a middle school setting... the student should have some sense of personal responsibility as far as completing schoolwork and making the student responsible for completing a time-sensitive task within the time allotted should be enough to make many of the students focused and if they choose to fool around and not complete the assignment it is simple his or her loss grades-wise.
Blog Post Number 4
Outlines, Idea Maps and Storyboards are the three concepts presented in Chapter 7, and all of these concepts will, of course, be valuable to me in the future as a teacher. Outlines will be used to plan out lesson plans and analyzing works of literature, poetry or prose. Idea maps will be used for in-class brainstorming, as well as planning out lesson plans. Storyboards will serve as a great visual aid for use during lectures and lessons. Inspiration will be a great source of technology to use in all of these concepts.
I strongly believe that brainstorming and thought organization is a firmly important part of the educational, learning and even thinking process. However, I am also a firm believer that each person thinks and processes thoughts and information in a different manner. In the past I have been in classes where teachers have presented a rigid "thoughts map" or "idea concept" process that students were then required to follow before a project. I do not agree with this whatsoever, because, as previously stated, what works for that teacher and maybe a few of his or her students, might not work for a different type of learner. Therefore, my solution to this will be to teach my students several methods for outlining, idea mapping and thought organization and encourage them to choose one or even invent his or her own. The most important point is that the process used by the student is a benefit to him or her, otherwise I feel that it is almost busywork and possibly even a detrimental idea.
In the past week we have learned about Inspiration. I believe this program will become extremely useful to me as an educator! I had no idea such a program existed and I think it is a very neat concept, very easy to use and clear-cut. I was very impressed. The idea organization will be extremely useful behind the scenes, as in planning for lessons and classes. It will also be useful in the actual instructional process as a display tool to project onto a screen during class discussion to help the class keep track of ideas. Then, after listing all the ideas it can be organized into different formats in order to appeal to all types of learners and thinkers. It is a simply awesome program, and I am so glad I learned about it!
I strongly believe that brainstorming and thought organization is a firmly important part of the educational, learning and even thinking process. However, I am also a firm believer that each person thinks and processes thoughts and information in a different manner. In the past I have been in classes where teachers have presented a rigid "thoughts map" or "idea concept" process that students were then required to follow before a project. I do not agree with this whatsoever, because, as previously stated, what works for that teacher and maybe a few of his or her students, might not work for a different type of learner. Therefore, my solution to this will be to teach my students several methods for outlining, idea mapping and thought organization and encourage them to choose one or even invent his or her own. The most important point is that the process used by the student is a benefit to him or her, otherwise I feel that it is almost busywork and possibly even a detrimental idea.
In the past week we have learned about Inspiration. I believe this program will become extremely useful to me as an educator! I had no idea such a program existed and I think it is a very neat concept, very easy to use and clear-cut. I was very impressed. The idea organization will be extremely useful behind the scenes, as in planning for lessons and classes. It will also be useful in the actual instructional process as a display tool to project onto a screen during class discussion to help the class keep track of ideas. Then, after listing all the ideas it can be organized into different formats in order to appeal to all types of learners and thinkers. It is a simply awesome program, and I am so glad I learned about it!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Blog Post Number 3
Lesson plans using technology are something with which teachers of this up and coming generation have been blessed. Teachers of the past struggled to create lesson plans by hand, using whatever paper and classic resources such as research by-hand in libraries with dusty old volumes and such. Teachers of this generation have so much more available at hand with not only computers, but all the other technology that is useful in today's world. An example of a lesson plan utilizing technology that I could create as a middle school English teacher is a project using blogs. If I was teaching a novel, let's use Romeo and Juliet as an example, I could have my students create a type of blog project where they portray what either Romeo and/or Juliet would have written in their personal blogs at the time. The students could create several blog posts showing knowledge of the storyline, as well as character development, but in a modern setting.
The website that I chose to review is a website for young students filled with educational games and resources for math and reading. The website is called FunBrain.com and the section of the website with the games is known as the “Kids Center.” The first rule presented in Chapter 6 is the “general design principle” and the site seems to meet these requirements considering multimedia, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, coherence, modality, redundancy, and individual differences. Otherwise, the rest of the rules are very well represented on the website. The website’s greatest strength rule-wise is perhaps knowing it’s audience as all of the colors, styles, and navigation seem extremely well-suited to the age group the site is clearly geared toward. Lists are utilized extremely well, and size, placement and emphasis are always clear-cut and well-organized.
Most teachers that I have had in the past have not seemed to have much trouble with copyright issues, and I have even noticed several breaking expressly stated copyright rules by making copies, such as copies of pages of books in order to pass them out to the class. However, I have not once heard of a teacher getting in any serious trouble for this type of offense. As a teacher, I will try to avoid this issue at all costs. Most books can be either shared between students, or enough copies can be purchased in order for each student to have his or her own copy. Otherwise, as for videos and DVDs, showing them in a classroom setting is usually considered acceptable as it is considered an educational or "home viewing" environment in which no profit is being garnered and it is simply for entertainment and/or educational purposes. Furthermore, teachers can, as stated, get creative so that they do not need to violate copyright by creating their own handouts, tests and other teaching materials. As for students violating copyright rules, I plan to educate my students on the issue and constitute a strict policy as for something such as plagiarism.
The website that I chose to review is a website for young students filled with educational games and resources for math and reading. The website is called FunBrain.com and the section of the website with the games is known as the “Kids Center.” The first rule presented in Chapter 6 is the “general design principle” and the site seems to meet these requirements considering multimedia, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, coherence, modality, redundancy, and individual differences. Otherwise, the rest of the rules are very well represented on the website. The website’s greatest strength rule-wise is perhaps knowing it’s audience as all of the colors, styles, and navigation seem extremely well-suited to the age group the site is clearly geared toward. Lists are utilized extremely well, and size, placement and emphasis are always clear-cut and well-organized.
Most teachers that I have had in the past have not seemed to have much trouble with copyright issues, and I have even noticed several breaking expressly stated copyright rules by making copies, such as copies of pages of books in order to pass them out to the class. However, I have not once heard of a teacher getting in any serious trouble for this type of offense. As a teacher, I will try to avoid this issue at all costs. Most books can be either shared between students, or enough copies can be purchased in order for each student to have his or her own copy. Otherwise, as for videos and DVDs, showing them in a classroom setting is usually considered acceptable as it is considered an educational or "home viewing" environment in which no profit is being garnered and it is simply for entertainment and/or educational purposes. Furthermore, teachers can, as stated, get creative so that they do not need to violate copyright by creating their own handouts, tests and other teaching materials. As for students violating copyright rules, I plan to educate my students on the issue and constitute a strict policy as for something such as plagiarism.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Blog Post Number 2
As a student, I don't think there is any single program that has proven more useful and resourceful than Microsoft Word. The first time I really remember Word becoming important to me was in middle school because I would suppose this is when we started using word processing to produce documents for our classes. We began to type up weekly assignments for my Language Arts class in seventh and eighth grade, and I became infinitely better at typing that year. I clearly remember that my best friend had Word Perfect and I was jealous because I thought it was cooler than plain old Word and I pressured my mom to purchase it. We did not purchase it, but needless to say, Word has been more than enough to get me through my years as a students. The high school years were where Word definitely was the biggest asset to me, with all of the research papers and projects that I compiled over those four years. When I began to learn MLA style to write research papers in my Dual Enrollment classes, I do believe Word was the most accessed program on my computer for a while.
I have seen my teachers use Word in the past, as well. I have clear memories of teachers having newsletters and hand-outs throughout my years, even starting in elementary school, that no doubt were produced using Word. In high school, when the technology in the classrooms began to expand and SmartBoards were installed in the classrooms, Word became a template for teachers to type up bullet points for their lectures, or important notes for the class to copy. When I am a teacher, I am sure I will use Word for these purposes and beyond. I plan to take after my middle school Language Arts teacher in a lot of my teaching style as this is the same subject I will be teaching, so I hope to teach my students a lot about Word and what this dynamic program can do to improve their study skills and make their lives easier when they enter high school.
I have encountered countless new skills already in this class that I believe will assist me in my teaching career. CutePDF was a program of which I had never heard, and I believe will be a crucial resource for me as a teacher when I am surfing the web to research for my class. I learned about zipping a folder, about which I knew, but never fully understood the concept. But I believe the area in which I have learned the most is Microsoft Word itself. I had no idea how to utilize the very many options that you have including columns, shading and especially mail merge! I believe mail merge will probably prove to be the most useful thing that I have encountered as of now in this class. Considering this is only the third week of class, I know that I will continue to learn!
I have seen my teachers use Word in the past, as well. I have clear memories of teachers having newsletters and hand-outs throughout my years, even starting in elementary school, that no doubt were produced using Word. In high school, when the technology in the classrooms began to expand and SmartBoards were installed in the classrooms, Word became a template for teachers to type up bullet points for their lectures, or important notes for the class to copy. When I am a teacher, I am sure I will use Word for these purposes and beyond. I plan to take after my middle school Language Arts teacher in a lot of my teaching style as this is the same subject I will be teaching, so I hope to teach my students a lot about Word and what this dynamic program can do to improve their study skills and make their lives easier when they enter high school.
I have encountered countless new skills already in this class that I believe will assist me in my teaching career. CutePDF was a program of which I had never heard, and I believe will be a crucial resource for me as a teacher when I am surfing the web to research for my class. I learned about zipping a folder, about which I knew, but never fully understood the concept. But I believe the area in which I have learned the most is Microsoft Word itself. I had no idea how to utilize the very many options that you have including columns, shading and especially mail merge! I believe mail merge will probably prove to be the most useful thing that I have encountered as of now in this class. Considering this is only the third week of class, I know that I will continue to learn!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Blog Post Number 1
From kindergarten to graduate school, anyone who has been a student in this generation of computers can tell you that computers are an essential component of education. As a second-grader, one might learn about mathematics by playing an imaginative game where invading aliens must be destroyed by solving simple arithmetic equations. As a high school junior, one might construct an information-rich paper on a topic of his or her interest using research databases and Microsoft Office. For teachers, the computer is even more important. It would be unheard of for a teacher not to utilize a computer in order to prepare everything from a mundane seating chart to a complicated class website encompassing everything from homework help to web resource links. From a communication standpoint, it is the era of e-mail, and a teacher without e-mail would find him or herself very hard pressed to have an efficient means of communication with parents. Every step of the way, computers have shown their crucial influence upon the overall educational experience.
Personally, I rely on the computer as a resource constantly and plan to utilize it as a tool in my classroom whenever relevant. I plan to teach middle school English, and under this context, I believe a lot of the actual content of my course will take place away from the realm of computers, within literature, poetry and prose. However, I am sure that many of my future students, even more than I, will rely on technology in many facets of their lives, and I hope to incorporate this large part of their lives in the content of my course in order to make it more relevant.
Personally, I rely on the computer as a resource constantly and plan to utilize it as a tool in my classroom whenever relevant. I plan to teach middle school English, and under this context, I believe a lot of the actual content of my course will take place away from the realm of computers, within literature, poetry and prose. However, I am sure that many of my future students, even more than I, will rely on technology in many facets of their lives, and I hope to incorporate this large part of their lives in the content of my course in order to make it more relevant.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Introduction
Hey! I'm Brittany Smith and I'm an English Education major from Sarasota, Florida. This is my first year in college even though credits-wise, I'm considered a sophomore. I'm the Secretary of IRHC, the student organization that encompasses the hall governments of all the residence halls. To me, there's nothing better than game day at Florida State. My most valued possession is my planner- I'd go crazy without it. I live on-campus and love my residence hall, although I'm convinced it's haunted. My favorite things to do include spending time with family and friends, reading, writing, dancing, sports- especially football and men's basketball, watching movies, kayaking and white water rafting. Go Noles!
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