My thoughts on technology in the classroom

I love using technology. I have always loved playing around on the computer and internet to discover cool new things to do. I have enjoyed this class and learning how to incorporate technology in the classroom. I think using technology in the classroom is essential for future teachers because it is a great way to maximize your students learning. Technology can provide so much more than you can as an individual. i really enjoyed making the webquest and will definitely be using something similar in my future classroom. I also enjoyed making the imovie, even though it was kind of frustrating to figure out how to put one together for the first time. technology will definitely be a big component in my future classroom and I have enjoyed this class this semester!

Using a website in the classroom

I love the idea of having a classroom website! My 351 mentor has one now and she gets a lot of her parent interaction through this site. Keeping up the site is the essential part of having one, and it is something that you have to have time for. This is a great way to introduce who you are to the parents who don't have time to come into the classroom and meet you. You can have a blog that updates them daily/weekly on what their students are doing in the classroom. For the upper grade levels you can post homework assignments on the website for the students to post, or provide link for useful tools. With parental permission you can also provide pictures and videos documenting the school year. This is also a good way to showcase your teaching methods and ability for your administration or if you were looking into changing schools. I will definitely have a classroom website in the future!

my thoughts on blogging!

I think blogging is a great tool for teachers. Its a way for them to document progress in the classroom along with giving the parents an easy way to access info on what their child is doing. Blogging consistently is something you have to make time for, but if you set aside 5 to 10 minutes at the end of the school day it can be done. I have played around with blogs before when i was younger and its something i enjoy doing. I see my future classroom having a website and a link to a blog, similar to this, for my students and parents to access.

My Caribbean Adventure: I movie

Using an imovie in the class

I really enjoyed making my imovie. It took a while for me to catch on to what we were doing. This is definitely a program that will take some practice. I did my imovie on a recent vacation that I took. This could be something i could incorporate into a social studies lesson. This would be good to emphasize culture and geography. I could show this video before or after a break like spring break or christmas break where a lot of students travel. I will definitely be using a program like imovie in my future classroom!

Interactive Spreadsheet

I enjoyed working with excel and creating an interactive spreadsheet. I'm really interesting in teaching K-2 and I'm not sure if i would use an interactive spreadsheet in the classroom, but it definitely would be a great tool for 3-5 and the upper grades. Its something that you have to have time to sit down and create and you must be familiar with all of the components of Excel. The big mistake i made was not saving it correctly and unfortunately i lost my spreadsheet that I made in class. This was frustrating because it took a lot of time to make!