If there is one thing I've learned about taking this course, it is that I am not as good with technology as I thought! I have learned so much about so many different tools that you can use inside and outside of the classroom, and I now feel much more knowledgeable about technology use.
Overall, I really enjoyed all of the projects we have done in this class. Most of them can definitely be used in an elementary school classroom and for personal use! I love taking pictures with my friends and having them as memories, so the projects I enjoyed the most were Picasa, Glogster, iMovie, etc.
For the classroom, I really liked all of the Google docs. programs, the interactive spreadsheet, and the wikis! I didn't have a Google account prior to this class, and I am so glad I do now. I didn't realize that there are SO many things you can do through Google - and I will definitely be using it often through my career.
I even enjoyed the simple things we did - like blogging, and inserting pictures and links into our various projects. I feel much more comfortable with new programs now, and no longer hesitate to be creative when working with new sites.
This has been such a fun class, and it has provided me with the basic knowledge that I didn't have before about technology use. It is becoming so important these days to incorporate technology into the classroom, and I now feel as though I have the proper tools and knowledge to do so.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
iMovie/Digital Stories
I was really excited to hear that we were going to be working with iMovie this semester. This is a program I've always seen on my computer, but never tried experimenting with. I love putting pictures together and being able to add music and make a movie or slide show for any occasion. I've always wanted to make slide shows on DVD for friends, and now I am glad I know how!
Although I enjoyed working with iMovie, it took me a little while to figure out how to use it. There are no real clear directions within the program, and I had to play around with it for a little bit before I got the hang of it. I wished some of the tasks were more clear - such as changing the length of the slide and personalizing font and text size. Besides a few minor problems, I really enjoyed iMovie and I will definitely use it again!
Although I enjoyed working with iMovie, it took me a little while to figure out how to use it. There are no real clear directions within the program, and I had to play around with it for a little bit before I got the hang of it. I wished some of the tasks were more clear - such as changing the length of the slide and personalizing font and text size. Besides a few minor problems, I really enjoyed iMovie and I will definitely use it again!
Animoto
Animoto is a really neat program!! I have actually heard about this, but have never experimented with it before until this class. It is a very useful site used to create short movies and slide shows. I love experimenting with slide shows and making them - they are very useful for a variety of reasons. This program could be used in the classroom to make a slide show of your year before school gets out, or you could even make it educational and make a slide show out of a science lesson plan. Although I really enjoyed Animoto, I think this website has more benefits for fun use than it does educational.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Google Forms/Spreadsheets
I learned a lot about Google Forms in doing the research for the presentation. It is a great resource that can be used heavily by teachers. Google forms provides you with the opportunity to create different types of surveys, questionnaires, quizzes, or tests. I like how it gives you the options to create any type of question - whether it be multiple choice, rating, drop down, text, etc. I will definitely be using Google Forms in my classroom. I plan on giving my students a "get to know you" survey the first day of class so that I can start getting to know their interests and preferences. I will also use Google Forms when planning different types of assessment.
I definitely did not have that much experience with spreadsheets before doing the in-class activity. The most experience I've had with them is just simply typing peoples information in - such as names and phone numbers. I really like using spreadsheets because I like having information set in front of me in an organized manner. I am still in the process of completing the interactive activity, but I think it is really neat - and is something I could definitely use in my classroom to make games or study aides for my students. I am still learning how to use spreadsheets and excel and still feel like there is a lot I don't know how to do with it - but I am enjoying learning about it, and I know it's a very helpful resource for various uses.
I definitely did not have that much experience with spreadsheets before doing the in-class activity. The most experience I've had with them is just simply typing peoples information in - such as names and phone numbers. I really like using spreadsheets because I like having information set in front of me in an organized manner. I am still in the process of completing the interactive activity, but I think it is really neat - and is something I could definitely use in my classroom to make games or study aides for my students. I am still learning how to use spreadsheets and excel and still feel like there is a lot I don't know how to do with it - but I am enjoying learning about it, and I know it's a very helpful resource for various uses.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Inspiration
I really liked working with Inspiration. It kinda took me a while to figure out what I was doing at first, but once I got the hang of it I had a lot of fun with it! I like how you can totally make it your own - through the layout, fonts, colors, size, and pictures you add. This could be a great resource for teachers when discussing topics that have more than one category, or that have a lot of different examples. It really helps you see how things that are all related to one topic are broken up into different groups.
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