EDU 3040 Class 8/30

Our entire class tonight focused on WebQuests. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet with a clear task in mind. WebQuests are great for teachers. Students must find information on their own, but still have a little help on where to look. WebQuests are a wonderful way to bring technology into teaching.

We spent time in the computer lab looking at WebQuests on the internet. This gave us an idea on what information was needed. It also helped us to know how to arrange one. Then, we began making our own WebQuests. There is more to it than I thought, but I am excited to make one and see how it turns out.

EDU 3040 Class 8/23

We began class tonight by discussing instructional and assistive technology for students with special needs. Instructional technology is any type of device with the capability to support the teaching-learning process. Assistive technology is specifically designed to aid those with disabilities. There are numerous types of both instructional and assistive technology. It is important that teachers know about and understand these technologies. This way,they can be effectively integrated into the classroom.

After the discussion, we went into the computer lab. There we worked on our websites. It is much more difficult to create a website than I thought. Therefore, I am glad to be learning how to do it. I need as much help as I can get.

Copyrights and Copying Wrongs

It is a video of a law.gov workshop hosted by Stanford University. The topic was copyright laws and fair use. There were many speakers from different universities and such.The purpose of law.gov is to try and get the federal and state governments to make it easier to access information. This will help smaller research companies all the way down to students. Access to information is expensive. Therefore, many people cannot get information they may need because they simply cannot afford it.

EDU 3040 Class 8/16

We began class by discussing copyright laws and rules of etiquette. These should be followed when doing anything on the internet. If you use something created by someone else, you need to ask for permission and give the person credit for the work. You cannot call it your own. Also, teachers and students need to know what information should and should not be put out on the internet. For example, you should not put the full names of your students on your web site.

We also talked about why teachers should have web sites. Web sites serve a variety of purposes for a teacher. They can be used to communicate with parents and students as well as other teachers. I looked at two different teacher web sites that I really liked.

The first was a site for Mrs. Raude's 3rd Grade Gifted Brainbusters. http://www.teacherweb.com/FL/SunsetLakesElementary/MrsRaude/apt4.aspx Her site included a parent's corner with different information for parents. There were also announcements, projects, and activities. She also had a teacher's file cabinet with links to many different sites that are very useful for teachers.

The other site I looked at was Mrs. Baker's site for her 1st grade class.
http://teacherweb.com/GA/DuncanCreekElementarySchool/MrsBaker/h0.aspx She had information about herself as well as a link to he Blog. She also had a calendar and announcements. The thing I liked most about her site was the wish list. This is a list of items needed for the classroom that parents can donate. I think that this is a great idea.

We ended class by beginning work on our own web sites. We watched two tutorials that showed us how to use Google Site to do so. It is important for teachers to have a web site, and I am happy that I am learning how to create one now. This is definitely something I will use in the future.

EDU 3040 Class 8/09

After our usual quiz, we began class by discussing web site evaluations that everyone did. We were all assigned three web sites to go over and evaluate. I gained a lot of useful information during this discussion. I learned about many different websites that can help me both as a current college student and as a future teacher.

Next, we finished up work on our graphic organizers that we began last week. We linked different types of technology to ISTE Standards.

We then wrote a mid-point class evaluation and sent it to the professor via e-mail. This evaluation allowed me to tell the professor what I think about her, the class, and what I am learning. I am glad that she gave us this opportunity to let her know how we feel things are going.

We ended class by talking about how to make a grade book using Microsoft Excel. We then had some class time to work on creating our own grade books. It is crucial for teachers to know how to keep grades in an efficient and organized way. Otherwise, you will be lost.

EDU 3040 Class 8/02

We began class today with our usual quiz. We then took a minute to talk about curriculum and what it is. Curriculum is the knowledge, skills, and performance standards students are expected to acquire in different grade levels.

After that, we went into the computer lab to figure out different ways to integrate technology into our curriculum. We took a standard and told how we would use various types of technology to teach that standard. We talked about digital images, Wikis, Blogs, educational games, etc. We also talked about how to integrate technology for students with special needs. These included translation software, sound recorders, narrators, and many more assistive technologies. It is very important to understand technology so that I can effectively incorporate it into my classroom.

We ended class by working to make a graphic organizer using Kidspiration. As I have said in previous posts, I feel that Kidspiration is wonderful and I will most definitely use it in my future profession as an educator. It is great for both students and teachers.

EDU 3040 Class 7/26

We began class by working on our blogs. Then talked about why teachers use class newsletters. They do so to communicate to parents what is going on in the classroom and at school. It is very important that parents stayed informed about what is going on with their child. We then learned how to create a class newsletter using Microsoft Word. This is absolutely something I will use in my classroom, because newsletters are something that every teacher needs to make.

We also spent a little bit of time talking about the Kindle. It was a little off topic but still very relevant. The Kindle is mainly used to obtain and read e-books. However, it performs other tasks as well. This is important because the Kindle may one day be used for textbooks. It would reduce the number of books needed and may reduce costs.

We ended class by talking more about the educational software, Kidspiration. We got online and downloaded a 30 day trial of the software. This was so that we could play around and become more familiar with it. I am sure that children will enjoy this software because I do as an adult. There are many pictures and other visuals. It will definitely help children organize their thoughts about different subjects. This will help them to better understand different content. As I said before, I will absolutely have Kidspiration in my classroom.

EDU 3040 Class 7/19

We began this class by learning what software is and what it is used for. There are five specific tasks performed by software that cover anything you could possibly want to do. After learning this, we focused on Wikis. A Wiki is a collaborative website that allows users to create, add to, modify, or delete the website content via their web browser. This is different from a blog in that others can make changes to a person's post. Wikis are good for collaborative writing, team work, and much more. This will be great for student group projects and such. Wikis are definitely something I can and will incorporate into my classroom if it is age appropriate for my students.

We also talked a little about Kidspiration. It is educational software that allows students to perform numerous tasks. They can organize information by creating graphic organizers. They can also work on math, science, and language arts skills. Kidspiration is amazing! I will definitely have it in my classroom for students to use.

EDU 3040 Class 7/12

So far in EDU 3040 we have learned about technology and its impact on teachers and students. Technology is constantly changing, and teachers need to keep up with these changes in order to effectively incorporate it into the classroom.

There are many ways that teachers can use technology. For example, teachers use the Internet for research, professional development, communication, virtual field trips, and much more. Also, teachers can use various programs to make computers and the Internet accessible for those with special needs. These programs include magnifier, ear reader, sticky keys, etc.

Lastly, I learned how to use Blogger. I did not have any trouble creating my account and profile. Blogs are very useful. They allow people to communicate with others on any topic. In my future profession as a teacher, I can use blogs to communicate with my students and their parents.