June 5th (Day 10)

Today in class we had work time to finish up last minute projects and time to complete our final project. Instantly I went to working on my final webpage and thought I would be lost with how to make one in general. Even though we had a guest speaker that helped, I had (of course) forgotten by the time I went to make my own even a week later. However, after getting help from a friend it proved to be incredibly easy. WordPress is a great program that made it easy for someone who is horrible with computers to make a webpage that will be shown to others. In this website I used flickr to find pictures that matched with my topic and YouTube to include videos as well. This last project was a final way of gathering all the information I had learned from the entire year and putting it towards something I will use in the future. This class has been a great way to learn tools that as a future teacher I will want to use when I have my own classroom. I am thankful for everything I have learned and feel a little more competent when it comes to technology.

May 29th (Day 9)

Today in class we had someone come in and talk to us about what WordPress was and how to use it. He began by having us set up our own free account and talking about all the different tools it had to offer. Once our account was set up we messed around with it and learned how to attach pictures and text to our dashboard. I was honestly really scared for the final project to use either WordPress or DreamWeaver just because I was not very sure on how to use either of them. But after his talking for an hour I feel much more confident and learned quite a few useful skills I can apply later on in my career. I also realized how nice of a website it is and how much kids could use it to make their own website for a class project. After that we also learned more about DreamWeaver and what that program had to offer. Personally for me it was a little more difficult to understand and comprehend, but I still enjoyed learning about it and how it differs from WordPress. Altogether I am very grateful we went over both for such a long amount of time because now I am confident in my abilities to make a final presentation.

May 29th (Day 8)

Last week in class we learned all about coding. At first I was slightly hesitant, but only because all I had heard about it was complicated and out of my area of expertise. However, as soon as we got started it became a little more clear and I could easily see the benefits of it. Going on to a website such as the one that deals with an hour of coding can give students insight that they otherwise would not have been able to attain. While participating in the hour of coding myself I found it was not as difficult as I once thought and was actually quite fun. The games were simple yet informational and honestly gave me satisfaction when I finished and completed something correctly. The game I played dealt with giving a monkey directions (using the different codes) in order for him to gather all the bananas he wants. I think this could be vital for students when I am teaching so they can gain the confidence on computers and learn coding, all while enjoying themselves. I am glad we participated in the hour of coding and I think it is a skill everyone should have.

May 22 (Day 7)

Unfortunately, this past week I was unable to be in class due to a class theater trip to the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Although I was not in class I found that I still used technology quite a bit to my advantage. For example, me being the directionally challenged person I am, I was walking back to the hotel by myself and got lost. So I used my GPS app to locate where I was supposed to go. I also noticed that I used websites like Yelp to see where we should go out to dinner and look up the menu and prices of each particular place. I realized just how important it is to know and understand how to use some of the resources we have in regards to technology today, because they really can make a difference.

May 8th (Day 6)

Today in class I started by finishing up my Google Earth tour. I had used Google Earth before to look up my house and other places, but never did I think I would be able to relate it to something educational. However, after class I am pleasantly surprised with just how useful it really can be and how easy it is to use. Making a tour was not that difficult and it was fun to try and make connections between multiple different places. I think this is a great tool to use in a classroom that would engage students while forcing them to look up facts about different places. This is something I will definitely keep in mind for when I have my own classroom and is something I would love to do with my students. Another tool I found useful that we learned about today was something called "Socrative". This is something that I had never heard about but actually think is very interesting and a unique tool. For example, in a classroom setting I would set it up so when I ask a question students would be able to record their answers in either a true/false style or a multiple choice. It is a great way to see what the students think that also allows them to be anonymous throughout. This is another tool I will definitely have to use in the future that I think could be very beneficial.

May 4th (Day 5)

Often times when I look something up, the first couple of links that come up I automatically will click on and believe. I do not look to see if they are a real website, I just trust that since they are high up on my search bar they are. However, after today's class I am starting to double check every source I go to and make sure it is accurate. I had never thought that there would be such bogus websites out there giving false information. I never realized just how easy it was to stumble across them and potentially believe them. I really enjoyed our last class because it broke me apart from my shell a little bit and opened my eyes to how things really are. As a future educator I need to make sure I am using reliable sources and giving the right information, I also need to make sure I am teaching my students how to find the correct websites that are not hoax's. After a class like we just had I am positive I will be able to do so.

April 27th (Day 4)

In the last class we began talking about making a movie on an iPad and what that looks like and what that could do. Never having been around iPad's a whole lot I was a little nervous to use it and to figure out what it can do. I really had no clue it could be used for so many different tools and I never even thought about how helpful it can be to students. Years ago I do not believe people would have thought that technology would play such a large role in the classrooms, however, they do make a big impact and more and more students are growing up with them in their hands. So when we began the discussion of how making a movie in a classroom could be beneficial I was blown away by the responses and examples other students gave and what could be done with it. I now can see how it would encourage teamwork and cooperation, it is a way for students to express themselves, it is a way to show their understanding of a book they just read or something they just discussed. There are numerous ways it can help give students a creative outlet and the possibilities are truly endless. After this class I am finally realizing that we can not stop the advancement of technology in a classroom and it can actually be a good, useful tool.

April 17th (Day 3)

As we walked into class today I was not sure what we were going to talk about. All I saw on the projector was a notice to remind us to blog and a note that told us to work on our photoshop collage. So I went to do my collage and was still kind of curious as to what we were going to do once we were all done. As soon as it was evident that the majority of us were done, or close to being done, with out collage we began to watch a video. As the video played I was honestly really impressed, I have never made a movie and was astonished at how well the movies turned out for these kids and how much they enjoyed making them. When our discussion of how can you integrate videos in a classroom began I was not sure if I was going to agree with it or not, or even have anything to add. However, I was surprised with how much I agreed with it. Granted, I did not agree with all of it but I certainly did agree with a lot. Some of the things I agreed with was the recording of a person reading and then playing it back to them. I feel as if this can be a very useful tool for students to identify where they are struggling and then proceed to try and fix it. It can also be helpful for the teachers to look back on later when they have more time to see how they could help the student. Another way I thought was a good idea was videoing the teacher and then having them look back on it later to learn what they can do better. I feel as if this is a tool that I will personally use later on when I begin teaching for the first time. As much as I agreed with the fact that we need videos in the classroom, I do not think we need them for every situation. I am a very old fashioned person and I do not always think new technology is the perfect solution to everything, I believe there are numerous ways for a student to be creative. Nevertheless it was interesting to learn about and a good way to gain a new perspective.

April 10th (Day 2)

I absolutely loved how we started class today. Looking at all of the different photographs and attempting to figure out if they were photo shopped or not. I had no idea that photographs could look so real and yet be completely fake. Since I am not that used to working with computers I was honestly really surprised. It was quite interesting to me to look at the photos and try to look for the clues that shows whether or not they are authentic. I was unaware of all the clues and tells when looking at a photograph. Then, when we went over photo shop I was unbelievably overwhelmed. Never before have I used the program and I never imagined there could be so many options and things available to us. However, I am really excited to mess around with it and discover for myself each of the tools it offers. A lot of what we went over also really resided with me for when I have a classroom of my own. For example, all of the magazines that may have pictures that are not real in them. As a teacher I want to make sure I am giving my students the correct information, so I now know I need to watch out for that and use the correct resources. Before this class I never would have thought this way, and now I am glad I have all of this information!

April 3rd (Day 1)

To be quite honest I was not sure what to expect when I walked in to class today. I am not very good with computers and my knowledge is very limited on to what I do know. I am also very intimidated when it comes to computers since I do not have much experience. However, even after today I know way more than I did when I walked in. Learning about Web.2.0 was eye opening and really interesting. I had no clue all the purposes of some websites and never realized how helpful they could be. Since I am not especially good with computers, learning about the resources they provide was honestly needed. I never really understood how vital computers are to the classroom and how they could aid you when you are teaching everyday. For example, when we went on to the Go2Web.com website I was blown away by the tools available to anyone who wants them. There were so many games that would be beyond helpful to students and they were all done in a way that was fun and easy to learn. Also, there were practice problems for kids who may be struggling with a certain subject and lesson plans and worksheets that the teachers could print off. Since I want to teach either elementary students or special needs students, this website proved to be a great resource and one that I can gain ideas from and potentially use in the future. I am very happy we were introduced to it today and I know I gained from today's class.