Week 13

What

This week we didn't learn anything new, but we talked about the final projects we can do. We can use any program and do practically anything that we would like.

So What

For me as a student I this can be very useful. This project gives me a chance to be creative and experiment with different ideas. I can take what I learn from my experiments and use them when creating other projects.
Along with playing with ideas and themes, I am learning more about the technology I am using. When I was making my brochure I used tools on Microsoft Publisher that I didn't know it had. So when I have to make a brochure in the future I will know then if I had never used it before.

Now What

Well Like I said above I can use my experience with the different programs and make things for my classes. I can also teach my children to use these programs for projects and anything that they would like. I can see myself using publisher to make another brochure or flyer that I would use to show my class how to do a book report, history project, etc.
I can also use this in my private life. If I am in charge of a committee and we have to send out flyers to the community I will be able to pull something together with ease. This can also be used for presenting a topic at a meeting.

Video

I love School House rock! This is a really fun video that I know kids would live to sing along with and even dance with. It is a fun and creative way to teach kids about nouns. They will be able to recall what nouns are by remembering this song. I know I could have used it when I was younger.

Week 12

What We Talked About in Class This Week

In class this week we learned about videos on the web and how they can help us teach our classes. Through you tube and numerous other sites we can find almost any information.

Why Are We Learning This

I can see how videos online could be very important to our teaching. Most kids now are online many hours a day and if we can reinforce good learning online then that time could be spent learning something new. If in the classroom we can instill good habits in kids then they can grow up learning good information instead of pointless facts that can be found online.
It's too bad that when I was a child in elementary school they didn't have as much information and resources online to help teach. I know that now I would be a better student through the online information. It would have been a great thing to learn at a young age where I can find good information.

My Future Students

From my experience with the videos online I can teach my students where they can find god information. I will help them to learn through the videos online. I don't want them to have to worry about finding good information by searching unreliable sites.
Another benefit to the online sites with the education information is that it is all in one place. I can find almost anything I need with in a site. It is very accessible and easy to find. It's so easy that I could send my students there without worrying. They can just type in a subject and the site will bring up numerous links.

Video

The video this week was interesting. Our technology has grown so much in just the last few years. Like some of the kids said at the end, one day we will have phones that interact with our gestures. As a person that grew up with this new technology I can adapt very easily to new technology, but my parents, like the ones in the video, have a harder time keeping up with the constant changes. It can get very frustrating for students that have to teach their parents how to work a new phone.

Week 11

Learning this week

In class this week we learned about podcasts and vidcasts. We talked about how we can use them in the classroom.

Means to me as a student

This is a really good tool for us to have at our disposal. If we need to find a quick and fun to teach a concept why not use a prerecorded tool. It will be really nice to have this information for my future classes in the education program. It opens up a lot of other options when it comes to teaching.
Right now in my life I don't see myself using these tools, but that is only because I don't have any reasons to. However I would like to use this when the opportunity arises. I can use it to teach or describe an activity while I am able to work on another task.

Future teaching

I don't know how often I will make my own podcast or vidcast, but I am sure that I will use the ones available to me online. I really like the school house rock and I know that I will want to use it in my class and this tool helps me to find them easily. With these many sites at my disposal I can find a lot of information.
For other uses I would probably use this for my kids. Put on something that they can listen to while doing homework or reading. That way they can learn while at home in a fun easy way. It is kind of like that thing people do when they listen to classical music while sleeping. I think the same idea applies. They aren't just focusing on the video or sound, but it is there in the back of their minds.

Video

It was a really basic video, but I think it got the point across. Having students blog in a safe environment it a good idea. They are able to express their feelings and for ideas. It can also give confidence if people like what they are saying. They can see that what they think is important, and that is very important to a child. Adults aren't the only ones that need support and encouragement.

Week 10

We Learned This Week..

In class this week we talked about how to use Power Point. We learned how we can post pictures on a slide and then put on a word document.

Means to Me as a Teacher/Student Right Now..

I have actually been working with power point for many years now. When I was in the ninth grade I took a class that taught you everything about power point. I did need the review though and I also needed the boost to get my creative juices moving. I could definitely use this program right now in my classes, especially for presentations.
I can see my self using it to create practice lesson plans and activities for my future classes. It is also a great program that I can use to share my ideas in a fun creative way. I really like to use it when I am in groups, because you can put all the information your group collects into a formal and organized format.

What About my Future Students?

I would think I would want to teach my students how to use this program so that they can use it to be creative with their projects. Also, I would want them to find new ways to do fun activities with power point. This would be useful to them as they move on to upper grades. It's something that they can take with them as they advance. They can also have a nice base for when newer versions come out.
Along with teaching my students how to use power point I would use it to teach them new subjects. Not only with lecture slides I would want to use it to make games and quiz activities. It would just be a fun tool to have at my disposal to make learning fun for my students.

Video

I am What I Learn. I love this video, not only she super sweet, but I loved how she connected everything she has learned about chickens to different subjects in her class. She also gave a small list of the many options she has for careers when she gets older because she has a fun hobby. This is an idea that I would use in my class. I would support my students in finding future jobs in subjects that they love. A job in only great when you love what you are doing!

Week 9

What did we talk about this week

This week we learned how to us Picassa. With the program we manipulated pictures so that we can make slides and other projects.

What about now

I really liked this program. I never knew how to change pictures up before and now that I know there is a simple way to do it, I could see myself using picassa in the future. I don't know if I would use it right now as a student. I'm not sure what I would use it for.

I would this program on a more personal level. It would be fun to share with my friends when we take pictures. It would be a good way to represent our fun times.

The Future

As a future teacher I would use this program to teach my class. I could use it to make my information more fun and creative. Also, is would be a great tool for my students to use when they are doing a project. They can use it to make pictures different and fun.

This would be really fun to use in my class. I love to be creative and I could spend hours messing around with it. It would be fun for me and for my students, it wouldn't be the same boring pictures every time. This would me a chance to represent my creativity and show my students that they can be as creative as they want.

Video

I loved this video! It was really creative and taught a good lesson. He played up what most people would do wrong on a slide show. I like that he did that, because it tells people that they need to be careful when they make a slide. If it has too much data, crazy fonts and back rounds, they will just lose the people they are presenting to.

He also presented this information in a fun way. He was making fun of all the thing people do, but it came across as just funny and light.

Week 8

So this week class was cancelled and we were given time to work on our Power Point presentation with the use of digital pictures. My partner and I were able to collaborate and create a fun slide show that teaches the us of math through pictures. It was really nice to have that time to work on our assignment. That extra time worked to our advantage.

Video

I loved this video! It was really creative and taught a good lesson. He played up what most people would do wrong on a slide show. I like that he did that, because it tells people that they need to be careful when they make a slide. If it has too much data, crazy fonts and back rounds, they will just lose the people they are presenting to.

He also presented this information in a fun way. He was making fun of all the thing people do, but it came across as just funny and light.

Week 7

Learning about Digital Cameras

This week we talked about using digital cameras in a class. Along with computers cameras can be a very helpful tool with many lessons.

What Cameras Mean to me

I don't think I have ever used a camera for any of my classes, but I love using them. Cameras can document your many adventures. They can hold a lot of pictures at one time and are far better than the disposable cameras. With digital cameras you can put a memory card in and when it's full put another one in. So you are always using the same camera many times. Another thing that is great about digital cameras is that you can to do anything you want to your pictures with just a click a few buttons.

I always have my camera with me. When I am with my friends we take tons of pictures and I'm glad that we do. I can look back at them in years to come and remember what we did that day.

Future Uses

I'm not sure how I will get enough cameras to use in a class, but I think that I could use them in many way. I know that I will want tons of pictures of my classes. Along with my personal wants I can use them to take pictures that can be used in the classroom. So things that I would want to use them for are like taking pictures of the seasons, field trips, and taking pictures for art related projects.

As for using them with colleagues, I could use pictures for slide shows of things I do in my class. I can share with my colleagues my ideas in a clear way, so that they can see how they would do it. Cameras have great uses and can be great for a class room and teacher.

Videos

I am so impressed by the mash up, I could not ever create anything like that. The way they collaborated all the videos is crazy. They would have to be super dedicated and creative to create the music that they did. It shows that you can do all sorts of creative things with technology.

The top ten video was very informative. I really liked it! I never thought about half the things they talked about. It's nice to get tips from teachers that you couldn't get any where else. I know that these kinds of tips are the ones that really make a difference.

Week 6

Internet Use in Classrooms Review

I definitely think that the Internet can be use full in a class room. It should be utilized as much as possible. The Internet has vast amount of information, yes there is a lot that is not important, but you can find information about anything at just a click of a button. It costs hundreds to collect that information in books, money that can be saved by using what is free online. There are thousands of sites that range from kindergarten learning to twelve grade.

When we do use the resources online we need to make sure that the site is safe. Each site should be safe for any elementary student to look at. If we did not review the site first we may put up images or information that is too mature for children to see. What children see is very important and if we allow inappropriate images invade their minds they may end up with serve problems. Along with affecting the children we affect their parents. Parents don't wan their children to see bad images, if they find out that they do they could cause legal problems and you could lose your job.

When you let children surf the Internet make sure they have a guide to go by. Give them many sites to choose from or put blocks on their computers. They need to be as safe online as they should be in a classroom. It is our job to check sites and make sure that they are appropriate for your students.

Questions for a Website Safety!

Did you link to this site from a site you trust?

Is the spelling and grammar correct on the page?

Who wrote the pages and are they an expert?

How can you find out more about the author?

Is the author's e-mail address included?

Is there a date on the page that tells you when it was last updated? If so, is it current?

Does up-to-date information matter for your purpose?

Does the information contradict something you found somewhere else?

Video

There are a few things that I like about this video. I like the rules that are given and how they are worded. They choose, probably, the most important rules that have to do with being safe on the Internet. The other thing that I liked was the music that went along with it. It worked with the video in a good way. I just didn't like that it wasn't very creative looking. They could have made it more "kid like".

Week 5

When I started my page on UEN I liked the idea of having a place to find information for my class. It is really helpful to have a "home base" for my resources. With having the curriculum at my finger tips is very nice. I can just get onto my page and link right to the information. I knew that UEN held all that I needed, but I never took the time before to venture through it. Along with having the curriculum available I also have access to vast amount of resources for teaching.

I really liked the Pioneer Library link. It has so much information and information that is legitimate. I can find information on sites like google, but there is no guarantee that they are true. It is the same with the numerous search engines on UEN, they provide good information that I would feel comfortable sending my kids to.

I will use this site to give my kids options in information sources. I know they will have this option when doing a project. Along with my students, their parents will be able to look at the things we are learning about. They will have access to that information. I will use this as well to keep track of what I am planning to teach.

Last I want to talk about the ability to look at lesson plans. I have to admit that I am scared to teach, I don't know what to teach. With the lesson plans available I can look at the different options there are to teach a topic. It gives me the hope that I can get use to teaching and find fun creative ways to teach that subject.

Video

I really liked the idea of this video. We need to support children in going to school. They are our future. They will create the world in forty years. It was interesting how he would introduce the topic, but I really liked it. All he said is true, children our the future.

Week 4

What's new this week?

This week we explored the UEN website. We created our own pages and looked at the many applications we can put on our page.

Me as a student

I don't know how I will use UEN right now. Other than this class and when I get into the program I don't think I will be using this for my other classes. It is nice though, to have a site that direct you to anything you may need for a lesson. I was very interested in the three site we went to. The library, the media site, and the tech support site. I know as I start to work in the program these tools will be very helpful to me.

It is very nice to know where things are now. I knew that UEN had helpful tools, but I never looked at it too much. I didn't think I would need to until I became a teacher, which is pretty true. The site has a lot of information available for teachers and in a quick orderly way.

UEN for me as a teacher

I really like the pages we set up. It's nice to have that available for the future. The personal page is great, I can edit things with out people being able to see all that I do. I can create pages and assignments and keep them to my self and post the ones that I like. It has great apps. for kids to use as well. I can have my students get on my site and look at different things.

I can use this as well with other teachers and parents. I can post the sites we are going to that week and assignments that I want to use in my class. I can also look at my colleagues pages and see what they are doing in their classes.

Video

I really liked this video. It didn't pussy around the reality of things, President Obama said right out what is important and what is to be expected of kids at school. I like that he said that you need to do this for yourself. The best people fail, but get back up and try again. They practice what they do until they do it well. That is how it is at school. You have got to practice all you do so that you can be good at it.

Another thing that I liked was that these kids will be the next generation to do great things. they will be part of history and make this world better than it is, if they just work hard at school. They have to take responsibility and do the best they can.

Week 3

What new did I learn today?

Today we continued in google. We learned how to create a presentation, a slide show, through google.

What about today?

I definitely think I will use this program while I am still at school. Any project I get I can present through this program. It keeps the in information well organized and clean. I can find what I need with out a problem. It's handy to have when I start something at school and need to finish it at home, when I have time.

When I am working with a group this program will definitely be helpful. I can chat with my partners while I am working on the presentation. We can also fix any mistakes another person makes and edit our own work. Another thing that is useful is that it is online. We don't have to worry about saving it to a jump drive or disk, then have to pass it around so that everyone in the group can work on it. This allows me and my group work on at all at once.

So what about when I teach?

During class I was playing around with the presentation option. I really like the ability to create a power point online that you can access anywhere. As a teacher I may not use it as much, because I am planning to teach third grade. However, I would use it as often as I could. It is a handy tool to have when you want to teach in a clean, professional way.

As for my future students I could assign them a project and they could use this program to create a presentation for the class. Assignments like history, science, and book reports. This gives them another option to presenting their topics. Along with my students I could use this for presentations to fellow colleagues.

Video

I really like this video. The message is very important. An education is very important to reach the career you want. You spend that time in a class room getting experience before it really counts for something. A employer will not want to higher a person that dropped out of high school. They look for people that know their stuff and can succeed in what they do.

Week 2

What have I been learning?

Well this week we learned and worked with google and its many apps. I never knew there was so much available through google! We worked with its calender, a great idea by the way, and the documents option that allows you to save your work online and work on it any where with the Internet.

So what does this mean to me as an aspiring teacher?

I know that I am going to use these programs from now on. I definitely will use the calender. It will help me manage my schedule with such ease. The documents setting it also super helpful. I can start something at school, save it, and then continue at home. I can see why this would be a great thing for people in the program to have. They don't have to stay at the school for hours trying to get work done, when now they can do all they want at school and do the rest at home.

Along with using documents yourself you can work with others too. I love that. You can invite people to work on the paper too. I never would have thought of this. This has to be the one thing a college student can get the most benefit from. Instead of having to set up a time that works for everyone you can just set up this document and let everyone in the group work on it at their own convenience.

Now what will happen?

So I think my favorite part was learning about the calender, I have been looking for something like this for a long time. Plus being a poor college student I couldn't go out and buy one of those expensive programs that does the same thing as google. When I become a teacher I know I will use this app. for setting up my schedule for the class. This would allow me to know what is coming and when I would have time to fit other things in the schedule; also the parents would see what is planned for their child.

The documents setting is great too. My students will be able to work with a safe program to write stories, papers, and anything else they want to. Also it is a controlled setting. I will be able to check their work and they can do it at home or school.

Video!

I am what I learn. I thought it was a good video, as in it had a good theme. I like that it inspires you to live your dream and work hard. You can make the choice to make things better for yourself, by not letting what happens to you get you down. For children and teens still in school this video would help them see that no matter what is happening you can find something that makes you happy. It's your choice!

My Classroom

I think the first thing that got me into teaching was the fun I had in elementary school. I loved just about all of it. The other thing that inspired me to teach was well having my own classroom for kids to come learn and feel safe.
I have thought about what my room would like a thousand times. Different ideas have come and gone. When I first started working in class rooms I can across this first grade class. The teacher had set up her room according to a Disney theme. From her hand outs to the name tags, it was all Disneyfied. I loved that idea (not just the Disney part), but I loved that she had themed her room. I later found out that she changed the theme every year. I love that idea, it's one I can see myself using. I want my room to have color and pictures that invite learning.
Other things that I like are the list of rules for subjects like writing a paper, writ ting a sentence. Also the students art will be put all over the room. They should be able to see their art and share it with their parents, other students, and teachers.
Along with a bright room I would like to have students to fill it. The one thing that I want my students to leave with is a happy mind full of new things. When they first come into my room I want them to feel excited to learn. I love the idea of my students asking me questions and remembering what I taught them.
I hope to work with my students one on one as often as I can. I want to get to know each student and help them with what they need individually. I learn through visual aid and trying it myself and that is how I plan to teach. The class will contribute instead of me telling them what things are with out letting them see and feel them.
In all I want to encourage learning, but in a fun bright way. A way that one day those kids will come back to me and say "I remember when you taught us about the constitution". I hope that what i teach will be remembered that students can move on with excitement to learn the next thing.