Digital Story

So, this was my favorite project of all that I have done. I love seeing a product so put together. I am a perfectionist so this task was stressful at times, but overall my favorite. I loved picking out pictures to use... in fact, it was hard to eliminate them. I loved picking out songs... although it was hard to find them. I feel that in the end, through all my hard work, difficult decisions, a few dedicated hours, and a few tears (just kidding :) ) It was all worth it.

I LOVE MY DIGITAL STORY!!!

I just wish everyone else could see it and love it as much as I do....

Classroom Website

Ok, so I actually loved creating my classroom website. This was a very helpful activity! I will definitely use this process again. It was easy to access and use and I am very proud of my work. It was great. If you would like to check out what I have done with it, click here.

Classroom website

I am looking forward to making a website. I have always wondered how in the world you even begin to make a website, and now I get to do it! I am looking forward to making it my own just as I have every other assignment.

Interactive spreadsheet

Ok, so I made this interactive spreadsheet for multiplication tables for second graders. It was actually kind of fun once I figured out what to do. However, the hardest part was typing in the formulas over and over. Something kept happening with the formulas I was typing in for the spreadsheet to score the answers, and I kept having to type it in over and over.
I don't know how often I will use this in my classroom because a) It might be easier just to make it into a worksheet they write on if I am going to use that, and b) there will probably not be enough computers in the classroom that will allow them all to finish it in enough time. If I have that luxury though, I will be sure to do it.

Inspiration Activity

I enjoyed doing the Inspiration Activity. I found that it was a convenient way to organize my thoughts, as well as see them all laid out. I could make changes much easier than writing it down on a piece of paper and it was much more eye-catching than a plain sheet of paper and a pencil. I would use this tool again to plan lessons, if I had this program on my computer. Hopefully, when I get my school computer when I become a classroom teacher, I will be fortunate enough to have this tool.

Inspiration Social Studies Outline

The textbook that goes along with this lesson is cited here:

Bendnarz, Dr. S. W., Cortes, Dr. C.E., Jennings, Dr.
C., Schug, Dr. M.C., White, Dr. C.S., Viola, Dr.
H.J. (2009). Social studies Tennessee:
communities. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Creating presentations

I created the opposites presentation in GoogleDocs today. Because I am savvy and can use Powerpoint pretty well, it did not take me long to do the presentation. In fact, I think GoogleDocs presentations are easier to use than Powerpoint! It is very convenient. In fact, I don't know why anyone (who uses these things for the same purposes I am) would need to buy these programs. Anyway, I feel like I am already better able to use technology and that I am excited about. I didn't think this class would be very helpful, but it is turning out to be useful in all of my other classes too.

Opposites slide show

Pictures

Lesson Plan

Because I have a lot of experience writing lesson plans, I did not feel that the lesson plan activity was too difficult. I did have a little trouble incorporating technology into the classroom, but it was not extremely difficult to do so. Language arts is not always the most technology friendly, but my partner and I found a way to make it work. I felt that this was a worthwhile activity and helps me prepare lessons with technology incorporated in them.

It's not so bad!

I was feeling overwhelmed with all of the things we are beginning to do in here. I am now more comfortable with iGoogle, Google Reader, and how to link blogs I'm following from Blogger to Reader. I am no longer overwhelmed, although I do need to find websites to put on my Webquest. I need to focus on that, but first, I am going to work on following more blogs!

Exciting.

We are studying wikis now. I am still a little confused... but I'm sure it will become clear as I play with it more. I know we have to do an assignment involving me posting helpful websites to the different pages of the Early Childhood Eduction wiki, so I'm sure I will understand it by the time it is finished.

I also used Google Docs for another class. We had a group project, and I made te project on Google Docs, and then shared it with everyone in my group so they could see it. It was very convenient.

Leslie

I created a wiki today. That was interesting. It was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be, but I do feel special saying I am a part of one. The thing I feel especially cool about is being able to link URLs to words. That's super fun. I've always wondered how you do that, and I am glad I know how now.

Another one

In class today, we talked more about blogs and learned how to link videos, photos, and websites to our blogs. I tried doing this, and if you are interested, I linked a pretty cool teaching website to my post below. It has games for children, lesson plans, and subjects for all grades K-12. It's actually a good resource for both teachers and parents. (It's also the website I talk about in my evaluating websites post.)

Learning how to link

Ok, let's see if this works. Try this link to this cool teaching website I found!

Evaluating Websites

In class on Wednesday, we did an assignment where we found a website and evaluated it based on the criterion listed. It was an interesting activity. I knew that websites needed to have certain elements that make it a reliable source, but it was nice to have an exact checklist to help with this endeavor. I found that the author of the website was reliable, and the information posted was cited. The graphics and information loaded quickly, and even the videos and games on the website were quick and easy to use. I would use this website as a teacher because of the reliability and accessibility. I will definitely use the checklist again as a resource to decided whether or not a website is reliable.

Introduction to Blogs

Ok, so I have always thought people who blog are crazy and I said I would never do one. But, as you can see, I am. It's required for school so of course I am doing it. Who knows... maybe it won't be as bad as I thought.

This blog will cover my journey as I explore and learn about technology. Some of it I already know, and some of it is brand new.

I hope you enjoy it,

Leslie