This class has introduced me to a lot of useful technology tools to use in the classroom. We got to use the tools and put them into practice by incorporating them in real life stimulus situations. Technology in education is a rapidly growing field with many new advances every day. It can be hard for an educator to keep up with it all and find out what is useful. This class has taught me to fully evaluate every tool and even try it out before I use or discard it. I plan to use the tools I discovered this semester in the future in my library. I also plan to introduce the tools to my teachers so that they can also have knowledge of these wonderful tools and ways to utilize them. Teaching with technology is so vital in this day and age because technology is all around us. We have to find ways to motivate our students and get them involved in their learning. Technology not only excites them but it also makes room for more collaboration, communication and convenience. We have to plan to grow with technology to reach our students. I am happy been a part of this class and I commend Dr. Wang on her teaching style of introducing us to so much.
Hands-On Projects
The hands-on projects were very informative to learn and use. Each of course had their own advantages and disadvantages. They will be useful depending upon their subject and grade.
Lesson Plan I am a teacher going into my fourth year so I have been using quite a few different lesson plan formats. Every school or program requires a different one and this was my first time doing a flipped lesson plan. I liked how the plan does include a lot of room for technology activity. It also gives assignments for the students to do away from the teacher and classroom. You can include activities for the parents as well. |
Google Forms
I have used Google Forms in the pass for class work. They are really easy to create and use. I love how the surveys provide the feedback in a spreadsheet form. This will be my first year as a school librarian so I have already created a teacher and student interest survey using Google Form. If this implementation goes right I plan to use it a lot more often. I also want to use it to create a collaboration form for the teachers to use if they want to collaborate on a lesson. The forms are linked on the web so I won’t have to email them to the teachers I could just link them to the school library webpage.
I have used Google Forms in the pass for class work. They are really easy to create and use. I love how the surveys provide the feedback in a spreadsheet form. This will be my first year as a school librarian so I have already created a teacher and student interest survey using Google Form. If this implementation goes right I plan to use it a lot more often. I also want to use it to create a collaboration form for the teachers to use if they want to collaborate on a lesson. The forms are linked on the web so I won’t have to email them to the teachers I could just link them to the school library webpage.
Google Slides Google Slides was easy to use and would be great for group work. Students could share presentations and add information as they go and the changes will be saved instead of working on two separate documents. I personally loved to use Microsoft PowerPoint for a number of reasons. However I know that there are many other presentation softwares. |
Podcasts
I never used podcasts before this program but now I know how beneficial they can be to the classroom. Podcasts are recordings that can be created, shared and heard. They are good for students that need to hear a lesson over for remediation. Students can create their own podcasts to show their learning experiences. This could require them to conduct research before recording their podcast. Teachers can also create podcasts for students to simply refer to whenever they need help. Voocroo was an easy tool to use. I was actually shocked at how easy it was to use. You can record a message and published it to social media sites or email it to others. I plan to use podcasts in the future with library lessons but I also want to us it for a substitute when I am absent. They can play it for my directions to the students.
I never used podcasts before this program but now I know how beneficial they can be to the classroom. Podcasts are recordings that can be created, shared and heard. They are good for students that need to hear a lesson over for remediation. Students can create their own podcasts to show their learning experiences. This could require them to conduct research before recording their podcast. Teachers can also create podcasts for students to simply refer to whenever they need help. Voocroo was an easy tool to use. I was actually shocked at how easy it was to use. You can record a message and published it to social media sites or email it to others. I plan to use podcasts in the future with library lessons but I also want to us it for a substitute when I am absent. They can play it for my directions to the students.
Video Clips
This was my worst assignment to complete. I have used iMovie before for another class but now when I open it on my Macbook it freezes and closes. So I tried to be innovative and create a slide presentation with voice recording. However when I tried to upload it to YouTube it would not play my audio. I even tried to transfer it to QuickTime but the voice still wouldn’t work. Videos are good for education because they provide the visual aspect of whatever you are teaching. As a former kindergarten teacher I will say that videos were my best friend. If I read a book about whales I would watch a video about whales and the kids would love to be able to see actual whales. I loved it for the exposure because a lot of our topics were things the kids might never get to experience in real life. In the future I plan to let my students group up together and create their own video. I would love for my middle school students to create reenactments from their favorite books, or a video from the biography of their favorite person. Despite my hardship with this assignment it was one of my favorites.
This was my worst assignment to complete. I have used iMovie before for another class but now when I open it on my Macbook it freezes and closes. So I tried to be innovative and create a slide presentation with voice recording. However when I tried to upload it to YouTube it would not play my audio. I even tried to transfer it to QuickTime but the voice still wouldn’t work. Videos are good for education because they provide the visual aspect of whatever you are teaching. As a former kindergarten teacher I will say that videos were my best friend. If I read a book about whales I would watch a video about whales and the kids would love to be able to see actual whales. I loved it for the exposure because a lot of our topics were things the kids might never get to experience in real life. In the future I plan to let my students group up together and create their own video. I would love for my middle school students to create reenactments from their favorite books, or a video from the biography of their favorite person. Despite my hardship with this assignment it was one of my favorites.
Course Site
I was introduced to Weebly.com by one of my professors in the Library Science department and since then I have been in love with it. I currently have ten sites. It is so easy to use. It was a wonderful assignment because we were instructed to create it based upon a lesson but you can create it for a whole class. You can include assignments, videos, pictures, pages for parents and such much more. I have already created a Weebly page for my library for this upcoming school year. The good part about being in the library is that I am a service to all so they webpage is geared toward students, parents, and teachers.
I was introduced to Weebly.com by one of my professors in the Library Science department and since then I have been in love with it. I currently have ten sites. It is so easy to use. It was a wonderful assignment because we were instructed to create it based upon a lesson but you can create it for a whole class. You can include assignments, videos, pictures, pages for parents and such much more. I have already created a Weebly page for my library for this upcoming school year. The good part about being in the library is that I am a service to all so they webpage is geared toward students, parents, and teachers.
Quiz and Forum
This was my first time adding a quiz and a love how some things don’t have to linked out. The quiz can provide instant feedback to the teacher and it sends it to your email. The forum can be good for students are parents to discuss a topic. Online discussions are everywhere now-a-days.
This was my first time adding a quiz and a love how some things don’t have to linked out. The quiz can provide instant feedback to the teacher and it sends it to your email. The forum can be good for students are parents to discuss a topic. Online discussions are everywhere now-a-days.
Rubistar and East Test Maker
Rubistar was easy to employ it already has a number of different rubrics to use. It’s good for teachers that want to use rubrics but they don’t have the time to make them from scratch. They provide generic rubrics that can be used or customized for specific instruction. Easy Test Maker was also easy to use because you can create so many different types of questions. I don’t think I will use these in my library but I do plan to teach my teachers about them because they are excellent tools to use for the classrooms.
Rubistar was easy to employ it already has a number of different rubrics to use. It’s good for teachers that want to use rubrics but they don’t have the time to make them from scratch. They provide generic rubrics that can be used or customized for specific instruction. Easy Test Maker was also easy to use because you can create so many different types of questions. I don’t think I will use these in my library but I do plan to teach my teachers about them because they are excellent tools to use for the classrooms.
Electronic Portfolios
Electronic Portfolios are very good to show your understanding of the work you have done and provide artifacts. They are excellent to use for a job search. I had mine linked to a QR code on my business card and a brochure I made. A portfolio will give you a step above the rest by providing your work. I do think they must be necessary to create for a purpose. I don’t see myself creating one unless I create one for my annual evaluation.
Electronic Portfolios are very good to show your understanding of the work you have done and provide artifacts. They are excellent to use for a job search. I had mine linked to a QR code on my business card and a brochure I made. A portfolio will give you a step above the rest by providing your work. I do think they must be necessary to create for a purpose. I don’t see myself creating one unless I create one for my annual evaluation.
Blog
Blogging is a good tool to use in education. It provides a lot of ways for the teacher to evaluate the students’ assignments and understanding. However (read below) writing is not my strong suit. I loved how I had group members that would stay on task on time so that I could have a guideline to follow. I tried to provide an insight in my comments and keep up with their assignments as well.
Blogging is a good tool to use in education. It provides a lot of ways for the teacher to evaluate the students’ assignments and understanding. However (read below) writing is not my strong suit. I loved how I had group members that would stay on task on time so that I could have a guideline to follow. I tried to provide an insight in my comments and keep up with their assignments as well.
Strengths and Weaknesses
My strength would be creating the hands-on projects. I didn’t find any of them hard to use, they all were quite easy. I don’t know if they were just that easy or I am that comfortable with technology. My weaknesses were that I hate to write so my writings are not as long and as detailed as I would want them to be. I love to read and talk but when it is time to write my words won’t form like I want them to. I think another weakness I had was completing assignments on time. This has been a crazy summer for me, I moved, started a new job and last week my computer crashed.
My strength would be creating the hands-on projects. I didn’t find any of them hard to use, they all were quite easy. I don’t know if they were just that easy or I am that comfortable with technology. My weaknesses were that I hate to write so my writings are not as long and as detailed as I would want them to be. I love to read and talk but when it is time to write my words won’t form like I want them to. I think another weakness I had was completing assignments on time. This has been a crazy summer for me, I moved, started a new job and last week my computer crashed.