Overall Course Reflection

I think I basically went through a mini lifetime of growing through this one course. I started out eager and excited to learn all that the course had to offer, young and naive but ready to get my feet wet. Then, I went into my teenage rebellion stage when I was constantly met with challenges that made me a little bitter about the class at times. Now, I think I am in my college phase of technology exploration. I have some knowledge under my belt, but I know there is so much more to learn. I will be more prepared to ride out the future technology challenges that I face and more inclined to do my own exploring to discover solutions on my own (or google them of course.) This course has opened my eyes to all of the possibilities and doors that technology can open. I am actually very interested in taking more technology courses in the future to expand my general knowledge of programs such as word, excel, and other programs I might use in a future career. Overall, my favorite tools we used were iMovie and the various Web 2.0 tools like Google Forms, Glogster, Wordle, and Animoto. I know I will continue to utilize these tools in my future. I also am excited about creating my website, even though it is still a work in progress. I see myself creating a website to document my experience and learning for future employers to get to know me quickly. I may even start a professional blog! That is all I have to say about my journey through TPTE, but my journey through our evolving world of technology is never ending. I'm glad I finally made the leap into the world of technology! Now there is no telling where I will land!

Glogster! My Learning Education 422

When we were first introduced to Glogster I didn't feel like it was that useful. However, once I used it to document my learning for my Elementary Education 422 class I found it extremely fun and useful. I am sure I will find other fun or practical uses for this tool in the future. I am already eyeing the resume format glog! I also think this could be a neat way to keep up with all my favorite TED talks since I am such a TED talk enthusiasts.

iMovie: My Adventure Through Bali

At first I absolutely dreaded making the iMovie. I got very frustrated with the inflexibility of the different formats. However, once I decided to choose a free form format that did not have an outline, things got much easier! I quickly caught on and actually ended up finding the tool easy and fun! This is by far the project I am most proud of. I think I will use iMovie excessively in the future for personal use to document my memories, but I also see it being a useful tool in the classroom. iMovies can be put together to introduce a new topic or bring together all the ideas of the students on a topic for a closure activity. I can't wait to continue to use this tool and to eventually become an "expert" in the iMovie department.

Storybird

Visit my Storybird! I felt like this tool was "cute" and could be fun for younger students to create stories. However, I don't see myself using it in the future, or see myself using it with the upper elementary years.

What can you find in my future classroom?

ActiveInspire= Not so Inspirational

Working with ActiveInspire was by far the most frustrating thing that I have had to do so far in my TPTE course. I don't think they could have made a more confusing piece of technology for teachers. No wonder I have yet to see teachers use this in their classrooms. I never knew if I was in or out of design mode, and the overall layout of the tools was more confusing than necessary. I think I finally got the hang of it, but I guess we will see after I get my rubric back. I think that once I got used to using the ActiveInspire I would use it in my classroom because I think it can make a lesson more exciting by creating interactive slides. However, after students have been exposed to Promethean boards and Smart Boards for a few years, I think they will start to loose their excitement because they will no longer be exciting new classroom tools.

Animoto of My Senior Year

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto. I loved this tool because it is extremely easy to figure out and compose. I could definitely see myself using this in the future as a classroom tool. It is important to keep students attention, and using short Animoto slideshows to introduce or reinforce a topic could help to break up longer or more complex lessons. I also think that upper elementary students would enjoy creating Animoto videos to demonstrate their learning.