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.

Web 2.0 Class Site

http://26595web20spring12.pbworks.com/w/page/50420237/Homepage

Learning to Love Technology

So far, I have enjoyed my experiences in my Theory in Practice in Teacher Education (TPTE) course. I have discovered some great ways to integrate technology into the classroom, and I have even come along some great ways to integrate technology into my everyday life. I am currently working on my ActiveInspire project (the program that allows you to create interactive lessons for students to use on the classroom Promethean board); however, it is not going well. I missed the beginning of class when we went over how to create everything. I have also started on my classroom website. I am very excited to develop and customize this site as I might create another website in my future. I'm posting our classroom Wiki site so that I will be able to quickly access it if I ever have questions about Web 2.0 tools.

Inspiration graphic organizer

The Inspiration program is a great tool to create an organized way for students to view class material. I would certainly use this program in my future classroom, and I would have students create their own artifacts if they were in the upper elementary grades. I think that students would also like to use Inspiration because it is easy to use and allows for a lot of creative liberties to be taken.

Embedded Survey

I would certainly use Google Forms to create classroom surveys for students and parents. I also think it would be a great way to administer short quizzes because the data is displayed in an organized manner that would allow me to see what topics need to be retaught.

ABC Scavenger Hunt

I feel like the Picasa Slideshow/ Scavenger hunt was a great activity to incorporate in my classroom. I didn't like that I had to edit each picture before I put it back into the slideshow. I would prefer a tool that allows me to edit as I create the slideshow. Right now I can't think of any other particular uses for Picasa; however, I am open to any fun or creative ideas!

Picture Scavenger Hunt

Bible Quotes

Wordlzzzzz

WebQuest for Classroom

Celebrating Holidays Around the World for second graders
http://questgarden.com/129/17/2/110718082712/t-index.htm
This WebQuest is great! Students work in groups to learn different information about celebrations around the world. Each day a book supplements the WebQuest, and students get a chance to explore a new country each day. I really liked this WebQuest because it provided the standards that the quest addresses for social studies. I also liked that it provided ways to extend or shorten the quest. In the quest students learn about different celebrations in China, South Africa, Ireland, and Mexico. Along the way students fill out a "passport" that they record their information in. Finally, students send a "postcard" to their favorite country they visited. The project is designed so that groups can be formed with learners with different strengths.

Website Evaluation

I thought the website evaluation was helpful in demonstrating to me all of the various things to consider when deciding whether a website is appropriate for a K12 classroom. I do; however, think the exercise might have been more helpful if the website I evaluated wasn't as reputable. Something I learned from the evaluation, is how difficult it is to find the author of a website, especially if it is a large website because there are probably many editors. I have always wondered why websites do not have pages that have all their reference information on it. That would be extremely practical with the increasing use of the internet as a source for teachers and students. After the activity, I wonder if websites being under consrtuction automatically make them not reputable. Don't websites have to be under construction at some point? I also  considered, while do my evaluation, how difficult it can be to determine if a website is bias. I did think the evaluation helped me to apply the things I have previously been taught to look out for when looking for sources on the web. I did not, however, ever consider the design and layout of the site when evaluating websites before this activity. The evaluation is helpful in preparing me to appropriately evaluate and present websites for my students, so that they can access relevant and current websites.

Course Expectations

I wouldn't call my self computer savvy; however, within the last year I have come a long way from only knowing how to use my e-mail and surf the web. From the course, I hope to learn to use my Mac better because I just got my Mac in August and we are still getting to know each other. Mostly importantly, I hope to gain tools to make my teaching stand out to my students. I think that technology skills are becoming more important in society and technology is invading the lives of students. I hope to find technology tools that will expand my students learning and challenge them both mentally and creatively.

Informal Bio

I have spent my middle school, high school, and college years in Knoxville; however, I was born in Oklahoma and then moved to Alaska before landing in this great state of the south. I went to high school at Knoxville Catholic High School. I currently work at Pump It Up: the Inflatable Party Zone and nanny a sixth-grader and a third-grader, and I have done both for the past three years. Last year I studied abroad in Australia and fell in love with traveling. During my trip I also traveled to New Zealand and Indonesia. I now plan on going to Thailand to volunteer with children this summer. I love new experiences and adventures, especially adrenaline thrills. One of the most amazing things I have ever done was bungee jump 143 meters. My ideal job in the future involves traveling and working with children while making our world a better place through promoting sustainable practices. Right now I am just trying to be open to were life takes me.

Short Bio

I am a student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville pursuing my bachelors degree in sociology and my minor in elementary education. I will be interning and pursuing my masters in elementary teaching in the 2012/ 2013 school year. I am also interested in pursuing possibilities within the various fields of sustainability. I am passionate about learning, and my mission is to pass on my love for learning to young students so that they may use their knowledge to change our world for the better.