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This class was an overall interesting class. At times I would feel very frustrated and defeated, but with the help of my classmates and teacher, I began to learn more and more about technology and became more familiar with how to use a MAC computer and all the software it offers. I own a MAC computer, so that made it easier for me to learn the new techniques involved in the tech projects. I will use every bit of information I learned in the class in my future classroom. From the website I created to the pbworks page that has endless amounts of information for me use in my classroom. My students as well as I will benefit tremendously from this class and what all it has taught me. Next time, I will take more to time to learn about the different programs I am using, so that I will not be as confused when I use them again in the future.

iMovie was an interesting project for me. I had never created an iMovie before on a mac, and it was very confusing at the beginning. Sometimes the captions wouldn't all show up, or I couldn't get the duration of the captions and the picture to collaborate correctly. This project took patients and time. Once I got the hang of everything, it began to get easier. There are many different ways to use these videos in my classroom. I can teach concepts like artist biographies, tell stories, read poems with pictures, etc. Students would enjoy this, because they would be able to create their own movie with their topic of choice. This would give them pride in their work if they could complete a project like this. Next time, I will take more time to explore the what all the application has to offer before I begin my project. I jumped into the iMovie project and often times found myself frustrated. Next time I will become more familiar with the application I am using to reduce my stress during the making of my project.

Spreadsheets

In order to complete the spreadsheet, I had to become very familiar with Excel. I have never used Excel in this way before, much less at all since I have been in college, so this was something new for me. Sometimes it was frustrating when you needed to type in the formula and the boxes would move to different columns and cells without you telling it to. Then, sometimes it would delete what you had edited and you would have to start over on that certain part. It took many tries and exploring to get used to Excel. I still need to practice with it in order to become an expert, but I am not more familiar with it than I was before. This spreadsheet can be very beneficial to my students and I in the classroom. I can use it to quiz or help my students practice concepts such as times tables, states and capitals, compound words, and contractions. This will allow the children to have direct feedback on their answers, so they will know whether their answer is correct or not. It will also be something different for them to experience on the computer. Next time, I hope to be able to use the template I originally created in order to make it easier to produce multiple spreadsheets for my students.

Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Inspiration

Inspiration was a type of tool I have never used before. I have never designed images or diagrams on a computer before, so this was something new to me. Inspiration was a great tool for me to learn how to do this. The hyperlinks and adding notes was difficult, but became easier once I got more experience with it. The editing text and colors was a tedious process, but it adds character and dimension to the diagram and helps the students distinguish between the categories. This tool can be used for numerous activities in the classroom. I will use it for diagraming character analysis of stories we are reading, the difference in ecosystems, and differences among animals. I will not do anything differently next time. I took my time with this project, and really got to understand the tool.

Practice Spreadsheet

New iPhone Software

I downloaded the new iPhone software to my phone, and it has made all the difference in the world. There are new emoticons on the keyboard to help express emotions through texting, and there are other new apps that are extremely helpful!