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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!

Scavenger Hunt

Taking the pictures and downloading them to the computer went well. Resizing was easy once we were instructed on how to do it step by step. It took some time getting used to Picasa where we uploaded the photos. And then it was confusing at first on how to actually create the slide show and the power point. Once I had one-on-one assistance, I got the hang of it. This will be very beneficial in the classroom where we can put together slide shows for the children after week-long projects or even field trips to document and help them remember. Also, the scavenger hunt will help children become more familiar with opposites. Next time, I will make sure and take my time editing the photos to assure clear and properly cropped pictures of the slide show.

Small Box

Digital invite created with Smilebox

Gloster

It was easy to upload photos to the glogster poster. Sometimes, it was hard to find specific icons or effects that you wanted, once you deleted them from the promo poster. This tool could be used in the classroom by letting students make posters of what they have been learning about ( the solar system). Next time, I will make sure not to delete the certain effects and icons that I will want on my finished project.

Delicious

Delicious is a web 2.0 tool that helps you save websites and tag in order to keep them organized so you can find them in the future. At first, Firefox was not allowing me to use Delicious, but after a few clicks the problem was solved and I continued to explore the website. Once I got the hang of everything, it was easy to find websites that I use often and tag them so that I will be able to find them easily. You can share and create networks with your friends and coworkers. This will be easy and fun to collaborate and see all of their different sites about teaching, games, social, etc. Next time, I will be more specific about my tagging in order to keep my websites organized.

Website Evaluation

I did my website evaluation on the Academic Skill Builder website. At times it was difficult to find the author and the last update, but over all it was an easy evaluation. This tool can be used in many educational ways throughout my classroom. It works on basic math, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills in a fun way that children will enjoy. I will not do anything differently next time. I had never thought exactly about how to evaluate a website, or even what went into the process of doing so. I understand that it is important to know what websites are educational and effective for children in my classroom, and that is why I am happy I now know what to look for in an efficient website.

Picnik

When creating a wiki for the web 2.0 tool, we choose to create Picnik. Picnik is an online tool for editing photos. Picnik makes your photos fabulous with easy to use yet powerful editing tools. Tweak to your heart’s content, then get creative with oodles of effects, fonts, shapes, and frames. It's fast, easy, and fun. It was easy to navigate through the site and become acquainted with how to upload and edit the pictures. It will be interesting to use this tool in the classroom when I need to edit pictures of the children in my classroom or even add their names to pictures so the students can get to know one another. If we go on field trips, I can write captions under the pictures that I print out and post them in a book to help them remember the field trip. I will not do anything differently next time. I enjoyed discovering what this website was about, and what all it had to offer when it comes to editing photos.

WORDLE

Academic Skills Builder

Wiki Wiki

Over the past two weeks, I have been working on a Wiki with my classmates. Before we started, I had NO clue what a Wiki was, but now I can tell you I am very familiar with them. Writing about myself and my career was easy, but when it came to editing the page and creating links I had a difficult time at first. This tool will come in handy in my classroom when I create a check list for school supplies or field trip details. Also, if the students would like to create their own wiki about a topic we are covering, they can each add their own piece of interesting knowledge to the page. Next time, I will research what we are learning about before coming to class, so that I am not completely unaware of the topic we are learning about.

Here We Go!

I have never been the one who knew the answers to questions about computers. After owning a Mac for 4 years, my goal for this class is to become more familiar with all it has to offer. I have always asked my friends what to do when I was confused, but now I will be the one with all the answers.