imovie

Final Reflection

My experience with TPTE 486 was a combination of things. It was informational, fun, and engaging. I learned so many things about integrating technology into a curriculum that I would have not known without the guidance of this course. I loved our exploration of the Web 2.0 resources. I will absolutely utilize those resources in my future classroom, thus it was my favorite part of the course. I also enjoyed studying digital images and internet basics. I was under the impression that the little information that I did know was all there was to understand about the web, and I was so very wrong. Understanding technological concepts in more detail will allow me to be a more effective instructor in the classroom. I also found this course challenging and, to be honest, a little bit frustrating. As I mentioned in my introduction, I am not the most technologically savvy person alive. TPTE challenged me to dive into technology head first in order to gain a better understanding of its uses. In most cases,  as I worked with the various TPTE assignments I was able to figure out how to use them and fix my problems by myself. I never thought that I would be able to do that! Conclusively, TPTE introduced me to a world of technology that I would have never explored on my own. I am grateful for my experiences in this course as they changed my attitudes towards technology in the classroom.

iMovie

iMovie was so much fun to use! I'll admit, I was quite intimidated when we were first introduced with the storyboard assignment. Once I started creating my digital storyboard, I realized how user friendly iMovie is.  If users have the pictures and/or music that they would like to incorporate, an iMovie can be created with easy in a matter of minutes. Of course, mine took much longer as it was my first time utilizing the tool, but I quickly became familiar with the tool and was well on my way to movie creation! I love that there are options for voice-overs too! The editing tool and personalization options for iMovie are seemingly endless. I think this is a tool that I will definitely use in the future for various personal and professional projects.

Animoto

I really enjoyed the presentation on Animoto. This is a great resource for personal and classroom use. It seemed very easy to use- a thirty second presentation of photos was completely free. I like that, if you choose, you can join Animoto and pay a fee to obtain different video styles and to extend your video length (I believe you mentioned that this might be free for teachers or with 'edu' addresses which would be wonderful!). I also really liked that website offers personalization of your videos by providing users with video a bunch of backgrounds and music selections. Teachers could use this in the classroom to introduce new content, make a field trip slide show, create an introductory video for the beginning of the year, or to provide students with a resource for 'about me' projects. This would be a fun way for students to introduce themselves and give the class a little show and tell about this likes, families, etc. I will definitely consider using this tool in the classroom.

Spreadsheet

As mentioned in my previous blog, I really like the idea of utilizing Spreadsheets in the classroom. It allows teachers to make interactive quizzes according to their liking that provide students with immediate feedback on responses. The step-by-step sheet provided made creating the actual spreadsheet surprisingly simple. However, I ran into a few problems getting used to the formatting today while finishing up, but I am confident that if were to play around with the tool I would get the hang of it. I think that I will definitely use spreadsheets in my future classrooms.

Google Forms and Spreadsheets

I didn't know about Google forms before Tuesday's class, and I am so glad that it was presented to us! It was really easy to use and, as teachers, it is definitely a practical tool for the classroom. I could see myself using Google forms for quizzes or tests, to gauge my students interests, or to take class polls on preferred activities, field trips, or lunch choices. This is a great tool for teachers to utilize to get to know their students. I had been introduced to spreadsheets before, but I really enjoyed working on our projects last class. The step-by-step instruction allowed me to work through the spread sheet process with ease. I really like that their are templates available that users have made for public use. I will definitely use spread sheets in my adult like for budgeting, etc. and could see practical application in the classroom as well. Like our projects show, teachers can easily create quizzes and tests to their liking that are interactive and provide immediate feedback to students.

Wordle and Tagxido

Shannon and I presented on Wordle last Thursday. It is a tool that I really like and I think that the presentation went well. Wordle is very easy to use and it does not require users to sign up in anyway. The following are a few practical uses in the classroom: about me projects, presentations of new ideas, fun ways to convey material, spelling or vocabulary words, classroom rules, etc. It grants users the opportunity to choose a text and instantly create a 'word cloud' that can be customized by font, orientation, color, and size according to the creator's liking. Tagxido is VERY similar to Wordle-- I honestly liked it a little bit more. Its based around the same idea. Users type in text or URL's for websites, blogs, twitter, etc. and a word cloud is created. The same customization is available to users. The big difference in these web resources is that Tagxido's word clouds can be shaped like animals, cartoons, objects, or even faces. I will definitely use these resource in my own classroom. I believe that it is very important to present information to students in fun and creative ways in order to grab their attention and keep them engaged. Utilizing these tools in the classroom will do just that!

Inspiration Reflection

The inspiration tool that was introduced in class was really neat. I can definitely see practical applications in the classroom for teachers and for students. Its a fun and creative way to present information, introduce new topics, show what you know about events, stories, objects, etc. and it gives users the power to create mind maps and charts exactly as they wish. It would be a great resource for research projects as students could easily present their findings by creating an Inspiration work. It would also be a good resource for students to map out various themes from stories. I think that Inspiration would make the above projects fun and interesting for students because they are in control of their end product. Even granting kids the slightest creative or decision-making power can make a difference for some students. It took me a few minutes to gain an understanding of the tool (where things are and how it works) so I think that a class wide modeling/tutorial of the tool would be in order. Once I got started and really began to 'play' with Inspiration, it became much easier. If I can do it after one hours practice, our twenty-first century learners should have no problem utilizing this tool for classroom projects, presentations, or personal mind mapping use.

Inspiration Photo

Twitter and Delicious

Though I was not in class on Thursday for the Web 2.0 presentations, I walked through each of the web resources on our class wiki. I am very familiar with Twitter and have been using it on a regular basis for several months. At first, I did not quite understand the point of Twitter as a web resource- I just couldn't get into the idea of posting my personal status updates on a website besides Facebook. After a few weeks of use, I began to see the benefits. I love the idea of sharing opinions, ideas, photos, and whereabouts with friends and family through Twitter. Additionally, I like the idea of being able to tweet at specific friends. Its a fun social networking site that allows users to follow whomever they please. News, friends, family, trends, etc. is at the finger tips of account holders. I could see utilizing twitter in the classroom as a communication tool as well as a means for gathering news/information about current events. It might also be a fun resource to use for project research or scavenger hunts. I was not quite as familiar with Delicious, but I walked through the steps listed and found that it was a very helpful tool! Its a good way to maintain bookmarks on various computers/media. Teachers could bookmark appropriate sites for classroom use in centers or in free time. It could also be used to bookmark sites that students could use at home for extra practice. In creating a Delicious account and bookmaking several sites, a teacher could set up a complete list of links and materials for classroom use and practice that would be easily accessible for students no matter where they are.

Storybird and Smilebox

I really enjoyed today's presentations on Smilebox and Storybird. As a student pursuing a profession in elementary education, I could see practical applications in the classroom for both of the web resources presented. Storybird would be a wonderful resource for creative writing. I could give my students a prompt to build on or assign a picture and have them create a story that pertains to the prompt or illustrative content. I might also have my students create their own Storybird without a prompt so that they could take creative ownership of their work. The website had many seasonal pictures that could be used to get students excited about season changes, celebrations, and holidays. This could also be used to present new material to the class and gain their interest. Smilebox could be used in this same way. There were a variety of themes that students could choose from to present information or, as I have mentioned in many of my blogs, conduct an 'about me' project. I could see myself utilizing Smilebox in the classrooms as well as at home. I love to scrapbook and share pictures with family and friends. Smilebox is a really fun and creative way to scrapbook virtually so that it can be easily sent to relatives out of town. Overall, I enjoyed both presentations and could see their benefits in the classroom and in everyday life. I have really liked all of the web resources used in class thus far and am excited about future web resource presentations.

Scavenger Hunt- Campus Colors

Picnik and Glogster

I absolutely loved Picnik and I thought the presentation was great! I love taking pictures and sharing them with friends and family. The effects available on Picnik enable editing and altering of scenery, color distribution, saturation, exposure, and much more. There are even fun photo effects including blush, spray tan, mascara, and fish eye. It is definitely something that I will use personally and could see utilizing in the classroom. I think that students would love using this tool to create classroom projects and for students to share about summer vacations or 'about me' presentations. It would be a good way to expose young students to photography, a subject that was not presented to me until later in high school. Additionally, students can learn what different terms mean. They can alter a pictures distribution or saturation and actually see the effects of changing these things happen before their eyes. Using Picnik would give students an authentic experience to relate to these terms. I loved Glogster, too! I wish that this resource was available to me as a young student because it was so easy and enjoyable to use. I had fun messing around with different themes, sounds, and animations on my own personal page. I could see using this web resource in the classroom to create exciting presentations about our classroom or to create a portfolio of classmates by having each student link their pages together. This way, parents and students can access/edit the information at home via web. I obviously really enjoyed both of the web resources that were presented today in class and can definitely see myself using them in my future teaching career.

WebQuest

Though I wasn't in-class on the day that we explored WebQuests, I looked over the course content for the day and visited the appropriate links. It seems as though WedQuests are a very useful and informative tool to facilitate learning for the generation of learners that relate best to technology. I love that WebQuests are made to make the best use of the learners time. There are WebQuests of both short and long duration and they include an introduction, a task, a set of information sources, a description of the process, guidance, and the conclusion. The Wiki on WebQuests lays out all of this information, but I didn't exactly get it until I did the "rockstar" activity. It was a quick and easy way to gain and organize information. It allowed me to walk through the website and gather the information available on the topic. It was informative and easily mastered after looking at the web resources about WebQuests listed on our course website. I think that WebQuests could definitely be used as activities in classrooms, both high school and elementary school, according to content.

Slideshow

Wiki Reflection!

This was my first experience working with Wiki's and, though I was quite intimidated at first, I am really enjoying learning to navigate myself through the site and create web resources. Initially, I struggled to figure out how to create and edit my Wiki, how to upload pictures, and how to hyperlink pages. Though I am no expert in the field of Wiki creation, I am becoming more familiar with the setup structure. After 'playing around' on the website, I found that the resource was not quite as tricky as I had once thought. Because I tend to learn by doing, I simply fumbled my way through the setup process until I had figured out where things were. I was able to link several pages, create a Wiki table, and upload pictures with ease.

I could definitely see myself utilizing Wiki's in the classroom! It would be a great way to keep parents and students updated by creating a classroom website to communicate school and classroom news, homework assignments, spelling words, and post peer photos, etc. It could also be used as a resource for centers. Teachers could link websites to a classroom Wiki that they would like their students to practice with during centers. Because linking websites it quick and easy to do, teachers can change these linked websites according to weekly subject matter. Teachers could also create links for each student (link that says 'Rachel' and then leads me to my own personal page) and place things of interest, things that individual students need extra help on, or tutorials. Teachers could even guide students through creating their own pages as a classroom catalog project.

FunBrain.com Recommendations and Reflection!

I found a fun and exciting educational resource called Fun Brain. I would definitely recommend Fun Brain to teachers, parents, and students as an educational resource to facilitate the learning process. Though I could not find an author for the website, all other information seems to be accurate and in place. One thing that helped to legitimize the website in my opinion is that the website is published by Pearson Education, Inc. and has been running since 2000.  Another reason that I decided that the website was a good web-based resource for learning is because it offers so many categories of educational activities, games, and books at varying ability levels. The website is appealing to the target audience and is easily navigated through because of its bold heading and consistent nature.  This is definitely a resource that I would consider using in the classroom, especially for individual use during free time or for centers. As a parent, I would consider using this with my children at home for extra practice on academics and as an appropriate activity for my young computer game players. I believe that Fun Brain is a legitimate and exciting educational aid that should be considered for all kinds of academic use. 

The website itself looks like an exciting way to engage students in the learning process. As an educator in the era of technology, I think that it is very important to incorporate technological resources in the classroom. Because I am not the most technologically savvy person, these types or resources will be very helpful to me as they are easy to use and navigate through. Upon opening the website, I was immediately impressed by the bright colors, graphics, and organization. This is definitely something that I intend to use as an educational aid in my classroom.

"Wise up to the web!"

I found a website evaluation tool called Internet Detective that looks really helpful. The content and setup are organized and clear so that the website can be easily navigated through. Students and teachers could most definitely benefit from using this site, as well as internet explorers in general. It helps viewers decide which internet sources are legitimate through a short and concise tutorial.

My Expectations for TPTE 486

It is my hope that this class will familiarize me with technological resources that can be used in the classroom to facilitate the learning experience. As mentioned in my informal introduction, I tend to only use the computer/technology to check my email or to check my Facebook. My expectations for this class are that I will become more knowledgeable and more comfortable with utilizing technology in and out of the classroom. Specifically, I hope that this class will present me with new educational resources, teach me about various ways to present information to students, and aid in my professional development as a novice teacher. In expanding upon my knowledge of technology, I hope to find fun and creative ways to engage my future students in the learning process. Bringing various aspects of technology into the classroom will enable me to relate to my students and teach them in a way that sparks the mind and enhances learning.

Informal Introduction

I am from West Knoxville and I attended Bearden High School. I absolutely love going to UT. Being from Knoxville affords me the opportunity to go home frequently and visit with my family members. I have an older brother, an older sister, and two wonderful parents. Additionally, I have a brother- and sister-in-law and two nieces that I love very much. I spend a lot of time with my friends also. We love to hike, run and go to music events and concerts. I have known that I want to pursue teaching as my profession since I was a little girl. My mother, one of my greatest role models, is an educator in Knox County, thus I have grown up learning about the joys of educating first-hand. I was also inspired to become an educator by my fifth grade teacher. I loved her hands-on approach to teaching and her enthusiasm for learning. It is likely that my grade preference for teaching was influenced by fifth grade experience as I hope to teach forth or fifth grade. My experience with technology is limited. Typically, I am only on the computer to use my email account and to check Facebook. I am excited to be in this class and learn more about how I can utilize technological resources to facilitate the learning process.