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.