What?
This week in class we discussed podcasts, vidcasts, and videos. We learned how easy it is to make podcasts and vidcasts, and brainstormed ideas of how to use this technology in our own classrooms. We also learned how to rip music and videos from youtube or Teacher Tube using specific websites. Next week, our video that we ripped and made into an mp4 is to be posted on our Google Classroom Website, but our podcast and vidcast are not due until the following week.
So What?
I love learning how easy it is to use computer technology. Before this class started, I never imagined how simple, easy, and fun it would be to create technological projects on the computer. The activity I am most excited about this week is podcasts. In health, I know I could use podcasts for many activities like relaxation techniques, exercise ideas, safety tips, and record positive self-talk/ways to increase self-esteem. Both my students and I would enjoy working with these recordings.
Learning about podcasts helps me today as a student because I have realized that almost any topic I could ever imagine has a podcast associated with it. Podcasts exist on both entertaining and educational topics. If I want to learn more about healthy relationships, diseases, or study strategies, I know I could find a podcast to help me learn more it. I learn best by interacting with my environment and I feel like podcasts help my mind relax and learn by doing.
Now What?
I know that everything we are learning in this class will help me become a better teacher. The more knowledge and experience I have with technology, the greater advantage I will have with my students because I will get to differentiate my lesson plans. I know that most students enjoy using technology in school and would appreciate my efforts to help them learn through tools like podcasts and vidcasts.
Technology is not going to slow down in this world. The funny thing is, most teachers do not seem to realize this reality. Every time I have completed field experience throughout my courses in the education program, the teachers I have worked with have not been current with technology. Sadly, most of the teachers I have worked with have barely even known how to use the Internet. As a young student eager to teach in middle or high school, I know that learning how to use technology in the classroom will provide me a great advantage. My goal is to get so experienced with technology and the computer that I could even teach my fellow teachers how to use these incredible tools. If technology is used safely and properly, it is a great way to collaborate and communicate with co-workers, students, and parents.
Video Reflection:
This week the video we watched was titled "Why Let our Students Blog?" In middle and high school today, I do not know how many teachers are incorporating blogs into their lesson plans. It seems like it would not be popular for teachers to use blogs often because they are new and many teachers who are intimidated by technology may be nervous to use them. I think blogs are beneficial to use in the classroom. Like the video said, blogs can be used for multiple reasons including to communicate, collaborate, discuss, practice writing skills, and help students feel a sense of ownership, responsibility and empowerment in their life. One of the main reasons I would like to use blogs in my own classroom would be for student reflection. With health as my content area, I think students would benefit by being able to reflect on their actions and analyze the healthiness of their actions and decisions. Blogs are a wonderful new technology and I hope to be able to use them in my classroom someday.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Reflection: Week 9
What?
This week, class was canceled in order to make it easier to collaborate with our group members and complete the webquest Key Assignment. Our final webquest is due next Wednesday, March 17th.
So What?
From the time we started this webquest until now, I have gained an appreciation and excitement for this type of learning activity. Like other assignments we have done in this class, I was overwhelmed and frustrated when we began the process, but now that it is finished I am glad to have improved my computer skills. To me, the most beneficial part of this activity was getting more familiar with powerpoint and google sites. I now know how to hyperlink webpages onto my powerpoints, create a smooth navigation system, and license my work so I can collaborate with other health educators.
I had the opportunity to complete my field experience this week in a middle school. Part of my field requirements was to teach a lesson, so I used a powerpoint to assist in teaching this seventh grade class about eating disorders. At the end of the class period, I was interviewing this teacher (Mrs. Wardrop) for my "Secondary Technology Interview." I quickly realized Mrs. Wardrop was not advanced in working with technology and she must have sensed that I am fairy good at working with technology. After the interview was finished, she asked if I could help her learn a few things about powerpoint. I was excied when she asked because I have been working closely with this application for a few weeks now. I showed Mrs. Wardrop how to change the background, format, font, and transitions on her slides. I also showed her how to add pictures (and cite them) on her powerpoint. Mrs. Wardrop was so excited and grateful to learn this information and I felt a sense of pride in being able to help her. Because of this webquest, I will now be able to help my friends and family be more familiar with powerpoint and create high-quality presentations in the future.
Now What?
While I was completing my field observations, I realized that the teacher I was observing hardly used technology at all. This teacher was a little bit older, she was probably in her fifties. She would use overheads occasionally, but most of the time she would simply talk while her students took notes. Since I have been in the education program, I have learned so much about how students learn and I know they do not like to learn simply by being "talked at." It is crucial to be knowledgeable about technology so I can incorporate movies, music, powerpoints, webquests, etc. into my classroom to engage every type of learner.
Even though I do not love to use powerpoints to teach, I do think they are more beneficial than using overheads. powerpoints are so much fun because pictures, movies, and special effects can be added to the presentations. I also like Powerpoints because it is easy to update information if it is needed. With overheads, you are stuck with the same information until you find the energy to re-type a paper, print it, and then take it to a copy center to make a transparency. I am excited to keep working with and discovering effects on powerpoints in order to benefit my future students and collaborate with my fellow health educators.
Video Reflection:
NO VIDEO REFLECTION DUE THIS WEEK
This week, class was canceled in order to make it easier to collaborate with our group members and complete the webquest Key Assignment. Our final webquest is due next Wednesday, March 17th.
So What?
From the time we started this webquest until now, I have gained an appreciation and excitement for this type of learning activity. Like other assignments we have done in this class, I was overwhelmed and frustrated when we began the process, but now that it is finished I am glad to have improved my computer skills. To me, the most beneficial part of this activity was getting more familiar with powerpoint and google sites. I now know how to hyperlink webpages onto my powerpoints, create a smooth navigation system, and license my work so I can collaborate with other health educators.
I had the opportunity to complete my field experience this week in a middle school. Part of my field requirements was to teach a lesson, so I used a powerpoint to assist in teaching this seventh grade class about eating disorders. At the end of the class period, I was interviewing this teacher (Mrs. Wardrop) for my "Secondary Technology Interview." I quickly realized Mrs. Wardrop was not advanced in working with technology and she must have sensed that I am fairy good at working with technology. After the interview was finished, she asked if I could help her learn a few things about powerpoint. I was excied when she asked because I have been working closely with this application for a few weeks now. I showed Mrs. Wardrop how to change the background, format, font, and transitions on her slides. I also showed her how to add pictures (and cite them) on her powerpoint. Mrs. Wardrop was so excited and grateful to learn this information and I felt a sense of pride in being able to help her. Because of this webquest, I will now be able to help my friends and family be more familiar with powerpoint and create high-quality presentations in the future.
Now What?
While I was completing my field observations, I realized that the teacher I was observing hardly used technology at all. This teacher was a little bit older, she was probably in her fifties. She would use overheads occasionally, but most of the time she would simply talk while her students took notes. Since I have been in the education program, I have learned so much about how students learn and I know they do not like to learn simply by being "talked at." It is crucial to be knowledgeable about technology so I can incorporate movies, music, powerpoints, webquests, etc. into my classroom to engage every type of learner.
Even though I do not love to use powerpoints to teach, I do think they are more beneficial than using overheads. powerpoints are so much fun because pictures, movies, and special effects can be added to the presentations. I also like Powerpoints because it is easy to update information if it is needed. With overheads, you are stuck with the same information until you find the energy to re-type a paper, print it, and then take it to a copy center to make a transparency. I am excited to keep working with and discovering effects on powerpoints in order to benefit my future students and collaborate with my fellow health educators.
Video Reflection:
NO VIDEO REFLECTION DUE THIS WEEK
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Reflection: Week 8
What?
This week in class, we covered "Webquest 2" and "Webquest Final." We discussed the importance of this Webquest because it is a key assignment in the education department. We also discussed a few other components of this assignment, like the peer reviews, and Webquest rubric. Our completed webquest is not due this Wednesday, but the following Wednesday, March 17.
So What?
One of the key components of this assignment that I learned this week was how to turn this assignment in properly. I learned that there are two versions of PowerPoint that must be used throughout this assignment. One version is ".ppt," which allows others to see and edit information on the presentation. The other version is ".pps," which means viewers can only see the PowerPoint, but they do not have the ability to make any adjustments to it. This information is vital to understand because this is a group project, and others need to be able to have the ability to edit the work.
Understanding this information also helps me in other classes because I am often collaborating with my peers on lesson plans and schoolwork. Just this week, one of my peers wanted to "see" a PowerPoint I had created for a student teaching experience. I e-mailed her this PowerPoint in a ".ppt" format, which was a mistake because she did not only want to see my presentation, but she erased my name off the front page and typed her own. I saw her do this and told her that it was not okay because I had spent many hours on this project. I am in favor of collaboration and I think it is necessary in education, but this peer was copying my work and calling it her own. Now I know in the future, that I need to be extra aware of the format my PowerPoints are in before I send them to others.
Now What?
Even though we were mostly reviewing the Webquest assignment in class this week, it was helpful to refresh my memory and learn more details about what components make a good PowerPoint and the importance of key assignments. In the education program, we are required to create a portfolio of all our key assignments before graduation. Although this is a long and difficult process to go through, it is beneficial to our teaching experience. Through these key assignments, we are able to reflect on the progress we have made as educators, share our best work with others, and have material available if future employees are ever curious about the projects we completed in college.
School can be difficult, but it is incredibly rewarding. Each week, I struggle through completing tests, papers, projects, and activities in school, but it is always worth the effort. Learning how to create webquests is one of the projects that has been a little stressful. I may not even use webquests often in my class, but I can promise that I will be using PowerPoint a great deal, which is the major reason I am glad we are completing this project. Both my future students and I will benefit from the knowledge I gain in this instructional media class.
Video Reflection:
In a perfect world, everyone would be offered equal education. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people on our planet who receive no or low-quality education. I was inspired by the video we watched this week, "Education for All," which showed that is is possible to reach out to countries where schooling is not available. Because of technology, we are much more capable to offer education to those unfortunate countries that might not have enough resources to conduct proper education. This technological advancement is amazing and will benefit many knowledge-hungry souls. One of my goals as a teacher is to make each student feel important and cared for in my class. I would love to have an opportunity to teach my content through technology and be able to make a difference in not only my students who are in my physical classroom, but students all over the world.
This week in class, we covered "Webquest 2" and "Webquest Final." We discussed the importance of this Webquest because it is a key assignment in the education department. We also discussed a few other components of this assignment, like the peer reviews, and Webquest rubric. Our completed webquest is not due this Wednesday, but the following Wednesday, March 17.
So What?
One of the key components of this assignment that I learned this week was how to turn this assignment in properly. I learned that there are two versions of PowerPoint that must be used throughout this assignment. One version is ".ppt," which allows others to see and edit information on the presentation. The other version is ".pps," which means viewers can only see the PowerPoint, but they do not have the ability to make any adjustments to it. This information is vital to understand because this is a group project, and others need to be able to have the ability to edit the work.
Understanding this information also helps me in other classes because I am often collaborating with my peers on lesson plans and schoolwork. Just this week, one of my peers wanted to "see" a PowerPoint I had created for a student teaching experience. I e-mailed her this PowerPoint in a ".ppt" format, which was a mistake because she did not only want to see my presentation, but she erased my name off the front page and typed her own. I saw her do this and told her that it was not okay because I had spent many hours on this project. I am in favor of collaboration and I think it is necessary in education, but this peer was copying my work and calling it her own. Now I know in the future, that I need to be extra aware of the format my PowerPoints are in before I send them to others.
Now What?
Even though we were mostly reviewing the Webquest assignment in class this week, it was helpful to refresh my memory and learn more details about what components make a good PowerPoint and the importance of key assignments. In the education program, we are required to create a portfolio of all our key assignments before graduation. Although this is a long and difficult process to go through, it is beneficial to our teaching experience. Through these key assignments, we are able to reflect on the progress we have made as educators, share our best work with others, and have material available if future employees are ever curious about the projects we completed in college.
School can be difficult, but it is incredibly rewarding. Each week, I struggle through completing tests, papers, projects, and activities in school, but it is always worth the effort. Learning how to create webquests is one of the projects that has been a little stressful. I may not even use webquests often in my class, but I can promise that I will be using PowerPoint a great deal, which is the major reason I am glad we are completing this project. Both my future students and I will benefit from the knowledge I gain in this instructional media class.
Video Reflection:
In a perfect world, everyone would be offered equal education. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people on our planet who receive no or low-quality education. I was inspired by the video we watched this week, "Education for All," which showed that is is possible to reach out to countries where schooling is not available. Because of technology, we are much more capable to offer education to those unfortunate countries that might not have enough resources to conduct proper education. This technological advancement is amazing and will benefit many knowledge-hungry souls. One of my goals as a teacher is to make each student feel important and cared for in my class. I would love to have an opportunity to teach my content through technology and be able to make a difference in not only my students who are in my physical classroom, but students all over the world.
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