Blogfolio

1. Introduction Video

- This assignment was really difficult for me. I really hate being in front of a camera and I especially don’t like talking about myself! 30 seconds doesn’t seem like a long time but it felt like forever! I think this would be a helpful thing to post on my website for an introduction to my class. I thought this project was worthwhile and I am glad that I got out of my comfort zone to do this! This assignment goes along with the NETS-T standards 2c and 3b because this is a great way to collaborate with parents and students from your website and it is also a unique way for each student to use technology and digital tools for diverse learning styles. 

2. Concept Map

- The concept map was one of my favorite projects. This was my first time to create a lesson plan and it helped a lot to do it in such an organized and unique way! I will use what I learned from this assignment very frequently as a teacher because I have to make numerous lesson plans each day! This was one of the most useful projects of the semester! This assignment meets the NETS-T Standards 2a, 2c, and 1a because it is all about engaging students and allowing them to use their creativity through technology!

3. Kahn’s Academy

- Students sometimes struggle to understand a normally taught lesson and Kahn’s video provided them with a alternative and more effective method of learning. He gave the students a chance to watch the video of the lesson and it allowed the students to learn at their own pace! This activity met so many of the NET Standards because children are using technology to learn. This lesson used NET-T Standards 2(a-d) and 3(a-d)!

4. Voki

- This assignment was a lot of fun! I have never one something like this before! I think that this is something that will interest my students and I could use this to collaborate with my students as well as the parents if I update it regularly. It is a way that parents could check to make sure that their child is doing the correct homework assignment! This project meets the NET-T Standards 3b, 3c, and 1a.

5. Gapminder

- I think Gapminder is a great technological tool for students who are in the upper levels of school. It is not something that I would use in my classroom regularly but if we were doing a project or researching for something then this would be of great use to my students and myself! This sit met the NET-T standard 3d.

6. World Peace Games

- This Video really showed me how creative a teacher can be when it comes to teaching a lesson! Students tend to learn better in a creative environment because it allows them to interact and think for themselves! This technique will be very beneficial for me to use when I begin teaching! This video met the NET-T standards 1(a-d) because it requires students to think creatively and interact with each other to create a real world situation.

7. Movie Maker

- This was extremely useful because I have always wanted to know how to make a movie/slideshow like this! This will be extremely useful for me as a teacher because this is a unique way to teach a lesson or use as a part of a lesson! This will also be useful for my website because I could use it as an introduction to my class. I could also use this to as a monthly class update to have a slide show of pictures and information on what we have done so far in class! This assignment met the NET-T Standards 2a and 2c.

8. XtraNormal

- Being able to create a public service announcement will be very useful for many different things! It is something that will benefit my teaching greatly! It is a fun and unique way to teach a basic lesson to children. It is also fun and easy to create one so my students can get involved with the lesson by creating one themselves! This assignment met the NET-T standards 1b and 3b.

9. Software & Hardware Terminology

- This assignment was more helpful than I expected! A huge weakness of mine is that I am very limited when it comes to technology skills and this assignment allowed me to become familiar with the basic technology skills that every adult should know! Now that a lot of the teaching techniques have been slowly moving towards technology, it is extremely necessary that I know all that I can about it! This met the NET-T standards 2a and 5d.

10. Website

- This is the assignment that I most looked forward to. I thought it was very useful but I wish I had more time to get help and more time to complete the project! I am still confused on a lot of things having to do with it but it helped so much! This will allow me to directly collaborate with my students and well as their parents! This technique of collaboration is much more affective and proficient than what has been used in the past. Technology is the way to go and this is just proof of how beneficial and easy it is! This assignment uses the NET-T Standards 2a and 4a.

Course Reflection:

 I didn’t know what to expect in this class. I signed up late and I can honestly say that this was one of my favorite classes here at southern miss! I have learned so much because of the unique style of teaching that was used throughout this semester. We were challenged to use our creative thinking. We weren’t lectured to and instead we were asked our opinions and learned so much form each other! These assignments will be so helpful to my future teaching career! My strength lies in my creativity but my weakness lies in my lack of confidence in myself. I am a smart girl and I know how to figure things out myself but I always second guess myself and assume that I don’t know how to do it. All I have to do is trust in myself and work hard to understand it on my own before I ask for help! I need to trust in my own knowledge! I hope to continue to further my learning of the ins and outs to technology because it is something that I lack the most confidence in. Instead of avoiding it, I need to face it head on with the “I can do it” attitude! I really want to use technology in the classroom because it encourages students to use creativity and explore! I will obviously utilize my website and give numerous assignments that students will have to use technology to research, present, or create. I think blogs are a great idea because it is a way that a student can express himself or herself. In this class we used blogs as a way to respond to each assignment and that is something that I definitely want to use in my classroom!