TPTE End of the Class Reflection

I think I really improved my technology knowledge over the course of this class. I was nervous about the content of this class, but now I feel very confident and have loved the resources that I have now to use in my future classroom. I especially like the way that we learned to use ActiveInspire. That was probably my most favorite project, because that program is so useful and will be a great resource to make my classroom more engaging and interactive to help my students learn. The class was reasonable in time and workload. I really felt like the teacher was resourceful and gave great explanations and example for every aspect of his lessons. The class is fun, because we learn more about technology, which is such a vital part of the learning generation nowadays. I also liked the ability to experience iMovie and Inspiration, it actually ended up helping me in a lot of my other classes, so I was able to create the projects in those class and exceed the expectations of those projects in other classes. I feel confident in my grasp of technology knowledge and am really excited about using it in my future classroom. Google Docs and increased knowledge of Google Drives has also been a useful resource in my other classes.

My classmates and I have been able to share ideas and class materials to interact and help each other in our classes. I loved that we made our classroom websites so that I can use them in my future, since communication is such a vital part of a successful classroom. The website will allow my students and their parents, know important knowledge about me, things going on in the school, and resources that are at their exposal to enhance their academic performance in my classroom as well as their future classrooms. This class has made me love technology and the resources that it includes, I am so excited to use it in my future classroom and learn more through practice and exploring with the programs.

Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling

Educational uses of digital storytelling gives a variety of options for students to listen to books or learn specific lessons with visual attributes instead of having to read actual words. With my interest in Special Education I will encounter multiple students with lower reading levels and low vision. Digital storytelling is a good resource to give an alternative for students to still engage with academic material and include themselves with their peers. The digital storytelling also provide multiple topics of interest and educational material that can not only be used in the classroom, but through out their daily lives. Digital storytelling is a good way to relay a message and make something that may not be entertaining or interesting to watch by a viewer. The digital storytelling creates a fun, interactive way to engage with literature and text. It also gives a way to access lessons or concepts through video and visual production. The pictures and voices make for an easy way for students to understand more difficult topics and concepts. I really plan on using this resource in my classroom and looking to the site for more educational uses of digital storytelling. The process that is completed to create a digital story needs to have multiple goals to engage viewers. The story should be entertaining, but informational, and should potentially have an educational goal to teach a lesson or about a topic.

Intro to IWB Activity- Chapter 1 iBooks

After reading the chapters about IWBs, I felt enlightened and really excited about creating my own interactive white board activity. In a classroom, the management of the room can be attributed to interactions between the students and teachers or students with other students, and participation that is done by the students. The interactive white board activities make the students have a want for learning and volunteering in class. The activities can be made hard or easily mastered and look fun, and entertaining so the students are willing to engage. Growing up I never was taught with an IWB system. My teachers used transparencies and overheads, or just the simple white board and dry erase marker, however, after being in many classrooms this semester I can honestly see how beneficial these IWB resources truly can be in a general or special education classroom. When used appropriately the IWBs can give all students the chance to learn and thrive in their learning environment. For example, in one of the classrooms I am present all of the students are not on the same reading level, so the teacher is able to pull up the book on her IWB and there is an actual option where the book can be read aloud to the students. Instead of the student who can not read individually falling behind the IWB system allows the student to thrive without his peers really observing his difficulties. The board also gives the teacher and students a chance to discuss different topics and all be on the same page, literally. If all the students are having to look at the same thing then they all have to stay together and are able to help each other.

I just had no idea how many things could be done with the board, before reading the iBook. The resources and settings that are provided by the program are truly universal and can be used in all different ways to influence all different types of learners. The fact that our generations are younger generations are fully engrossed in the technology era also gives motivation to students to participate with this resources and engage in activities, because it gets students thinking, out of their seats, and steers away from just a pencil and notebook paper. The only downside, just like any technology, is dependability. If a teacher plans on using a IWB activity, but her board is not working or having difficulties that could influence a whole day's lesson. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to use this technology in my future, but being old fashion there's never too little time for a back up plan.

TPTE Midterm Reflection

After completing the first couple of weeks of my TPTE course, I feel confident about my path to understanding technology inside and outside of the classroom. I feel like I am obtaining a good understanding of everything we are learning, and following along a lot better than I expected from the beginning of the course. I have really enjoyed the activities that we have experienced and accomplished in the class and appreciate how understanding and helpful my professor is. The activities have been beneficial in assisting my comprehension of the newly acquired material on technology and how I can implement the resources in my classroom. I have especially like learning about Wikis, how they work, and how they can be implemented in the classroom or just working on a project with fellow classmates. I especially like how all of the assignments that we do are based on future curriculum and learning about resources that we can use in the future with our future students, parents, and colleagues. I'm looking forward to learning more on my technology trek through this course!

Wiki Walk Through

    How do you wiki? I have never realized how useful wikis can be in any setting with anybody, until I really learned more about them and how beneficial they can be. I just did the Wiki Walk Through and learned so many ways that I can implement wikis in my future classroom and how useful they really are.

http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

    Wikis, and blogs, are such an open way for communication for anyone that is in need of it. However, by doing the Wiki Walk Through I learned that blogs are different in the way that posts or comments can be openly seen, but not openly edited compared to wikis. Wikis can be open to the public or specified users and edited, or seen by those users as a way to create an interactive environment. Wikis are interesting in the way that they can be used for any reason and by any one person. Wikis are a good way of interaction not only from teacher to student, but for teacher to parent, student to student, and teacher to teacher. A wiki is a way to engage in activity with fellow colleagues or peers in an academic, or casual, environment. Wikis are so useful, because it is open to anyone and can be shared with people all across the World; all one needs is an electronic device and an Internet connection.

     In my years of technology, I have never really known a lot about wikis except when I was told they are not a reliable research source. Since wikis can be changed by the public, teachers would always say "don't use that Wikipedia for your research paper!" Now that I know their purpose and how they could potentially be used, I think they are a valuable resource to use in classrooms and when trying to interact with others. It is a fast way to relay information and engage in web activities with others. I look forward to utilizing wikis in my future classroom and allowing my students to be educated in them, so they understand their use and why they are important.

Website Evaluation

      After completing my first website evaluation I feel more comfortable when choosing sites when using them in a classroom or as a useful tool to teach. I definitely know now that I need to pay more attention to things before deciding if the website is valid or not. I knew before doing this activity that when working on papers and using scholarly articles it is important to notice the authority, their credibility, and the date it was written, but I had no idea the amount of things that need to be considered for all websites. The website I evaluated ended up being somewhat useful, but not necessarily valid. I really liked this activity and what I got out of doing the activity. Honestly I feel like an evaluation should be done for all websites when it comes to using them as learning tools and with other people, such as students. Websites should be useful and able to give valuable information to everyone that uses them.

http://www.uen.org/k12student/interactives.shtml

   The website I evaluated was based out of Utah and ended up being a useful site in a classroom, however did not meet some of the criteria that is required to be a reliable site. The website actually ended up being based out of the Utah Education Network, which means it is not based on Tennessee academics, but the activities are provided by different sites, so they are public for the viewers. The website in my opinion, would be highly recommended in a classroom to enhance engagement and whole class participation. However, the website was not necessarily backed up by a lot of information. I really enjoyed this activity, because it made me very well known about sites and what to look for when evaluating their validity and reliability.

Blog About a Blog

The blog I found is written by a Special Educator, who has worked with elementary and preschool students for years. Her blog is a useful tool for implementing activities and practices for younger students with with disabilities, specifically students in the 1st through 3rd grade. The teacher includes everything in this blog from playful classroom interactions like, "Nacho Karoke," which includes students literally eating nachos in the classroom while singing karoke together to classroom management exercises, like setting classroom rules and understanding the difference between fair and same.

http://michellespecialeducation.blogspot.com/

 This teacher's blog is enlightening to present and future special educators alike. She explains this blog to obtain her "bag of tricks" that has been accumulated over the years and through her experience. It includes activities and practices that are noticed to work and not work when educating student with disabilities. The blogger has great advice about read alouds and what books seem to be the most effective in her class, granite all classrooms are different and all students are different and like different things, but still when your a teacher it helps to have a basis and some idea of what usually is effective with students and what is not. I think this blog is well- written and easily understood by all its readers and a good source for reliable tips for teaching different students and different types of learners. I really like how the writer has made each example have a detailed explanation with pictures and step by step outlines so that each activity can be repeated or used in another classroom. This blog can be found through an internet search as well, which makes it convenient and easily accessible to all educators that are wanting to find interactive exercises or activities that can be used in a classroom.

Link to blog:
http://michellespecialeducation.blogspot.com/