My Final Reflection

During the course of this semester I have learned a great deal about technology.  I also thought that I was “updated” when it came to technology.  I know how to surf the net, write a research paper in a Word Document, and present a PowerPoint presentation.  I learned this semester that there is so much more technology available to me!  There is not only a great deal of technology available to me, but to teachers.   I had no idea that there were sites that would help you design a rubric and create a test.  There is also an abundance of software available to me to help in the classroom; such as, Windows Movie Maker and Concept Mapping.  These are great things that I learned that will definitely help my students retain more information.  This is the 21^st century and students are “born with a computer in their hand”.  It’s imperative that I embrace technology to effectively teach my future students.   This class has really taught me a lot about how to use it in the classroom. 

I can’t say that I have any weak points when it came to this class.  The class was instructed so well and this contributed to me not having any weak points.  As soon as Dr. Hartsell explained the assignment I started working on it and usually finished it in a timely manner.   Technology is something that I get; I love it! 

My favorite part of the class was Rubistar.  I found it amazing that I could type in a subject and a rubric would pop up for me to use in my class.  I have a feeling that the Rubistar and I will become great friends.  It’s amazing that this program will allow you to create your own rubric also.  If I had not taken this class I would have never known about this wonderful creation. 

I believe that strongest part of me when it comes to technology is that I get it!  I absolutely love technology; it’s a part of my everyday life.   Patience is also something that allows me to understand technology.  I believe that it’s imperative to be patient when learning any new skill (especially technology). 

I plan on integrating technology in every possible way that I can.  It would be awesome if my future classroom had computers.  If my classroom does not have computers I will beg for them.  I will integrate technology mostly throughout center time.  I think it’s important for students to use technology on a daily basis because it is here and it’s not going anywhere! The future generations (my students) will be lost in this fast pace world if they do not get a grasp on computers, internet, etc.   Therefore, it’s my job to teach them. 

Overall, this class was one of my favorites this semester.  I learned a great deal that I will take with me on my journey to teaching the future.  I look forward to sharing my experiences in IT-365 with my future students and teaching them the most effective way… through technology!

Blogfolio

The Blogfolio assignment is a great way for students to remember what they completed in IT-365.  During the course of the semester, I was assigned several different technology related projects to complete.  After each was completed I would take some time to write a reflection about what I learned, any problems that I may have encounter, and how I would use the lessons/assignments in the classroom.  They consisted of: Introduction to the Blogfolio, Web tools, GoogleGroups, Concept Mapping, Movie Story, GoogleSites, Turnitin, Assistive Technology Case Study, Blogfolios, and my Final Course Reflection. 

I encountered a few problems with compiling my Blogfolio.  The main problem I encountered in the beginning of the semester was not saving my work.  Particularly, I forgot to save my Rubistar assignment; therefore, I had to create it again.  This was not fun, but since I had experience navigating the site I was able to complete it in a timely manner.  After this fiasco I saved all of my work and I have not had a problem since.  Another problem I encountered was with the Windows movie assignment.  The version that I have at my home computer was not the same at the USM computer lab where IT-365 takes place.  When I arrived to class to turn in my assignment I could not get it to upload properly.  Again, I had to completely re-do my assignment.  Like the Rubistar assignment, it did not take me long to complete because I had my pictures and music saved on my jump drive.  I was able to “throw” it together and turn it in by the time class was finished. 

The Blogfolio is something that I will use in my future classroom.  .  I want to teach a high school history class and if I get my wish I will be using this form of technology.  It’s a great way for students to compile their work and it’s something that will help them in the future.  I will definitely be passing this form of technology onto my students.

NETS met:

The NET standards met on the Blogfolio consist of 1,2,3,4, and 5. 

1c – Students can reflect on their assignments using collaborative tools to clarify their understanding of the project/lesson/assignment/etc.

2c – The Blogfolio allows students to customize and personalize their learning activities.  They are able to use digital tools to address different learning styles and work strategies.

3 (all) – Students can use the Blogfolio to support research and learning, communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers, collaborate with others by using digital tools, and demonstrate fluency in technology systems by transferring current knowledge to new technology.

4 (a & d) – Students can use the Blogfolio to document sources appropriately.  They can also develop and model their views on anything by using digital age collaboration tools.

5 (all) – The Blogfolio can be used to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning, participate in shared community ideas, reflect on current research on a regular basis, and contribute to effectiveness.

Assistive Technology Case Study

The Assistive Technology Case Study was an assignment where I had to review special cases and come up with a solution.  There will be many times in my career where I will have a student with a disability that needs technology to understand the material.  This assignment allowed me to use my brain and come up with solutions that I may face as a teacher.  The scenes included a teacher and a specialist who were trying to create a learning unit for a class, but they had to adapt it to Samuel, a boy who had a learning disability.  The two professionals talked about many different ways to help Samuel adapt to the material.  I definitely learned a great deal from this assignment.  I was not sure what speech synthesis was until this lesson.  The two professionals decided to form a group and work with Samuel while they did their activity.  One of the questions that stuck out to me was “Do you think Samuel’s experience would have been as powerful if he would have worked in isolation with Maria? Why or why not?”  I feel very passionate about not excluded children with disabilities.  It’s imperative that I incorporate technology to help further assist a special child.  I really enjoyed learning about the way the two educators assisted Samuel. 

I also learned about how to create a unit on authors and books.  It’s very important that I have good collaboration skills with my co-workers.  This assignment was primarily based on teacher collaboration and it taught the importance of it.  I will take this into my many years of teaching with me. 

Here is a link to the case study:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BxsaBtml2NN1ZjM3OGQ0OGYtY2RlMi00OTU0LThiMTQtMjZkYTlhZDRjYThk&hl=en

NETS met: NET standard 1d was met because this assignment included the students getting together in a group with Samuel.  They were able to engage in a learning environment.  Samuel was learning from his peers and his peers were learning from him.  Also, the two professionals were able to customize and personalize a learning activity to address Samuel’s diverse learning style by incorporating speech synthesis.  This met NET standard 2c.

Turnitin Assignment

Turnitin is a web site that allows teacher’s to turn in a student’s paper and almost instantly be able to tell if it is plagiarized or not.  I was assigned to type a report that describes the concerns pertaining to social, ethical, legal, and human issues that face technology.  Dr. Hartsell gave the class certain website to use.  We had to basically copy and paste a one page paper and then turn it in to Turnitin.  The point was for us to see how the software works.  Next, we were assigned to create our own paper that was not plagiarized.  I was able to view the differences.  Here is a link to my revised copy:

https://turnitin.com/cv?student_user=1&o=156470449&u=24041701&lang=en_us&

I will definitely use this in my future classroom (depending on the age group).  Turnitin is an essential tool for middle and high school teachers.  With the advances and availability of technology and the internet it is very easy for someone to plagiarize a paper.  This site allows teachers to make sure their students are not copying their work.  It is something I will use in the future and cherish!  It’s not fair if a student works eight hours on a paper and another student spends fifteen minutes plagiarizing one; this is why I will value Turnitin and use it for each writing assignment.

NETS met:

Turnitin falls under 3d because it evaluates and analyzes information.  Standard 4c promotes and models digital etiquette. 

Web Site Assignment

The web site assignment was probably one of my favorites.  We created a teacher web site that was based on us!  The site consisted of four pages: Home, About Me, Course Information, and Web Resources.  The Home page consisted of me welcoming the student and parents to the semester.  The About Me page described myself.  I shared with the students and parents my education background and a little personal information.  The next page consisted of the course information.   There were a list of classroom rules, the daily schedule, major assignments and holiday breaks.  I also added some educational website on my “Resources” page for the students and parents to use; they consist of education games, fun interatctive videos, and more.  The sites are:

http://www.kidsknowit.com/

http://www.topedusites.com/

http://www.bestedsites.com/ 

http://www.educationworld.com/

http://www.sitesforteachers.com/  

NETS met:

Standard 3c was met because the web site allows me to collaborate with students, parents, and community members by using technology.  Also, 4d was included because it allows me to engage with students by using digital-age collaboration tools.

 Here is a link to my web site:
https://sites.google.com/site/mrsbrenierswebsite/home

Google Groups Assignment

Last night in class we had broken down into groups to create a Google group.  I was assigned to group 1, along with Sammy Jo Abbit, Heather Brou, and Melissa Flickinger.  We were told to name our group something creative.  Considering we are in a class at the University of Southern Mississippi and we are all female, the name “Lady Eagles” was chosen.  Melissa took the job of group manager.  It was so funny because we couldn’t get Sammy into the group.  Melissa kept sending her the invitation and Sammy kept checking her e-mail… and nothing!  Finally, she had to log into another e-mail for her to get the invitation.  The first thing we all had to do was create a question about educational technology to ask each other.  After we thought about what question we wanted to ask (sky was the limit if it pertained to the subject) we submitted it into the Google group in the discussion area.  I entered my question in the classroom then Thursday around 4:10 I sat down on my couch to answer the questions. 

The next thing that I was assigned to do was to find five education websites and post them into our Google group under the Pages area.  I found some great websites; each site had lots of other different sites to visit.  They were: www.kidsknowit.com, www.topedusites.com, www.bestedsites,com, www.sitesforteachers.com, www.educationworld.com.  These are great sites for any teacher who is trying to create an activity or lesson for their students. 

Finally, I always reflect on the day’s assignment in my blog.  After typing this blog session I am assigned to enter it into my Google group under Files as an attachment.  That’s what I am about to do! I will be back soon! 

Google Groups is a great way for students to interact in the classroom!  I believe it would cut down on a great deal of noise also.  If I were to give my students a group assignment I would definitely use Google Groups.  This way they would be able to communicate with each other and share documentations.  Also, this would cut down on the excuse, “but I did not get to see her to give her the paper”.   The students would also be able to use the discussion board to discuss questions and interact with each other; they may also be able to answer each other’s questions (ultimately me a great deal of headache).  

NETS met:

The Google groups assignment met 1d because students are able to collaborate knowledge by engaging in a learning in a virtual environment. It also met 2c because students can use digital tools to access resources.  Google groups meets 4c because it teaches students etiquette and responsibility when it comes to social interations related to the use of technology and information. NETS 5a is used because students participate in a community to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

Here is a link to my Google group:

http://groups.google.com/group/lady-eagles

My Movie Project

Windows Movie Maker is some great software that I will be using in the future classroom.  I had no idea that this even existed until IT-365.  We had the opportunity to make a personal movie (pictures of family, friends, etc.).  I choose to extend my lesson on the United States of America.  I really wanted to create something that I could us e in the future.  Since I am hoping to get a job teaching social studies, history, or geography I created a video that would correspond with all three.  My video consists of national American landmarks (The Statue of Liberty), major US cities (New York), Oceans, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, Mountain Ranges (Rocky and Smokey), Volcanoes, and American Icons (Kelly Clarkson, Jay Leno, and Madonna).  The video is something that I can show my students before we begin our lesson on the United States of America.  During the course of this class, I have created a concrete and fun unit on America.  The Windows Movie Maker allowed me to create a great introduction to my unit.  I could also use this video as motivation in my lesson plan. I had a bit of trouble trying to create my video.  I started the project in the computer lab at the University.  When I got home to open the file all of my pictures were gone.  This is because I have a different program at my home than in the computer lab.  Well, I created the video again at home and could not get it to e-mail in the appropriate format because my computer did not have that format.  Therefore, I get to school to turn it in and had to remake the whole thing in about 10 minutes! I noticed some of my captions were not on the appropriate picture.  It was okay though… I had so much practice making the movie that it took me no time to create it again.  Plus… it gave me plenty of practice!  So it’s okay!  I will definitely be using this in my future classes.  Like I said earlier, it’s a great thing to use for motivation in a lesson plan.

NETS met:

My Movie Project met NETS standard 2a because it was designed to enhance student learning.  It was a learning experience that incorporated digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.  The project also fell under 2c because it was customized to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities to use tools and resources.  The video consisted of a wide range of topics that the students could relate to.