Mission COMPLETED!

WOW!!! It's all about over! I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had creating my classroom website! Although at times it was stressful and frustrating, I couldn't be more proud of my work! This class has been a journey, one that has already made me a better teacher. The resources, programs, and activities we learned and completed in 486 will be so beneficial to both my students and I.

When I first came into this class I knew I would be overwhelmed throughout the course of the semester. Learning new technological resources is by no means easy, but everything I have learned will definitely be integrated into my classroom one day. It's amazing to see how times have changed since I was in elementary school. The resources teachers are using these days is incredible and it was a lot of fun to be able to learn and actually gain first hand experience about a lot of them. Incorporating technology into my class is definitely something that is useful and that I will use.

Thank you so much for you time and support throughout the semester. I have certainly enjoyed this class and am so excited to use all the things I have learned with my students some day!

Interactive PowerPoints!

I had so much fun with the interactive powerpoints. I am proud of my accomplishments and how much I am learning in this class that I can take with me during my years of teaching. I decided to do my interactive powerpoint on the 3 branches of government because I hadn't yet done a project in here in the social stuides field. We were also completing them around election time, so I thought it was appropriate.

I know for sure that I will use interactive powerpoints in my classroom because they provide a fun and enjoyable way for students to learn. Although it was a lot of work, it wasn't difficult to complete, and I enjoyed doing it! I am excited to get started on our personal web pages and bring everything we have learned together! At this point in the semester, I feel like I have learned so much that will greatly benefit my students and I, and I look forward to incorporating all the things I have learned in 486 into my own personal classroom!!!

Storyboards & Interactive Powerpoints!

I have just completed my storyboard and I am very excited to get started with my interactive powerpoint. I decided to use the concept of the 3 branches of government for my topic and I think creating interactive sites will be something I will bring into my classroom. I will get started creating it this week and let you know! TO BE CONTINUED. . . .

Excelin'. . .

Today we learned how to design spreadsheets on excel. I remember learning about excel and making spreadsheets in my high school computer classes, so I was somewhat familiar with the program.

Knowing and understanding excel is so important for teachers. It is a way to keep them organized in so many different areas of teaching. You can use spreadsheets for grades, attendance, quizzes, math assignments, keeping track of who is making improvements, and so much more! I had a lot of fun experimenting with excel again and I definitely think it is a resource that will come in handy in the future :)

My New Inspiration...!

So it is almost fall break, and I am ready for it! I really enjoyed learning how to use Inspiration and make graphic organizers. This program seems to be very beneficial especially with the younger grades when teaching pretty much any lesson! I am a very organized person so I know inspiration will be something that I use a lot in my own classroom!

I am really enjoying our class each week and I feel like I am gaining so much knowledge on things I've never known before. I know I am getting hands-on experience with resources and technology that I can use all throughout my career. I am excited for what is still to come in our class and I look forward to learning more and more about technological resources that I can integrate into my classroom!

IMovies!

Today I had a lot of fun leaning about IMovie and watching the different video clips you have created. I love doing stuff like this and it was great to become familiar with a new program to create projects like these. Using IMovie can be a creative way to show parents what we do in the classroom by creating a personalized movie. Putting together a video clip at the end of the year is a great way to remember your students that year! I know I will definitely be using IMovie in the future and I look forward to it :)

Scavenger Hunt and Digiting Imaging....OH MY!

The past 2 classes on digital imaging have been so helpful and fun. The scanvenger hunt and powerpoint has by far been the most fun activity. I really enjoyed working with my team to complete it! It was a great way for us to learn about digital imaging and it was also an opportunity for us to learn and understandmore about how we can bring digital imaging into the classroom. I am finally becoming a lot more comfortable with all these technological resources. I am not going to lie, the first day of class was a little overwhelming for me but I am enjoying this class and the things we are leaning each week! I hope we get to do more with digital imaging and I cannot wait to integrate it into my own classroom :)

Digital Imaging. . .

Today was an interesting lesson. I've always used digital imaging a lot for sites such as Facebook and Myspace but never knew exactly what all the terms meant. It was helpful to learn different tips for taking pictures. The 5 image assignment was fun and helpful! I was able to learn how to obtain images frm a variety of sources and I know having knowledge of that will be helpful in my classroom!

My 1st Lesson Plans!

Today was the first time I created lesson plans. I was very excited to come in and accomplish this today and it was a fun activity that I have been waiting to do :)

Lesson Plans!

Today was a fun day! We learned how to create a lesson plan using the state and curriculum standards. The TEC lab was interesting and I know it will benefit me while pursuing my future career. It was fun being able to browse the different resources and texts available to us! Time to do the lesson plan....

Rock Star Day

Today I had a lot of fun doing the state project with my group and my filamentality. These websites definitely gave me insight on easy, fun, and interactive activities I can use with children of all age. Hopefully we will have a good weekend with a BIG win! Go Vols!

Practice makes perfect!

Well today I feel a lot better about how blogs and wikis work. Until now I was a little confused about using the different features on both programs, but learning how to add photos and spending some time exploring blogs and wikis has seemed to clear a lot up for me :) I can honestly start to say I am becoming more technologically advanced! I know more time and practice with blogs and wikis will continue to help me!

Working with Webquests

Today we learned how webquests work. It was interesting to learn about how different ones can be useful for different grades. Although they seem helpful for older grades, they are an interesting way to get students to work together in groups. I would still like to learn how to upload photos on wikis and blogs!

Welcome!

This week in class we set up our own blog website for IT 486. I enjoy creating new blogs because it will help me gain experience and practice for when I want to use blogs in my classroom!