2010 Trip West

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Final Final Post

How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote the program in the future?

Join the world of technology for the 21st Century...if not for you, for your students.

Final Post

I am so happy that I was given a second chance to learn about the availabliity of technology in the 21st century. It certainly is intimidating knowing that the technology is in a constant state of flux, and that the things that I learn today may become obsolete tomorrow. What really has made an impact on me, in doing 17 Things, is the fact that I have gained confidence in my technological capabilities. I have discovered that if you are willing to investigate and explore, you will be able to teach yourself how a specific application works. I have also discovered that I need the help of my colleagues every now and then, and they have been a fantastic resource. To answer your questions...

How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I now have the confidence to take on new challenges in technology.

Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
I feel like I have an inkling of what technology can do to improve classroom instruction, and what it can do to help reach the students of today.

Do you think it's important for all teachers to integrate technology into their curriculum, or do you think it should be up to the individual teacher's preferences?
I really feel like teachers should be expected to integrate technology on a consistent basis, so that all students are exposed to the possibilities.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Thing 7 Animoto

I was motivated to try Animoto, because at the beginning of the year, I noticed Kellie's on her blog, and thought that it was cool. Then today during PLC, Geoff G. showed us one that he had created in a math workshop. One suggestion that was made was to create a video at the introduction to each unit in math, giving the overview for how your topic relates to the real world. It sounds like a really neat way to make learning relevant for our students. I would love to have a collection to link to my website!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Edmodo

I get lots of grief from my facebooking relatives for the fact that I do not go on facebook enough. My concern with Edmodo is that I would be the same way. It certainly is very user friendly, and I know that many of my students would love to use it as a means of communication. I would have never known it was possible without having gone through 17 things "lite". Thanks Alicia!

Voicethread

I loved voicethread, if you didn't notice. I commented on more than my share of pictures of the building. It really was very simple to use, and I know that students would love to experiment with it. Next year, I think that I am teaching Geometry. What I would love to do is to post a collage of maybe 20 pictures that have geometric shapes in architecture and or nature, and then have my students comment on them. Or, students could create their own slideshow, and make comments like Jessica's.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Thing 4

I finally understand what wikis are. I edited the existing wiki, and then created my own, which has to do with my parent's 5oth wedding anniversary celebration planning. It should be useful to use with my four siblings who are spread around the country. Here is the link http://chuckandcarol.wikispaces.com/.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Thing 3 Post

Please check out my website. I am really excited about getting this set up, because I would like to make the website available to my students to help them be more aware of what's going on in the classroom, and to use it a means for students to access information about my class. Eventually, I would like to have an individual calendar to access from each class, that would have a link to specific homework assignments. One question that I have is, can anyone edit a calendar that I create on Googledocs, or is there a way to block others from doing that?

I found Yola very easy to navigate and set up, once I got a little bit of help from Alicia. Thanks for your time and excellent assistance! Oh, by the way, the URL is http://mrsyoungsmathwebsite.yolasite.com/