ABC Hunt

Slideshow

Google Tools

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been using many of the tools provided by Google. Igoogle was one tool that I found particularly useful. Within this tool, you can add several gadgets on your welcome screen that you would typically use most often. On my screen I added the weather, to do box, clock, calendar, and other use gadgets. Now instead of searching for these things, they are on my welcome screen and are easily assessable. Google docs is another feature that I also found to be very useful and easy to utilize. This could have came in handy many times through my college experience when collaborating with a group or partner. I think it will also be a useful way to incorporate technology into my classroom in the future.

WebQuest

Exploring the different WebQuests in class was very interesting. Although many of the WebQuest were written in a grade level far above a third grade level, there were also some that would be able to be utilized in lower grade classrooms. I think that they are great tools that would be good for centers and supplemental teaching activities throughout the week. The children would be able to get useful information and knowledge while also exploring the use of technology. I also think that they would be engaging for the children and a different change of pace to the regular classroom routines. I was surprised by how many different content areas the WebQuests covered and think that I definitely want to investigate integrating them into my future classroom.

PB Works

Learning to use PB Works to create wikis was actually a lot more simple than I had originally imagined. I think that the wikis are a great technology resource that could easily be incorporated into the classroom curriculum. Just as we created a teacher resource, the children could work on projects together throughout the day using wikis on the classroom computer. I think its an innovative way to engage children in the learning process. I also think its a great way for educators to communicate and keep up with new resources that they may not have discovered if it wasn't for this form of communication. I am interested to see the development of our wiki throughout the month.

Website Evaluation

I thought the website evaluation activity was very useful and productive. The worksheet had many questions that made me think critically about the website and its overall purpose and authenticity. As a future teacher, I think that using these techniques will be helpful to evaluate websites that I will use in the classroom and will recommend for my students to use outside of the classroom.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! This blog tracks my journey through TPTE 486. I will be frequently posting reflections and assignments throughout the semester. I hope to learn more about how to integrate technology into the classroom setting for my future classroom. I also want to learn more about the mac computer system and also how to creatively use aspects of technology to differentiate teaching and motivate students.