Reflecton #6

What? For my final relfection, I wanted to post something about how I plan to actually incorporate my future (ideal) teaching job with technology. When it comes to teaching, I would really like to use my degree to go abroad and teach English to foreign language learners. I was just talking with several friends about this today, and I also heard from a missionary this morning about how she has the opportunity to teach English in China. There is such a need for teachers to teach English in today's world. I could even use this kind of teaching position to bring the gosepl to people in other countries.

So What? Since I know that I want to go abroad at some point, even if it's only for a year, I wanted to brainstorm several ways I could incorporate technology with this kind of job. Technology could enable me to maintain a blog in various languages so that parents and students alike could read what I post in their own language. I also could post links to websites that are interactive and could add to their English learning experience. I think that the more resources that students have available for them to use, the more immersed they would become in a language.

Now What? I am so excited to hopefully teach English someday and also to use technology in my profession. I also have many friends within my Ed. cohort who are wanting to teach English possibly, and I think that we should encourage one another to pursue using technology to help us teach English better. This summer I'm planning on taking the TESL course in which I hope to use technology to do several of the assignments.

Reflection #5

What? As previously mentioned in one of my other reflections, I have been incorporating technology into the African presentation I am putting together in my Instructional Design class. As I was pondering what to use as an Anticipatory Set for the lesson, I decided that something involving technology would be a great attention grabber. I went online to look up possible youtube videos I could use that had to do with the continent of Africa. It took some time, but I finally found a good one. You can click on the following link in order to view the video I found for my Anticipatory Set.

So What? I'm really excited that I found this video, because I have never before used a youtube video within a school presentation, let alone a lesson I could use with students someday. However, as I become more comfortable with incorporating technology into my academic environment, I am realizing that these kind of resources will be very helpful as attention grabbers in my future classroom.

Now What? For future presentations or lessons that I need to build, I plan to use technology in some way, shape, or form. This may include a youtube video like this one, a SMART board presentation, an interactive website or online picture, or any other kind of visual technology. Students love watching videos (I know I do) and technology reaches them better than any other tool in this generation since kids today have grown up in a world full of technology.

Week 8 Post (Required)

I found the following site regarding the use of the Promethean ActivBoard. This site provides lots of information about this kind of white board. There is a link for educators to view case studies on the use of this board within classrooms. I think that this kind of technology is a viable option to incorporate into the classroom, because it seems like a leading and ground breaking technology in the realm of education. The site states that the Promethean ActivBoard's aim is to "unlock the potential of human achievement in education and training around the world at all ages around the world." While I learned more about what the Activboard is through this site, I am still curious as to how this interactive board compares to the SMART board--their similarities and differences as well as which one is best in the classroom. The Promethean Activboard is painted in a very good light on this site, most likely since it is a good interactive tool and also since the site is trying to sell the Activboard to educators. The site claims that the Activeboard "brings learning to life!"

Comments on Peer Blogs

Throughout the first part of this semester, I commented on the following entries on my peers' blogs:

Kacie's "My Decision to Become a Teacher"
Natalie's "Entry 7"
Alice's "School Website"
Matthew's "Reflection #1"
DeAnna's "The Interactive WHITE board, Yes it has Arrived!"
Bethany's "My Story"

Hope you find their posts as interesting as I did!

Reflection #4

What? In reflecting on my most recent Techology in Eduation session, I am realizing more and more that I know very little about internet technology compared to how much technology is "out there." While I want to be tech savvy, for the sake of best using the resources that are potentially at my fingertips, I am finding that I have only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg. As an upcoming teacher, I want to use the best resources possible in order to help my class learn and be able to access information, as well.

So What? I am so thankful for my Technology in Education class. Even though I usually leave the class feeling a similar feeling of intimidation concering technology than when I came in the door, I am still gaining knowledge in this area of my world and I know that practice and patience will continue to boost my confidence in the realm of technology. As I continue to discover the many online resources that exist, I know that I will find several that will become more comfortable and easy for me to use frequently. At the moment, I am still trying to simply soak it all up and take what I can from the information that I have been given.

Now What? I'm glad that I'm becoming more comfortable with the SMART board, creating web pages, and creating a teacher blog (as well as maintaining this current blog: Technological Perspective). These accomplishments give me confidence to keep exploring resources as I step into my professional career. I hope to create my own teacher blog and use it consistently as a teacher for students and parents to access and reference on a weekly basis.

Reflection #3

What? Yesterday I was able to create a website page in my Technology in Education class. It was so great because I could do the encoding for the page and create my own page about whatever information I wanted to put online. I chose to make my page about Africa, because I have a presentation in another of my classes this week regarding this topic.

So What? Since I chose to make a page with material on it that I am also using in another class, I wanted to be able to access the website page for my other presentation. The tricky thing was being able to get to it from another computer, one other than my own. At first, I was only able to access it through my computer, but I realized that if I sent it to my email account, then I could access it from any other computer, via my email. In doing this, I realized that I additionally had to add a link for the google picture that I had originally included on my page. This way I could easily access the picture of North Africa during my presentation by clicking on the link.

Now What? I plan to use this website as a piece of the presentation I have been putting together for my other class. It's all pretty exciting for me since I have never done this before, and with practice, perhaps I can make another webpage sometime that is more complex than this current one. I learned that creating sites takes time and is not as easy as it may seem. I'm not only proud of the simple one I made, but I now have a much greater appreciation for the people who create various websites.

Week 7 Post (Required)

I currently work at Lakeview Elementary and hope to teach at a public elementary school like this one someday. The following is a link to its website: Lakeview Elementary. I like how bright and cheerful this website is. I also enjoyed looking through the many activities it has for students there. Although a bit plain, the website seems inviting and is extremely informative. Personally, I wish that the website offered more pictures of the school and of the children there. The layout seems a bit outdated and could be possibly updated, but its current layout does work. I enjoyed exploring this website, especially since I am familiar with the school.