FINAL POST

1. How has your attitude toward technology in the classroom changed this semester?

My attitude has changed so much from this class! I really liked technology before but now I love it! I didn't see how to effectively use it in the classroom before this class. I really enjoyed exploring all the many different ways to incorporate technology into my classroom to help my students succeed.

2. How has your skill with technology changed this semester?

I felt like I was pretty good with technology with this class before but I did learn a lot of new things. The technology I learned the most about and developed further skill was in the Google products. I had no idea all the amazing things you could do on Google for free! It was a great experience to learn how to use all those products.

3. How do you plan to use technology with your students?

I love the creativity technology allows students to have. I will use Glogster to have my students create online poster to present a topic they have done research about.

I also really enjoyed our final project and I will use similar ideas to allow my students another way to learn and or present information.

Additionally, I think it will be helpful to help my students learn how to properly use technology because it will them as they emerge into the workforce.

Excel Ideas

Excel is such an amazing tool to use! The first time I learned how to use it was around sixth grade. I was so glad that I was able to start young in learning Excel because it was a great benefit to me as I got older. There are so many fun activities you can use Excel for in the classroom. I am excited to share this great program with my students!

Science

Excel will be so beneficial in Science. I will be having my students do a lot of experiments to gain that hands on experience. A great way to have them visually show the data they have collected is to make a graph of it. If we are doing a lab that focuses on the change of temperature over a period of time, the students will take the temperature of the substance ever 30 seconds and record it. At the end of 5 minutes they will take all the data they have collected and enter it into an Excel document. They will then create an line graph demonstrating the change of temperature over time.

Social Studies

In Social Studies we talk a lot about different geographical areas and populations. Students will do a project where they will surf the web to find out populations of countries throughout the world. Once they have compiled the data they will first total all the data up to see how many people live in all the countries they have found. Next, they will find the average of the whole group. Lastly, they will create a chart to help them visually see the difference in populations across the globe. Although it won't be extremely accurate, the students may be able to draw a conclusion as to where most people live in the world. I think it will be a fun way for them to explore the world and get a feel for how large the world really is.

Digital Camera Ideas

I love the idea of using camera's in the classroom. It creates an amazing hands on experience for my students. I think by taking pictures the students will internalize the concepts so much better and remember them for a lot longer than just simply doing a worksheet or something like that.

Language Arts

For Language Arts it would be fun to have the students make their won ABC books. To do this they could go around the school, their home, and the community to either find the different letters or find different objects that start with that letter. When they have compiled all their pictures they can upload  them onto the computer and use their creativity to create a personalized ABC book.

Math

I think the best use of cameras in math is to have the students go out and find shapes in the school. It is a much more visual way for the students to apply the fact that everything is basically made out of shapes. The students could go around and take photos of different shapes they find. After they have the photos they could either make a PowerPoint presentation describing each of the shapes, or they can create a poster of all the pictures and name each of the shapes.

Social Studies

In Social Studies we study different cultures and events that happened in history. I think a fun way to help the students remember these events and cultures would be to "recreate" the scene. For instance, the student could "recreate" the scene of the Boston Tea Party. They could use boxes from home as the tea and create a fort that represents the ship. They could pose for the picture like they were throwing the tea into the harbor. Another example would be to represent a specific culture, like Ancient Greece. The student could take a photo their classmate posing like they are about to throw a discus, just like the Ancient Grecian's did in the first Olympic Games.

One they students have taken their photo they will edit it and make a poster describing what culture or event their photo represents.

Science

In Science we will be doing a lot of experiments. A great way for the students to remember their findings and what they learned from the experiment would be to take photos throughout the experiment. Once the students have completed the experiment they can take the data they have gained and the photos and create a presentation explaining their findings.

Using Tellagami in the Classroom

Language Arts 

In this content area we will be studying novels together. I think an effective way to see if my students understood will be to use a Tellagami. I will have my student's retell a brief summary of the novel, then explain how that novel can relate to their own lives. This will help them understand the reason we read the novel, and the significance of it. I think it will teach the students a great skill by helping them relate the material back to themselves.

Math

I will have my students create a Tellagami to re-teach a lesson we have learned. It will help them review the material we have learned, while teaching it back to someone. While reviewing the material to teach, the students will have to opportunity to pinpoint the areas the either did not understand the first time, or areas they had trouble with.

Social Studies

I think the best way for students to learn the concepts in History is to find something they are interesting in and learn more about it. I will have the students select a topic they would like to learn more about and have them do a little research on it. After they have complied the research I will have them create a Tellagami discussing what they have learned.

Science

In our Science class we will be doing many experiments. I will have the students create Tellagami's to record the data they have collected in the experiments. This will give them an opportunity to easily recall the data back to remember the findings. They can use the Tellagami to create a report to submit for a grade.

Introduction...

I always laugh at the saying "those who can't do teach." In my opinion this is completely false, it's not that I don't have the ability to do, it's that I want to share what I can do with others. I have wanted to be a teacher from the beginning. I use to play school and teach my stuffed animals how to do a math problem. I have a passion for help children become the best the can be a to reach their full potential. I think one of the most rewarding moments in life is the "light bulb" moment and the joy that comes to the child from understanding something new.

I grew up in the tight knit community of Kaysville, Utah. I have been surrounded by my entire family my whole life, making family extremely important to me. I am an avid sports fan. I especially enjoy playing basketball and competing in track and field. In addition to sports, music is also an important part of my life. As a child I taught myself to play the piano and guitar. I believe that music can touch the soul and communicate to a person like nothing else. I am also very passionate about art. In high school I had the opportunity to take a course focused on Art History. I immediately fell in love with this subject. I plan to integrate art into my different history lessons in my future class.