Post Ten

The most interesting topics I found was the common idea tha everyone thinks technology is a very good idea for the classroom. If the majority of our country's future teachers think that technology is beneficial for their students, we should try harder to integrate it. Another topic I found interesting was on Welsch Lass' site talking about using technology back at home, in England, and how she uses it to keep in touch with family while here at FSU.
The next technology related skill I would like to learn next is how to use a Smart Board. We watched a film in my teaching diverse populations class that had smart boards in the classrooms. These boards are large touch screens that students and teachers can use to learn many things. I would like to learn how to use them because they look most beneficial and fun.
To achieve my future educational technology-related goals, I feel that I may look into finding courses that could help me along the way. It never hurts to be overly prepared. I feel strongly about the belief that integrating technology into the classroom can benefit everyone.

Post Nine

As a teacher, a web based tool that I find will be really helpful is the program inspiration. It was really neat all the graphs you can make and it will allow students to be creative on their own levels and come up with their own creations. I find that very important allowing students to make things on their own and learn what they are capable of.

http://www.inspiration.com/

A tool or resource that I have not yet come across but might find really helpful would be a gradesheet program that you enter in all your desired information and the webpage calculates it all for you. Excel is great but I find that there has to be a quicker way to do a gradepage than that.

Post Eight

In chapter eight, i learned about protecting your computer. It is very important to keep your computer safe from the outside world of hackers and people who just like trying to destroy your hard drive. Your files can be seen to people who shouldn't see them, your documents can be lost and your computer can become un-usable.
I paid special attention to viruses and learning about them in this chapter. There are so many ou there. New viruses are made everyday and can harm your computer in ways people don't know how to fix yet. It is extremely important you try to keep your computer safe and secure at all times.
Since my last post, we have discovered a new site that is helpful to teachers and can create a new way of keeping students posted on assignments and tests coming up without having to write them down everyday. I think sites like this come in handy a lot to college professors but can also be helpful to teachers in high school also.

Post Seven

In chapter seven, I learned about the appropriateness of using educatoinal technology. You have to make sure the technology is valid and can be used efficiently. There are meetings that teachers can attend to discuss the quality of certain educational technologies being used.
I have also learned that there is a thing called EDTECH. EDTECH is a program for teachers to communicate and share ideas about the technology they have been using in their classrooms and give feedback. I find this a good resource to know about because you can get different opinions about educational technology tools before you choose to use them. This way teaching with those tools will be more effiencent and beneficial to your students.
Since my last post I have learned a lot more about power point. I used to make many power point presentation in middle school for different classes, but I was never taught an in depth way of using the program. There is a lot more to power point then I had thought before.

Post Six

In Chapter Six, there are many new things I have come across that have brought new definitions to my memory. Terms such as a "teachable moment." This is a moment where the teachers have an open window of opportunity for the information they are teaching to be comprehended in greater detail by students.
I found this term the most interesting, and the fact that computers have made this moment easier and have provided powerful opportunities for many different types of teaching and learning to be engaged by the students in learning experiences. I am excited to know that computers can help this opportunity because I think students will enjoy working with computers and will learn quicker by using them in the classroom.
Since my last post, I have ventured into the land of Excel. There are a lot of functions on that program as well as the Word Document program. I am continuously surprised at how much you can do with computers!

Post Five

With digital media now in the grasp of our own hands, teacher, businessmen, and entertainment industries can go to limits in teaching, presenting, and entertaining like never before. Technology is the term first associated with computer use in the classroom. Computers found their ways to the schools and have been used for training, production, and vocational skills. When digital media came it was defined as those technologies that allowed users to create new forms of interaction, expression, communication, and entertainment in a digital format. With this new technology of digital media, it has made teaching and presenting more personal and fun for everyone students and businessmen alike.
Besides learning about how digital media has made things a little easier, I have also learned about specific programs that have been invented due to this finding of digital media. These programs are anywhere from pre K levels to adult. Pre K levels include PBS, or LEARN TO READ, and the adult ones are video games or computer games such as SIMS. I was addicted to video games when I was younger, Nintendo ruled my life. Ha ha. But now that they have come out with educational video games, as an aspiring teacher, I am excited to explore these games and suggest them to parents of my future students.
New skills I have acquired since my last posting on here include learning even MORE about Microsoft Word. (Is that even possible?) Yet, this time I have taught myself along the way. I have explored all the different functions and settings of how to use a table and create the exact setting you need. I found it difficult at first but I was determined to figure it out because this class has shown me how little I know about Microsoft functions and I want to learn more.

Post Four

In chapter 4 I learned the most about vocabulary words I have heard often, but never knew what the meant. My computer geek friends and family members would always utter these words when fixing and creating computers, but I never asked for explanations. Words such as a CPU(central processing unit), or a motherboard, a circuit board wherte many of the electronic components in the system unit reside. I also learned the process in which a computer translates data put into it. Step 1: the user presses the letter on the keyboard(for example the letter "T"). Step 2: An electronic signal for the letter T is sent to the system unit. Step 3: The electronic signals that is sent when the key is pressed is the ASCII binary code; the ASCII binary code is stored in the memory for processing. And Step 4: After processing, the ASCII binary code for the letter T is converted to an image and displayed on the output device.
As I have wandered about other bloggers pages I have found that i have a lot in common with their ideas. I have found that many of us agree on the fact that technology can have a major impact on education. I have also found that many of the bloggers would have to agree on the fact that many of the programs we have learned about will make teaching and interacting with the students a lot more creative and fun for everyone.
Since my last post we have completed another Skills Check. It surprised me and amazed me how little i knew about the Word Document program. That program can do so many things that can make creating a document much more efficient and easy. I can only hope that I will remember those skills and use them in the future when creating documents for my classes and students.

Post Three

In Chapter three, I learned about different kinds of software. The three main kinds that stick out the most are application software, productivity software, graphics and multimedia software. These different software programs make if easiere to navigate and create while on the computer. I find them helpful and encouraging for more and more people to begin to use them.

Application Software: a computer program designed to carry out a specialized tasks for the user, such as database management, word processing, or electronic mail.
Productivity Software: is Application software such as spreadsheets, database, word processing, graphics, and desktop publishing which allow the user to produce reports efficiently and professionally.
Graphics and Multimedia Software: In computer graphics, graphics software is a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate visual images on a computer.

These three software programs help to make using computers more fun and involved on a personal level. Through using a Graphics Software program I have learned how to design my own graphic images and charts. Through this program I could, in the future of my teaching career, help myself and my students follow along with lessons more efficiently and more together.

Post Two

Chapter two was interesting with all the facts it gave us. Facts about networks, multimedia, graphics, technology in the classroom, and many more. I learned a lot of new computer "lingo" and brushed up on some vocabulary I had already known. I now understand more about the connections and networks that all work together to make using computers and the Internet a lot easier.
What I found most interesting in chapter two was the section about multimedia on the web. I have always been interested in graphic design and love being creative. I learned that graphics are and digital representation of nontext information such as a drawing, chart, or photograph. Some more multimedia aspects are animation, audio, video, and virtual reality. The Internet has really taken off over the past years and most beneficially for educators and students. I am excited to become a teacher and have the Internet at my side to aide, entertain, and teach my future students.
Today I learned that there are many programs that can help teachers in classrooms run a more efficient class. At the same time, make tests, quizzes, and assignments for fun, accessible, and learning based for their students; all because of the Internet. I explored one such program called Hot Potatoes. It was a really convenient and conventional website and I am really looking in to using a website such as that one in the future for my teaching techniques.

Post One

While reading chapter one, I learned many things:
-information literacy is knowing how to find, analyze, and use information.
-you learn to make informed decisions on information obtained in all areas of your life.
-computer literacy is konwledge and understanding of computers and their uses.
-information and computer literacy relate because aspects in life(such as housing, cars, and finances) are more and more becoming easier accesible by internet.
-integration literacy is the ability to use computers and other technology combined with a variety of teachinga nd learning strategies to enhance sutdents' lives and match apporpriate learning strategies(technology wise) with learning objectives.

Along with those vocabulary words I also learned some computer terms:
-data into the computer is called input
-results are the output from the computer
-files store information on the computer
-the electrical equipment is called the hardware
-instruction fro hardware is called the software

Since I have last logged on for a post, I have learned how to manage and customize a blog. I think using a blog could be helpful in the education area in ways that would help teachers communicate with students about subjects being taught. Now that I have acquired the skills to create a blog, I can teach my stundents how and we can work together to communicate more efficiently.

Post Zero

Throughout my life I have used technology everyday. When I was younger I would use the house phone to call my friends, family, and talk to them for hours; asking them all sorts of questions to keep in touch and maintain a close relationship. Now in college, I own a cell phone and a laptop computer. Communication has become a lot easier because of this technology. I can easily send a quick email, or leave a short voice mail to stay in contact with my friends and family. I think I would have to say that I use technology the most to communicate with others. Sure, I do a research paper every now and then, but while doing the research paper, I have facebook and AIM open at the same time. Technology has definitely made it easier to stay in touch with everyone.

From this class, I am expecting to learn a lot about technology and ways I can use it in the classroom. I hope to find ways to optimize the learning for my students and help them reach their highest potential learning abilities. I also hope to find ways that technology makes it easier to reach those goals, i.e. making tests, visual aids, powerpoints, etc. I really intend to learn a lot from this class about how technology can help make teaching fun and interesting.

The Way I Learn:

Reflective: Be sure to stop periodically to reflect the material learned in class.
Intuitive: Take time reading entire questions on tests before answering, intuits are prone to careless mistakes.
Visual: Try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visual representation of course material that is predominantly verbal.
Sequential: When studying, take time to outline material for yourself in logical order