Lesson 8: SECURITY!

Well, It is officially here!  I am now writing my last blog for my Educational Technology class toward my MAT degree.  Throughout this class I have learned so much on all the technology that is out there for teachers to use in the classroom.  Online communication tools are never-ending in the world of education.  Everything from email, Skype, blogs, Facebook and other social network sites can be used in classrooms today.  I believe that email is especially important to use in education as a tool for communication with parents.  Many times, teacher and parents are on totally opposite schedules as when good times to communicate are.  With email, one can send an email and then wait for a reply.  It is much more efficient than playing phone tag with each other.   I also believe that it is important for students to use email and become familiar with it because it has become such a crucial part in today’s world.

Online communication tools such as Skype and blogs have also become increasing popular in classrooms today.  Many of the readings I have done were on classrooms using Skype to communicate with other classrooms around the country or globe for that matter.  I feel as though using Skype is kind of like a modern day pen pal.  While it is still very important for students to learn penmanship, using a software such as Skype will get them very comfortable with technology and will also allow them to see other cultures and ways of life by means of online communication.  It would become more real to students, being able to talk and see other students like them in other countries and states. 

With the use of all the available online communication tools is the worry of computers being safe and secure.  While there are so many good software and tools out there, there are also many harmful viruses and worms.  I am not currently in a classroom right now, but am pretty familiar with many schools’ ideas on keeping their students’ computers secure.  Many computer labs have a virus scan on all computers that run numerous times a day making sure that nothing harmful shows up on the computer.  Unlike computers at home that mainly allow students to surf the web on whatever they like, schools have certain filters that block certain actions and websites to be visited on the school computer.  This will keep students using the software that is available to them for educational purposes only.  While there are many things out there for teachers to use, it is important that we understand that we too follow school AUP’s and keep all computers safe and secure.  And this is something I cannot wait to be a part of!

Lesson 7: Software in the Classroom!

Well,  It is Week 7 and I have to say that I am STILL LEARNING!  This week I learned all the different types of software that is out there for teachers to use in the classroom.  Never did I imagine there was so many types of software on every subject area, such as Tutorials, Simulations, Critical Thinking and So on!  When I have my own classroom, in hopefully the next year, I have already started planning on using a few of these types of software. 

One software in particular that I KNOW I will use in the classroom, no matter what grade level  or subject area I end up teaching, is TUTORIALS!  Tutorials give students specific training and practice on any subject.  The best part about these, I believe, is that they allow students to learn at their own pace.  Many times, whether it be in Math or Spelling, there are always some kids who get it a little faster and some that get it at a little slower pace.  Giving them access to tutorials will give them extra time to practice and learn at their pace.  One of the best parts is that in most tutorials, the student can pick what level they are at in the subject, such as beginner and move up from there.

There are many tutorials out there for teachers and parents to buy, however, I was able to find many FREE or discounted rates for teacher’s, tutorials on the Internet.  One tutorial that I will use immediately in my classroom is one that I found online called, SpellaRoo.  This tutorial is one that gives the student the opportunity to choose what spelling level they are at, and then from there are given a series of sentences where they choose the incorrectly spelled word.  After every sentence, the student is told if they were right or wrong.  I believe it is very important for students to get that immediate response if they were wrong and then be provided with the correct spelling.  SpellaRoo does this.  I was also able to find many Math tutorials on the Internet that are for every age.  Everything from addition and subtraction to fractions and algebra, there was a tutorial.

After this week’s lesson, I am very excited to know that I have effective and cheap resources out there to teach my students.  It can become very monotonous for a student to write down spelling words and math problems over and over.  While sometimes, this may be necessary, it is good to know that using these tutorials will give students the practice and repetition in order to succeed, all while having fun!  Because, again in my opinion, Education should be fun!

Lesson 6: The Wonders of WebQuests!

In lesson 6 of Educational Technology I have learned all about Webquests.  Before this lesson, I have to say that I had never heard of such a thing.  Our assignment was to create a Webquest that the age group of students we plan on teaching would benefit.  So first, I did the reading on Webquests.  By doing the reading on Webquests, I understood them as putting assignments and learning activities on a certain subject in different steps and categories.  I believe that many Webquests start with a subject and slowly provide more challenging “activities” for the student to do.  The reading that was given to us on WebQuests described them as scaffolding learning.  This refers to a teacher taking what the student already knows, and then introducing new concepts using the student’s prior knowledge.   I believe that by doing this, it can give the student the ability to learn at their own pace.  No matter the student or learning style, all students will have the same activities to do, but will be able to go at their own pace and always be able to go back and look at what they previously did.

            Before I started my own Webquest, I researched various Webquests done by other teachers on the Internet.  I found everything from Webquests on the Solar System, to ones teaching about Fractions, and others about Literature.  After going over five or more Webquests at all different grade levels, I was so happy to know that absolutely any subject or grade level could benefit from one of these. 

            I started my own Webquest a couple weeks ago, and boy,  am I glad!  This was a very time consuming thing to do.  It wasn’t difficult to do, however it took a little while to get the hang of the process.  I was really pleased that there were many examples on the Quest Garden website that I could go over and model against my own.  I chose to do a WebQuest on Rhyming.  I did this because my plan is to teach Kindergarten through 2^nd grade.  Rhyming would be a very good subject that students at this age level would be introduced to.  Throughout my Webquest, the student will be introduced to what “rhyming” means, given a picture matching game of rhyming words, and then two Rhyming games to play on the Internet.  I am confident that after a student would do my WebQuest, they would be very proficient in identifying Rhyming words.  Below is a link to my very own Webquest: 

http://questgarden.com/109/25/1/100920183730/

I think the biggest challenge in creating my WebQuest was just getting the concept on how to make them.  I felt a lot of me making the WebQuest was a lot of trial and error.  I would make a page, and then Preview it and have to change it all.  After inputting the first activity it was much simpler for me to do the other two.  I know that the next WebQuest that I make will be a lot easier to make since I have experience with it now.  I really enjoyed this lesson and feel as though it will be a communication/learning tool that I will use in my future classroom.  Thank you Educational Technology!

LESSON 5! Internet Communication in the Classroom

I am in my 5^th week in the Educational Technology Class, and I am STILL Learning!  The first thing that really stood out to me was that every school has an Acceptable Use Policy for teachers and students.  Since I am not in the school system yet, this wasn’t something that I had ever really thought of.  Now that I have done readings and watched videos on this, it is definitely something that is a MUST!  Internet technology could be a life saver for teachers and students today.  An AUP is crucial so that we make certain no one, whether it be students or teachers, are abusing what we have to use in the classroom. 

The reading that I did on Online Communication Tools gave me so much insight on what I can do as a teacher to meet the different educational needs of my students.  Because I am already very comfortable using the Internet for business and personal use, I know it will be something that I become even more comfortable with in the classroom.  For a very long time now, Email has been an everyday thing for me in my life.  Now that I know I can use this in my classroom to teach my students, I am so excited!  I will use email when communicating with parents and always have an “open door” policy for parents emailing me.  Using this type of communication tool with parents is good because it eliminates “phone tag”, and will give parents and teachers the opportunity to communicate on their own time.  I will use Email as a learning tool for my students also.  I think it is important for students at a very young age, to learn the different communication tools that are out there and to learn how to be proficient in the use of all of them.  I cannot wait to get with my students and send an email from the entire class to someone like the President or a local congressman!  I will teach them how to get their opinions and ideas out there.

Now that I am familiar with using blogs, I have already decided that my future classroom will have its own blog!  I will first introduce blogs to them by showing them different blogs from other classrooms around the Internet.  After that, we will create our own.  Each week certain students will be responsible for updating the classroom blog.  At this point, we will be able to share our experiences in our school with students all over the world!

I absolutely cannot wait to use all of the educational technology ideas in my classroom.  It making me a little more impatient in getting out of school and getting a teaching job J!  Thank you Educational Technology for all the great ideas!

Lesson 4: Using PowerPoint in the Classroom

My PowerPoint presentation on the First Thanksgiving is a very cheerful one.  I feel as though it will do the job in teaching the first thanksgiving story to a young student.  I think one of the many problems that people make in PowerPoint presentations is to overload each slide with too much information.  I didn’t want to make my PowerPoint like a text book.  Each slide consisted of a picture and a caption.  When a student has to read a slide that has a paragraph, it is very easy for them to lose interest. So in my presentation on the First Thanksgiving, I made the caption text large and clear so that it would be easily read and understood in a classroom environment.  A class could go through this as a group or individually to learn this story.  I am most proud of this organization in my PowerPoint.  With the small text and captions with pictures, I know that students will stay engaged when I use this later. 

                Since I am not yet teaching and do not know a lot of 1^st and 2^nd graders, I had to present my PowerPoint to my friend’s little girl.  She is actually 4 years old and in her first year of preschool.  This PowerPoint presentation is definitely one that could be used in numerous elementary grades.  She already knew a little bit about Thanksgiving, mainly that it has something to do with Indians.  She loved the colors that I used.  She can’t read yet, so I went through each slide and read the text.  She would talk about the pictures that were on the slides and we would discuss what was happening in each slide.  By the end of it all she was telling her mom about how the Indians helped the Pilgrims find and cook food.  She got the gist of it all. She also wanted me to tell her the story again as if I were reading her a book before bed.  It was really quite funny.  As a whole, I think that my PowerPoint presentation was pretty successful for even a 4 year old, which will make me use it in the future when I have my own students.   If I were to do anything differently on my PowerPoint presentation, I think I would try to include some animation or music.  I think the presentation as a whole was very good, but making it a little more interactive could have made it more stimulating for a different kind of learner. 

                The readings in this lesson taught me a few things.  I have always been very familiar using PowerPoint, however some of the ideas for teaching really intrigued me and taught me something.  The main thing that I learned in this lesson was the “pack and go” feature that teachers can use with PowerPoint.  Being able to send a PowerPoint presentation on Classroom rules and guidelines home to parents could be crucial in having a successful classroom environment.  Most homes today have some sort of computer, but not always the correct software.  With the “pack and go” feature, parents wouldn’t have any trouble opening it. 

                The sample presentation I made today will be one of many PowerPoint presentations that I will use in my future classroom.  I am looking forward to introducing subjects with interactive presentations, making students familiar with PowerPoint, which will help them as they get older. 

Week 3: "Back to School" letter to Parents

I am now in my 3rd week of class and I am learning more and more everyday about technology in the classroom. As a young professional I use technology very often in my everyday life. At work, I use Excel to make spreadsheets, Publisher to make flyers, and Word to create emails and letters. It is so important that students learn to use all of the different software at an early age so that they are up to date anything their employer or life may throw at them. Technology will only continue to be more important in everyday life. In this week’s reading assignments and lessons, I was really surprised at all the ideas I had never thought of in using word processing and desktop publishing in the classroom.


As a teacher, I will use many of the ideas I learned during this week’s lesson in my classroom. First off, I will use desktop publishing in creating letterheads and newsletters to send my students’ parents. Communicating with parents is important in a student’s success. I will also be sure that my elementary students will use a form of desktop publishing or word processing in many of their lessons. Everything from making story webs on the computer for books they are reading, “travel” brochures for islands they are researching, to using word processing in sending letters to a pen pal. All of this will be used in my classroom.

Although I am not yet teaching, I am still very familiar with what makes a certain visual aid appealing. In newsletters and flyers, I think it is important for them to be organized and neat, but on the other hand bright and cheery, depending on what the reason for the visual aid is. I created a “Back to School” letter to parents from Microsoft Publisher. After creating this, I believe it will be one that I use when I have my own classroom in hopefully a year from now . You have to be careful in making sure that the items you make are visually appealing and distract from the message. Sometimes, too much color and pictures can be an overload and distract from the original message. In the letter I made for my students’ parents, it is very clear what I am trying to do. First off, the title is bold which tells the parents it is Back to School and more than likely prepares them for what the year will hold. I tried to make it cheery and positive with the border and small pictures, but included the body of the message in the middle. The information is all together in one area, which makes it easy for the parents to read and understand. I have attached my “Back to School” letter. How do you think I did?

Week 2: Spreadsheets in the Classroom!

I have worked in various jobs where using Excel spreadsheets have been key in performing my job successfully. When I worked in the marketing department for a fitness company, I used Excel for tracking membership logins and participation. The biggest thing that I did was use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to make sure that we used our monthly dollars correctly. The budget was a major part in marketing because we were always spending money, but was only allowed to spend certain amounts of money for different marketing items. The spreadsheet helped me in tracking and making sure that all budget dollars were allocated appropriately. Getting students familiar with spreadsheets and databases at an early age will only better prepare them for their future and make them more organized and successful humans.


While searching the Internet, I found many websites for teachers that explained the various ways in which spreadsheets and databases can be used in the classroom. I found way in which grades such as preschool could use them, all the way to high school classrooms. The following website was very helpful to me: http://learntech.ties.k12.mn.us/Excel_Classroom_Projects

This website referenced all different websites that teachers can go to for ideas and information on different kinds of Excel spreadsheet classroom work. A lot of times when people think of spreadsheets, they think numbers, graphs, and math. In reality, spreadsheets can be used in any subject. I found it surprising but very interesting that one idea was to use a spreadsheet in a history class. One example was a lesson on Civil War Battles. The students would talk about the different battles and then input the information in the spreadsheet. This information would include, specifics of the battle, location, date is started and ended, etc. Later, the students would be able to put it in a graph and be able to look at it that way. It is so helpful that spreadsheets really can be used in any grade and subject.

Unfortunately I am not currently teaching in a regular classroom, nor have I in the past. Although, I hope to be very soon. With that said, I don’t have any experience in using spreadsheets in my own classroom. However, after looking at the many website and readings I have already thought of many ways to use them. I think it is very important for students to learn how the weather changes over a year’s time. Of course they feel the temperatures rising and dropping, but until they can really look at it, they won’t fully understand it. Starting a spreadsheet that has the daily temperatures and weather, students will be able to track it season over season. Once they start to learn how Excel spreadsheets work, they’ll be able to find average temperatures and precipitation, and then later understand climate. I also think that giving students the responsibility of tracking their own grades will be very important and is something I plan to do as a teacher. When you let students use real life tools and resources in learning, they begin to see that what they are learning really will benefit them in the future. When students see this, it is much easier for them to learn. Students love technology and technology will only continue to become more and more important. It is our job as educators to make sure our future is prepared. I will definitely be using spreadsheets in my classroom, and so will my students. GO EXCEL! 