Final Project Reflection

This was a fun project.  I was able to let my children be a part of it.  Sadly only the footage of my son Dracen would work with movie maker.  I had some other footage of my other son and some of our cousins playing for the exercise clip but it would not comply.  I also had some difficulty in uploading my video to Youtube because I used 30 seconds of each song initially and I guess you can only use 30 seconds total in sound clips.  We had a lot of fun making the videos though so it was a good experience. 

I don't think this video will be appropriate for an English class so I won;t be using it in my classroom.  I do think I could use it in the school setting for a health class so it is an option to donate it for those purposes.  I also think it could be used as an informational video for an organization such as WIC.

I think I'd like to use movie maker for my class by having my students act out their interpretations of literature. I think it would be fun for them and an entertaining way for them to learn the material. I think using multimedia benefits teachers in many ways.  One I see especially in using this project is making learning more entertaining for students and having them use technology allows them to work in their comfort zone.

Final Project

Chapter 12 Reflection

On page 288 it talks about local learning communities.  I found that you can learn a lot by knowing who the leaders in technological integration are in the school you are in.  knowing who can help you with integrating technology into your classroom is a good resource for us as new teachers.

I liked that this chapter again brings u that we shoudl monitor ourselves  as we grow proffesionally as it did in chapter 2.  I think it is important to see where you came from and where you are.  This will keep us aware of what we need to work on in the future.  I also think it helps keep teacher open minded and always looking for a new way to teach the same thing.


I woudl like to record my class periodically throughout the tear to see what is effective and if there is anything I could work on.  I think this would be a great way to keep track of how I am doing as a teacher.  I liked the suggestion

Chapter 11 Reflection

I did not know about the four components we should consider  in dealing with  the digital divide dilemma.
1.access to up  to date hardware, software and connectivity
2.Access to meaningful high-quality and culturally responsive content and the oppertunity to contribute to that content.
3. Access to educators who know how to use digital tools and resources.
4. Access to systems sustained by leaders with vision and support for change via technology
This is all on page 271.

I liked the list on pages 267 and 268 for supporting students socil needs.  I feel it is important to keep the students interacting with one another in order to help them later on in life in the work feild, I honestly wish there were more group projects when I was in school.  I believe socializing is an important part of our lives and can be very beneficial in learning.

I do plan on incorporate collaborative projects into my classroom I especially liked the idea of the reflective journal in the list. I feel that is students can reflect on what they ave read and see how others have interpreted the same  reading that they will become more open minded in what they read and how they look at things.

Pumpkin Painting at the UC

Hey guys just incase you haven't seen the flyers on campus, Sigma Tau Delta is hosting a Pumpkin Painting from 10:30am - 2:30pm this Friday the 29th at the UC.  Pumpkin an paints are $3, so come be creative and paint a pumpkin to celebrate Halloween. Hav a great week hope to see you all there!

Technology Articles Reflection

I learned that technology is over all a helpful tool in teaching. The second article, Digital Native, Digital I migrants, was the most appealing to me.  I liked how Marc Prensky vrought out that really it isnt using the technology and learning to do something new, but learning to teach old information in a new way that is the challenge.  I can completely understand this, I've seen so many teacher in my past who are unwilling to upgrade their classrooms and really the students are the ones paying for their stubbornness.  It is proven in other studies that teaching using technology is raising students scores.

I liked the points Prensky makes about any subject being able to be taught through technology.  I also liked his example of the new software being turned into a game foe people to learn it. He makes a good point in saying that we have to adapt to our environment which is always changing.  I also liked aspects of the other two articles like in the first one listed a gender study was done on people who take online courses. Also that people tend to think they know when a computer is talking compared to a person, yet the studies proved them wrong. 
I think saying that technology is changing the way we learn in a dramatic way is fitting in all three articles. 

Chapter 8 Reflection

One of the things I learned in Chapter 8 was about how people focus on hard ware.  I thought the categories you look at when  deciding on hard ware was insightful (pg. 192). Usually when I think about getting hardware it is just the typical computer, this section informed me that I really need to look at memory and all the other things that go with it.

I liked that the book made a point to say that you can have hardware but without certain software it is pretty much useless.  I actually ran into this problem a few years ago in a college course I was taking.   I had a computer but no word processing software on it. This was quickly remedied by buying the software. 

One piece of advice from this chapter that I plan to use is not being afraid to ask my students for help.  I am fullly aware that I will not always know what the newest technology is and I know younger generations grasp technological concepts quicker.  There is no shame in asking for help.