Digital Storytelling

I really enjoyed learning about digital storytelling in this session. Digital storytelling is very different from other forms of storytelling, and I think that they ways it differs would appeal to digital natives. I think I would use digital storytelling in lower elementary classes to present new stories to my students. I would use digital storytelling in upper elementary classes to have my students learn about the elements of storytelling by having my students create their own stories in groups.

Interactive Whiteboards

This session introduced me to interactive whiteboards. I knew that these existed, but wasn't really familiar with how they worked. I was really impressed by all the things that these whiteboards can do. From what I know, Philadelphia School District uses Promethean. I thought that company had a lot to offer in their whiteboards, and I really liked the software that came with them. My use of whiteboards will depend on what's available to me, but I hope that I can use this great resource.

Educational Resources

This session introduced me to some great resources for multiple subjects. I was really interested in the idea of using YouTube in my classroom. I also appreciated the article on first-year teacher use of technology.

Lesson Plans, Web Quests, and Scavenger Hunts

I really enjoyed this session. I was not familiar with Web Quests or Scavenger Hunts, and they are a great way to direct Internet use in your classroom. I am especially excited about using these in my lower elementary classroom, where students do not necessarily have the skills to just surf the Web on their own. I look forward to creating Web Quests and Scavenger Hunts about all sorts of subjects and lessons.

Creating a Webpage

This session was helpful as I am getting ready to start the Web site project, and I know it will be helpful in creating webpages for my future classrooms. I had no idea that I could make a Google calendar that was separate from my personal calendar. This is great, because it allows me to make a calendar for my classroom that doesn't have my personal events on it. I can also make the calendar accessible to parents and students alike.

Website Evaluation

This session introduced me to criteria for evaluating websites. This would be a great thing to pass on to my students when they are completing research projects, as they will need to assess the reliability of their sources.

These criteria will also help me when I am making my own classroom website, which is a great way to keep in touch with parents and families, as well as to allow students to access homework, calendars, and links at home.

Session 5: Web 2.0 Applications

This has been my favorite session so far. I had no idea that all of these applications existed. So many of them would be so helpful in the classroom, especially Quizlet, Backpack, and Delicious. I really enjoyed exploring Delicious and creating bookmarks. This is an application that I will definitely use as a teacher to find and share websites with other teachers. Depending on the grade I teach, I may also have my students use it.

I also really enjoyed the article "A Facebook Education." I did not necessarily agree with everything, but it gave me a new perspective on using social-networking sites in the classroom.

Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging

In this session I learned more about how to use desktop publishing in the classroom. In other classes, we have discussed the importance of keeping in touch with parents throughout the year. Using desktop publishing to create a newsletter is a great way to do this. As I started working on my desktop publishing project, I was surprised at how easy Microsoft Word makes it to create a professional looking newsletter. The flyer was also incredibly easy and looked great.

The digital imaging part of this session was also helpful. I always thought I needed Photoshop to do some of the things I was able to do online

This is definitely something I will use in my classroom.

Session 4: Adaptive Technology

This session taught me a lot about the types of adaptive technologies that are available to teachers and students. Some of these technologies are for people who are severely disabled. Because I never planned to teach students with these needs, I thought that adaptive technologies were not something I would ever use.

However, this session showed me that many of these technologies are useful for students with milder disabilities, including students with poor vision or dyslexic students. These are the types of students that I may have in my classroom. It is helpful to know that these technologies exist.

Session 2: Spreadsheets in the Classroom

During this session, I learned more about how spreadsheets can be used in the classroom. I already use Microsoft Excel regularly in my personal life; however, I never thought about using it in the classroom. I also never realized that use of spreadsheets in the classroom is not limited to teacher use for grading and other forms of record-keeping.

The spreadsheet ideas I found online had ways to use spreadsheets with your students in any grade and in any subject. I really liked the idea of using spreadsheets to make a timeline in history class.

I also appreciated using spreadsheets for data analysis. This is a great way to evaluate how well you did making a test, rather than how well your students did on the test.

Session 1: 21st Century Learning

Today we read the article "Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives." The concept of digital natives and immigrants was new to me, but it made a lot of sense based on my experiences. The idea that my future students are digital natives changes the way the I think about instruction. Before reading this article, I always though of technology as being something I would add to my instruction; however, the instruction would not necessarily require it. However, this article has made me realize that in order to engage my students I will need to allow technology to define and transform my instruction.