Ashley's+Blogs

- Was not in class, miscommunication with undergraduate schedules
 * Day 1: What are some effective methods of using the Internet in your classroom? **

-I think the web can be a very useful tool within the classroom but I have avoided using it because I have only taught young children. It is not until I was introduced to wikispaces and was searching lesson plans that I realize the internet can be simplified and 'censored' for younger children. Now that more and more students have access to computer labs in elementary school, it would be very feasible to have them do a classroom assignment online. A great way to manage the content they are having access to is to make a wikipage. I think teachers would be able to learn how to make a simple webpage in a day workshop. If the web was available in the classroom, then students would be able to see it as a research and academic tool and thus have more opportunities for their school work later on in their education. Knowing this potential, I am definitely more open to incorporating the web into lesson plans.
 * Day 2: Reflect upon the process of learning and using the web as a classroom tool. **

- I think there are definitely really effective ways to incorporate the different programs of Microsoft Office Suite into my classroom. __Microsoft Word__: Word is basically essential for worksheets, seating charts, attendance sign-in page, clip art, labeling the classroom (ex: chair), anything and everything that i would want to print out and know that it is legible for the children. Using word and typing letters is more professional for sending notes home to parents or reports in their friday folders. Word could also be used for making tables to quickly check off behaviors or classroom rules a child has broken to send home. If there is a letter to send all the parents it would only take a couple seconds to change the dear, that way each note is personalized- not a mass letter, which is more personal for the parents and thus helps with the teacher/parent relationship. __Microsoft PowerPoint__: Powerpoint is not as obvious to use in a kindergarten/ first grade class room, but you could make a 'digital story' and work on beginning, middle, and ending of a story. Instead of using a book, making a powerpoint would guarantee to be at the same level as the classroom. Powerpoints can also be used to work on vocabulary for the younger kids- put a picture up and have the kids recite the name... or for older kids- maybe put a state up and they have to name the capitol city. It is a good way to review for the whole classroom and is more accessible than flash-cards. __Microsoft Excel__: Excel seems to be the perfect way to keep attendance over the year, grades, calculations... etc. The upside to keeping all the class data on excel is that you can do calculations in the document- save multiple copies. If you were to have one written gradebook, if it gets misplaced, your students' records are gone. I know with my calculations something would go wrong on one student's grade, but in excel if you make a mistake its applied to all the grades and thus I would be more likely to catch it. (the mistake would not be computational but a wrong formula...) For a younger classroom, charts are really important to start introducing, and Excel would be a great way to pool classroom data (maybe about a science experiment they did) and make a chart and show the class. Although we did not get to see publisher- i think i would use it to make a 'classroom newsletter' to send home to parents every month to make them aware of snack responsibilities, birthdays, volunteer opportunities, field trips... etc.
 * Day 3: What are some effective methods of using the Microsoft Office Suite in your classroom?**

I used Microsoft Excel and the majority of learning how to use the program was through trial and error. I think what made it difficult for me was trying to stay organized with lists and how the information needed to be organized in order to make a chart. This being said, my problem had more to do with my lack of math skills rather than the possibilities of Excel. I was surprised at how easy it was to make the gradebook portion of my project. Once I got a good grip on how to use the functions, recording the 'grades' and adding them up was easy. It did not require a lot of effort because I was able to view all the information for one class on one page. I think what I want to be able to do next with excel is to make charts depending on the stats of one test so i can show the students how all the classes did. I think this would help let the students visualize where they are compared to other students, to see if they need to work harder or get help.
 * Day 4: Reflect upon the process of learning and using Microsoft Office as an effective tool.**

For the younger grades, teachers could make videos of places the children did not have access to. For instance, tennessee students may have no idea what the beach is like. The teacher could make a field trip of going to the beach and then show it for the class. This could consist of going to a farm, the zoo, a grocery store... etc. images could be used to make a class calendar of birthdays with the student's faces on their birthday. The teacher could edit the student pictures by adding santa hats for December, umbrellas for April... etc. This editing could also be used to make a class book- making the students different characters (butterflies, dragons...) For a science project, the students could take pictures of a plant growing over a period of weeks and then make a book out of it or make a website with the gathered data. To take this idea farther, you could have a pen-pal class in a different country doing the same this and then comparing the data over the web.
 * Day 5: What are some effective methods of using digital imagery and video in your classroom?**

It is pretty daunting to edit photos when you have no idea what the options are (like what the tools mean...). But after an hour or so of playing with it I ended up feeling comfortable experimenting and ended up getting results I liked. Video however is a little more frustrating but the pay offs are huge when the students know the teacher made a video just for them. I think it is really important to be able to navigate your way around these programs so you can relate to students who have these interests. You can take it further and offer that students could make a book or video for a project instead of a paper. This way the teacher knows enough to support the student and grade them. Overall I have gained an appreciation for the programs and for the amount of work it takes to produce a seemingly easy product.
 * Day 6: Reflect upon the process of learning digital imagery and video.**

I think other technologies could be beneficial for the classroom. One of these technologies could be the 'interactive white board.' For older kids, this would be a great way for students to have a copy of what the teach actually wrote. The idea of this board is that whatever is written is then put on the computer and saved as a PDF. This PDF can then be uploaded to the class website where absent students can get the notes or students who want to access the teacher's notes can get them. My math teacher in high school actually used this for a while which was really helpful if for some reason my notes were incomplete. Another technology, that is a bit more practical, could be a tape recorder. For younger kids, they could be taped reading and so that way their progress could be marked so that at the end of the year the teacher could write up an assessment. Students with speech impediments could be taped, or the teacher could tape herself reading a more challenging book so during reading time a student could choose to follow along to a book with headphones. Tapes could play a role in parent meetings, so that way the teacher has proof of the child's work that most parents would believe. Many parents are hesitant to believe test scores.. etc.
 * Day 7: Brainstorm other effective uses of technology not discussed thus far in class.**

I have really found this class very applicable, which I was not expecting. Truth-be-told I have actually taken this class before and did very poorly on the account my website project was not properly linked so my teacher had nothing to grade. (beyond frustrating) We were making our own websites through a Vanderbilt address and it was so complicated I would never begin to use it in the classroom. I think the course this time around is very practical and realistic. Although I haven't exactly mastered websites.. etc, I have learned enough to create a technological engaging and efficient classroom environment. Another bonus this time around is that I have discovered many ways to incorporate the students in technology. (ex: our websites the first time were for our resumes, this time it can be created for the kids) I think the expectations for the class were appropriate, we were not expected to master a program but to know enough to use it for the students and that is all a teacher wants/needs/ had time to grasp. Overall, I felt very comfortable with the class and feel like I learned many new technology possibilities for the classroom and for personal use. yay!
 * Day 8: Reflect upon this class, its effectiveness, its content, and your place in it.**

===**Extra Credit Opportunity:**   ===  >  >   >   >
 * 1) __How would you change the pacing of the course?__ I think the pacing of the course was appropriate- it would be hard to go much faster because some students do not have the basic skills. At the same time this evens itself out working on the projects because with the programs I knew more about I did harder projects. So I was being 'challanged' even though the introduction to a program was not particularly new.
 * 1) __How would you change the basic schedule of the course (one software idea a week, with one day for instruction and one for work)?   __<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace">   <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace">I would not change the schedule of this course- I think it is necessary to have a day for instruction then a day for work. If you require students to work outside of the class then teacher guidance is not possible or heavily restricted. At least for me, getting the guidance is what made the course most effective. If you were to add more projects I feel it would be rushed and I would not feel comfortable with the programs because there would be less time to explore them.
 * 2) __<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace">What material should have been included, but wasn't?   __<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"> I think it would have been nice to take a look at publisher to see how to make a classroom newsletter to send home every month. I realize this is pretty impossible considering Peabody does not have it but that is the only thing I would have added.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace">__What material do you think was unnecessary?__ I personally think Microsoft Word was a little unnecessary, but then again it was only covered for maybe 3 minutes... I can deal. And there may be someone who needs it.
 * 1) __<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace">How would you have taught the material itself differently?   __<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace"> I would have shown a 'rockstar' example of each project after everyone's had been graded. This would just be to show the possibilities if you were to really get into a certain project. Its nice to know what can be done...

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