*final nine*

Just in case you guys missed the Search Tools for Education in the Special Feature section (p138-9), I have chosen five of the twelve great search tools provided as the interesting web-based tools I hope to use when teaching:

• Awesome Library organizes 16,ooo carefully reviewed links that are useful for teachers, students, and parents. >> http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
• Busy teacher's website k-12 is designed to offer teachers direct source materials, lesson plans, and classroom activities. >> www.ceismc.gatech.edu/busyt
• Education World is a complete online resource guide where educators can access a search engine that identifies educational web sites. You can also access lesson plans, research materials, up-to-date news info, monthly site reviews, employment listings, and articles written by education experts. >> http://www.education-world.com/
• Great web site for kids- if you are looking for something fun and educational, you can most likely find it on this list of kids web sites compiled by the American Library Association. >> www.ala.org/alsc/children_links.html
• Kathy Schrock's guide for educators is a categorized list of web sites that are useful for enhancing curriculum and professional growth. >> www.school.discovery.com/schrockguide.com

I can't say what technology-related skill I would like to learn next. I want to learn everything there is to know about educational technology. Anything that is going to enhance the learning in my classroom and also make the process fun, that is what I want to learn. I plan to achieve my future educational technology-related goals by studying, learning, and applying. Like they say, the learning never stops. As I continue to take my education courses, I will continue to learn more tools to apply in my classroom and once I am teaching, I will still continue to learn more skills.

I really enjoyed this class. It helped me to decide on double majoring in english+education. I want to teach and I know I'll love it (how can I fail? I love kids!) You all have a great and safe summer break!:]

lucky #8

Chapter eight talks about computer viruses. It tells you what it is and how it spreads, signs of virus infection, virus detection and how to remove it, and the use of antivirus programs. It later talks about governmental laws concerning privacy, parental control and children acts(big fan), and internet ethics in general. I personaly like the Apple's remote desktop which allows teachers to keep an eye on ALL the computer screens in a classroom. I think it is extremely important to make sure no obscene material is viewed by a student, particularly one of an elementary or secondary level. I want to teach middle school and as a teacher and a parent, I think it is necessary to do our part in keeping our kids free from internet perversion.

Ofcourse all educators need to understand the meaning and function of copyright laws. As a college student we all know that Plagiarism is wrong and that it can jeapordise our student status in the worst possible way. It is a serious matter and it should be addressed firmly within every classroom.

A world without wires is an amazing thought. My mom can't hardly believe computers exist let alone cellphones and other wireless gadgets. It's great to be a part of it all but I'm sure by the time my daughter is an adult, I wont believe the magnification of the technology of her time. Such is life:/

seven

Almost there.. okay, so who else is skimming through the chapters to find something, ANYTHING, to post? Liers!! well here goes, what i found in chapter seven:

I didn't know you can dowload a free trial copy of a software so that you can test it out before purchasing it. That's great. It is hard to decide on which software you would like to use in your classroom, making sure it is suitable for the class. That's where a rubric comes in handy:]

Chapter seven is basically what we did on the assignment on how to evaluate a web site. it goes through the evaluation step by step. that's good to know, right? I like the evaluation sheets you can give your students to fill out, because their opinion counts too;}

The chapter also shows you how to evaluate projects/assignments, and how to make lesson plans, curriculum pages, and how to create a grant proposal.

I'm in class, wondering where our teacher is..

number 6

Chapter six talks about how to integrate technology into the classroom and the several ways students learn information. Ofcourse integrating computers into the teaching process will make your students more focused and interested in their work. It is true that every child learns differently and that is something all teachers have to keep in mind and take into consideration. However, "technology is a tool that creates valuable learning experiences for many different types of learners. The web has the capability of addressing learner diferences, and thus, leveling the playing field for all students. (p343-44), so why not use it?

I liked the KWL chart. It helps teachers make a lesson plan. It helps teachers determine what skill and knowledge level the students have on a particular subject before beggining a project. I think it is a great idea to make the student an "active learner" so that he/she can decide what new information he/she wants to learn from the topic. That way the student takes interest in the assignment and can actually have fun completing it.

I learned how to use excel. FinallY! Last time I took a computer course I was totally lost with excel. I'm pathetically horrible when it comes to anything with numbers. Its like my brain sees #s and automatically shuts down. (yes i can tell time!) No wonder I want to teach english:] I'm not looking forward to the skill check, i'll tell you that much..

Nothing new.. still counting the days till I am home again:] i miss the beach.

#5

Since chapter five talks about using digital cameras to make digital media presentations, I thought I should make this post a little bit more interesting by sort-of advertising my latest gadget: I give you the Canon PowerShot SD1000.

I'm not going to get into detail of what this bad boy can do:] but I'll tell you this, it kicks a**! I use it everyday! Well, that's because I think my daughter does the cutest things and I want to record everything. The camera also lets me take videos (for up to an hour!) and then when I want to watch them, I just hook the mini usb cord to my television and watch the videos on the big screen. It's pretty neat. I make everyone that walks through my door sit down and watch my videos:)

Well to get back to the chapter, the camera is great for presentations. You can transfer your pics or videos quickly onto your pc and if you want to print your pics, the print and share button lets you print instantly without even having to hook the camera to your computer. How cool is that?

On a presonal note, I am thinking about double majoring in English Lit and English Ed. I get my bachelors degree in the spring for english lit but I'm thinking I should double major so that I can receive my teacher's certification through the school and not just take the test(s). I think the classes are extremely helpful and I think it'll help me get a job. But that means another year or so in school. I'm new to the education major so I'm not even sure what classes to take. I haven't decided if I want to major or not so I just thought of taking some intro classes until I decide.

#4

so chapter four was a step back. i mean, compared to chapter three, that showed so much potential and excitement (well, as much as you can get from this book). it was like reading chapter one again. i already knew the information and so i just sort of skimmed or skipped a lot of things (all of it!) it was boring, i'm sorry. the only thing interesting was the end of the chapter where the book provides you with extra info or tools that you can use as assignments or projects for the classroom (p255). I particularly like the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, which helps students with their research reports, turning them into multimedia presentations with images, audio, and videos. neat:)

so i'll share something personal since chapter four sucked! Lol. uhm.. sarabi is getting her second shot (well, shots. it's three this time) and i am freaking out. last time, i cried so much. probably more than she did. she got so scared when they put the needle in that she actually lost her voice. she opened her mouth to scream and nothing came out. she got all red and I just thought she was going to faint or something. oh my god, the worst experience by far. and now she has to do it again next week and i swear i'm getting nightmares about it. last time she got a fever for a whole day. i'm telling you, that is one of the hardest things about being a parent. i've been told that some mothers choose to wait outside when their child is getting vaccinated but i cant. i need to be there with her. wish us luck:)

numero tres

okay, so I have to admitt that I enjoyed reading chapter three. why you might ask. we'll I'll tell you (because I have to:) I found the chapter to be very useful to a student like myself who strives to be an excellent teacher someday in the near future. As I mentioned before, I want to make a web page for my class. So that I can post some cool links for my students to see, so that my students and I can keep in touch outside of the classroom , and so that we can have a more personal relationship.. because I want my kids to think I'm cool. who deosn't, right? well I like that at the end of the chapter it shows you how to create a web page step by step.

this chapter also made me want to purchase a blackberry (again) and the neat paint/image software. you know, i use to want to be an art teacher, when i was like 8. no seriously. I wonder why that changed. well now I can pretend to be one when I purchase the software:)

on a serious note though, all the education softwares are great. it just amazes me to see how much easier it is to teach when you have a computer and all these great tools that make the teaching and learning experience so much better and fun. now to go to a class, like a lecture class (unless the teacher is hilarious), that doesn't use a computer instead of a board, seems so boring. am I right?