Journal 6

     I visited a few of Diplomat Elementary School's Kindergarten class pages. Information that I see publicly includes teacher contact information, the class' weekly agenda, the classroom schedule, and important upcoming dates and activities. This is essential information that all parents should have access to in order to be involved with their child's education. I like that the teachers to keep their websites up to date by updating them each week with new learning goals and agendas. Each of the websites also has a sidebar with important links such as the school district website, parent portals, and additional resources that parents can have their children use to aid in the learning process.

Check out Diplomat Elementary School's page with links to classroom websites!

Here is a classroom page that I thought was very helpful for parents. 


     As a teacher, I can envision myself using tools such as a classroom website in order to keep parents informed on what is going on in the classroom. However, I would probably give parents the choice of whether they would like to receive classroom news online or via paper. This is because I know that there are parents who are not technologically literate. For example, my parents do not understand how to use technology very well so they always requested that my teachers give them the website information via paper each week. Additionally, I could see myself using a grading database in order to help eliminate human error since I would only need to input values and the grades would be calculated automatically. I also definitely plan on using the Microsoft Office Suite since I am very familiar with it and understand how it can be used in a classroom setting. I could use the PowerPoint application to create presentations to engage my students in what they will be learning. Lastly, as the podcast discussed, I can see myself using Diigo to create lesson plans and share these lesson plans with other educators. All in all, I know that technology will definitely enable me to accomplish my professional responsibilities more efficiently and effectively. 

     I must admit that the different technological tools at the Tech Sandbox blew me away. Prior to visiting, I had read about this resource on the FSU College of Education's website and Twitter page. However, I envisioned it as simply being a computer lab style room. Instead, I found a plethora of technology that was for the most part completely new to me. For instance, I learned about SmartBoards which although I had already seen before, I did not know they had so many amazing instructional benefits. These include interactive games that allow students to take turns and participate as a class in order to learn about certain topics. I loved the idea of using a SmartBoard in a classroom since you can use either a SmartBoard pen or even just your fingers to write on it. This makes this technological tool more accessible in the case that multiple students wanted to participate in something and there are not enough pens. Another technological tool that I found interesting was the Virtual Reality goggles. This could be used in the classroom for students to explore different careers first hand, explore the different parts and functions of the human body, and learn about different landscapes by exploring various terrains. The drawback of using this tool is that it is very expensive so if it were available in a classroom, it would be very unlikely to have more than one. Therefore, students would have to use this tool one at a time. However, this experience seems like it would have immense impacts on the learning process.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ILP "Design" - Prezi

Prior to this project, I had never used Prezi. Therefore, I chose to create my presentation it in order to familiarize myself with the website. Although I found that I prefer Microsoft PowerPoint, I found Prezi to be a fun tool that students might find more engaging. My presentation is aimed at teaching students about the characteristics of polygons. Attached is the link to my presentation: https://prezi.com/view/IoBc7r9PPfrcL7r0b5Vx/
Read more

ILP "Design" - Canva InfoGraphic

     For my second ILP, I decided to choose another project from the "Design" category since I wanted more practice with creating classroom materials. Therefore, I created an InfoGraphic presenting my classroom rules. I used Canva to create my project. Prior to this assignment, I had never used Canva. However, I had heard a lot of good things about the website and wanted to give it a try. I really enjoyed creating the project and thought it was a lot of fun. I especially like all of the templates and graphics that Canva has. Something really cool that I discovered is that you are able to use the Canva graphics as long as you give them credit somewhere in your work. This makes things simpler since you do not have to create citations.  The only thing that I didn't like was that the website would refresh itself every few minutes so if you did not save your work often, some of it would be deleted each time. I found this very frustrating.      My InfoGrap...
Read more

Journal 2

     As a student, I have used Microsoft Word to write countless papers and extensive notes. I have found the editing and formatting tools extremely useful and beneficial. This is the computer software that I have used most throughout my educational experience. I have found Microsoft Word as an extremely valuable tool. I've seen my teachers use the program to write tests and quizzes in a neat manner. Additionally, my teachers have used it to create attractive, appealing handouts and visual aids to use as supplements during their lectures. This has helped students maintain an interest in what is going on. It is evident that Microsoft Word has made the lives of my teachers easier.      In an educational environment, I have witnessed my peers adhering to copyright regulations. Since copyright protects intellectual or creative work by requiring that people give credit to the creators of the work, I have seen most of my teachers and peers give citations when ...
Read more