Blog # 4 :)

The concepts of idea maps and storyboards sound like very efficient ways to help students grasp a topic. I particularly like the fact that these tool require students to read and organize the information themselves rather than just copy and past. I also like the fact that students can use their own graphics, colors and fonts to make the learning process more personal. Since I want to teach elementary school, I would probably use Kidspiration in order to teach idea mapping to my students. I also like the concept of Hot Words because it would let students give their presentations more detail without making them look messy or overcrowded.

I would definitely encourage my students to develop these skills. If students are able to use outlines, idea maps, and storyboards, they will be able not only to better understand the information in question themselves, but they will also be able to organize the information in a way that others could comprehend it, too. If a student is able to present information in a way that other can easily understand, it is a sure sign that the student has a full grasp on the topic.

In the past week, I learned some new ways to more efficiently use search engines. This will be beneficial to me in my teaching career for a number of reasons. First of all, the more efficiently I can use search engines to find information online, the better quality and relevancy of the information I access. This will no doubt improve my lessons. In addition, I will be able to teach these web-navigating skills to my students so that they too will learn to find the best information possible via the internet.

Evin's Fabulous Podcast!

Post #3

I would like to teach the fifth grade, and I find American history to be particularly interesting, so I would enjoy creating a lesson plan about how the pilgrims came to America. I would use presentation software such as Powerpoint to aid me in my lesson. I would want my students to grasp the concept of what the pilgrims went through as they sailed across the ocean and eventually built their own settlement; I would put pictures of how the Mayflower would have looked in my powerpoint, and I would also include pictures of items like the clothes pilgrims wore and the tools they had to work with. This visual demonstration would help my students better connect with the subject. I would also include things like interesting fonts and color to help keep my students' attention.

Supervising students in a technology environment will certainly pose challenges. First of all, if the students are doing an assignment on a computer, it would be easy for them to become distracted with games, webpages, etc. that the internet offers rather than what they are supposed to be working on. Also, censorship is definitely an issue; I would have to make sure that my fifth grade studnets are not accessing information that is inappropriate for children their age, not to mention inappropriate for a school environment. I would also have to be certain that students who have limited access to computers outside of class are not falling behind the others who are more fortunate.

There are many web-based resources that teachers can use to enhance their lessons. For example, Spanish is a subject that many students begin learning when they are in elementary school. If I were introducing the Spanish language to a class of fourth or fifth graders, I would tell my students to explore http://wordreference.com/. At this web site, students can type in any English word and find its equivalent in many different languages, including Spanish. This would be a great tool to help students develop their curiosity for new languages and enjoy becoming more proficient in them.

Post #2

I have frequently used Microsoft Word as a student. For most of the classes I've taken, both in high school and college, I've been required to turn in some form of written assignment. For a vast majority of these assignments, I have used Microsoft Word. I have also had assignments in certain classes that required me to create hand-outs for the rest of my classmates; these hand-outs often had pictures and unique fonts or text colors, and I created all of them on Word. In addition, I've often stored notes for my classes in files that I've created through Word. My teachers have used Word as well; for example, they've made tests or other assignments on Word and then given them to the class. I've also taken a computer class in which the teacher used Word extensively to help the studets familiarize themselves with the basics of computers.

I really liked the example from Mr. Harrison's class in which the students created newspapers on Microsoft Word that told about daily life in medieval Europe. This was a fantastic assignment for numerous reasons. First of all, rather than dull worksheets or essay assignments, the newspaper allowed students to be creative. They were able to pick the topics, fonts, and headings that they wanted; they were also able to write a paper of a genre other than a standard five-paragraph essay. This change in routine certainly made the students eager to start the project. In addition, because newspapers reflect people's daily lives, the students were able to connect with the topic and feel as if they were a part of what they were writing about.

I enjoyed learning about Paint. I have used this program throughout my life simply as a fun activity, but I never saw it as a teaching tool. With the new skills that I have gained in this class, I am certain that I would be able to use Paint when I have my own class. For example, I could use it to make a short movie regarding something I will be teaching. This will be a unique approach that will be sure to grab my students' attention.