BLOG #9 <3

I look forward to doing this project. I feel like it will be very helpful in allowing me to put my newly attained computer skills to practical use. Working in a group will help me to learn further by bouncing ideas off of my classmates and seeing what gives me even more incentive to do a great job because I know that my project will serve a purpose, and I do not want to let Mrs. Kirkendoll down. I feel that I will be better prepared to use technology in my own classroom after having completed this project.

During the previous week, I contributed to my team in various ways. I came up with the idea to make a jeopardy game to accompany our PowerPoint, and I suggested using the PowerPoint program to sync our narration with our slides. I posted some pictures on our group's wiki page that we could possibly use in our PowerPoint. Finally, I went to meet with Mrs. Kirkendoll to make sure that our ideas are appropriate for her classroom.

We did not have class during the previous week, so I did not learn any new material. However, I did gain some experience by going to Fairview Middle School to meet with Mrs. Kirkendoll. Because I hope to be a teacher myself, any experience I can have around current teachers in a school setting is beneficial in preparing me for my future career; meeting with Mrs. Kirkendoll was one such experience.

BLOG #8!

I believe that a WebQuest could be useful in our project. WebQuests allow students to interact with information on a deeper level than simply reading information from a textbook. The videoconferencing aspect of WebQuest could be especially helpful in our project because it would allow students to interact with each other while learning new information, which means that they can share and compare ideas. This leads to a better overall understanding of the information. The 8th grade English class for which we are making our project is the perfect group to use a WebQuest. If my group were to incorporate WebQuest into our project, we could create one that explores the many literary devices used in O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi” and encourages students to explore the many different themes of the piece.
The WebQuest listed in the book called “A WebQuest about WebQuests” is a very good example of a WebQuest. It is very clear in its purpose, which is to help the user explore and gain an understanding of WebQuests. Its layout is very organized, and it is easy to navigate. Its directions are succinct and clearly stated. It provides a list of five sites which the user will explore and has a well-stated conclusion. It is found at this site: http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestwebquest.html .
In the past week, I have become more proficient in the use of Excel. I know that Excel will be incredibly useful to me in my career as a teacher. Its most useful purpose will be to expedite the task of configuring grades. Trying to do this without the help of a program such as Excel would be a very daunting and time-consuming task, but Excel makes it instantly so much simpler. Also, I will be able to use Excel as a teaching tool. It will be particularly helpful in helping me teach math and science subjects, and it could also help my students practice their computer skills.

Blog #7!!!

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/quiz.pl/pronouns_add2.htm
This website would be a great tool to use in a lesson about the use of pronouns. It has 20 questions that give students practice with pronouns. Once students have finished the questions and click "Submit Application," they receive immediate feedback that lets them know which questions they answered correctly and which they did not. This feedback includes graphics which make the site a little more interesting, and the smiling suns are encouraging. :)

As an elementary teacher, I know that I will use Excel very much. I think that the purpose I will use it for the most is figuring out my student's grades. This process can get very complicated and time-consuming if students each have a lot of different graded assignments, so Excel is a perfect tool to make this process simpler. In addition, I know that I will be able to use Excel to teach my students different subjects. For example, if my students were learning about area and perimeter, Excel would be very useful in teaching them these calculations. Excel can also be applied to science lessons; for example, it could be used to explain how batteries work.

Mrs. Hull used Excel spreadsheets creatively and effectively in her fifth-grade class. Because her students used spreadsheets in their bean plant experiments, Mrs. Hull was able to stress to them the importance of accuracy in experimentation. She was also able to avoid the problems that Ms. Clayton, who didn't use spreadsheets in her classroom, ran into. Finally, using spreadsheets lead her to initiate a discussion about ethics in experimentation with her students.