Inspiration

I really liked inspiration, especially when I was taught how to use it correctly. Before this class I hated inspiration because it is somewhat complicated to figure out, but after learning some shortcuts and how to use it properly I feel much more comfortable using it.

1.       I feel as though it’s a really great tool to outline subject areas, especially for units.

2.       It’s a good way for teachers to begin a lesson in an organized fashion.

3.       Also if teachers take the time out to teach some inspiration to their classroom I feel as though it’s a good way for students to stay organized as well.

4.       Students can use it as a study tool to keep them focused on the main points of a certain chapter or unit.

5.       As a teacher I could use it to help brainstorm ideas about a certain topic with the class.

6.       To analyze and breakdown complex information to a classroom

7.       Integrate clip art and visuals while presenting information and concept topics.

8.       Concept maps can help students to draw conclusions and connections between concepts.

9.       Concept maps can also be a more fun way to outline a paper instead of traditional outlining.

10.   While making a concept map it can actually create an outline with it.

I really loved the Discovery Video website that we looked through in class. I really think there are so many ways in which the videos could be used both as a teacher and a student. There were videos for so many content areas which made it very appealing as a future elementary teacher. There were even other great resources besides the videos that I found both interesting and useful. There were various lesson plans that could be searched for as well as posted. I also liked the pre-made quizzes that were also posted. They could be helpful for students as quizzes as well as students for study guides and further practice.

Google Apps

What is your opinion of GoogleApps? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using GoogleApps over traditional office Apps?

Google Apps is a great way to keep things organized. It has many different ways in which you can collaborate and share a great amount of  information quickly. I use the G Calendar for cheerleading, and its a great way for all of us to get information from our coach instantly. I feel like in the classroom you could set up a type of calendar for your class with assignments, tests, quizzes, etc. on there and have them set up an account so they have all of what they need right in front of them. The disadvantage would have to be the access to these types of things. Not all students want to or are able to obtain internet access and even sometimes things go wrong for college students that they lose internent access, with traditional office apps, internet is not required.

Blogs

Give some specific ideas of how you could incorporate blogs in your classroom. What are the advantgaes and disadvantages to using this technology in your classroom?

Blogs are a good way to get students engaged in classroom discussions without having to speak in the classroom. Blogs can be used as a daily homework assignment on how you feel on a specific issue, much like we are doing right now. It is hard for some students to speak up in the classroom and say how they feel on a certain issue. But it can be much easier for them to type it out on the computer and save them the embarassment they may feel with speaking in front of their classmates. Some children have really great ideas and I feel that through a blog, both the students and teacher can see the different perspectives of the students. However the disadvantage is that students may not read all of the blogs of the students. They may just type up their perspectice and then log off, without taking into account the blogs of other students. Also not all the blogs of the students may be up when the student posts theirs, and they most likely will not want to keep going back on and checking to see when all the blogs are posted to read.

Social Bookmarking

Does social bookmarking have an application in your classroom? Whare are some ways it could benefit you and your students? Can it help you now as a student... how?

I feel as thought social bookmarking can only really work in the upper level classes, specifically with student interaction. I want to teach the younger grades, such as Pre-K and Kindergarten, and I feel as though it would be very difficult to have them use some type of social bookmarking at such a young age. However, I as the teacher may be able to use it as a way of organizing specific sites that I use, and possibly to share with other teachers through the use of tagging. Older students however can use social bookmarking for themselves. I think they would be very helpful through the use of a group research project. Students can each do their own research, and then tag their group members so that they can read and check the information as well. Through the use of bookmarking students are able to be less focused on the search, which saves time, and more focused on the actual content that is being researched. We are using social bookmarking in our class now. We are able to see the readings that are required from various sites, all on one site. Just as I stated earlier how students in the classroom can use social bookmarking, so can college students. The biggest annoyance when I'm working on a project is research. And since I like to work on a paper or projects more than just one time, I'd like to be able to go back to the research I was looking at without the hastle of researching it all over again. Through the use of bookmarking, I could save so much time with the research aspect of my assignment.