Websites

There were many awful websites that we looked at in class. One included solid tie-dye print and it was impossible to see what we were supposed to get out of the website. The purpose was not organized.
I found that there are many things that you can do wrong in a website. Another included filling a website with information with little to no organization and being just crammed with all of the places to eat in Atlanta.

I don't know if I will ever make my own website (outside of this class) but if I do I hope that it isn't crammed but instead catches the readers eye. This can be done using corresponding neutral colors, minimal text, and nice pictures.

Making my own website in class has been such a hassle. I never realized how much time it took to create your own! I am really impressed with all of those who do this as their real jobs.

iPads & Smartboard

I really like iPads.
While it may be a stretch to include them into a lesson, I think that they are a great tool to get used to.
I did enjoy actually making a lesson plan of how it could be applied in the classroom. It was the first time in this class I felt that I could prove to myself that it was useful. (I was frustrated though because it seems each lesson plan that we are given in class is different).
Overall, I really like iPads. I just struggle to find a use for them in the classroom other than learning about new technologies. There are some educational apps, but they vary and most can't be put into a lesson plan.

I love the Smartboard! It was fun just messing around on it, being able to see how many extra things the Smartboard actually contains! In my mentor teacher's classroom, I have been able to see first hand on how it can be applied. This can include using a powerpoint and projecting it up on the screen and writing out each individual step of math problems.
Overall, this is very easy to put into use in the classroom. I really like it! I do feel like I could take a one hour introduction to it and still wouldn't know everything that a Smartboard could do.

Podcasts

While I have used free podcasts on iTunes for sermons from my hometown, I have never made one. I personally don't like making podcasts because I don't like the sound of my voice, and it seemed choppy unless you want to have an in detail script written up before hand. And if you mess up, it can then seem choppy also.

I think that me making a podcast would be applicable to use in an elementary or middle school classroom. However, it may be used in the high school classroom for when students need individual help on the steps for math problems.

What would be more applicable in the classroom, however, would be finding individual podcasts through itunes. For example, I found a fun group of podcasts that showed different "cheats" on how to multiply different values. I thought it was so cool, and probably would show my students. I do think, though, that the person doing the podcast needs to have a voice that isn't monotone and there should be a video associated. Otherwise it is easy to lose focus on what is happening.

Overall I generally like podcasts. However, a teacher would have to make an effort to make room for them in lesson plans.

Inclass tests and fake websites

I was really impressed with the in class testing techniques. I liked the hand-devices because you have it with you and you can change your answer if you change your mind. One pain would be that you have to rent or buy the device rather than using something that you already have. I, too, liked the technique over the internet. Not only was it a free program but it also can be used with any device that you have, such as a smartphone, iPod, and laptop. This program, however, is not good for those who do not own any of these technologies. The cost is something that some people can't afford.

Classrooms today are doing a great job at incorporating the jump of technology into the classroom.

While these two programs are perfect for high school and college programs, it is not applicable for the middle school. So, it is nothing that I would ever use in the classroom. Therefore, I would never use it. But, it is a handy program to be aware of.

I was not aware of all of the faulty websites online! It is kind of scary how much false information is out there and how gullible people may think that it is true. In my middle school classroom, I would like to show my students these faulty websites and how some can look legitimate when they are completely false, or with no credible background.

Overall I was very happy with today's class. I learned a lot!

Google Maps

I was very surprised with how much Google Maps was capable of doing. It was a very easy program to understand and creating our own tour was quicker than I had imagined. I liked being able to choose my own tour, as opposed to doing something education related.  Choosing types of food I like was very easy to relate to, and made me very hungry!

It really is amazing how many subjects we can use math for! In history, you can use it for population immigration within a specific time period.  In math, you can find the distance between 2 cities. For health, one can map out a walk or run for mileage.  

Google map is a great tool that I am definitely showing my parents when I see them next.

One thing I thought was creepy about the program was that I could see my house from the street. It even had our car in the parking lot! This really sketched me out. I feel like if the program fell into the wrong hands, much bad could be done. 

iMovie Experience

When Denvy started explaining the project of iMovie, I immediately began to feel overwhelmed. How were we going to make and edit a 30 second movie in an hour and a half? However once we got filming the scenes, I began to relax a bit.

The actual scenes were really fun and I wish the video could be longer than 30 seconds because we were enjoying being goofy and including it in our video. We ended up cutting around 15 seconds of stuff just to make sure that the video was in the correct perameters of the class.

Unlike Photoshop, the editing of the project for iMovie was very simple. It was easy to get used to adding a title, inserting different transitions, and a scrolling cast list at the end.

The one thing that I really dislike about the program iMovie was the saving of the finished project was extremely complicated. I tried to save it the first time but the finished project vanished. I had no idea where it went. So, needless to say, I began to get stressed out again. I had to remake the project with all of the individual videos that we had filmed earlier that day, and even then I was not sure if it had actually saved. I wish that it wasn’t so complicated to go back and work on a created project.

Overall I really enjoyed Photoshop more than I had originally thought.

Photoshop

Photoshop is such a cool program, but has so many programs that can do so many things I was becoming overwhelmed. Once in the computer, I eventually got the hang of simple things, such as changing the sizes of objects, editing the darkness of the colors, and deleting any unnecessary details.

I also got to use a scanner for the first time, which was pretty cool and I was surprised how accurate the picture being scanned into the computer was. 

I don't know if I will ever use Photoshop again but I know that a scanner will become important in the future, whether it is in my own classroom or if it is at my home.

As far as my final project went, I don't think that it looks realistic. I wish I knew how to make the pink ball more solid in color and rid of the light coloring so that it is consistent with the whole picture. I’m sure there is a way to do it on Photoshop but because we are getting such a quick overview, it wasn’t included in our instruction.

Like the students said in the video that we watched today, it was cool to see the finished product. I finished something on my own!