Course Reflection

The experience I have taken from this class is not limited to the “regular” learning one would get in a classroom environment. I have learned that when you think there are no more questions, there is still a lesson to be learned. The weekly discussion questions kept my vocabulary, comprehension, and cognitive skills working cohesively and the projects taught me that even though a computer is a wonderful tool, it still requires other tools (i.e. software programs) to make it a better functioning unit. Which, we could say for education as a whole. In this is still a lesson, how can a student learn Social Studies but not be able to read? That student has to acquire reading skills to be able to learn Social Studies and this makes learning a better functioning unit for the student to access.
I enjoyed each project with regards to learning something new and being able to utilize them in my classroom. It will be wonderful if I get to expose students to these new experiences before they learn them somewhere else, which, is usually how it is done, especially at the higher grade levels. I would have to say though, the blogfolio is my favorite because in it we can view our work and our peers work and see what we did wrong or just different. Each project gave us a chance to express ourselves, but the blogfolio was “our” space to write what we thought,how we felt, and how we viewed each project versus our perceived success. We had the final say with how it was designed and what it looked liked. It was like each project is part of the whole blogfolio. I liked contributing to the blogfloio immediately after my projects because the experience was still fresh in my mind.
My greatest weakness had to be communication limits. The discussion board was, I am sorry to say, not my favorite. I am normally a person who likes to communicate verbally not technically. I would rather speak with a person than send a text or an email; I have only used those tools in the past as a last resort. However, this class has made me more susceptible to using the internet or a handheld device to communicate. Although, communicating with peers and instructor were at first strained on my part, I did in the end come to utilize this tool quite frequently and hopefully efficiently. I still prefer to speak with a person, but I am not limited to that form of communication anymore.
Each project offered a new experience that was ultimately surprising because 1) all were easily accessible and 2) they had no fees. Both of which are relative reasons regarding our current economical state. This also contributed to lowering the stress factor for me. We all know that budget cuts are everywhere now and to have something that has no cost is the best education we can expose children too, especially children with a lower Socio Economical Status. School supplies plus uniforms plus other costs could equal a very stressful situation. Giving a student a lower cost education without the student’s education taking a cut is a benefit to us all right now. Being creative with education does not mean learning less, it simply means teaching smarter. Thereby, giving us as future teachers, a chance to influence students positively with the knowledge we have acquired.

Assistive Technology

I was surprised at the many helpful tools within Windows that are at our disposal. Again, I learned about things that have been within my reach this entire time without me knowing. I had ventured into the tools before using the Narrator, however, I did not realize how useful they can be to people everyday. The Narrator can be used for students and parents at home if their is a need and this information we can pass on so that students can use these tools and gain more insight into what is required of them at school and in life. With public libraries within reach of some of the students a home computer does have to be an essential tool when there is public access. There are tools and information out there that carry no expense and this is the kind of information that will also help students be successful with their education. As for the creation of the PowerPoint it will be forever embedded in my mind how we can use these tools to help students within a class room.
http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2C15eLOZIBBZmI3M2E2NmUtMDdhZC00ZTc1LWE5YTUtNzE4YWU5MmI1Yjcy&hl=en&authkey=CNav3dwC

Webpage

This assignment for me was fun :) I like it when things are fun like the learning process. It is less stressful to learn when we are having fun. It would seem also that in the creation process I lose the aspect of this being graded. It is fun and I will be able to recall the process because it was a positive experience. In creating the website I was able to use the creative aspect of myself. I was able to find and add a banner that was appropriate for my subject. I was tempted to make it more "funny" but it seemed less professional and I decided against that idea. Again this was an accessible site, with user friendly tools. I did not have a great deal of trouble completing this assignment.
http://sites.google.com/a/eagles.usm.edu/mrs-herring-s-scienceclass/home

Turn It In

It is our responsibility to teach our students that plagiarism is serious and not something that is looked upon lightly. This site will be quite useful for us to monitor papers that may be required that can be completed in the computer labs. With the ease of cutting and pasting we have to make sure students understand certain acceptable behaviors for using a tool such as the internet. Also, our learning does not stop when we have completed our studies. s with their education we must make the most of what is at our disposal and this level of technology is a wonderful tool for us to use. It is accessible and it holds the most recent information for us to use in our classroom. The rubric assignment had me terrified. For some reason it was an assignment I dreaded but with the required assignment and being able to use a site it was much less stressful. This project was a multitude of tasks that I have enjoyed so much. I am in the planning mode already to introduce these new experiences to my students. This assignment has given me new insights into students who may have a different understanding of how the world works. The exposure to certain experiences making some students more adept at somethings and other students who may excel in a another area. I came to this conclusion because I experienced this with the different tasks that were assigned. To continue to be successful with students and for them to have continued success. Computers and the internet will help us keep our students up to date on the last procedures, experiments, activities, and protocols. This process will in turn keep us up to date on the last information regarding teaching practices and the latest tools at our disposal. The sites we accessed in this project will be the staples for me when I begin to teach.

https://southernmiss.blackboard.com/webct/urw/lc3361510367021.tp3369110614021/RelativeResourceManager/sfsid/3940135286021

Group Project

The lessons in this project have made me realize the repsonsibilities of the people who are our leaders. I have always contributed to or supported someone in their ventures. I stepped out of my box on this one and I was pleased at the support that was there for me. My colleagues did the hard part of continued patience and we all succeeded because of a collaboration of efforts. Communication was difficult for everyone but that was overcome and we all completed the project within the alloted time. I thank my group with all sincerity they are amazing people and this project was a success only because they did not give up on me. Being able to come together as individuals and create a site via long distance is also very informative. We have the capability to reach out further than ever before to others over long distances. The influences on us and our influence on others is not limited to local restraints. I have always thought communicating with others around the world is another way to expose people to different cultures. I would love to have classes communicating with other students from around the world via the internet and hopefully soon video cams so students can but a face to a name. The possibilities are "virtually" endless.

http://groups.google.com/group/it465google
it465google@googlegroups.com

Story Telling

When I started this assignment I decided to use pictures I had already taken. Then when I began adding the transitions, titles, and credits I really enjoyed making the video. My original story was too big to send, therefore I had to resize the pictures and shorten the story to be able to send it successfully. Changing the font and style of presenting it was helpful to me. I had no idea I had the potential to produce a story at that level. I did narrate the story and I had background music, however, when it was played back the sound was not of good quality. This project offered us the opportunity to express an idea that was close to our hearts. Today we hear a lot about allowing children to express themselves and this is a good project for exactly that. We got to pick the subject, sounds, presentation, styles of font, and even the speed at which the story progressed. This project is also accessible and it was free. Both of which do help to lower stress level in students, parents, and teachers. I still wish I had DSL access, sending it in would have been a lot easier but I have to go into a Wi-Fi Zone this afternoon because dial-up is too slow to load it.

http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2C15eLOZIBBZTFkZDVmYmYtZTM1NC00NzU1LTlkMTktZDNkZGUzZTk4MGEy&hl=en

Concept Mapping

What an assignment! When I started this project I was uncomfortable and nervous, wondering if I would be successful with this assignment. However, in the end I felt confident in the fact that this new experience was a positive addition to my learning and teaching skills. Once I managed to get the program downloaded and was able to work with it for a day or so, I found that it was not as complicated as I had thought it would be. I liked the layout of the Inspiration program. The tools were easy to manage and that helped to be able to navigate easier through the program so that I could complete the project successfully. It was a wonderful experience and I would love to own this program. I was driving blind without the ability to see or print the tutorials, I know my fault so I have to deal. However, it was a user friendly program and even though I may not have gotten an A the experience was an A in my book.
http://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B2C15eLOZIBBMjcwYjNhZDItZTFiOS00MWQ5LWE4OTItYTUxMjhkM2E3MDM5&hl=en