Final Reflection

When I found out this class was about technology and we would be using computers constantly throughout the semester, I was nervous. I know everyone has probably said at some point that they are terrible with computers, but that phrase really did apply to me. The only time I used computers was for Facebook, e-mail, and school assignments. On the first day of class I quickly learned that maybe this class would not be so bad. We watched a video on how technology is not used enough in the classrooms; it was eye opening and interesting and it made me want to actually learn how to use the various resources we would be working with in order to make them available in my future classroom.

During this class, we worked on various projects and learned about several online resources that I plan on using in the classroom. For example, the most recent project that we created was the iMovie, or Digital Storyboard. I really enjoyed making this video for my future students and plan to create more videos in the future on topics that we will learn about in class. One of the resources that I enjoyed learning about most was Picnik; this was be helpful for me when creating pictures in the classroom.

Before starting this class I knew very little about computers, now I certainly feel more confident. I have certainly learned to discover answers on my own instead of constantly asking for help. This class has taught me that it is okay to make mistakes because we can always learn from them. The knowledge that I have gained through this course will help me tremendously in my future classroom and I will be able to be creative while teaching my students about various topics while using technology. 

The Life of Haley

Making a Digital Storyboard

I really enjoyed making this video. It was pretty easy to figure out how to work and offers many different features. The video that I made was good practice for how to make the digital storyboards. I think that this will be a tool that I can use in the classroom to show my future students a little bit about my life, like I did in this movie, or about various topics that we will be learning about.

Animoto

This was an interesting tool to learn about. It seems like a good resource for creating various slide shows. Even though I enjoyed playing around with it during class time I do think that I will use this as much now. However, I feel that it will be useful when working in my future classroom. This will be great when presenting presentations, doing introductions between students and teachers, etc.

Excel

Working with excel was frustrating at first, however I now see how useful it will be. The are many different elements that make excel confusing, but working with the practice sheet definitely helped. If we just had to jump into this project I would not have been able to complete it on time most likely. However, the step by step sheet that we were provided was extremely helpful. Not only did it give me a chance to practice and get used to working with excel, but it allowed me to use it as a reference when working on the final math spreadsheet that I created.

Working with Spreadsheets

I am glad that we had the extra practice with the spreadsheets before beginning the project. I liked the step by step directions because it really helped me, especially when it provided the visuals of what your screen should look like as you practiced. I still do not feel a 100% comfortable creating my own spreadsheet, but I think that if I use the one that we just created as well as the step by step sheet that it will be much easier.

Google Forms

I really enjoyed working with Google Forms tonight. It seems really helpful to use in the classroom, however since I plan on teaching first grade I am not sure how much I would be using it. This seems like a tool that would be more beneficial for older grades. I think it seems to be an extremely helpful way to learn more about your students. I would like to do some research on Google Forms to see if it has been used in elementary schools and how to determine if this is actually something that I would be able to use with the grades that I will be working with.