Resume Yikes!

When we were asked to submit a resume I really dreaded it. It has been such a long time since I have gone through the exercise. My current job of office manager, which I have had for 5 years, is a family business. No resume required. The 10 years before this job was spent as a full time Mom of two kids. Again, no resume required. However, as I was forced to go through the exercise it helped me to think about my qualifications, experience and overall was not as bad as I first thought. I went ahead and contacted my references so I will not have to scramble to do that when I start looking for a teaching position next spring. I know I will have some things to update on my resume from my internship year but this was a very good start.

Picasa slideshow

Digital pictures and Picasa

Digital Scavenger Hunt
Today we went out with a group and took pictures for a digital scavenger hunt. Our topic was an ABC scavenger hunt.We then put the pictures into Picasa on the web and made a slide show. Picasa is a free site to manage and share digital pictures. What a great resource. Pretty fun. The potential for using digital pictures in the classroom are numerous to say the least!

The AHA moment!

The AHA moment in TPTE 486 class came very quickly. I realized this is not going to be that hard. I am not really that technology challenged! When I had created a wikki, a website and a blog essentially in one day it was clear. I can really do this. I also realized that in most cases you can either figure it out yourself, google for help or ask the teacher or classmates a quick question.

Web 2.0

Learning about Web 2.0 has been very informative. The entire concept of a read/write Internet for collaboration of all types from family to global applications is amazing. My class is creating a Wiki, a Web 2.0 tool for collaboration, describing several different Web 2.0 applications. My partner and I were assigned Google Forms. Google forms is a tool which as a teacher I could use many different ways from doing a "get to know you" survey of my students, online quizzes, sign up lists for special events, or surveying parents about parent/teacher conference times. I learned how to set up and share a Google form. Each group is going to give a brief presentation about their assigned Web 2.0 tool. The first presentation was Wordle which is a fun application to make word clouds. I have had a great time just playing with Wordle and even was able to show it to my college age daughter who had not ever seen it.Great fun to be technological superior at least for an instant. I am looking forward to hearing all of the presentations on Web 2.0.

Webquests

Getting students engaged using the Internet

Students are naturally curious, love working together and love using the computer. Webquest is a great way to tap into all of these and get students engaged. The Webquest that I participated in TPTE was an authentic activity that showed how a Webquest works. The Webquest has a specific task, assigned responsibilities and guided instructions for finding information on the Internet. I can see using this tool in the classroom for all ages especially for science and social studies. The website evaluation activity which I posted about previously ties into this activity because the quality of the websites chosen can make or break the success for students. The quick inquiry activity  answering questions about rocks was a good example of how the computer station could be used during a center activity. I look forward to using both of these tools in the classroom.

Website evaluation

The amount of information on the Internet is mind boggling. Thinking about how to thoroughly evaluate a website is an exercise I never really considered before. I have thought about evaluating sources when doing research. For example, I always look for the .edu in the web address as one way to make sure a source is credible. However, this evaluation exercise required a much deeper look at a website. As the Internet becomes more embedded in K-6 instruction, I know it is essential for teachers and students to make website evaluation something that becomes automatic. At a bare minimum students should be able to see the warning signs of sites that are bogus or very biased. I also think that is important for a site to be easy to navigate so that students and teachers can determine quickly if the site is useful for their current task. The Internet can be a huge time saver but it can also be a time waster if information is difficult to find. Thinking about credibility, reliability, accuracy, usability, accessibility are all very helpful items in evaluating sites I want to use as a teacher as well as for teaching students to think critically when they are using the Internet.

Welcome and class expectations

Hi. Welcome to my blog.  I have to admit I was a little nervous about taking this TPTE computer class because I mainly use the computer for basic stuff like email and Facebook. However, my confidence is already boosted by the first few things we have done. I have created my first website, a blog and a Wikki page all in one day in TPTE 486. Technology is amazing. I expect to finish this technology class for teachers with some application knowledge and ideas for using technology in the classroom. Most kids love technology and I think it is an awesome resource.