smokey mountains

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

scavenger hunt

I agree with Ginny; today was the best day in the class. I enjoyed being able to express my creativity and think out of the box when choosing items to take pictures of. In was interesting to see what each of us in the group could come up with. I enjoyed working with my group because everyone was open to new ideas. We tried to branch out from the typical ideas that might come to mind when faced with the questions. It was an interactive activity that I hope to use in my classroom someday, or use myself to teach my students in a new fun way!

sherlock holmes investigates: science

feelings toward digital collection

I really enjoyed the digital collection process. I always get confused when trying to copy, save, transfer and upload pictures. I feel much more confident in my abilities to use images on the computer. I never knew you could screen save! I wish I would have known this earlier; it would have saved me from a lot of frustration. The whole process was very simple and I know I will be using all these ways to use pictures in my future classroom.

Digital Collection

lesson planing and group collaboration

I enjoy making lesson plans that are fun and exciting for students. I like to try to find creative ways to incorporate all different types of learning styles. Making a good lesson takes time, creativity and commitment. I do not mind collaborating with others when making a lesson plan. However, every time I have created a lesson in a group, the members have always been elementary education students. This is helpful because we are interested in about the same grade levels and interactive tools. Working with others has been a great way to expand my creativity by thriving off ideas from every member. For the grade level that I will be teaching next year I do feel like it is hard to integrate technology into the lessons. First graders are still learning to identify letters, read, and write. Since they are such beginners it is hard to provide an independent task for them that involves reading and writing on the computer. I am continuing to search for new ways to integrate technology for these beginning students.

webquests

I had never seen a webquest before and I thought they were a great resource for teachers.  The one limitation in my eyes is that you have to search quite a bit before you find a good reliable webquest to use in your classroom.  However, I think the benefits to the students out way the extra time spent searching for a great quest.  I found several of the webquests very exciting and interesting and I am assuming that my students would also.  I am glad there is a place to go to find interactive lessons that encourage thinking and discovery.

website evaluation checklist

This website looks very appropriate for any teacher or student looking to evaluate a website. Kathy Schrock made several checklists for different grade levels, for teachers, and for podcasts and blogs. She also has links on this website for a teacher to teach about spook websites, as well as complementary websites to her checklists. These checklist would be great to print off and have as a resource for myself students and for my students when doing any type of research.

click here for the website: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/eval.html

my feelings about portfolios

The thing that stuck out to me most from reading and discussing about digital portfolios was the fact that they are forever. No matter what may happen to my classroom computer or home computer I will still be able to access that information from a different computer. I know this will help me in my classroom and encourage me even more to use a digital portfolio. Records of students progress will not get lost or damaged, even years after they have been in my classroom. These forever files will also keep tract of my abilities in helping students progress, as well as keep track of the students progress.

My Learning Goals

Even though I have grown up in the age of technology, part of me has resisted the desire to become an expert in all things technological. That being said, I know there are tons of things out there for me to learn that will help me be a more organized and efficient teacher. Schools are beginning to really invest money in technology and to make sure that I am a great teaching candidate, I need to show future employers that I will be able to support the teachings of new technology. I want to give my future students all the opportunities I can give. I hope to strive hard to learn all that I can in this class, because I know that I will benefit from all this class has to offer.

Introduction to 486

Hi! My name is Katie Sanders. I have lived in Knoxville my whole life and love East Tennessee and picture myself settling down here. I went to Bearden High School, was very involved and had a positive high school experience. My mom is a teacher and I have spent many hours in her classroom volunteering. Spending time in her Kindergarten class really made me want to follow in her footsteps. I feel comfortable in the classroom and love helping children learn. I love to spend time outside hiking, swimming, skiing, walking, anything outdoors! I am not the best with computers, but like everyone else I have grown up with them and am decent with them. I hope to learn how to better use all the resources available to me through the computer. I am excited to learn and glad to have another education class! I always enjoy them because I feel like I am always learning useful things!