Scavenger Hunt

Doing a scavenger hunt on campus was a lot of fun, and I am sure that children would have a great time doing this and expressing themselves. This is also a good way to get students interested in using technology. One potential problem is ensuring that cameras stay safe, and another is ensuring that unsupervised students are staying on task.

digital collection

I didn't realize there were so many ways to get images into a digital form. First and foremost, I did not realize that there were so many free images in the public domain available on the Internet. One thing that bothered me about this activity was the scanned image. Took too long to scan. I can imagine that trying to do this for a large number of images would take a long time. Lots of cool stuff to check out online! I am excited about trying out some of the photo sharing and photo editing software available out there. This all could be fun to use in the classroom.

Planning a lesson plan that incorporates technology

Creating a lesson plan that incorporates technology requires a slightly different approach than planning a traditional lesson. When utilizing web pages, it is imperative that the teacher check all the websites prior to using them in the classroom. First, it is important to see that the pages are appropriate for the age group. Second, the web page and the links contained therein must still be in operation. A dead link could ruin a project. Additionally, in order to meet the needs of all students, a web site must be able to accomodate all.
Working in a group on this lesson plan was fantastic. It is great to be able to bounce ideas of others, and to hear the ideas of others as well. This really helped us to create a better lesson plan. In our case, three heads were better than one. My group members created the inquirybased learning activity, while I searched for appropriate web sites. I believe they did a wonderful job, and couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

WebQuests

The use of WebQuests is the classroom can be a valuable addition to curriculum. I fully intend on utilizing them. I do not know if I will create one in the future or not, that will depend on the circumstances. If I feel we are going over curriculum that will benefit from a WebQuest, yet I cannot find one available online, I will create one if I feel I can create one that will benefit my students. When I do use one that has already be created, I will have to take time to anaylze it's value. It is necessary to "do" the WebQuest before presenting it to students to ensure that it supports the standards which I am trying to attack. It is also important to check to see if the WebQuest is up-to-date, and all the links are still working.
From a WebQuest, I believe students can gain insight into a topic, and learn great technology skills which they can use in the future. They will be a great resource in my elementary classroom.

Reflection on website evaluation activity

This activity was helpful in that it enlightened me to some things to look for in determining whether a web site is "good" or not. Some of the things were pretty obvious to me, but as was proven earlier in class, there are some very tricky websites that are out there to seem credible, while in fact they are not. I already felt pretty confident in my abilities to determine whether or not a website is credible, but this portion of the class helped me to solidify that confidence.

Web site evaluation

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/eval.html

This is a great web site for educators, that provides information on analyzing the quality of web sites that one might use in the classroom. Provided are a series of evaluation surveys aimed at elementary, middle, and secondary school levels. The surveys are also offered in Spanish, which could be helpful in the diverse culture of today's educational environment. Additionally, there are not only evaluative surveys for teachers, but also some that are aimed at students, which is powerful considering the need to provide technological instruction for an increasingly technological world.

Critical Reflection on Portfolios

A portfolio can be a useful resource for many people, not just teachers and students. However, in regards to use in an educational setting, I am fully supportive. Keeping an up-to-date portfolio can help a teacher track their progress in the profession. This is where I believe I will enjoy its' utility the most. I will be able to not only display my work for others to have an objective view, but also will be able to use it to look at my own work critically. Additionally, the use of portfolios in the classroom will enable me, as a teacher, to teach valuable technology skills to my students, while also providing them with feedback on their own growth. This is valuable.

Learning goals for TPTE 486

From this course I hope to gain insights into various ways I can utilize technology to further my career as a teacher. In that, I hope to discover various uses of technology in the classroom that can enhance instruction and maximize learning. I also intend on creating a web-based resource for my students and their parents to access for a better educational experience. The resource will contain assignments, extra reading and multimedia, community activities, communication portals, and access into my classroom from the outside. I hope to become more adept in the creation of such a web resource in TPTE 486. Also, I hope to create and maintain a personal portfolio that will enable me to keep track of my progress as a teacher. Ideally, this will provide me with a view of myself as a teacher that I can look at critically, and from which I can make adjustments.

Kluever's Intro

I am from Maryville, TN. I went to William Blount High School. I want to become a teacher because it will be an awesome job. I hope to teach 3rd grade or 4th grade. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, landscaping, camping, biking, and spending quality time with people. I have had a computer in my home since the early 1990s. I began connecting to the outside world through bulletin board systems. I worked extensively with computers during my first undergraduate degree in Accounting, and as an Accountant.