TPTE 486

This class has been amazing. Unlike some other classes, being in 486 is always a pleasure. I find all the information very interesting, relevant, and useful. I consider myself to be savvy with technology. However, there are many programs available that I have simply never been exposed to. Thus, I am very appreciative of everything I have learned in 486, and feel more prepared for my future career as an educator.

websites

I am still in the process of creating my first website using Google sites. This software is wonderful and easy to use. From the examples of other sites that I have seen that were created using google sites, I see that a very professional product can result. I hope that I can be as successful. Either way, I know that I can create something that is very useful and easy to navigate. This will be great for use in my classroom. My only worry is that I will not be able to reach non-English speakers as easily as I can reach English speakers. With the influx of immigrants from around the world, I am sure that not all parents will fluently speak English. Therefore, my site may not be as useful to them.

I-Movie

Creating an I-Movie takes time, but one's efforts are rewarded with a cool product. After climbing the initial learning curve, things begin to go much more smoothly. I can see myself making more of these, but I do not see myself letting student (3rd graders) do these themselves.

Wiki

Creating a Wiki is an easy and enjoyable thing to do, and could have many potential applications. In the classroom, a teacher could create a Wiki for her students and their parents. It could contain links to other sights of interest, as well as homework, class rules, class projects, and much more. I will use a Wiki in my classroom.

Inspiration

I could certainly see myself using this tool in the classroom. I think it would be great to use to help students see categories of topics as we discuss them in class. Students that are more visual would certainly benefit from this. I think it could even be good to get students using this software and creating their own diagrams. It could be used as a type of report that could be shown to the rest of the class.

OME

486 has introduced me to some very interesting tools that are available on the web. I've really enjoyed learning about those things, though I believe they will be more interesting to me when I can use them in a more natural context. I appreciate 486 for those introductions, but I feel that the way that we are utilizing those tools now is decontextualized, and thus a bit less meaningful than it would otherwise be in real-life scenarios. I look forward to bringing what I have learned into the classroom in the future, as I know it will be a benefit to both my students and to myself.

Animoto

Creating an Animoto video with images is easy and fun. This would be a great way for a class, group of students, or an individual student to display photos taken under a theme. The only drawback is that the free version only allows for 30 second videos. I need to look further into the Animoto for Educators site.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.