Week Fifteen Course Wrap Up/Final Evaluations

This week was our final class meeting. I am sad to see that this class is over because I really enjoyed learning about the different technologies that are out there! In class this week, we discussed our final project. I am once again excited to get started in this because for the project, I will be writing a mock cover letter that shows how the skills that I have learned in this class relate to a potential job. I think that this will give be experience and I plan to actually write the cover letter for a legit job and apply and everything and see how it goes, so it should be very interesting.

I think that writing cover letters will definitely be something that I have to do when it comes time for me to start looking for a job, so I think that the project that we talked about this week will definitely help me out in the long run as it will give a chance to practice without pressure!

This is a link to a website that I found using Yahoo that shows the format of a cover letter. This website will definitely help me with my final project for this class because it will show me how I should format my letter.

Week Fourteen Using Games for Teaching and Learning

This week in class, we talked how games could be used for teaching and learning. We also discussed second life. I definitely agree with the need for educational games because I think that they are a great means for both teaching and learning, however I don't really understand the need for second life. It seems kind of weird to me and from my understanding it's kind of like a 'real' version of the Sims if that makes sense. However, I think that programs like second life definitely take the virtual world too far and I think that they make it very easy to get caught up in the virtual instead of the reality.

I think that the stuff that I learned about educational games definitely applies to my major. I plan to use educational games in my classroom as a teacher because I remember playing them when I was younger and I think that they are a great resource.

Here is a link to an article that I found on Yahoo that describes some of the benefits of educational games. I think that this is a great resource because it makes a great case for the use of educational games in the classroom.

Week Twelve Creating a Professional Web Presence

This week we watched a tutorial on Google Sites. Prior to watching the video, I had thought that creating a web site would be very hard and that there was no way I could do it! However, I was surprised to see just how simple it really was. It took me actually making my Google Site to believe that it was super easy because even after I watched the video I was like there is no way that it can be that easy...but it was. I really enjoyed creating my site and making a web presence for myslef!

I think that my web site that I created for the web presence project will definitely help me when I start applying for jobs. The web site will allow me to show employers things that I have done that won't fit on a resume. Additionally, the web site allows me to showcase that I am ready and willing to be a 21st century worker and take advantage of all of the new technologies that are available to me!

This article that I found using Yahoo describes the benefits of having a professional personal website.

Week Eleven Open Source Software

This week we discussed Open Source Software. Once again, I learned about something that I had no idea even existed. I wish that I would have known that there were free versions of programs like Microsoft Word before I went out and bought the software for my pc laptop and then my new macbook pro!!!! Programs like these can save people a lot of money and I think that they are a great alternative to traditional programs. In class we also went over our Web Presence Project. I am very excited to get started on that project because I think that a professional website will be very helpful when I start applying for jobs.

I will definitely be able to use what I learned about open source software in my field. This is because as a teacher I will be able to use programs in class without having to worry if my student will be able to have access to them at home. The Web Presence Project will also help me because it will allow me to have another way for employers to see what I have to offer.

Here is a link to a video that I found on youtube that shows some examples to open source software.

Week Ten Tech Tools for Critical Thinking

This week we learned how to use tools like Inspiration and Bubbl.us to create concept maps. I didn't know that there was free stuff like these programs online to use until class today! I think that mind mapping is a great way to organize your thoughts especially for individuals who are visual learners.

I will definitely be able to use mind mapping tools like the ones I learned about in class today as an education major. I remember making/using lots of mind maps when I was in elementary school, so I definitely think that I will be able to use them as a teaching device when I become a teacher. These tools will enable me to make mind maps for my students so that the students can easily organize their thought processes, notes, etc.

Here is a link to a youtube video that explains why mind maps are so useful as a teaching tool or even as an easy way to remember important information.

Week Nine Social Tools and Cloud Computing

This week in class was amazing! I learned about two of the most useful tools ever - Delicious and Google Documents!!!! I had absolutely no idea that something like these tools even existed. I was so excited after hearing about these amazing new tools, that I started using them right away and I told several of my friends about them! These tools are examples of cloud computing. Cloud computing is a term for being able to use server-based applications as a service rather than being tied to a specific platform on a specific device or machine.

I think that these tools will definitely be helpful for me as an education major. I will be able to use Google Documents to collaborate with other teachers on things like lesson plans or presentations. I will be able to use Delicious to share links to helpful websites that I can use in the classroom that might also help other teachers.

This is a link to a youtube video that has teachers, principals, and students telling why they use Google Documents. I think that this is a great video because the people in it love Google Documents for the same reasons that I do!!

Social Tools Mind Map

Today in class we learned how to create ‘mind maps’ using an online program called webspiration. These programs allow the user to create flow charts or mind maps that help the user to organize the information in an easy to read and understand manner. I think that mind maps are great for people who tend to be more visual learners, as the reader can see how the information relates together by looking at the picture, rather than by reading a bunch of text like in traditional notes. Here is a mind map that I created to show how I can use social tools in the field of education.

Week Eight The Sound of Podcasting

This week in class we learned about podcasting. I also go to Garage Band! I am always excited to use Apple Programs, so I enjoyed working with this Garage Band. I wasn't sure exactly what to put in my podcast, so I just talked about something that I did this past weekend. This week I also finished my Visual Literacy Project in Photoshop. I got kind of frustrated doing this because I didn't remember how to do a lot of the things that I learned in the tutorial. Additionally, I wasn't sure what exactly what to do for this project since the guidelines were so broad, so it was hard for me to decide on what to do with this project. So, I spent basically five hours in the mac lab working on this project and I'm still not very happy with the result!

I think that knowing how to use Photoshop and Garage Band will definitely be helpful in the education field. I can use Photoshop to create fun and creative activities for my students. Garage Band will enable me to create podcasts of some of my lessons so that I can put them on a class website for a student to listen to at a later time.

Here is a link to an article that has been in the news recently. The article is about a recent Ralph Lauren ad that was photoshopped to much. In the advertisement for Ralph Lauren clothes, the model's head appears bigger than her waist. This is an example of how photoshop is being used to give an unrealistic image of women. I think that this relates to this week because I was learning how to do things in Photoshop and this is an example of a 'Photoshop disaster' that I should avoid.

Week Seven Digital Storytelling

This week we learned how to use different programs that can be used to share information via digital story telling. I was really excited to learn how to use iMovie because now it won’t just be an icon on my computer!!! I really am taking this class at the perfect time because it is helping me to learn how to use my new mac! I also watched a presentation about digital technologies like digital photography and video. I also read some information on podcasting and I learned that podcasting stands for portable on demand casting. I once once again excited to see that I was going to have to watch another tutorial for an Apple program, this time it was Garage Band!!!!

I will definitely be able to use both digital storytelling and podcasting in the education field. By knowing how to use cool programs like animoto and iMovie, I will be able to make interesting and fun slideshows for my students. Also, Garageband will enable me to record myself giving either lessons for maybe when a substitute is filling in for me and it will also enable me to make podcasts for the class. I think that knowing how to use so many different technologies and programs will boost my marketability to employers. Additionally, I plan to use some of the cool things that I have learned this week just in everyday life. For example, I have already created several slideshow videos with pictures of my friends and I.

This youtube video shows how digital storytelling can be used in the field of education. This relates to me because I am going into the field of education, so it will be helpful to know of ways to use digital story telling!

Digital Story Telling

Week Six Visual Literacy

This week I finished my photoshop tutorial! the end product wasn’t the coolest picture, but by completing the tutorial I re-familiarized myself with photoshop.I am surprised at how much stuff I am remembering in Photoshop from my Computer Graphics class in high school, I guess all is not lost. I am excited to continue working in photoshop and creating more projects. This week I also learned about visual literacy and I watched a tutorial video on iMovie. I am looking forward to making a video and doing more with visual literacy.

I think that visual literacy relates directly to elementary education. I think that videos are a great way of transmitting information to people and I think that they when used properly they can be very engaging and a great teaching tool.

here is a link to a cool diagram that shows some of the many benefits to using visual literacy in teaching.

Week Five Media and Information Literacy

This week we learned all about Photoshop! I have actually used Photoshop before in a computer graphics class in high school, so I expected this week to be fairly simple. However, to my surprise, I found that Photoshop has changed a lot since I took it in ninth grade and not only that but I don’t really remember much of what I did in eighth and ninth grade especially since that was seven years ago (which is still hard to believe because it seems like only yesterday!!!) I also realized that I had used Photoshop on a PC, so that might account for some of the differences. I know that I was more familiar with it than some of the class and I’m sure that as I work with the program more, stuff will come back to me! I am actually really excited to work with Photoshop again because I remember how much I enjoyed creating projects on the program.

Knowing how to use Photoshop is definitely going to help me in the classroom because I will be able to create images and projects for the class. Photoshop will save me time, while enabling me to create something fun and original for my class. I am excited to learn more about Photoshop and all of the possibilities that come along with it!

Here is a video that I found on youtube that shows some of the cool things that you can do with Photoshop!

Post Secret Event

Ok, so this isn't part of an assignment or anything, I just thought that it was relevant to this class so I decided to blog about it! Anyways, last Tuesday I went to an event on campus that featured Frank Warren, the creator of the popular blog Post Secret. After hearing Frank Warren speak, I realized how much of an impact blogs have had on our culture and just how useful they are. I mean here is a man whose sole job is to blog! Not only that, but he came up with an idea that never would have been able to happen if it weren't for technology. Frank Warren collects secrets from strangers and then posts them to his blog. Twenty years ago who would have thought that a job like that could even exist, much less that it would have a fan base that stretched out across the entire world! Anyways, I just thought that it was cool to see how this class really relates to other things and how what we are doing here by simply blogging about our experiences in class has the potential to someday turn into a career if we so choose!

Also, here is a link to an article about the event.

Week Four Copyright Law, Plagiarism, and Ethical Issues

In class this week, we continued learning about Copyright and we were introduced to Creative Common’s Liscensing. Online, I learned how to create web pages and powerpoint presentations so that students can get the most out of them. I learned that design is key and everything matters- font and text size, as well as the size and placement of pictures, backgrounds, you name it and it has an affect on how a student perceives what is being taught. I also learned about web based resources, multimedia, and hypermedia. The presentations on those explained what they are, how to use them, the benefits of using them as well as their limitations.

Once again, what I learned in class and online this week directly related to my elementary education major. The most valuable thing that I learned this week was definitely how to make powerpoint presentations viewer friendly. I actually think that a lot of professors at UF need to watch this presentation!!! I learned that yellow text on a blue background is the most appealing. I also learned that if a picture doesn’t directly relate to your slide or enhance it in any way, then you don’t need it. I think that the presentation about how to make effective powerpoint presentations will help me out a lot as a teacher as well as during my time at the University of Florida.

Here is a link to a video that I found on the Creative Common’s Website that helped me to get a better feel for what exactly Creative Commons is. Before class last Monday, I had never heard of Creative Commons and even after class I was still a little confused about it. However, after watching the video on their site, I was able to better understand what exactly Creative Commons is and why it is needed.

Week Three Web Technology

This week we learned about Web 2.0 and Copyright. We also created a blog using blogger and linked it to our class wiki. I thought that the applications in Web 2.0 were AMAZING and I had never heard of most of them before or for that matter knew that something like them even existed! I loved learning about the different ones and so far my favorite one is print friendly, however I plan to look through more of them to familiarize myself with them.

Learning and reading about the copyright laws is extremely important and relevant to not only my major, but also my life. This is because I before this lesson I was relatively unfamiliar with what I could and couldn’t do. I think that knowing these laws will help me with this class as well as my other classes and eventually when I become a teacher, the class that I am teaching. I had no idea that you couldn’t simply put in a dvd and show it to your class because it violated copyright laws and you could be fined $100,000!

I found this article in the New York Times. The article is about the copyright issues that Disney is facing since purchasing Marvel. This article makes it clear not only how serious copyrights can be, but also how complicated they can be. It just goes to show that we need to be aware of what we can and can’t do so that we don’t get in trouble.

Week Two Educational Technology

This week we learned about mac computers. I was very excited to hear that we would be watching videos on how to use a mac because I just got a mac book pro for my birthday and I am do not know how to do a lot of things on it yet! After watching the videos, I found out how to do a lot of stuff on my mac that I didn’t know before like what the different shortcuts are on the keyboard. I watched several videos that were about computer terminology and what the different terms mean, internets effect on society, and finally a video about the history of emails and the web. I also watched a video series that was from PBS and was called “Growing up Online.” It was about how our generation has been affected by growing up with computers and the internet.

As an elementary education major, I was surprised to learn that macs are used a lot in the education field. This just made me even more happy that I decided to get a mac instead of a PC for my laptop. It also gives now justifies my mac purchase because before my reason for getting a mac was that macs are really cute! But, anyways unlike a lot of other majors taking this course, the material that will be covered will almost always be directly related to my major, which makes it very nice!

Here is a link to an article that I found on the apple website. I found this article interesting because it talks about why you will love a mac! I thought this was relevant because the videos this week for class were about using a mac, which can be frustrating to a pc user at first, but this article lets you know why you will love a mac after you figure them out (which by the way won’t take long at all).

Embedded Video Homework Week 4

Embedded Video Homework Week 4

http://creativecommons.org/videos/get-creative