Google Docs: I have never used goggle docs before, but I think that this tool is extremely useful. I think it is something I can use as I finish my college education, as well as using it as a teacher. This is a great way to work on a writing project with a group of people, from a distance. There are so many times I have wondered how I could work on a writing project with a group but did not know how, so knowing about this tool will be a valuable asset.

Also, new to me, is the ability to edit a document in word. As a teacher I could use this to edit and give feedback to my students' work. I am happy to have these new tools to use as a student, and as a teacher.

Web Site Evaluation

I believe that evaluation of web sites is an important skill for a teacher to have. It is important to remember that not all web sites are reliable and therefore having the skills to evaluate a web site will be valuable. The forms we filled out regarding web sites helped me to take a better look at the web sites and not just blindly accept the information as correct. As teachers we need to teach information that is accurate and up to date. I will need to take into account the reliability of a web site before I present this information to my students. Learning the skill of web site evaluation would be useful for any teacher!

Instructional Architect

Today we learned how to create a lesson using Instructional Architect. This is an extremely useful resource. I think that this is an excellent way to use technology in the classroom. There is no doubt in my mind that kids would love to work on WebQuests.

Last week, in my practicum, the 5th grade students in my class worked on a project about important people in American history. They used laptops to search the internet for the needed information. They LOVED it! Every student was excited and engaged the entire lesson. They cheered when the teacher told them about the assignment. So, I know that this is the kind of project that kids would really enjoy.

Instructional Architect is really user friendly, and I can see myself using this as an instructional tool in my classroom. Yeah, for IA!!!!

Creating a survey

I think being able to create a survey is a great bit of information to have. This can be used in so many ways in the classroom. A teacher could use surveys to find out information for teaching, get student input, have parents reply and give their opinions to you. As a teacher, creating surveys could be a great way to collect information to make your teaching more applicable and meaningful.

Webquest is a useful tool for teaching. I believe students would find this type of learning very interesting and therefore, they would be engaged. I think this resource would be easy to use, fun to use, and extremely educational. Both teachers and students would enjoy using WebQuest.

Please take this survey

Digital Photography

I believe that digital photography is an excellent tool to use for teaching. This project was fun and interesting, and would definitely engage students in learning about geometric shapes. There are so many different applications for the use of digital photography in education. Children could use photography to learn differences in the seasons, plants, shapes, colors, etc.

Comic life would be a great way for students to create an informational newspaper, create projects, or make a yearbook.

Digital photography could make almost any subject more interesting for students. Students would be excited to get up out of their seats, have hands on experiences, work with technology, and learn about various subjects. As a teacher I can see multiple benefits to incorporating digital photography into my curriculum.

I can see the benefits of using second life in teaching, however, I think that it is fairly complicated and would require a lot of assistance. I am not sure how one teacher would be able to assist all of her students in building etc. in second life, especially for elementary age students.

I think second life is extremely interesting and would engage students. I think if you were able to keep the students 'with' you, you would be able to use this technology to engage them in various types of learning. I think that distractions could be a major factor in using second life, because there are so many options in second life.

Second life could be a very useful tool for teaching, but I feel like there are draw backs that I would need to learn to deal with before I was able to use it in classroom. Maybe, with more experience I could reach a point where I was able to use this technology in my classroom.