When I registered for the ITEC 7430 Internet for the Classroom I really didn't know what to expect from this class. So far, our previous courses have delved into the research and pedagogical aspects of technology in education. It was really exciting to take a course where we got a chance to experiment and discover some new resources that we could use in our classrooms. These tools and apps came from a wide area of technology such as, internet safety, podcasting, visual tools, social networking, virtual environments, productivity tools and wikis. Each week I was able to choose two to three resources that I was interested in and discover what made it so unique. Also, getting the chance to explore with these resources and create an artifact was really the best for me.
I know while working in my cooperative planning groups, I always noticed that my teachers never really understood how our technology resources can impact their classrooms because they never get a chance to just experiment and discover. It always seems so many of these tools are just given to them without the proper time for them to be able to discover the ins and outs. Having that time, during this class, made all the difference for me. There were so many tools that I used immediately in my classroom! Some of the tools that I have started using regularly are: Google Tour Builder, Quizizz, Zeal, Gliffy, and Padlet. By far my favorites were Jing, Screen-O-Matic, and Podcasting. During several of my collaborative planning sessions I taught my teachers how to use Jing in their classrooms to share math techniques with their parents. It was so great to hear my teachers talk about how easy it was to share their math strategies with their parents and receive such positive feedback.
Sharing this tool was an added bonus because it goes right along with my Capstone project. I decided to use Jing to share resources, with my teachers, because it would be easier and quicker than writing up directions for them to follow. I tried to make sure that I chose a wide variety of tools to explore, but there were still some tools that I still struggled with or just found difficult to use. One of those tools is still Google Docs and Netvibes. I see how productive Google Docs can be, but for some reason it just doesn’t come as naturally as I would like for it too. I always second guess myself and I have to use my notes to make sure that my documents have saved correctly or end up in the correct place. It’s also confusing too because I have two google accounts, one personal and one related to work. Regardless I know that I will keep trying to use this tool and so many others to see how they can make an impact in my classroom.
I know while working in my cooperative planning groups, I always noticed that my teachers never really understood how our technology resources can impact their classrooms because they never get a chance to just experiment and discover. It always seems so many of these tools are just given to them without the proper time for them to be able to discover the ins and outs. Having that time, during this class, made all the difference for me. There were so many tools that I used immediately in my classroom! Some of the tools that I have started using regularly are: Google Tour Builder, Quizizz, Zeal, Gliffy, and Padlet. By far my favorites were Jing, Screen-O-Matic, and Podcasting. During several of my collaborative planning sessions I taught my teachers how to use Jing in their classrooms to share math techniques with their parents. It was so great to hear my teachers talk about how easy it was to share their math strategies with their parents and receive such positive feedback.
Sharing this tool was an added bonus because it goes right along with my Capstone project. I decided to use Jing to share resources, with my teachers, because it would be easier and quicker than writing up directions for them to follow. I tried to make sure that I chose a wide variety of tools to explore, but there were still some tools that I still struggled with or just found difficult to use. One of those tools is still Google Docs and Netvibes. I see how productive Google Docs can be, but for some reason it just doesn’t come as naturally as I would like for it too. I always second guess myself and I have to use my notes to make sure that my documents have saved correctly or end up in the correct place. It’s also confusing too because I have two google accounts, one personal and one related to work. Regardless I know that I will keep trying to use this tool and so many others to see how they can make an impact in my classroom.