Facebook in the classroom....

After reading chapters 9-10, I thought I would share that about 2 years ago I created a Facebook page for my 4th grade classes. It has been a big success! My students were added as well as many parents and it is a great way to post class info, pics, important dates, etc. I have many parents who reach me on Facebook about classroom issues. It makes communication much easier. If you have never tried this, you should. It's something I plan on implementing every school year.

school website

I have put alot of my information gained on my school website for my parents to have access to:)

Great Class

This class has been very helpful! I did not have any idea about a podcast or a web quest before this class. I will use all info gained in my classroom:)

As I sit here this morning I am observing my student teacher incorporate technology into her math lesson. I can't help but wonder what types of technology will our students be using by the time she comes to the end of her teaching career? It is mind boggling to think about! In twenty years, technology that hasn't even been developed will be common practice in daily life. Someday, we will laugh about web quests the way we do about using film strips today.

Good Class

I feel that this has been a good class for myself and anyone that has been a part of it. This class has challenged myself to learn new ways of using a computer and transfering it into the class room. If anyone is looking for new ideas of how to use technology or is in need of learning ways to use technology this class will help.

Eye Opening

When this class started I had no idea how I would be able to use this kind of technolgy in a P.E. class. Once I started looking at each assignment and doing them myself I began to realize that I could use most of the assignments we did in my classes. This class was a real eye opener to me because of the posibility to use technolgy in a P.E. class.

Enjoyed the Class

At first I was a little apprehensive when I saw the syllabus for this class.  It was intimidating to see that I had to create my own podcast and screencast because that was something that I had never done before.  Dr. Rubin responded quickly to any questions that I had through email and helped me learn how to utilize some of this technology.   The class has been very enjoyable and informative and has taught me many things that I believe I will be able to use in my own classroom.

A Class Worth Taking....

I have really enjoyed taking this class with Dr. Rubin. I have found many of the activities and assignments we have participated in to be useful in the classroom. I can see myself utilizing them daily, especially the blog and webquests. I have learned a great deal about technology this semester. So glad I had the opportunity to take this course!

Hats Off

Must take this opportunity to "pat" Dr. Rubin on the back for an excellent job in guiding me through this class.  Never before have I had a teacher to respond quite so quickly to e-mails as Dr. Rubin.  Any time I had a question, he was there with clear, concise directions on   solving the problem.   All assignments were graded promptly and feedback given on all.  The running grade average was very helpful.

Thank you so much for all the time you spent in helping me become a better teacher.

utilizing a class blog

I definitely feel like creating a class blog would be beneficial for my students.  Having a page dedicated to my class where students can post and interact.  I feel that posting links and videos that relate to the topic we are discussing and allowing the students to view and then discuss would be a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom and create a student led lesson where I can help point the kids in the right direction but don't have to dominate the discussion.

Technology

When the class first began, I was terrified.  Using a computer for word processing and viewing powerpoints was the limit of my skill.  I have learned more in this class than in any other class.  In each assignment, I learned different aspects of technology that I would not have attempted on my own.  I enjoyed making the powerpoint presentation.  I even used the one I created in my formal observation.  Creating my blog was my least favorite assignment. 

The podcast is one I am actually planning to use in my classroom.  I want to have my students create podcasts for black history month.  I realize it is too late for this year, but I am planning ahead for next year.  By creating these podcasts, other teachers in my building will be able to utilize them in their classrooms.  Students teaching students!

This class certainly has been a learning experience! We have been introduced to many aspects of technology and how they can be applied in the classroom. Some of these things I plan on implementing into my daily class activities. I had previously heard of podcasting in language arts training that I attended. However, I hadn't taken time to really process how I could use it in the classroom. One way I plan to use it is with our 4th grade Facebook page. We try to post pictures of class activities and school announcements on this page. By adding podcast, I can let my students to book talks or book reviews and post them to the page as well. There are many practical ways for students to use technology in the classroom. For me, the hard part will be releasing control to the students  and letting them learn how to use it through a process of trial and error.

Information Overload!

This class has been very informative and has introduced me to many different ways to use technology in my classroom.  I had heard of podcasts but never really understood what they were or used them.  Now, after this course, I can see the benefit of using them to provide information to my students and to connect with other educators and gather information from them.  Podcasts are something that I am going to try to utilize more.  I think podcasts could be a nice change from doing in class presentations.  I could have students create a podcast to share their information rather than just standing in front of the class reading from a poster.

Blogs also interested me.  Blogs would be a great way for me to communicate with students, especially after school hours about assignments.  Blogs also allow me to connect with other teachers and to share information.  A blog would also be a great way for me to communicate with parents.

I hope to be able to apply some of the things I have learned in this course to my own classroom.

technology in the classroom

With the increasing use of technology in the classroom I am very glad to have taken this course.  It has definitely opened my eyes to ways which I can use technology in my classroom and made me more comfortable with experimenting with different types of lessons (webquest, podcast, blog) that I may have shied away from before.

Web Blog

Before this class I had no idea that creating a blog was so easy. I had read blogs, but never really thought about creating one myself.  This will definitely be something I use in the future for personal and professional use. 

Great Class

 

I have really enjoyed learning about all the different types of technologies we used during the class. This was my first experience with most of them and I feel the knowledge I gained will be very beneficial in the future. 

Dr. Rubin, thank-you for putting together a class that was enjoyable and at the same time taught me a great deal! 

Professional Growth

Since this class is coming to an end, I want to say that I have learned a great deal. I like others had never heard of a Screencast nor did I know how to make a WebQuest, Podcast, or a Class Blog. I have already incorporated the Webquest and Blog into my teaching. I'm pleased to report that my students have had positive comments about these two items. They are excited to be able to use this technology. I feel as I have improved and that I have grown as a teacher.

We still need...

Personally, I enjoyed doing the screencast most; however, the exposure to this and other tools of technology have been eye-opening. The field of education has benefited vastly from technologies developed in recent years, but we still need an explosion of implementation to get the most of what is available for our students.

Class Web Blog

I have finished my blog for my own classroom. To be honest I really didn't know how easy it was to do. I have heard other teachers at my school discuss using blogs with their classes and I just didn't understand how it worked. After completing this assignment I can't wait to incorporate it into my teaching.

I've learned so much!

As this class is coming to an end, I have reflected back upon what I have learned.  Don't laugh, but I had never even heard of a screencast, podcast, or a webquest before this class.  Needless to say, I had never made a web blog before either.  This class has been challenging, but very interesting in the process.  I must say that this class has been one of the most useful classes that I have taken.  I enjoy taking classes and being challenged, especially when I know that I will be able to utilize the knowledge I obtain within the classroom setting.

My hat is off to Dr. Rubin for giving me the knowledge needed to be a techno-savvy educator!  My hat is also off to my classmates who I am sure worked equally has hard as I have throughout this course!

Web Blog

I finally finished my web blog!  I can't wait until I can use it in the classroom!  The sad part is that I am only a substitute teacher right now.  So, it might be a while.  Anyway, I have spent countless hours searching for blogs relating to elementary education that students would be interested in following.  There are a lot that teachers would like, but not so many for students.  If anyone knows of any, I would love it if you would share them.  I found one site that has compiled several sites.  It is www.blogsforkids.org/blog-list  .  You could either link this site, or filter through it and link only the sites within it that you find useful.  I filtered through it. 

I hope you find the link above useful and I look forward to any links that you may want to share!  Thanks!

Quick Introduction

Hello, my name is Willie Cole.  I am from Eastern Kentucky and currently working on my Rank 1 from Union.  I feel that the screencast is a tool that I will be using a lot in the future!