Whew! I think (hope) I have completed all of the assignments for this class! I feel like celebrating!! As I said in my first post, I found just the idea of this class to be very frustrating. Plus, computers and technology do not tend to be my friend; more often they are my enemy. However, I admit that as I got into each assignment, I truly surprised myself , not so much at what I knew, but at what I was able to figure out. I have to say I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right now! Honestly, I can't even say I hated it. There were aspects of each assignment that I actually enjoyed and I can see the possibilities of using each in my own classroom. I see Podcasts as having many different possibilities in my classroom, and it would probably be one of the easier/quicker tools to incorporate. I love reading numerous blogs, mostly teacher's blogs; however, I don't think I have the self-confidence needed to put my life and my classroom life out there for the world to be a part of. I can't help but think that no one would really be interested in what I have to say. (I guess besides technology, that's another area I need to work on!) Although I found the Web Quest to be very time-consuming, I do see it having a place in the classroom. Kids of all ages love using technology, so a Web Quest would be a great way to incorporate more technology into my lessons. The biggest drawback to it for me, besides the amount of time required to create one, is that as a kindergarten teacher, I know that I would have to have at least one other adult in the classroom with me in order for it to be successful. I do like the concept of it, though, and would like to give it a try.
Thank you, Dr. Rubin, for giving me the push to try something new, and allowing me to see that I'm capable of more than I thought when it comes to computers and technology.
A Blog for students to comment on their learning process as they expand their knowledge of using technology in the classroom
I am right there with you Karen. I have been frustrated trying some of these techniques and then happy to have accomplished so many new things. The podcast seemed the easiest to grasp, though I had difficulty submitting it. The webquest that I am working on will definitely be used as a part of my unit on "The Giver". The webquest will work perfectly for an 8th grade ELA class.
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