Final Reflection

This course has really taught me a lot about how to integrate technology into my classroom. I really liked Engrade and feel like that is definitely a grading system that I will use when I have my own classroom. I loved that it had the option to upload the Engrade file that you created into Excel. I also liked how many options it had to track assignments and attendance.

For personal use I loved Jessie's Wow Project topic of Scrapblogging. That is definitely something that I would use at home. I think that would also be great for students to use if they were going to do a project about themselves or their families.

I also learned a lot about collaboration. It is hard sometimes to make a specific time to work for everyone when you are trying to meet for group time. Thankfully, my group and I were able to work together and be flexible. I have also found throughout grad. school that we have all become very close and supportive of each other. I have met some people that will truly help me throughout my future as a teacher. Collaboration is such an essential part of being a teacher and I have made some great friends to collaborate with.

One of my favorite assignments was WDYDWYD. I loved viewing everyone's reasons for becoming teachers. I had many moments where I felt like I couldn't agree with my classmates more. It felt really great to know that there were so many wonderful people going into the field of education for such great reasons.

I am finishing this class with great friends, a new found knowledge of how to integrate technology in my classroom, and the confidence I need to be a great teacher. I feel well equipped with many technology resources and applications to improve my teaching and student's learning.

Blogs that I have commented on...

1. Brian- "Is Technology really this scary?"
2. Doug- "Collaboration is the key..."
3. Kari- "Working SO closely with others..."
4. Lauren- "Mind mapping is FUN!"
5. Pat- "Regrets, I have a few"
6. Jessie- "Giving it a go at Glogster"

Wow Project- Zoho vs. Google docs

I really enjoyed working on my WOW Project. It was really interesting to see how Zoho and Google docs were similar and different. I was excited to learn about these products because I believe they will be useful to me when I have my own classroom someday. Although Google docs and Zoho are similar to Microsoft products, they can be accessed from any computer because they are saved to the web. Here is the link to my Wow Project Powerpoint.
http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/193010/WowProject

Engrade Critique

I just created my own classroom using engrade. I have to say, this process was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. This program walks you step by step through establishing your own grade book. I think this would work well within the classroom. However, I believe a teacher who uses an online program to keep track of grades should also calculate the grades by hand to make sure the system accurately calculated a student's grade. I think it could go either way with parents. They might like the program because it shows each assignment and what grade the student received. They might not like it because there is a chance for error. I guess that is the case with everything though. I could make an error calculating by hand, it's important to not rely solely on 1 method of grade keeping.
I also think teachers and parents would really love the "missing assignment" worksheet that prints out. This is a way to show parents if their children are not completing assignments. I really love the "export to Excel" option. This is a great feature because it brings all of your information over and makes a spreadsheet. I really like that it has an attendance section so that everything can be in one program. It also includes a calendar and an area where you can make comments.
I also really like the assignment section where you can name it whatever you want. I like that you can put in extra credit points in for an assignment.
All in all, Engrade was a great program because it allows you to perform multiple functions in one program. It truly is easy to navigate around this site and enter information. The export to Excel feature is great because it allows you to back up your information in another program in case Engrade crashes.

IDS

After reading the e-learning site that Dr. Smirnova had provided on IDS, I now feel like I understand what IDS is and why it was developed. I really liked how the site used the "Cruise Control" analogy to explain how you would think about IDS and how it works. I also thought the ADDIE design was interesting too. It reminds me of how teachers go about planning and implementing lessons and units. (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation). This was a great article!

Slideboom

I collaborated with my group on the Constructivism group presentation this past weekend. We had to upload it to an online site that would show it in a slideshow for all of the class to see. I decided to use Slideboom. This was my first time using an online site of this nature and I was pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to use. All you had to do was upload your Powerpoint and they do the rest of the work! I will definitely consider using this in the future and within my own classroom!

Why you all do what you do...

Wow, after reading my classmate's "WDYDWYD" I feel like we are all going to be great teachers. I mean everyone chose pictures that really pulled at my heart. It is clear that we are all going into teaching because we want to inspire and make a difference in our student's lives.