Scavenger Hunt

Searching for various shapes around our lovely campus was my favorite class activity so far. Katie, Kayla, and I worked together as scavenger hunters to find each shape. Using the digital camera to capture each image was simple. Once we found a shape, we used our digital camera to take a photo. We saved our images to Katie's jump drive. We shared the images by saving them to each of our own jump drives. I really enjoyed creating a powerpoint slideshow with the interesting images. It took a little extra time to get each slide just right; however, the end result was worth the extra effort. I believe with enough practice forming powerpoint slideshows will become a piece of cake!

Digital Collection

Embedding my digital collection onto my blog was a new experience. I had no idea how to do anything like this till TPTE 483. Sharing images through a blog is a great way to share classroom events with parents and students. I have always enjoyed scrap-booking. I guess digital collections are the technological form of scrapbooks. I'm very excited to use digital collections in my classroom someday.

Lesson Plans

Planning has never been a strength of mine. Surprisingly, I actually enjoy writing lesson plans for class. The Rockstar template was a great addition for our science lesson plan. Adding a research guide for students to use during the lesson is an easy way to include technology. Any activities that make lessons more interesting to my students are welcome by me!

Webquests

World Biomes

http://questgarden.com/104/61/2/100607081351/index.htm

WebQuests are excellent for students to follow when learning about a new subject or completing a project. While briefly looking through WebQuests I found a science project that engage students with the different world biomes. The World Biomes WebQuest is a great exploration of the different biomes for 3rd and 4th graders. Students will learn and share the different characteristics of the biomes with each other. The steps of the World Biomes webquests included steps that kept the students active and learning. This webquest was not only attractive, but also created challenges for students to work through together. A webquest can be used in planning any lesson for any subject. Preparing a webquest takes time, although the benefits make it worthwhile.

Reflections after evaluating websites!

I have failed in the past when using websites for school resources. Actually, I once recorded false information on a study guide for Western Civilization course during my undergraduate years (oops!).I learned from that mistake. Now, I always cautiously enter new websites for information. It is almost humorous to read some of the information on wikipedia, although some information added is correct, many people add false information for entertainment or lack of knowledge on a subject. Since anyone in the world has the ability to create a website and add false information as he/she pleases, knowledge of website evaluation is important for me. I enjoyed this assignment because it provided new information for me to use when evaluating websites. Knowing how to quickly determine whether a website will be reliable and useful will definitely help me as a teacher searching for answers! Using peers' experiences with websites is also a great way to find new websites. In my education classes I have often found great website through my classmates. I plan on continuing this assignment every time I encounter a potential new website.

My Learning Expectations in this Course

Using technology in the classroom is important for my students' future as it is rapidly changing and growing. In the 486 course I hope to learn how to integrate my classroom instruction and technology. I would like to be able to use technology as a classroom learning tool, a communication tool for a learning community, and an organization tool in this fast-paced world. I want to gain the technological knowledge that will be beneficial to my effectiveness as a teacher and my future students.

Informal Introduction to Class

My hometown is located on the east coast of Florida in Vero Beach. This is where I was born and raised for the majority of my life. I moved to McMinnville, Tennessee with my mom at the end of Middle School. I attended Warren County High School. I only have one sister, Emily. I want to be a teacher because I am passionate about learning and helping the world become a better place. I'm not quite sure what grade I'd like to teach, but I really enjoy grades 3-5 so far. When I have free time I enjoy spending time with my two dogs at the park. Summer is my favorite season because I am able to attend concerts, visit my family and friends at the beach, and wake-board on the weekends.