Assignment #7

1. How have you used technology to contribute to some domain of knowledge? I have used technology to contribute to most of my learning, especially in the three years that I have been in college. Without resources such as the Internet, Powerpoint, etc, learning would be so boring! How did my parents do it? I am excited to utilize the technology out there as I begin teaching my classes.
2. How have you used technology to collaborate with classmates? In this class, looking at and commenting on other classmates' blogs has been very very helpful for ideas. The other useful technology that I have used to collaborate with classmates is Facebook and email. Those who have gmail (most people) are able to collaborate their information using Google Docs. I have done this with test study guides and it is a very useful tool that saves a lot of time.
3. How might you use technology in your classroom? I will use Powerpoint almost on a daily basis. It's so easy and fast to make impressionable presentations that will engage students. As previously discussed in other posts, I will also implement Blogger and Google Sites. Students will have their own blogs for the class and will use the Sites to get their homework assignments. While technology is indeed helpful, one should not completely rely on it because technology has potential to crash or erase at random. Having back-up plans is a must.
4. What did you learn in this class? I learned SO MANY THINGS! I learned how to embed Youtube videos, how to add gadgets to my blog, how to create my own website, how to search for helpful software, how to download a youtube video, Internet safety....I could go on. I needed this class desperately and am so glad that it is required for teaching.
5. What will you use that you have learned in this class? I can tell you what I WON'T use...Google Wave. That was not helpful for me at all and I would rather just use Google Docs because you can do pretty much the same things. I'll for sure use blogs, Google Sites, Docs, the Mac text- to- voice software, Youtube, Google Earth, and Skype. I both loved and hated the style of this class--to learn a lot of it yourself. I think this is because I have a lazy streak in me and when I don't know how to do something, I get impatient and don't go through the trouble of finding a solution right away! But on the other hand it helped me to get through that and I ended up learning mucho mucho!