Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Course Reflection

This course has been incredibly helpful in my journey to becoming a technology savvy teacher. I feel much more equipped to teach any and every teacher with more than just a powerpoint slide. I was very scared coming into this class as to how much I actually knew about technology. I actually knew much more than I thought that I did. The thing that probably held me back the most was my reluctance to learn new things. I was a member of the "You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks" team. I figured I was past my prime of learning these fancy new things about computers and machines and other kinds of shenanigans. However, I wanted to get a good grade, so I did the work. This made me learn the stuff whether I wanted to or not. I learned so much without even trying that I feel 100 times more equipped to teach a class using technology that can benefit kids in several ways. These things not only make me a better teacher, but they help the kids learn a lot easier and much quicker. It is amazing how much one can learn when they open their mind up even slightly. I learned this first hand, and I am very happy that I did. I cannot imagine someone going into a classroom not knowing most of this stuff. My class will be filled with all sorts of fun computer and technology based activities that will make learning easier and much more fun. If a kid is having fun, they won't even know they are learning. Even as a teacher, this is something I am learning each and every day.






Tuesday, November 11, 2014

How to Tell Stories...Digitally!!!

Digital Storytelling is a great way to get kids involved and keep them engaged in learning and even listening. It is a pretty basic way of telling a story or conveying a message to students. The University of Houston made a website to explain the ins and outs of Digital Storytelling. Not only does the website give the background of the tool, but it also gives a brief explanation of how to create them, use them, implement them, and learn from them. even after all the explanations, the most useful part of the website was the example stories tab. It gave some great examples of educational and useful digital stories. They are stories that can be used to teach different topics and subjects in classrooms, and they can simply be used as a basis for making your own digital stories. The website is all about how teachers and students alike can use these to learn and to teach and to keep students engaged and invested in learning. The site is easy to navigate with its large tabs (top and side of the screen) and its pictures and explanations. It does a great job of conveying what it means to convey and is a helpful resource in teaching how to use these wonderful tools.