Week 8

I have had so many "Aha" moments in this class it is not even funny! I have learned so much over the last 8 weeks and I am very excited about all of it. I think my favorite things was creating this blog. I am going to create my own for personal use as well. I just love the idea of social networking. I also enjoyed learning about Wordle. I have already shown it to my class and they love it as well. We did a concept map about sports to go with our story this week and they had the best time. I can't wait to use more of these Web 2.0 technologies in my classroom!!

Concept Map using Wordle

Week 7 Reflection

This week I created a training plan to use during the summer when I will be an instructor during my district's Tech Camp. Since my mother-in-law is our districts instructional technology specialist I kind of just do what is asked! ( : She is very excited as well as I am about teaching wiki's. She had never really used one until I discussed our class wiki with her. She is also learning a lot more about blogs and avatars as well. I think it is so fun taking these classes because I can share what I have learned with people who are as excited about it as I am!

My lesson was a training plan for teaching other teachers about wikis. I will definitely keep in mind all the great ideas of my peers in this class for the uses of wikis in education. I have learned so much from the great ideas of others!

I only hope my "students" in tech camp will be as excited as I am!! ( :

Week 6

This week was very fun! I decided to do my podcast over how to access my class website. I thought this would be a good resource because many of my parents say they would love to see the website and use it but they just don't know how. Well now I guess they are out of excuses! ( :


I was amazed at all the resources available for teachers to teach with technology. I read an article this week about how many schools still think that 21st century teaching is a foreign phrase and an impossible idea. Some of the things stopping them are money, attitude, and lack of knowledge. Many "old school" teachers think that just because they have done something a certain way for years that it should not be changed. I just wish they would realize all the benefits teaching with technology will offer their students.

If I had a magic wand, I would wave it and open the eyes of many administrators and teachers who have the resources to teach with technology but who choose not to. I think that is one of my biggest pet peeves. I teach with a hand full of teachers who have so much technology at their fingertips but because they are a certain age, they believe they cannot use it. They say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Well I think you can! If their attitudes would just change they would probably surprise themselves at everything they could do!

Week 5 Reflection

This has been my FAVORITE week so far. I have never used a Wiki but I am no hooked! I have even approached my mother in law, who is our district's instructional technologist, about teaching Wikis in our annual Tech Camp held during the summer. I can't wait to share everything I have learned with my peers. I have already shared a few things with our school librarian that she is very excited about.

For my Wiki I chose to create a mothers helping mothers site where moms, new and seasoned, can share questions, experiences, and ideas with each other. I am a first time mom of a seven month old and I have a new question everyday! She is really developing a personality and I just want to be able to share my experiences and questions with moms who are going through the same day to day struggles/rewards I am. Hannah is an absolute joy so I wanted a place where I could even share some of the super cute things she does!

I can see many uses for Wikis in the classroom as well as for personal use. My classmates have posted some excellent ideas for Wikis and I am going to "borrow" many of them to keep in my good ideas file! ( :

Week 4: Portfolios

This week I was eager to begin my online portfolio. I have always wanted to do a portfolio with my students but have not really had the chance to sit down and plan something out. Since my students are so young and their time on the computer is limited, an electronic portfolio would probably not be the best thing to use at their level. Also I would have to do most of the organization for them.

This week I focused on the Assessment for Learning principle of how student's learn. I thought this was the best because for me, it is one of the most difficult parts of my job. I would love to have the time to sit down with each of my students one on one daily to give them instruction on their level just the way they will learn it best. Unfortunately that is just not possible when you have 22 students who all learn differently in your classroom.

When I finally do sit down and organize myself in order to start the portfolio process with my students I think it will be an excellent tool for assessment. Each student will get to show me what they are most proud of. That means I will be looking at their best work. This assessment tool can be leveled so that each child is assessed based on what they can do rather than what the teacher has told them to do.

My portfolio will be used to show my best work. I want to take ownership in my work and embrace this process. I don't want to look at it as just another assignment. I want it to reflect who I truly am and what I can do.

Week 3: MAPping and Delicious

Well this week has taught me that I still have a lot to learn about technology. When I saw an assignment was to take a quiz, I thought, no big deal, I know this stuff...well I was wrong!! Some of the questions were very difficult. I even had my mother in law, who is an Instructional Technologist take the quiz and she found some parts difficult as well (she still did better than me though!).

After the MAPping activity I learned that you cannot believe everything you read on the Internet. I chose to look at the tree octopus website and I just laughed and laughed! I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen! I do think teaching students how to tell the real websites from the fake ones is very important. Often times they just click on the first website that google finds and they are done. (sometimes I am guilty of the same thing)

Sharing favorite websites via Delicious is a great way to use cooperative team teaching strategies. I have shared this with my team teachers and they are very excited to get started using it!