Fast paced technology in education

What a ride! This class has been great. The end is bittersweet. I am glad to be done, yet it feels kind of weird… like I will be missing something.

FTP was SO much easier after I’d done it a time or two. I am excited that I learned the new skill, and I am confident that I can keep my website updated and looking great. I feel much more knowledgeable about the internet, and I am ready to incorporate more technology into my classroom.

Thanks for the valuable information! It will be passed on.

This class was highly challenging for me. I thought I was pretty knowledgable about the internet… wrong. I was pulling my hair out several times, but the most frustrating assignment (the web page) was by far the most rewarding. I really enjoyed instant messaging, and I like having an online journal. I’m not sure I’ll use RSS… but I might surprise myself.

In my classroom, I’d like to see my students use blogging, webquests, and more online projects. I plan to select a few students to update my webpage in the student art gallery and current events. I am going to request Smartboards in our classrooms… but I am not sure how far I’ll get. It would be nice to be able to demonstrate how to responsibly search the internet for information.

For me, significant learning points have been: organized searching does not always mean teacher commanded, responsibility of learning needs to rest more upon the students’ shoulders, and be willing to take risks and try new things with technology.

I am excited about putting my new knowledge to work in my classroom. I am a little nervous about the support, or lack thereof, from administration. But hopefully, I will be able to present my case and push my students into a new level of learning. 

Well! We got back from our vacation last night! AND… the big news… Internet in the house today! No more traveling to my parents house to get online! YES!

Okay… The big news: we had a ball on vacation. We visited many beaches along the coast (even though it was only 55 degrees, foggy, and blowing like crazy. We still had fun collecting shells and agates and building sand castles. We went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I liked the sharks and the kids liked the touch pools.

On the way back, we also visited the Oregon Zoo. Unfortunately, it was 1pm and a lot of the animals were sleeping. I went to my first virtual “4D” movie. That was pretty cool. My chair was shakin’ like crazy, and the 3D glasses made it seem like the dinosaurs were gonna gobble me up.

We went to my cousin’s wedding… odd…

We stopped at Newman Lake on the way to the coast and on the way home and stayed at a relative’s cabin. It was a long trip, but entirely awesome.

I’m ready to get back into school. I even thought about going to my classroom and decorating. Sick? We start on the Wednesday before Labor Day, and I am already getting excited!

Talk about frustration! I have been spinning my wheels for the past 2 hours trying to figure out how in the world to get my web page transferred to the Lesley server! And this is suppose to be easy!!!? I am almost bald, and I am running out of chocolate.

Okay, I am seriously fretting about this upcoming assignment. But I guess I have been there before. I need to just jump in, preferably with my eyes open. With vacation coming up, I am really nervous about getting everything done, but I am way excited to spend some time away with my family.

My goal today is to start my html. I’d like to create a page that I can add to and use for my classroom. I am excited about that part!

Finally! Our family vacation is almost here. We leave Friday for the Oregon coast, and I can hardly wait to see the ocean again. I am feeling a lot of pressure to keep up with my schoolwork, but I am going to make it! It’ll be interesting trying to cram 2 weeks worth of work into a couple of days.

The wiki looks good. I think it is student friendly and I am proud of myself for taking part in a new project.

As I was looking for del.icio.us links for this module, I ran across a website full of powerpoints related to math. I think it’s interesting that so many are published. I built mine from scratch for my final project in the last class. I may use this site as well.

http://mathbits.com/MathBits/PPT/powerpoint.htm

I bit the bullet and bought a new HP desktop computer! I won’t have internet access until August, but I am super excited to be self-sufficient and not relying on a relative’s computer! I am trying to work on the wiki I started, but I’m extremely frustrated by the internet tonight. It seems to be working funny… hope it’s nothing serious! I am going to try again tomorrow.

It’s been fun receiving comments from other class members on this site. I have also enjoyed replying to other posts! I would really like to try this with my students. Hopefully I’ll be able to in the near future.

Huh. I find myself totally consumed with food when I sit at the computer. I am not sure technology is going to agree with me when I start spending so much time in front of a computer screen. Two bowls of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce later…

I am excited that I am able to keep up with the assignments for this course. It has been a real challenge to fight my procrastinating nature. I am also excited that I get to know people that I may never have a chance to meet in person. I am learning a lot, and I can’t wait to share in my classroom. The wiki assignment looks like a whole lot of fun!

I didn’t use AskALibrarian, but I am very glad it is there. I am behind on my APA paper! I set a goal for today… Didn’t happen. ARRGH. But I do have my articles, and I am processing. My new goal is Sunday! I want to conquer this writing format! The week has been pretty good. I found out today that my son has to get glasses. (He’s 5.) Ever had that sinking pit in the deepest part of your gut like it’s full of quicksand and rapidly swallowing your heart?

I am trying to get a handle on this APA paper, and I am struggling to find articles to write about. ARGH. I like the Ludcke Library, but I have noticed a couple of times that I get kicked out of the search section when I visit an article. I need to keep that in mind. There is a search button at the top if it won’t let me back in.

I know how my English kids feel now when they are required to write a paper. Tear. I am learning how important it is to use examples in my teaching so students know exactly what I expect when they are writing to a particular format.