Final Blog

Reflecting on my IGNITE presentation, I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned that my number on priority when I am a teacher will be my students. I want to be the positive role model and mentor in their life that makes a difference. I want them leaving my classroom feeling prepared and confident for their future. 

Listening to my classmate's IGNITE presentations, I learned that they are very similar to me. Many of them had their students as their main focus and will do anything to help them succeed. I found many things in other presentations that I could easily add to my IGNITE project as well. Many of my classmates and I have similar goals and beliefs in the professional field. 

I learned many things in CI 302 that will help me succeed in my future. It was helpful to watch demonstrations of the 3D printer and other devises in the CTLT. It was also interesting to hear professionals in the learning technologies field talk about their everyday life and careers through Google Hangout. Learning about the new uprising digital tools is fun and innovative. I will try to incorporate as many useful digital tools in my future classroom, so seeing a variety of tools was helpful to know what would and wouldn't work in my classroom. 

CI 302 was helpful in many ways for me, because the digital technology in schools will double by the time I am a teacher. I will be expected to know how to use each tool, and I will be expected to utilize them. My goal is to try and use each tool efficiently and to incorporate digital tools into my lessons.

Google Hangout Interviews

Google Hangout is a great way to conversate with multiple people from across the world. I have never used Google Hangout before this class, and I am thoroughly impressed. Through this app, I was able to witness three great professionals tell their stories. 

The role I found most interesting was Lance Lennon's. He works as an event coordinator for ITEC as well as a technology position in the Eagle Grove School District. I could see myself in his position for many reasons. I love event management and planning events. I think it would be a ton of fun to plan a technology event for educators. I am also intrigued with his school location, because that is something I eventually see myself doing someday. I have always said that I want to start out as a teacher and someday become an administrator of some sort. His job sounds very upbeat, and interactive. I noticed that he gets to make some big decisions for the school and is very passionate about what he does.

I saw many repeated themes through these professional interviews. I noticed that most professionals in technology in education started off as teachers. Most of them started off in a classroom, strayed away, and ended up wanting to be back in the school. I noticed most professionals are heavily involved in social media and helping out students. 

Watching these videos taught me a lot. I realized that there are so many different professions and opportunities out there. I realized that it is okay to not be satisfied with a job and move around until you find your true passion. Most of all, I realized that there are so many people who care and are willing to help around me. 

Week 12 Blog

There are many benefits of being involved with social media. Making connections with those outside your circle can be very beneficial to you in many ways. From personal experience, I have made many positive connections with educators and professionals through Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. 

Creating a professional Twitter can be confusing and challenging, but that takes time. It takes patience to build a network of professionals. I created a professional Twitter over a year ago and have participated in numerous Twitter chats about ways in improving education.

The benefits of being socially involved through the media and technology sources are endless. Getting connected with the right crowd can help you with a potential interview, with bettering your job duties, reference letters, and confidence in your work. There is no negative reason to get yourself out in the social media world and get involved. 

Educational Twitter

The Twitter world has many different sides. It has the social media side where all age ranges tweet comments, life changes, connections, and photographs. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Twitter is used for professional development as well. Businesses use Twitter to promote, advertise, and inform. Professionals use Twitter to communicate, recognize, and inform. Schools use twitter to communicate, educate, and reward.

Creating a professional Twitter has many advantages. By creating a professional Twitter for myself, I am now able to follow multiple Twitter chats, professional tweeters, and I am able to access an abundance of educational tools and materials.

The educators and accounts I have decided to follow will be very helpful for my future classroom. Through a few days of scrolling through tweets, accounts, and live chats, I have learned so much. I have taken notes on things that I need to bring to my future classroom as well as notes to give my cooperating teachers to better their classroom.

I plan to use my professional Twitter account to connect with other educators world wide. I plan to collaborate with them about classroom plans and lessons. I also plan to use Twitter to connect my students with students across the world.

Week 10- Blog

In class this week, I learned about some tech tools that I have never heard of before. I was so intrigued to have my eyes opened to all of the tools out there that can assist myself as a future teacher. Osmo caught my eye because it involves the iPad. Before even playing with the tool, I knew kids would love it for that reason. Osmo has a mirror that allows you to write, draw, use shapes, and so many other features to assist in learning. Students can easily learn to write letters, numbers, and words by tracing what they need to write. This tool is great for students learning how to read and write. I think that this tool is definitely worth investing in for each classroom.

As a class we took a 'field trip' to the CTLT to view some more tools that could be used in the classroom. The tool that I was most interested in was the 3D printer. I have heard a lot about 3D printers, but have never really seen one in action. I watched a chain link being made out of plastic fibers, and it only took around 20 minutes and it was so interesting. It was fun to watch the machine add a layer each time until the product was finished. This tool would be great in the classroom! Students can use the 3D printer to make visual representations for projects, create specific tools, etc. 

I learned so many things about tools that I never knew existed. It is good to know that there is most likely a tool that can cover any lesson that needs to be taught to aid students. I love learning about new tools and what they can do to better education.

Week 9 Blog - Tech Review Presentations

The first 'trial run' tech review for the 302 class was a very dry run. I presented my information for the first time, and did not know how it would flow. Overall, it went well and I got some great feedback. I changed the order of my slides to better my presentation and gave it all over again to the 302 and 456 class. This time there were double the people listening to what I had to say. Right as I started, I felt confident because I was very aware with my tool I was presenting. I am also very passionate about Socrative and strongly think it would benefit every person in that room's classroom someday. It started to feel like an informational sales pitch, which wasn't a bad thing.  

I got great feedback from the 456 class, and by the looks of it they all commented that they would love to use Socrative in their classrooms- success! If I was allotted more time to present, I would include examples of the teacher's side as well as the student's side. I would demonstrate how to add in a question with all of the different features and have it pushed out to the students. If I had all the time in the world, I would have all of the audience go to www.socrative.com to answer a question of mine, and they could watch the results come in on my screen.

   I can see IGNITE presentations playing a huge role in my future profession career because so many people have so much information, but there is never enough time for everyone to share. By having a time and slide limit, the audience is getting a fair look at what everyone brings to the table and the presenters get a fair chance to display their information as well. This plays a huge role in schools with new devices, curriculum, ideas, and opportunities that IGNITE presentations would work very well.

Tech Tool Number Three: Smore

Smore is a great tool that can be accessed through a website or an app. By clicking on this link, smore.com it will take you to the homepage of the website. Smores is compatible with phones, iPads, tablets, and computers. The app will need to be downloaded, but after that it should be up and running. Smore requires you to create an account when you log in. The level of account will depend on the cost of the program.

The purpose of the tool Smore is to create newsletters and flyers. These newsletters are created online with many different creation options. They can be modern, simple, colorful, black and white, unique, and for any event. This app is fool proof to use. All you need to do is simply click 'get started'. You will then be asked if you want to create a flyer for a business, an event, a sale, a class, or a bulletin. Once you have selected the event, you choose where you want to share this flyer whether its by email, Facebook, Eventbrite, or any other method you may choose. The website then gives you a template and walks you through even step you need to fill out. It has spots for the agenda, pictures, a title, information, directions, and many more things. 

Smore could be used in the classroom for many different grades and subjects. Third graders could create a newsletter about them and what they are doing in school to send home to their parents and grandparents. 4th graders could create a newsletter about an endangered species project they are working on. 6th graders could use Smore to create a flyer of an event that they are going to pretend to put on start to finish.

Smore is very versatile and can be used for many activities, subjects, and age ranges. It is a great way to research a topic and put it in organized print.