VoiceThread

A VoiceThread is a program or website that allows students or anyone to comment verbally or through text on a picture or video for a project or just for fun. I don't think i would use VoiceThread. It seems a little excessive for what I would want in my classroom. I think i would rather have them discuss the topics in class. If i needed a video shown in class i could find the video either on my own time or in class and show it, and the students and i could discuss it then.

Publisher

I really liked using publisher. I wish I had it on my computer, but unfortunately I'm not made out of money. I think I could use it a lot in my classes I currently am taking and for my classes that i'll be teaching.

Making the brochure was a good way to get used to the way publisher works, but i dont think i'm going to be handing my students a brochure about me. I'll probably just tell them about my life.

Overall, i think i understand publisher pretty well. There isn't really anything that i didn't get. It's a lot like the other Microsoft applications.

I enjoyed working with publisher and i think i could definately use it in my classroom. One thing i could make are calendars, which i like to make anyway, to keep me organized. The students could use publisher for projects as well.

Videogame Development

I think that if teachers tried to match the technology used in the classroom to the amount of technology that students used at home, then the students wouldn't ever get off the computer. The classroom is a place for learning, and yes it is good for teachers to use a wide variety of technology in their classroom, but matching the amount the students use? I think that would be excess.

In theory i think that online chats and instant messaging is a great way for students to communicate with one another about classwork or to help each other, but realistically they would abuse it. I worked at a fortune 500 company that did headhunting and the CEO had to take off the instant messanger because his employees didn't use it for what it was intended. If adults can't use it right, what makes you think high school kids will?

I'm always a fan of face to face communication, but i think if a student really has trouble with accepting criticism face to face, asynchronous communication would work for them. I just think making everyething text based is taking away from our communication and personable skills.

I think podcasts are a great way to get information to students if used properly. If the teacher relies on them for every day use, then i think they need to reevaluate their teaching style. Using too many podcasts takes away from the teaching itself. It seems lazy to use them all the time, but there are podcasts that have very good information that students would do good knowing. It kind of falls in the same group with watching movies and films in class. If theyre helpful and informative, why not. Just don't show them every day.

I never used videogames when i was growing up to study. I did it the old fashon way i guess. I'm sure there are videogames out there that will enhance student learning, but i'm also sure that they don't follow the exact specifications of the teacher. They don't have online games that are specifically tailored to the curriculum. There are plenty of skills that you would gain from it though. "Self-regulated learners must develop the understanding that they in control of their learning, mastery of tasks, and attainment of goals" (Ferdig & Boyer). I agree with parts of the article, but i don't think i would let my child play video games every day. I think that if a person spends all day on a computer or playing a videogame they miss out on things that happen outside of the home. I want my child to play their games outside.

Del.icio.us

I think that this site is interesting and could possibly be helpful for those who are very busy or doing a project of some kind. I don't think I would be one to use this site though. I don't have many things saved in my favorites, and the things in there are familiar to me. I know the websites for them, or I could just google it. I usually have my computer with me, so if I was working on a project that had a website I bookmarked, I wouldn't need the Del.icio.us website.

Spreadsheets

I think that spreadsheets have many different uses for schools. They work well for teachers to use as a gradebook. They can be used to make a rollsheet, to make a syllabus or to do anything that needs counting and keeping track of. It can be used for students to do assignments such as timelines or charts and graphs. It can help with mathematical formulas and projects of all kinds. I would definately use it in my classroom for a multitude of projects and daily tasks. I think spreadsheet is both better and worse than a calculator. With a calculator, you have to remember the equation and be very careful not to enter the wrong numbers so that you get the correct answer. If you're good at math then the calculator is your friend. If you're like me and are not good at math, spreadsheet is a big help. You just enter the data and push a button and it does the calculations for you. I will definately use this function.

Inspiration and Microsoft Word

I think that Inspiration could be a great tool for the classroom. I personally would have my students create mind maps and charts to help them in the topics we are studying. When creating a mind map the student can add hyperlinks, pictures, movies, music and text. I like that it works and looks the same on Mac's and PC's. I like that everything that might need to be done is simple and on the toolbar. Luckily students are usually very computer savvy. I also like that when making maps or charts, they can be color coded. I use color coding in my projects and readings to help me keep like ideas together. It also has an outline form which could be useful for the beginnings of papers in the classroom. By having students create an outline, their thoughts are automatically grouped together by topic.

In my classroom, using Microsoft word and potentially Inspiration would be very useful. When in and English classroom, typed essays and stories are a must. Inspiration could be an excellent resource for creative outlines and brainstorming maps for the beginnings of an essay. In the classroom, these mind maps and outlines will be easy for other students to give each other feedback. By creating online and printing them out, students can trade with one another in small groups to peer-evaluate.

About Blogging

I think blogging is a good way to get ideas out in the open without feeling uncomfortable. Talking about your own ideas in front of people is intimidating, but writing them in a blog is much less so. For a blog to be useful I think it needs to be done in a structured setting and not just a source for getting rid of boredom. By using a blog in an education setting, it needs to be directly related to the course in some way. For example, I had to use a blog in one of my English classes. Each week we had to post three entries about the readings we had done, and then comment on three other peoples' blogs on whether we agreed or disagreed with their evaluation of the work. It was much easier to talk about our own opinions on the pieces when we weren't being stared at. On the topic of wasting time, i think it depends on the student and the class. When we used it in my English class i think it worked very well because we were comfortable with the technology, but in other subjects such as math or science or history, i think it would be a waste, unless it was used specifically for student aid. It all depends on how the student and the teacher uses this tool.

About Me

My name is Chelsea Wortham and I am an English/Secondary Education Major. I went to Collin County Community College for two years and graduated with my Associates Degree. I'm graduating next spring, and soon after I'll be getting married. My fiance graduated from here with a degree in Speech Communication. I'm a Chi Omega, I do pointe and ballet, I read a lot (i always have a book with me and am usually reading it); I enjoy being outside and camping, hunting, fishing and hiking. My mom is a second grade teacher in Garland and my dad is the director of communications in Garland as well. I'm taking 21 hours this semester, so I don't have much free time, but what free time I have, I'm usually in the Rec dancing or playing raquetball.