I am so thankful for this book. It's going to be hard for me to talk about chapter one because that was kind of the boring chapter, but I feel like I need to say how thankful I am for this book. When making my ActivInspire lesson I will definitely be keeping it close at hand. The first chapter was kind of short but it had some good information. I remember when SmartBoards came out and I thought they were the coolest thing in the world, so I definitely think you can get kids attention with them. The book agrees. It discussed the benefits and features of the board and how it could be used in the classroom and it got me excited for them! After reading this chapter (and the rest of the book) I'm going to be really bummed if I get into a classroom and don't have one. It discussed how the student response systems, graphics and videos, and reinforcer properties helped students achieve. It talked about how it excited teachers to make things more effective and fun for children using this technology. I'm not really a tech person, but this program definitely got me excited about technology, too! I feel like you could have so many fun active learning programs and kids might get really into listening/paying attention if they get to help out!

Midterm Blog Post

So far I feel like the class has helped me a lot! I don't think the technology we're learning is too hard to learn, I just honestly didn't know any of it existed. Being able to utilize this technology is going to help me in the classroom. Things like google sites are things that aren't necessarily hard to use, it's just a matter of learning how to use it, which I like. I'm enjoying learning how to be able to utilize it. I don't really have a lot to say, because I feel like a lot of it is expanding on stuff I already know. I know how to use powerpoint, but this goes one step beyond and taught me how to use it online and implement it in different ways.

Wiki Walk Through

    I really, really enjoyed the wiki walk through because it had a ton of great ideas. I feel like I never know how to use them without just sending them on a website to play games. The wikis opened up so many new ideas. I loved the thought of making a Flat Stanley project on a wiki. This way kids can take their photos and post them on a safe website that their classmates can see. Anyone can log into and post and it's a collaborative effort. It allows students to go back and look what their classmates did in case they want a new, creative Stanley idea! Another great idea was the travelogue. You can create a fake travel plan and everyone can go in and edit their own section. This would be great for teaching about other cultures in the classroom. Each student could have their own little section to add into the travelogue on what we would be seeing and why! Then it would make it easy to present because it would take away the need to create another visual aid.

            While it had some really creative ideas for wikis, it also brought up some good points on teaching other skills, as well. It would definitely familiarize students with how to use technology and how it can help educate us. Since I’ll be working with small children, that’s fantastic. Since our world is becoming more and more reliant on technology, it’s almost like learning another language when you’re young so you become fluent when you’re older. It also helps teach writing skills. It is writing informative paragraphs or small excerpts about the topic. It can help communicate revision. I feel like I wrote most of my papers with a pen and pencil when I was in elementary school (granted that was a different time) but it definitely makes it easier to make mistakes on a computer. Since it is easier to make mistakes, it makes it easier to stress the point of revision.