What have I taken away from this class?
Where do I begin? We have covered so much material in such a short period of time. Here are a few of the things I will utilize in my future teaching.
1. Embedding videos. I was amazed at how easy it was to embedded a video. After I embedded the video on my blog, I started looking at other videos. I know I spent hours looking for videos I could use in lessons next year. I have a nice supply ready!
2. Blogging. I have created a blog before for another class, but did not really use it. We just had to create it. This class forced me to learn how to use the blog and I can now say I feel much more comfortable with it. I know I have a lot more to learn, like how to put on the cool background wallpaper like some of the other bloggers in our class, but I am confident I can do it. I have even created a blog on Shutterfly to utilize next year with my class. My district has a webpage for each teacher, but it is limited. I cannot put student videos and projects on my webpage. That is why I created the blog. I want to use it as a place to showcase student pictures, videos, and projects. Students and parents can comment on the work.
3. Resources. The wiki we created is an amazing resource. I loved reading everyone’s ideas. This, as well as the other resources we were given, was priceless. I have spent a great deal of time going through all the websites on the resource list and deciding which ones I can utilize in my teaching. I then created a folder of all the great resources just for my use. I can’t wait to get started creating better lessons!
4. Service Learning Project. Service Learning projects are nothing new. Most of us have been developing projects for years, we just didn’t call them Service Learning. When I first saw that we had to develop a Service Learning plan I was a bit worried. I am switching to a new grade next year and am not familiar with the curriculum yet to know where to include a Service Learning project. However, after speaking to my principal, I realized 2nd grade was going to be in charge of the Veteran’s Day program. I kept this in mind when developing my Service Learning project. Now, I am proud to say I have a project to give to my new teammates.
This class has been such a wonderful experience. It was full of hands-on experiences and excellent resources, and we teachers know hands-on is the best way for students to learn! It has been one of those classes that you know you will remember and utilize for a long time. I am sure everyone has taken away some very useful information. This class was the last class I needed for my Rank I in Instructional Technology. I am so happy to be ending my educational career with such a strong network of resources, both websites and people.
I love the little ant clip art you have on your blog! I also think the organization looks fantastic! I agree with so much of what you said about the wiki,blogging and our community service plan. I hope that everything goes great for you in this upcoming school year!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, congratulations on finishing your Rank 1! :) I agree with you that this class has been full of incredible resources and information that we can all use to better engage our students. I like your idea of using the blog as a place to put student work. The students and parents won't have to search for their videos if they are inserted right on your blog. Creating a blog and actually doing something with it is also one of my goals for this upcoming year. Do you have any thoughts on how else you would use your blog? I was thinking about having students comment once or week or once a month. The other issue I'm trying to figure it out is whether or not to make it mandatory. I could make it a homework assignment but then I run into the problem of people not having computers at home. If I make it a classroom assignment, then I run into the problem of having to ask the computer lab teacher to allow them time for that instead of what she is teaching them. I'm just trying to think about how to best set it up so that I will really use it. Good luck with your transition to second grade!
ReplyDeleteI loved creating a blog. I was kind of always intimidated by the process of creating a blog. I also found it very easy to work with the blog and can't wait to embed videos of my students learning next year.
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