IP& T 287 Dec 8-14

I have loved being able to create and manage my own Personal Learning Environment (PLE). I plan on keeping my own blog after this class is over for my personal use. I love the idea of having a record that I can share with everyone. I found it hard to learn in the beginning how to do everything that I wanted and I was very unsure about coding in HTML. After hours of trial and error, I finally did figure out how to do everything that I wanted to. I still want my own personal blog to look more polished and professional instead of amateurish, but I am confident in my abilities if not that I will have the time to do it. I was most proud that I was able to figure out how to make 3 columns and make my own header and not just use the preset formats that are found on other sites. I still could not figure out how to make the header look right or be the right size and I was clueless on why the background that I tried to put in wouldn't format right. I found that I was spending a lot of time that I did not have on it, so I had to stop myself from working anymore on perfecting it so I could do some other things. I loved doing it though. I plan on having a blog or a wiki for my future classroom and think that it is a very valuable resource to have for students and parents.

IP& T 287 Dec 1-7 cont...

I visited several different internet sites to learn about internet safety. I think that they are a valuable resource to use with students in the classroom to educate them about the dangers of certain online behaviors and about how to protect themselves from them and prevent problems fro occurring. Some of the sites I found to be valuable include ikeepsafe.org, isafe.org, and also netsmartzkids.org. I also checked out the PBS Frontline documentary. I had heard a little bit about cyberbullying before but was surprised about how prevalent it is and I know that it is important to educate children about the importance of not participating in it and about how to get away from it.

Publish Post

IP& T 287 Dec 1-7

I got to read a few articles this week for our Internet Safety Assignment, including "Let Our Voices Be Heard" by M. Russell Ballard . I found them to be good reminders of why it is important to safeguard our family and children from the harmful influences that are found in the media. I read the assigned articles and also a couple others including one entitled "Tangled in the Web" from the Aug. 2001 Ensign, this also an attachment with tip for the internet. I know that it is very easy to get entrapped in doing things on the internet that we never intended to do. For this reason it is important to make sure we follow the guidelines for safety that have been given to us by the church. I have already tried to instill these things in my home, including making sure that the only computers are in common areas of the house and that I talk about things with my children and make sure that they are only visiting appropriate sites. I also know that we have to be careful as future teachers to make sure that our students know the sites that are alright to visit and the procedures that need to be followed.

IP& T 287 Nov 17-23

The students know how to use technology more than I thought although I wish they had more chances to do it. I was able to use technology this week in a guided reading lesson. We were beginning to read a book about kids in an Indian Jungle. I found some pictures of jungle animals and information about then online and I showed them to my group on a laptop. The students really enjoyed being able to look at them and were much more interested in the book afterwards because they has been able to see and actually find out more about the animals background. I think that it is important to be able to integrate technology in many different ways in the classroom, but this was a simple way that could be fast and easy to do everyday if needed. It would also be good to have the students look up the information themselves and share what they found with others.

IP& T 287 Nov 10-16

I feel a little better about the technology use in my classroom. I was able to use a PowerPoint Presentation that I did with a partner as a part of a lesson. I used a projector to show the class. After some technical difficulties, I was able to share a video I found online with the class also. I found that it is important to make sure that everything works well before you get up to use it. It would be great to have computers in the classroom and also to be able to have students do more projects and integrate content knowledge with technology. I hope to be at a school in the future that can provide this.

IP& T 287 Nov 3-9

To be honest I did not see a lot of technology use this week. My teacher did show the class a video and use the overhead projector. The internet is used to look up information prior to teaching. I will use technology this coming week in a lesson and have prepared a PowerPoint presentation with an embedded video clip. In order to do this I will have to arrange to bring a portable projector into the class and I have also checked out a laptop from the McKay Computer Lab. In one of my classes this week, I have observed interactive games being put into presentations and would like to learn how to do that and use it effectively in a classroom setting. I think it would be a good way to assess learning in a fun way.

IP& T Oct 27-Nov 2

This week was our first week going into the schools for our practicum. I have to admit that I was disappointed that my classroom doesn't have a lot of technology in it. My own kids classrooms in Draper all had projectors and computers in them. Because their school is only 2 years old, everything was pretty much brand new and up-to-date. The school that I go to for the practicum is in Riverton and it is a lot older. They don't have projectors or any computers. The schools are in the same district but have a big difference in what they have. I am not even sure what to do for the technology assignment. I am going to ask if there is a portable projector that I can borrow or just check out some laptops for my students. I think that it is important to use something to help engage the students and further their learning.