#10

I really enjoyed reading other people's blogs all semester. While I didn't update mine as much as I should have after a while (until today that is), I would still periodically check out what other people had to say. The fact that most of us are planning on being teachers creates a common bond that we share, and it comes out in each of our blogs, no matter what type of teacher we plan on being.
This makes me want to be part of a blog site for teachers in the future. I think it would be a very useful tool because you can share your tips as well as receive some from other teachers. I think that this is part of the reason we had to do this in the first place!
I could achieve this goal later on by finding a blog site for teachers and introducing it to the other teachers at my school. I think it would be so neat to find out how teachers are forming their curriculum all around the world!

#9

I found a very useful website for teachers to use, http://www.pbs.org/teachers/. This is a very valuable website with many resources including lesson plans, articles for students, access to TV programs, and much more. In addition, it breaks each of these things down by subject and then grade. This is even more useful for teachers because it keeps them from teaching a subject in a way that is too advanced or not advanced enough for a grade level.
One technology skill that I would like to learn more about is web page design. I find it very interesting but have absolutely no idea how to do it! It seems like it would be a good skill to have as a teacher because you can design a website for your students to use other than something like Blackboard, maybe something a little bit more interesting that students would use a lot more and that could hold more information.
I could achieve this goal by finding someone who knows what they're doing when it comes to web page design. I also want to simply further the skills that I already have with the programs I use the most. I can achieve this by following the training and tests for the skill checks we have in class.

#8

This chapter was mainly about viruses and the importance of virus protection, as well as general security on computers. This is very important, especially in an educational atmosphere. It is important that people constantly back up their files and scan their computers for viruses with anti-virus software. Filtering is also an important type of security, not all websites are appropriate for all ages, or for the educational atmosphere. Blocking certain sites can help students be more efficient because they are less distracted.
Another interesting skill that I learned in this class was how to use different type of animation on PowerPoint. Whether it's animation on the slide, or just transitional animation, it all helps to make a presentation look more presentable. As much as I use PowerPoint, this is very useful information for me.
Regarding blocking/filtering certain sites on computers in schools...I definitely standby this, but sometimes think that it is taken a bit too far. I remember in my high school we weren't even allowed to check our email. While I do see why they would do that because it could get distracting and would sidetrack students, I believe that there should've been some place where we could have checked it, because there were absolutely no computers that would access HotMail, Yahoo Mail, MSN, etc to check email.

#5

Now we're reading about ways to actually incorporate technology into the classroom, which is basically why we're all in this class! I know that my schools growing up incorporated lots of technology into the curriculum, no matter what subject it was. It can be a great tool for learning, partially because it helps teachers and students stay more organized, but also because it can add a little element of fun.
I've been learning a lot more about specific programs that I already use as a student, but will definitely continue to use as a teacher in the future. Most of these are Microsoft Office programs which I already know how to use, but didn't know every single feature. I now feel that I'm becoming much better acquainted with all of these, which is very beneficial to me as a student because it makes my work/life easier!
Another thing that I really liked about this course was actually the projects, most of them at least. My favorite one was probably the quiz/game that we had to create using PowerPoint. I always found those types of things helpful in reviewing before a big test in high school, and will probably take advantage of what I learned about how to make those.

#4

This chapter was about the internet. I knew most of the information that it covered, but it was still nice to see it all together in one chapter. The net offers anything and everything that you will ever need. Whether you're simply bored or doing a research project, the internet is just endless on what it has to offer. I especially find search engines to be extremely beneficial. That's usually the first place I turn to when I have a paper to write or an assignment to do. Even if it's not exactly the most accurate site (such as Wikipedia) I still like using it to give me a foundation for the other places I will use as resources because it summarizes all of the information in one place.
I'm definitely still acquiring new skills that I could see myself using in the future as a teacher. Almost everything I see in all my classes, I think about whether or not I could see myself using it, especially if it's a technological tool that I think helps me learn more information easier.
Going back to the internet again, I find it crazy that so much of the work I do now is online. In high school, we all had Blackboard accounts, but it was mainly used so that students had easy access to notes, schedules, etc. rather than for actually submitting assignments. I can't believe how much that has changed, and I can't even believe my life without precious Blackboard! It's more convenient at times to be able to submit an assignment from home, and it saves paper too!!!

#3

This chapter talked about various input and output devices. It said how things like the mouse, the keyboard, and cameras are all input devices. While I knew that cameras were input devices, I never really thought of the keyboard and mouse in that way, but it makes sense. Output devices would include things that show or give you information, such as the monitor or the printer. This chapter also talked about various storage devices. I've used these many times and have always found them to be extremely helpful because disks can only hold so much information, where as these hold much much more. I found this chapter to be slightly more informative than the others have, while I still knew most of the information, th
I learned about Inspiration recently and how it helps you create charts, webs, and other things to help with visual learning. I found it to be very easy to use, and now I think back to charts like this that my teachers handed out to us and how they really helped us learn the material better. Charts like that can also help you think of easier ways to remember the information, especially for visual learners who can picture the chart when they need to recall the information.
I'm starting to run out of things to say in this last paragraph, pretty soon you guys will know my life story! Let's see, I'm going to the Alabama-FSU game this weekend in Jacksonville! Let's hope it goes well, we could REALLY use this win. As much as I love Tallahassee, I'm excited to get out for a few days! It can get a little tiring.

#2

I found chapter 3 to be extremely redundant and full of information that I already knew. While I did learn about a couple of new things, such as voice recognition software and notetaking software, the rest seemed rather pointless. All this chapter basically did was specifically categorize information that I already knew, and gave examples of how it can be applied. For instance, it said that application software can be categorized into five different categories, productivity/business, school activities, graphics and multimedia projects, home and personal, and communications. Then, they gave examples of each of these categories, like Instant Messaging, E-Mail, and Blogging for communication. It also reviewed various vocabulary words having to do with software, such as menu, icon, commands, window, formatting, cut/paste, etc. The chapter also discussed productivity software, which it stated makes peoples lives more efficient. This includes things like spreadsheets, search/find features, clip art, “Wizard”, and much more. The third type of software that this chapter went over was graphics and multimedia software. This software includes desktop publishing, paint and image editing, video and audio editing, web page authoring, and more.
As I said, this chapter seemed pretty repetitive and I didn’t acquire too much new information except about voice recognition software and notetaking software. I actually find these two things to be pretty interesting though. I like the idea of being able to take notes directly onto a laptop, and/or directly onto a document and to be able to save it, but still have it be in my own handwriting. Voice recognition software is interesting too, it’s a pretty crazy thought to just be able to say something to your computer and have it complete the task perfectly. These are both things I could see myself using in the future, and things that would make my life and experience with computers a little bit easier.
Let’s see, what to say about me and/or technology in general. Well, in addition to this course, I’m also taking CGS2060, where I’m learning even MORE about computers. I actually just spent close to five hours on my first project for that course, but it did teach me a lot about the resources that are on my computer that I’m not even using, resources that can not only make my life easier, but can also make the work I do look more professional and polished.