video for final presentation

CMS

CMS (Content Management System) is a computer application used to create, edit, manage, search and publish various kinds of digital media and electronic text. This is a beneficial tool for teachers because it helps teachers organize and manage some of the writing and digital things they would like to share with their classes. It keeps them more organized and helps them to present the material in a better, more organized way. This is a very simple, and important tool.

Youtube

Youtube is a very useful tool for teachers. A teacher can videotape their lecture, and post it on youtube, and then the students can go and watch the lecture as many times as they feel necessary. Youtube is also a way you can possibly make the information being taught more interesting. You could come up with some exciting and humorous video, and show it to the class. It might help some of them learn.

Podcasting

Podcasting is a very useful tool for teachers. A podcast is an audio tool, in which you can record a lecture, or basically anything you want, and post it. Then, students can download it. This is such a good tool for teachers and students, because as a teacher, when you are writing up a test, you can review some of the key points you stressed during lecture. Also, if a student misses class and needs notes, the teacher can resort to having the students listen to the podcast. Also, it is beneficial to the students because if they missed some important material in class, they can go home and listen to the podcast. Podcasting is a tool that could definitely be used in a school.

Posting a Youtube Video

I thought posting a YouTube Video was actually really easy! If you follow the directions and pay attention to what you are suppose to do, it is actually very straight forward. I did have a little trouble figuring out where we were suppose to post it, but once I figured that out, it was very easy.

I chose the video I did because I love the song! I also love the group that plays it. It is a good music video. I figured I would do something music related because music is something I like a lot. It portrays the person I am, and the interests I have. I really enjoyed this assignment!!!!

Evaluating ELM resources

ELM resources are very beneficial to teachers. They give a lot of different information and resources. I evaluated proquest. It was a very interesting resource. It was more centered around research, and stuff like that, so it was a very good resource. I thought it was a good resource because all the information was presented into a different way than what I was use to! I liked looking at the different resources.

Webquest

This is the url to my webquest:
http://questgarden.com/77/65/9/090304145138/

I really enjoyed making my webquest! It was very interesting! I think it would be a very useful tool for any person going into teaching! You can get so many ideas from other teachers on how to make a lesson plan more enjoyable, or even more effective! It was very cool and interesting! I could definitely see myself using this in the future! It is a good way to display a lesson plan as well. It is a good way for all teachers to see different ways of teaching the same material.

Wikis

I think the wiki concept is very fascinating! I like how you have the ability to control certain facts that are being said over the internet. Also, I think it is an interesting way to get certain information out to the world!

Wikis, i think, are great resources for teachers to use. They could create their own wiki, and publish a lesson plan, or something along those lines, so the students can pull it up at home if they missed something. The teacher could also use it for their classes. I think wikis are a great source, and people underestimate the power and information within them. They are very useful.

Google Docs

Many of the google docs we discussed in class on Wednesday are very good tools to be used in the classroom. The calender, for instance, is a great tool to be able to look up important dates and such. This is especially useful for a history teacher. Igoogle is another very useful tool because you can organize and create different things to display for the class. It can be a nice, creative way to make the students enjoy learning.
Picasa is a tool that allows you to edit and share photos. This would be useful in a classroom as well because you can display photos for the entire class to see, which is a much easier way for many students to learn if they see visuals.
The final doc was Knol. It allows you to create, collaborate, and publish credible web sources. This is again a useful tool for a teacher because it is a useful way to discuss things with other students and teachers.
As a teacher, I will incorporate these tools in the classroom by somehow sneaking them into my lessons. Maybe find some examples of math problems, and display them for the class, etc.

Google and Zoho

I really enjoyed playing around with the spredsheets and word processor on google and zoho. I do prefer different things from both of them. I definitely prefer the Zoho word processor over the google word processor. The Zoho one just seemed a bit more familiar to me. I liked all the different options it had and the different styles you could use to create different things.

I prefered the google spreadsheet over the zoho spread sheet. To me, it seemed easier to navigate around the google one than the zoho one. Also, it showed you a preview of the graph before you displayed it where as zoho just displayed it.

Both of these tools are very beneficial for a teacher. They allow the teacher to created things on the web, and the students have access to them. I would definitely consider using this tool in my classroom!

Moodle

I think moodle is a very useful tool for teachers. It is a learning management system, and it allows students to learn online. It gives educators the tools to promote and manage learning. I think Moodle is a very good tool because it gives the teacher a different way of going about teaching. Sometimes, variety is the best way to teach students certain subjects. It is also offered in a variety of different languages and countries. This way, it is a more diverse program!!!

RSS Feeds

RSS feeds are an efficient way for people to check their websites and blogs faster. It is a nice way for someone to just go to "blogline" etc. and see that they have a comment, or someone posted something new, etc. It also makes it so you don't have to constantly log onto your blog, and check if there is a new comment. This makes it easier because eventually, you may have a very large number of posts and comments, and you won't be able to remember how many you had. Being able to check if there is a new post or comment makes this task a lot easier.

Teachers can use this tool as well. If a teacher decides to talk to their students and the parents of their students via blog, they just have to check to see if there are new comments of blogline, then they won't make the mistake of responding to the same person twice, which will be nice, and not make the teacher look as crazy!!! Teachers could get their work done faster and more efficiently with RSS feeds.

Special tools

I think using all these different tools, such as customizing a license plate or spelling things out could be very beneficial. As a student, I think people would be much more interested in seeing things written out in a more interesting way. It would have caught my attention and would have helped me remember what I was learning. As a teacher, I will try to keep these tools in mind to make things more interesting to the students I am teaching.

Although the visual images do not help all students, it does seem to help a majority of them. Usually, the ones visuals appeal to are the ones who sleep in your class if there are no visuals. I would rather have my students pay attention than have a lot of them sleep. Visuals are very important in a classroom.

Flickr

I think Flickr is a very interesting tool. I am not concerned about my photos being public because first off, you can set them as private which is a very nice option. Also, if you are like me, you have a facebook and a myspace account, which has photos of you as well. Flickr, to me, is not much different because in all cases, other people get to see your photos. Also, I have no racy photos out there so I really have nothing to worry about.

In my classroom, I think this tool could be somewhat useful. For instance, if I were talking about height and width or what not, I could maybe show the class some photos of buildings, etc. On the other hand, being a math teacher, flickr really isn't that useful for me. I could however see how it is important for other subject areas. Take art for instance. It gives you a wide variety of different things you could show your students.

Beach in Mexico

Our hotel beach in Playa del Carmen
Originally uploaded by zizi_guegan

I went on vacation to Mexico a couple years ago and it was my best trip ever!!!! I can't wait to go back this Christmas!!!

Social Networking

I am a member of the social network called facebook. Facebook is the fastest growing social network, and for good reason. I think facebook is a great tool for teachers and students alike. It is a great way to contact a group, or as a teacher, or even a coach, to contact your students or players. I think students could definitely benefit from their teacher having a facebook because then, if they have a question, or missed something in class, they can contact the teacher. The teacher could also create a group, and post assignments on the group wall. I think Facebook, as well as many other social networking tools, could be used as very beneficial tools for teachers.

Avatar

Yay I finally figured out how to post my avatar!!!

First week of class

This week I learned how to create a blog. This is something I have never done before. I was very excited to figure it out. I am however having a lot of difficulty posting my avatar. It is very confusing to me! Hopefully I will figure it out! Til then, have a great day!

I realize blogs are very important. They can help a teacher a lot throughout their careers. It is a very good way for parents of students to know what is going on in their child's class. Also, if they have questions for you, they can ask via your blog. That way, if it is a question that would be important for other parents to know, they will be able to read it as well. Blogs are a very good tool for teachers!