From+My+Heart

 From My Heart Wow! What a journey this has been! When I began this class, I didn't how much about technology - in fact, you could have called me a technophobe. However, here I am, four months later, and look at what I have created...my very first wiki page! Teachers are students too! I am very excited to incorporate what I have learned in my classroom. Each lesson this semester has given me a new tool to use with my students. I created a digital story, which tells parents and future employers a little about me and my teaching philosophy. I learned a lot about myself and enjoyed creating a piece that will be engaging to others and tell about my hopes and goals as a teacher. I learned how to use a variety of web 2.0 tools, such as blabberize and voicearoo. These fun tools will give students, and myself, a fun way to share information with others, using engaging pictures and personal voice recordings. Imagine the giggles my students will have as they use a picture of an elephant and their own voice to share what they learned abou elephants in a unit about zoo animals. I learned how to create a power point presentation. Imagine how effective and engaging a power point presentation can be, instead of a boring written report. Students will be able to use exciting graphics and text to show what they have learned, and share it with many. I learned how to create a podcast. This is an important tool that allows me to share important information with parents, present curriculum to students at home or share a story with my students. Students who are just beginning to read will especially benefit from being able to listen to podcasts. I learned how to perform an effective search on YouTube, to find videos to share with students, bringing to my students things they might not ever be able to see - things like a butterfly hatching from a cocoon, video tours of far of places they can travel to from the comfort of their classroom or their own homes. I learned how to create a unit of instruction and use all the technology tools to create an effective lesson that will teach and at the same time engage my students. My students will love learning because they will be challeneged, engaged and excited at all the things they can do. Thank you for sharing my wiki page with me. I hope you have as much fun navigating it as I did creating it. I cannot wait to create my next one!