Technology for Teaching

Technology in the classroom. What a wonderful thing. I’m finding that there are many different ways to incorporate it into the classroom. I’ll begin with what I feel are the most helpful programs and tools to use and end with what hasn’t helped me much. PowerPoint is probably the most helpful tool so far. Up until this class, I had a rudimentary understanding of the program. I’ve since learned how to incorporate sound, timed transitions, and pictures in the background. I’m pleased with what I’ve learned; it has added more pizzazz to my presentations.
I also really like the program Inspiration. Although I feel it will be more helpful to the middle school mindset, I really think it can benefit high school students as well. For one thing, it is a great graphic organizer that can help students sift through ideas for their papers. It would also be a good way to have a more interactive class brainstorm. I also like the pre-made character maps, themes, and other teaching tools available on popular works like The Glass Menagerie. I could see myself using the program to make many of my own handouts.
Learning to use Google advanced search has been very helpful in my research and I believe students will find it useful as well. It is good to be able to find related sites quickly.
Rubistar was also very helpful in providing a fast, easy, and free way to design rubrics. Much easier than working with a program like Excel.
I don’t think that Excel will be very helpful to me. Although I devised a way to use it for my assignment, I don’t see my self using it on a regular basis. It was a good learning experience, though.
Overall, I am pleased with what I have learned in the course thus far.