It's sort of an apocalyptic nightmare. The punishment for misbehaving is copying an article, verbatim, from the encyclopedia. It was every student's nightmare, and every teacher's harshest punishment in their arsenal. But now, the encyclopedia has become digital. So the nightmare becomes less horrific...but only slightly. The Encyclopedia certainly has been in the spotlight of education for many years, but since the age of the technology boom beginning in the 1990s, the Encyclopedia has been catching up with technology. Now with the Encyclopedia, you can jump to topics with a click and the search engine within the Encyclopedia allows a thorough search for your intended topic. In recent years, 360 views have been added along with advancements in digital viewing technology. News topics as far as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, and even speeches (on record) from such word leaders as Mahatma Ghandi are now available to access on the Encyclopedia.
I have been falling in love with Microsoft Office 2007, especially Microsoft Word 2007. I know I have been raving about it in my other blog posts, but the more I tinker and play around with it, the more I am enjoying it. With Microsoft word 2007, my publicity posters for my programs have been coming out professionally made (or at least look it). I look forward to getting trained in all other aspects of Microsoft Office 2007. The world awaits to see what else it has to offer.
A great deal is now being offered by Microsoft to college students. Microsoft Office 2007 is readily expensive, with latest estimates rounding it out to about 300 dollars. But now, listen to this, it's being offered for 60 dollars! 60 dollars! You get the entire Microsoft Office 2007 suite along with all the capabilities. It's absolutely wonderful! All you need to qualify for the deal is a valid student e-mail address or proof that you have more than a .5 credit hour load. It's an ultimate steal! Check it out at www.theultimatesteal.com
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Blog 5: KWL has expanded!
We all had to deal with it when we were in elementary and middle school. It was focused on helping us learn how to take effective notes. And now it has expanded! With the advancement of technology, traditional educational elements have also evolved as well. With KWL, we knew, Wanted to Learn, and what we learned. But now, with the addition of questioning as well as sharing, the need for technology has become important in using KWLQS to its full effect. The chapter also showed how for KWLQS to work effectively, it needs adequate and proficient web site to back it up.
Since last class, I used Google for the first time. I had always been a fan of Yahoo! and had recently been frustrated with all the corporate websites that would magically appear in my searches. With Google, there is no sign of corporate presence nor are the searches altered in anyway. With Google, we as educators can search effectively for topics that pertain to us as well as gathered resources for lesson plans, and what not. Thus, Yahoo! has outlived its purpose. Google has arrived.
Did anyone enjoy learning more about Word? I absolutely loved it. It never really dawned on me how useful Word 2007 could be. It's unfortunate though that SAM doesn't show us how to navigate Word 2003. I, along with probably most of the world, operate mostly on Word 2003. Some of the tips and tricks we learned with 2007 would be great...if we only knew how to use them for 2003. Is there anyway we could learn this? I wish there was indeed a way.
Since last class, I used Google for the first time. I had always been a fan of Yahoo! and had recently been frustrated with all the corporate websites that would magically appear in my searches. With Google, there is no sign of corporate presence nor are the searches altered in anyway. With Google, we as educators can search effectively for topics that pertain to us as well as gathered resources for lesson plans, and what not. Thus, Yahoo! has outlived its purpose. Google has arrived.
Did anyone enjoy learning more about Word? I absolutely loved it. It never really dawned on me how useful Word 2007 could be. It's unfortunate though that SAM doesn't show us how to navigate Word 2003. I, along with probably most of the world, operate mostly on Word 2003. Some of the tips and tricks we learned with 2007 would be great...if we only knew how to use them for 2003. Is there anyway we could learn this? I wish there was indeed a way.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Blog 4: Oh where oh where is Waldo on the Web?
AOL, Internet Explorer, MSN messenger, Yahoo!, Google!, and Mozilla Firefox. What do they all have in common? They are all part of the web, they are the web. But slowly, humans are gaining the control of what is the web and how we as a society want to define the web. I mean, who could of thought that in 2008, we would be able to watch videos on the computer FOR FREE from a site called youtube.com? Or even more surprising, we would be able to watch our favorite television programs online, for FREE? The internet age is booming and with it comes new tools that are available to our beck and call. With Google, we are now able to search through millions of topics and focus in on a specific idea or thought we are looking for. I remember when search engines first appeared and how much time and energy it would take to just search for a respected article for a school paper. With Google scholar, that process is simple and easy and less time consuiming. Hallelujah for Google!
From this class period alone, I have found all sorts of little gadgets that are offered on the web to help make life easier and more efficient. For instance, a website called Backpack.com allows you to create lists of things to do. From there, you can then send them to your e-mail or even to your cellphone. Even better, Google Maps allow you to virtually see your point of destination without having to go through the channels and bowels of mapquest.com. Simply put, these little gadgets are making life simpler and easy to manage. Or, on a little harsher note, it increases life's urgency to get things done in a quick amount of time...leaving people to feel harried or rushed. But right now, let's focus on the positives.
I am so surprised how far we've come as educators when examining our relationship with technology. Seriously, could our predecessors have imagined they would be teaching with iBooks and virtual chalkboards? I think not. When I was mentoring at Rudiger Elementary, I basked in awe as a teacher practiced F-CAT with her students, NOT from a dry erase board, but from a digital Apple iBoard. She could draw and work out the problems with ease. Who knew that technology would become so needed that it would replace a board and markers? But does it make life simple? Now that's where the debate is.
From this class period alone, I have found all sorts of little gadgets that are offered on the web to help make life easier and more efficient. For instance, a website called Backpack.com allows you to create lists of things to do. From there, you can then send them to your e-mail or even to your cellphone. Even better, Google Maps allow you to virtually see your point of destination without having to go through the channels and bowels of mapquest.com. Simply put, these little gadgets are making life simpler and easy to manage. Or, on a little harsher note, it increases life's urgency to get things done in a quick amount of time...leaving people to feel harried or rushed. But right now, let's focus on the positives.
I am so surprised how far we've come as educators when examining our relationship with technology. Seriously, could our predecessors have imagined they would be teaching with iBooks and virtual chalkboards? I think not. When I was mentoring at Rudiger Elementary, I basked in awe as a teacher practiced F-CAT with her students, NOT from a dry erase board, but from a digital Apple iBoard. She could draw and work out the problems with ease. Who knew that technology would become so needed that it would replace a board and markers? But does it make life simple? Now that's where the debate is.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Blog 3: I love my iPod
This was such a problem when I was growing up. I was a big exercise freak and I would always love to exercise with music. The problem I always had was my discman. It was rather bulky and didn't allow me to exercise to my FULL potential. But thank the technological gods above, Apple created the savior, the iPod. Now, while the iPod may have benefits for me in my personal life, in my teaching life it is indeed a welcome gift. I am pursuing a career in musical theatre education, and the iPod allows me to bring in music for my students to listen to. CDs are becoming quite precarious in their prices, but with iTunes, the cost to purchase a showtunes soundtrack is either 9.99 or less. That, on a teacher's salery, is a godsend. What makes the iPod both a great output and storage device is the fact that it allows you to store music from CDs you already have in your collection. Who would have guessed that we would now be converting our beloved Compact Discs into little mini mp3 files, only to place them back on a compact disc yet again?
Classmates, we are at a very interesting place in our time. No, I'm not going to bore with you my mindless chatter about where do we place ourselves with technology in the classroom. But seriously think about this, how do we ensure all our students from all different backgrounds of life (economically, culturally, socially) have EQUAL access to technology? We need to seriously ponder this issue. Currently, many schools differ in the level of technology they currently have in their facilities. This gap can be attributed to the difference of property taxes, a key financing tool the government uses for funding schools. How can we ensure technological equality for all sites if we don't have a system of funding that can provide it?
Since last class, I have learned leaps and bounds about Microsoft Word. Usually, I had used word just for its basic purpose of creating word documents to submit to my professors as well as using it for my novel (soon to be coming, well hopefully). But after last week's assignment, I learned that Word has the same tools like Microsoft Publisher. And the great thing about it is that Microsoft Word is readily available to many people compared to Microsoft Publisher. It seems funny how Word had blossomed into this multi purposed application program. When Word first arrived on the technology scene, it was one of the most basic word processing out there. To see how far comes it does one thing for me: It makes me feel like I'm just getting older.
Classmates, we are at a very interesting place in our time. No, I'm not going to bore with you my mindless chatter about where do we place ourselves with technology in the classroom. But seriously think about this, how do we ensure all our students from all different backgrounds of life (economically, culturally, socially) have EQUAL access to technology? We need to seriously ponder this issue. Currently, many schools differ in the level of technology they currently have in their facilities. This gap can be attributed to the difference of property taxes, a key financing tool the government uses for funding schools. How can we ensure technological equality for all sites if we don't have a system of funding that can provide it?
Since last class, I have learned leaps and bounds about Microsoft Word. Usually, I had used word just for its basic purpose of creating word documents to submit to my professors as well as using it for my novel (soon to be coming, well hopefully). But after last week's assignment, I learned that Word has the same tools like Microsoft Publisher. And the great thing about it is that Microsoft Word is readily available to many people compared to Microsoft Publisher. It seems funny how Word had blossomed into this multi purposed application program. When Word first arrived on the technology scene, it was one of the most basic word processing out there. To see how far comes it does one thing for me: It makes me feel like I'm just getting older.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)