Google Earth

Before this class I think I had used Google Earth once, maybe in high school, so it was a nice refresher to have an assignment that had to do with this program. I really enjoyed looking at my house, and being able to go back in time to watch as it was constructed. I know that kids would enjoy doing the same thing, and it would help get them familiar with Google Earth and how it works. I also liked how the assignment had us come up with a theme that had to do with locations in Oregon. This is something I can see students doing in my class, and could be tied to so many different content areas depending on the theme of their Google Earth tour.

Update on the last 3 weeks

I've been learning a lot in these past few weeks in ED 421. For one, we spent a good amount of time studying Photoshop, and how to use flickr.com.

I've owned my MacBookPro (which my dad had put Photoshop on) for over three years now and I never once learned how to use it. My friend, who goes to the Art Institute of Portland, is a pro, and I always marveled at how well she utilized the program. To me, Photoshop always seemed like a daunting application, with a multitude of different features. I didn't think that I would ever be able to successfully use it, and so I never tried. However, after these past couple of weeks in class, I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the program. I now know how to manipulate images, incorporate other images onto backgrounds, and play with color schemes.

Another program I've had on my computer, but never bothered to learn how to use, was iMovie, which we've been using in class recently. Again, the thought of editing a video was something that I didn't think I would be able to do. But, I'm slowly getting more familiar with iMovie, and editing the video that my group is making for class. As I work in the program more, I feel like I'm getting better at using it.

Both of these programs are things that I know I could use in my classroom. Although, I don't think I would be having the younger students working on their own Photoshop and iMovie projects, but I could use these programs in order to make visuals or videos that could enhance student learning. With older students I can see them learning about these applications in a technology class, and then being able to use that knowledge for class projects.

First Class

After my first day in ED 421 I learned quite a bit for just one session. Already I learned about tools I could use as a teacher in my classroom, ways I could use those tools to help me in my work, my students, and the families of my students. It was cool being able to use the smartboard, I hope eventually we'll be able to use it in more detail since it seems like a piece of technology that is becoming more prevalent in classrooms. I look forward to learning more about the different technologies I could utilize in a classroom and how to use them.

I went to the site go2web20.net and took a look at some of the sites they offer. One that caught my attention was called Headmagnet. It's free, so I signed up for it, to check it out further. The site is basically a tool for studying. You can design your own lists by making questions and answers. Then when you want to study you can choose to have the question presented to you, and then you give the answer, or the other way around. I thought it was a cool alternative to note cards for studying.

The other site I went to was called CarrotSticks. This was a site that was designed specifically for elementary age children. Kids can log on and play math games with other kids. Or they can choose to practice their math skills on their own. I thought it was a fun site that kids could use if they had some spare time, or if they were struggling with math computation.

Expectations

P.S. I didn't take this picture.

Starting this class I expect to gain a better understanding of technology and how I can incorporate it into my future classroom. I think that technology can be used as a tool, but not as something that takes away from the lesson at hand. I want my students to know how to use technology to further their learning, and for them to be able to apply this knowledge in their future endeavors.

One thing I hope to achieve in life is to be able to travel around the United States. I've been fortunate enough to travel outside of the country quite a bit growing up. This is mostly due to the fact that my mom was born and raised in Singapore, where most of her family remains. Because of this, I visited the Eastern Hemisphere often throughout my life. While on that side of the world I've been able to also see Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and China. Although I've been able to see different parts of the world, the one place I haven't really had the opportunity to explore is my own country. I've been to a couple different states, but there are huge portions of this country that I haven't seen before. That's why one of my goals in life is to be able to travel throughout America, and experience all that my country has to offer.