Post #9

The only web-based tool I would think I would use would be some kind of blog or wiki like the ones we were using: Wikispaces and Blogger. Wikispaces or any of the other wikis could be useful for sharing information with students. Most college students (my intended audience) would be able to surf them and learn from them pretty easily. I can picture myself putting up useful links and reviews of my lectures, etc. for their browsing pleasure. I think it would be a good review resource if nothing else and would help students search other resources if they were interested in a certain topic.

Blogs would be useful for student-teacher communication, or just to amuse them by telling them what I am up to. Again, I could share resources that I have found recently. In the more advanced sections, I would be able to share certain parts of my research with my students. I could post excerpts from reading for my students to be required to read and discuss. It would be a very helpful tool to be able to share information on the fly and send out an email saying there is updated information for people to check. It would be fast and get the work out quick. I can't see that being a poor use of resources.

For a technology-related skill, I would say more familiarity with certain programs would be nice to have. Also, just practical use in the classroom and experience with actual technology would be quite useful. I think creating more PowerPoint presentations might help me to become more familiar with the program and help with design and lectures for the future. Excel, I can't really see myself using except for maybe grading (which the school usually provides a different program for). I don't know if this would be referred to as a technology-related skill, but perhaps being able to stand reading ebooks (as I prefer having a physical copy and can't stand the alternative) would be beneficial in the future (especially as I plan on teaching some form of literature or writing).

I would say the primary means towards furthering my technological education would simply be experience. I think with more experience with the programs that I will be utilizing, I will be able to create better and more useful presentations and organize information better for my students. I am hoping I can shock and awe, as I have no plans to be a mediocre teacher. We will see though. But again, as I get into teaching, I am sure as my experience builds, I will become more comfortable in my setting and with organizing lectures and teaching.

Post #8

Chapter 8 was basically a security warning. It went over viruses, giving nice pictures of biological viruses on computer screens to somehow illustrate. The problem with this is that firewalls don't work, because most viruses are downloaded directly by users who don't know what they're doing. The key to this, which they don't really stress, is don't download files from anywhere other than factory sites or sites that you trust. Oh, and don't open attachments on spam emails. C'mon people. This chapter annoyed me, just because it ignores basic common sense. The best way to maintain your computer is to not download things you shouldn't, back-up and wipe your hard drive frequently, and don't use anti-virus software (because they don't do anything and often can't remove any of the viruses anyways). Sorry, that was my rant.

I didn't learn anything new, just reinforced that I don't like the book. It doesn't teach practical skills or common sense but instead encourages people to have a poor understanding. Likely I will learn something new when I purchase the rest of my new computer parts and put it all together. But that won't happen until I get my last few paychecks for the summer. Excel, I do believe I will learn a lot, but sadly I haven't quite yet.

I finished reading the new Harry Potter book, for anyone else who cares. I started it Sunday and finished it Monday. It was pretty decent and ended much as I suspected. But, it was good. They curse a bit more, and tons of people die all over the place. The storyline was predictable, but the writing was well done. Overall, it was a very entertaining read. Plus I needed closure, and I got it. =)

Post #7

Chapter 7 seemed more of the same. It had less to do with the classrooms, and some of the programs they showed were pretty interesting. This section spoke mostly about the atmosphere outside of the classroom, software, and teaching strategies. It seems a bit like a hodgepodge like the last chapter, as if they should have boiled the two down or separated certain parts and moved them to the other. It went over the rubric like we have already done in class and other e-assessment requirements.

Seeing as we have already gone over most of this in a more hand-on manner, I can't say that I learned much. We had done the rubrics and generated our own assessments apart from what the book dictates for us. The software was interesting, but they never go into too much detail for any of them, so I don't learn about what I'm actually interested in. Most of the room was taken up by big charts that gave the same information over and over. I can't say I learned too much from those either.

Again, my weekend is going to stink, but then I'm pretty much home free. We'll be done with classes soon, and I'll be earning like 3 paychecks in one due to this weekend. Then I'm headed back home and then to Vegas for a week. I doubt I'll see too many of my friends back home, but I seem to have lost touch with most of them anyways. Oh well.

Post #6

Chapter six started off with a review of Intro. to Education, which I found a bit boring. They reviewed the GLEs and other benchmarks, although they didn't go into as much detail as the Intro. to Ed. classes do. Then they go into basic integration of technology and breeze over some of the easier points to understand. I didn't much enjoy most of the rest of the chapter (maybe I was too bored), but it basically repeated most of the same integration techniques and teaching strategies, etc. The "learning process" section may have been the only one that interested me, just because I have always enjoyed that topic.

Yet again, I didn't acquire any new skills that I am aware of. I moved my speakers around at home and realized the cords are much shorter than I thought, but that's about it. I also did some more computer shopping, and I'm psyched that I'm going to be building my new one soon.

This weekend is likely going to be a drag. I work over 19 hours on Saturday and then around 15 on Sunday, with 4 hours of sleep in between. I'm going to be DEAD come Monday. And I start off on Friday working 9.5 hours until 2:30 in the morning before work shortly after 7a.m. on Saturday. Bleh...

Post #5

The digital media software section was insightful. I think digital media is probably one of the best tools a teacher can use, as it incorporates many of the different learning types into one. PowerPoint is an exceptional program for illustrating and creating outlines, projects, etc. E-books are also a good resource, but I tend to like having a physical book in my hand. However, for certain classes, having a digital copy could be useful. The interest in Sim programs for teaching seems far-fetched. How does building a fantasy theme park teach much of anything beyond maybe space management?

Oh, skills... I can't say I've learned much of anything. For kids, I do agree certain educational games can be entertaining and helpful. I've seen kids go nuts over learning their timetables with a flashcard program that involves the entire class. But I had already seen that, so it's not new knowledge. I learned some specific programs that have certain functions, but most will not be of use to me teaching college.

Nothing really to report in my life. I turned down a few keggers this past week in favor of relaxing. Oh, and did I ever relax this weekend... I did nothing. It was nice not being rushed for class or work continuously. Work is a bit iffy at this point. They have been having problems with various things, such as money and people. Overall, I still enjoy it though. I did get someone talk to my manager about me in a none-too-flattering way, which if you knew me, would be a surprise. We knew she would be a problem the moment she walked in though, so I guess it wasn't too much of a shock.

Post #4

Now, this chapter I actually found a little interesting. I thought it might be a little pointless to describe the whole binary coding process in the beginning, but at least I was amused. This also goes a long way towards letting people know what is in their computers, although most of the parts look a bit ancient in the scheme of things. It was also interesting seeing them describe how certain parts function, which isn't really a necessary skill for most educators (unless you're a tech. teacher). However, I found it amusing again. Some of the port descriptions were a bit misleading, in my opinion, and most of the input device descriptions were brainless or not useful (joystick and wheel/pedal - what teacher needs that?). Most of the hardware descriptions were alright, and I can't really pick those apart too much.

Eh, I didn't really learn anything that I know of from any of this. I browse websites and see more computer hardware/peripherals/software than could be included in any book. I knew how the things they described worked already, so there wasn't much in those for me either. If anything, it was just amusing to see binary and hardware interfaces mentioned.

I think I said most of everything that I needed to on my last post. Vegas will be fun, as will the Grand Canyon. I've never been that far west before (I think the farthest west I've been was up in Wisconsin). I don't remember if I've mentioned this before, but I'm building a new desktop. It's slow moving, as I don't make that much money working a minimum wage job. It'll be nice when I'm finished with it though, and I'll be happy.

Post #3

Well, I read about some seldom used OS versions (like XP Tablet PC, which probably less than 1% of XP users have). Mostly the operating system descriptions lacked a great deal of information that one might need to consider when choosing an operating system, which I wasn't too fond of. The instructions on how to start a program I found to be a bit extraneous, as many children learn how to open programs almost before they can speak. Granted, some of the terms might be useful for people who are not knowledgeable about computers, especially when troubleshooting. I found most of the software descriptions lacking in detail in many of the areas I wanted to see it. For example, a brief paragraph on video and audio editing software didn't seem to do the topic justice. Well, that's my rant for this one. Oh, and I haven't heard one good thing about grade book software from teachers. That would be something I would like to see improve to make everyone's lives easier.

Oh, again with the skills question, eh? I can't say I learned much of anything, unless I fiddled around with something on my computer again with something I don't remember. The one skill I wish I had was being able to modify laptop cases, as my laptop is a gaming laptop (meaning it puts out a lot of heat) and only has one wimpy fan.

I am enjoying rereading a series that I haven't read in a few years. I ran out of books at my apartment, since I took most of them home to make moving out easier (I had a few boxes). I plan on being some English-related professor, so seeing the fantastic writing style again and also my writing workshop class are helping me towards that end, I believe. Also, I am going to be going to Vegas in the middle of August, my only week of vacation for the summer. It will be nice, but I hate when people spend money on me. And undoubtedly a trip like that is going to cost my mom a pretty penny.

Post #2

Chapter two covered connectivity, which I found interesting. I know how things are linked up, how to make my own ethernet cables, and how to troubleshoot a router. I know how to run a server and how it is connected, but the book showed amusing little diagrams that make it all look so simple. I also thought it was amusing in the internet address section where they talk about Facebook(s) with the added "s" to a proper noun (an individual page would be called a profile, mind you). It gave me a good laugh, and the search techniques, etc. served to reinforce what I already knew.

The primary skill I would like to acquire would be proficiency in Excel, as I have said before. I do not believe I have gained much from the Word, XP, or textbook related information (although that is not to say I have learned nothing). If anything, the information provided in the book and the diagrams mostly reinforces that my methods are correct, or that I am not erroneous in my thinking on "how things work."

Today has been a stressful day already. I woke up early and wrote two two-page papers and one four-page paper, along with two paragraph critiques on about fifty pages of reading that I also did. Now, the funny part is the procrastination that was involved. Granted, I got called into work yesterday, which put a damper on the day I had set aside for homework. But really, I also had all of Saturday and much of Thursday and Friday (before work) to do it. Of course, I left it to the last minute, and it ended up biting me in the butt. That is my rant.