Post# 7

http://easybib.com/
This website is a great academic source. I use it a lot in my English class and also with many other classes in which one would use MLA writing format. This site creates correct citations such as bibliographies. Find the type of source you use, click it, type in all the information that is available to you about that source and it makes you a correct citation in MLA format.

As a high school P.E. teacher I know I will be using the Excel program a lot. They are great for creating charts. I would be able to type up a nutrition chart so that students can monitor what they eat, how much they eat, and what they should be eating. They can use their charts to create a graph of their weight, height, and BMI and turn it in as a project. I will also be using Excel spread sheets as a teacher to calculate grades and keep attendance for my students.

I am currently using Excel in a school situation that is a great example. In my Biology Lab we have been recording the growth and flowering of plants. I have to use excel to record all of my data and I'm also using it to create a line graph of my data that I have collected. I am doing the entire project using Excel.

Post #5

The site is visually pleasing to the eye and seems easy to manage. There are tons of pictures and markers pointing you to a topic of it's interest. There are consistent color schemes for each subject on the site. It does however use more than three type styles on the same screen. There is nothing meaningless on the screen. If the writing is not an article, there is spacing between paragraphs. There is definitely more than one topic on the screen at a time. Many of the rules and criteria in chapter 6 is supported, but much is also shattered. ESPN

I believe that using visual aids and presentation software would both help and hurt some teaching aspects in the k-12 classroom. I think it has more advantages than disadvantages though. Some plus's are that the students who rely heavily on what they see to learn are able to catch on quickly and apease their visual learning style. I also think it is smart to show someone how to do something rather than just explaining it. The combination of the two is a great way to teach. For example the use of a story line to explain what is happening in a book that the class is reading. It would help students connect what they have read to a visual movie on their minds. This can also make it more fun to learn.

An example of a power point presentation on George Washington:
1) REMEMBER: I could put up a picture of George with a famous quote listed.
2) UNDERSTAND: Make a time line using more pictures and graphics related to his history and his life.

Cocept Map!

Post #4

I think that utilizing all of these techniques for teaching would be very smart. Especially the use of an outline. Outlines are great for lectures and also for class discussions. As a teacher a bullet point will lead my lesson so that I make sure I touch on everything I wanted to teach that day. It also gives students something to follow along to and/or take notes on. I could print out individual outlines for each student or I could use a power point presentation to present the information and give the students a chance to copy it down if the choose before I lecture.
I would definitely enforce the teaching and use of outlines, storyboarding, and idea maps. I believe all can be useful to the students. They will be retaining information because they are reading it and also writing it down. This gives them an optional way to study and then re-study what they have written later on in an easy to follow method.
I think that the creation of a newsletter to parents will be very helpful. We learned how to personalize the letters too which I find fascinating and also more on a personal level with your students and their families. I would like to be able to let each family know that I am not just there to teach a class but to teach their child specifically too. I loved learning how to be creative by adding pictures and word bubble in different shapes and colors because I am a vibrant person and would like to express myself as such.

My Podcast

Post #3

Since I am going to be a High School Physical Education teacher, there won't be much need for me to create a technological lesson plan. However, say I ran out of copy paper to print a test on volleyball. I could create a multiple choice test on word project it on to a screen where all of the students could see it sitting at their computers in a lab. I could have them also open a word document and type the numbers 1-20 and have them answer the questions typing the letter of the corresponding answer. They would then save the document as their name and send it to me via e-mail. Since they are high school students I would expect them to have an e-mail account. I would walk them through all of the necessary steps to do so of course.
The only thing I would be concerned with about this method is that I wouldn't be able to watch all of my students to the degree I would want to. It would be very hard to keep track of who's eyes were where in a testing environment. The school normally has a screening process for what can and can't be accessed through the internet. I would not have to worry very much about what my students were researching because of this blocked access. For example, my High School computers prevented us from being able to look at sights such as Facebook, My Space, or even check out e-mail.
One tool or resource i think would be helpful for a Physical Education teacher would be an ESPN link to sports or for a YMCA to get involved. here are both:

Post #2

I am under the impression from both the reading and my own experience that most people over the age of about 8 have a general knowledge about how to use MS Word. I've used it frequently ever since I started middle school. I used it to do projects, write essays and papers, notes to teachers, book reports, science projects, ect. I still use it for all of this today. I know my teachers used if for writing up a class schedule or a syllabus. They also use it for decorating classrooms and labeling also. One reason for the use of Word instead of a pencil and paper, is due to the speed at which you can complete a project. Typing is much quicker than simply writing it out.

I can't think of a specific instance that really wow's me, but I can tell you everything that I think is creative about the MS Word program. Using word can spice up any peiece of work. You are able to add pictures (Clip Art), make the letters look funky in all different shapes, sizes, and colors (Word Art), and even insert links to websites (Hyperlink). Tests, charts, bullet points, outlines, and many more forms of writing can be more creative through all of these appications I just mentioned. Now that I've been writing I do remember in 7th grade my Geography teacher copied and pasted the shapes of countries and left room for us to label them each. That was the first time I had seen pictures like that on a test and I thought it was even cooler that it was in color! At the end we had to cut out all of the countries to make a whole continent. I learned a lot and the teacher simply clicked a button to cause my amazement of Word.

I have learned so many short cuts on word and on the computer through this class so far. I thin they will be very usful in saving time while writing papers, saving data, and surfing the web. I learned how to copy and paste something without even touching my mouse, I touched 4 keys and it was done! Having a laptop means that you wont necessarily always have access to the right click of a mouse to copy and paste something. For someone who takes and sends a lot of pictures it was helpful to learn how to do this without the use of a mouse. And now instead of clicking all over to get a new tab online all I do is click two buttons and Eurika, another tab is there in a flash! I'm anxious to learn more quickies about the computer.