Google Docs

We used a part of Google Docs in the classroom that is comparable to Microsoft excel (spreadsheet). With this application, information was easy to organize and follow, and we were able to follow along on the same sheet from different computers. My group mates and I could work on the project simultaneously, and Google Docs would save automatically.
I really liked working with this application. I have yet to use the other features on Google Docs, which include “document” (like Microsoft Word), “presentation” (like Microsoft Power Point), Drawing, and Collection. These applications share the same features as the spreadsheet. Students may view and work on documents together on any computer with internet capabilities, both in the classroom and at home. This can save time during student group work, and cut down on confusion. Google Docs is also completely free! This will save the teacher/school system an amazing amount of money. I am glad that I got to learn about these free Microsoft alternatives and look forward to using them in my classroom.
https://docs.google.com/

Book

I felt like the I learned a lot about the book activity. I never knew that word would print pages out like a book. I also never knew how to puts words around photos. I always did it the long and hard way. It is very frustrating doing it that way. This was a simple and easy way to make a book. I do not know exaclty how it could be used in a high school biology class, but it is great for elementary and middle school. I like to learn new things about word since I use it so much. Therefore, it was nice to now know how to write a book.

Publishing

In this section of the course I enjoyed making a book out of an already published one. It was great to work with new settings and show how to produce a book on word. It really wasn't as hard as you would think and it was easy to print; even though we weren't supposed to. I chose a kids fairy tale and inserted pictures into the story to help narrate the story.

Glogster

Glogster was a great tool to use instead of a poster board for a show and tell session or a presentation. It is a website that lets you easily access pictures and videos to import them to your page. I chose to import music and videos into mine to show the importance of the work ethic in the gym and the work out facility that your school provides.
I chose to also import and attach links to help the students see how to properly do certain things in the gym and help most benefit their experience and utilize their time. I would love to use this in my classroom but it is hard to get a projector and access to computers for a physical education course. But I love the idea.

Website blog

For the website creation we did we used the google sites application which very easily navigated you through the site and how to create your own website. It can be used in a classroom and probably higher end grade levels to show their own opinions and express themselves while creating a full functioning website. The thing which I like is how after you create your site it becomes functional and open to the public if you so choose.

Biography blog

For our biography project we used the powerpoint application. It was easy to use and helped out by adding slides and pictures to better explain myself. This software can be used in any grade level to further explain lessons or to show examples. I really like this software because it is easy to use and easy to transition it from place to place.

Blogging on Classroom Sites

By adding blogs to our websites, we give parents the opportunity to be part a community that surrounds the classroom. At first, I didn’t understand why I should create a blog. I had made an announcement area on the home page. I figured that the homepage would be a good place for parents to quickly see what was going on. I had felt that a blog area was a little redundant. But, after I wrote the blogs I realized that having a blog page would encourage parents to comment and participate in the building and modifications of both the classroom and the website.

Plannr

Our group did our Web2.0 presentation on Plannr, which is an application that helps you create a trip. Plannr was very easy to use, and worked very quickly. After choosing a city from the list, the user will be given a wide range of activities that will be available on the dates selected. The user can also specify how active they would like to be on the trip, pick out locations, and map out their entire trip. Plannr could be used in various ways in the classroom. Such assignments might be to plan a class trip, create a budget, create a travel agency and much more. The fact that there were only a limited number of cities was a downfall, but altogether, Plannr proved to be a great tool.

I have just found out, however, that Plannr was purchased by Google and shut down, so there is not actual web address for this application!

Book

The book project was done using Microsoft Word. The book page layout in Microsoft Word allows you to print out pages for a story in a book format. It separates the page into different sections, which represent the different pages of your book. You can insert images, colors, and change your font. It allows you to be creative while creating your book. In a classroom it would allow students to be creative with their writings. I would use this in my future classroom, because it's fun and easy to use. I would also use it, because it allows students to create story books without using multiple pages.

Web 2.0 Voicethread

My group did our Web 2.0 presentation on Voicethreads. It's free and easy to use. A voicethread is a collaborative, multimedia slideshow that holds images, documents, and videos. It allows people to navigate through slides and leave comments in 5 different ways, using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Users can share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too. Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.

Voicethreads is a great way for students to do group presentations, because they can comment on their group members work. You can also do a classroom voicethread where all the students put their work onto one voicethread. Voicethread is also a great way for students that have a hard time reading, because teachers can use the voice comments to help. I intend to use voicethreads in my future classroom, because it's fun and easy to use. I think that my future students will enjoy using voicethreads as much as I did.

Web Site Creation

Google sites is a great way to create your own site. We used this as if we were teachers. It was a way for us to show the public or parents what we are doing in class, what upcoming events we have, or anything we want to show or tell. I posted pictures of my class doing various activities. You can also use this site creation for other uses. You can make a site for ANYTHING! It is very easy to learn how to construct the web site. I will most definitely create more sites.

Bubbl.us

Bubbl.us is a great web tool. The more our group used this, the better and easier it got. It is a simple way to map your thoughts and ideas. This mind mapping tool would be useful in the classroom, for writing papers, or even for something as simple as deciding where to eat. It just puts all of your ideas in one simple location. It also had many shortcut buttons that you could use. If you remember the short cuts, it can cut down on your planning time. It a quick tool, and i would definitely use it again.

Website Creation

The website creation was a neat idea. I was extremely intimidated by it at first because the thought of creating a website just sounded so beyond my technical capabilities. After fooling around on Google Sites, the site creation tool we used, I found out creating a basic website wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I appreciated the simplicity of Google Sites, however, there was one major thing I would have changed. I wish I could have had more appearance options. For example, I wish we could have had more font and color options. Also, I wish I could just click on an area of the screen and be able to place an image there, rather than only have a few places where I can place the image. Being able to change the size of the picture to small, medium, large, or original size seemed a little old school after normally being able to size an image however I want.

As a project, I'm glad I learned about this. I knew people in high school who were creating websites and always thought that was something I would never do. It's nice to be able to say that I am capable of making a website. I think if I would have put more time into the website, I would have become more familiar with the different tools and options and would have had a better site. However, I can take this basic information and use it in my classroom. There are so many teachers who have websites that I don't want to be left in the dust. This is information I will definitely take advantage of and I will probably use Google Sites again in the future.

Google Docs

Google Docs is a very useful site. It is great for individual use, but even better for group use. When we used it we did an M&M activity. It was really nice because the whole class can be on their individual computers and see what everyone is recording. It is used for keeping track of information, planning trips, making graphs/tables, etc. This would be useful in classrooms and for personal use. I would definitely use this. I could make an activity for my students to do, or just for my own personal use.

Book

Learning how to create the book was helpful because it is something I can use in my classroom when I become a teacher. To create the book we used Microsoft Word and changed the formatting. We put a short story with pictures from Google into our book. The short story I used was Rapunzel, and I used pictures from the movie Tangled, which is about Rapunzel. This could easily be used for any elementary grade level. I think children would really love to make their own book to take home and read. I think it would give them a sense of accomplishment. I liked learning how to do this and will be using it in my classroom.

website creation

I think a classroom website is a great idea. I think is a great way to contact students and their families and keep them updated on what is going on in the classroom. I will use my classroom website to keep in contact with the students families. I will use the blog on my website to share with the families what their friends are doing. I thought creating a website was hard. I had to ask my boyfriend for alot of help. I'm not very good with technology so maybe that is why I had a hard time creating the website. Now that I know how to create one I don't think I will have any problems creating one in the future. I did like that I didn't have to html code to create a website. I also liked that it was easy to personalize and change the colors.

Book

The book project was a page layout in Microsoft Word that allows you to print out pages for a story in a book format, splitting the page into two separate pages that can be printed out and assembled like a book. You can add images and adjust the fonts and colors just like any other Word document. This could be very useful for younger students; helping them to express their creativity with a story and printing it off and putting it together. This could also be used on a lengthy research paper for high school students, which would allow them to create something that they might want to keep! The book format is just a creative design application, but it can be a very fun thing for students to do with their writings.

Children's Book Creation

Creating a children's book in Microsoft Word was simple and could be a great resource teachers could use. As a future history or government teacher, creating children's books will not apply. In no way does making a children's book offer something to a high schooler's history or government class. However, for an elementary school teacher, making a short children's book is a great way to get creative. The children could make come up with a story together as a class and the teacher could put it in the format of a book like I did with this assignment.

Glogster

Glogster (http://www.glogster.com/) is a website that allows students to create virtual poster boards. The website is free and easy to use. Glogster has tons of cool features that students can use such as: text, images, links, video, and etc. Glogster allows students to be as creative as they want while making their glogsters. Glogster saves students money, because they no longer have to go out and buy a poster board, markers, glue, and other supplies to decorate the poster board. Glogster can be used in all grade levels, and in all different subject matters.

When I made my glogster I thought it was easy and fun. I had some difficulty at first, but I after I played around with it I had no trouble. I think this is a great new website for students to use in the classroom. I'm excited to incorporate glogster into my future classroom. I think it will allow me to make my assignments fun, and it also allows students to get some hands on experience with the internet.

Book: Microsoft Word

In class we learned how to create a book using the application Microsoft Word. The assignment was to find a short story of the internet and paste it into Microsoft word, then converting into book format. We also had to paste images in the story, having the text wrap around the words. The process of creating a book in Microsoft Word is very easy to do would be great way to present handouts to a class. While this feature would probably be most effective in grade school levels to create students sets of short stories. Teachers could also use this feature to print off their notes they use in class to hand to the students.

Blogging on a website

Having a blog on your classroom website is a great tool for getting parents and teachers involved in classroom activities. This could be used to keep parents and students up to date on activities going on in the classroom or be used to enhance classroom discussions. I created a blog that asked students to respond to questions about a book that was being read in class. Parents were encouraged to read the book and give their input on the book as well. This is great for creating a connection between home and school. I like the idea that students who may not want to speak out in class are given a way to participate in classroom discussions. I also like the idea that students can respond to the ideas of other students online. The difficult part might be in monitoring that the material is appropriate for the classroom. Overall, I think that Blogs are a great tool for the classroom.

Blog/Newsletter Kirsten Smock

I thought the blog feature of our website was a great feature. This would be very useful on a real classroom web page. This would be a quick way to make announcements and to answer questions that many parents may have. It would also be good for parents to blog about homework help or other things that many people may want to know about instead of sending a private email. I will have a blog on my classroom website in the future.

Glogster

I made my Glogster on Helen Keller. I posted a link to a video of her favorite song. I also postd three pictures of Helen Keller and some information about her life. I found this Software was a little hard to navigate at first. After I played around with it for a while I figured it out and I really liked it. I would use this software in a classroom by having the kids make a Glogster about a historical person for history class, or use it to present the data they gathered durring a science classroom. Also I might use this software to present information on a topic to my students as an alternative to a lacture or a powerpoint. http://www.glogster.com/

Blog/Website

Adding a blog to our website was a very simple process, but it is very helpful. When using Google Sites, teachers have the ability to create a Blog as an Announcement. This way, students and families can always be updated about what is going on in the classroom. For instance, in my website, I created 3 blogs about an upcoming field trip, extra credit opportunity, and community service opportunity. These blogs can also be edited and updated any time, and the include the date and time stamp for extra reference. I really enjoyed the ease and convenience of having a blog. Regardless of grade, blogs are definitely a benefit in the communication between school and home.

Website Creation

Creating a website was much easier than I expected. I feel like not very many teachers make websites because it takes up too much time, and is hard. That is partly true, it does take a lot of time, but it is not very hard. This was my first experience making a website, and I actually liked it. It was fun to be able to use my own expressions, and act like my own class right now. It was fun to think of different projects, and things that I could put on my actual classroom website today. I did not really like using the google sites software for various reasons. It did not have enough fonts to choose from, backgrounds, and just things to make it your own. I would much rather use the Weebly software that the class used last semester. I liked making a website and can definitely see myself making one for my actual classroom someday if I have the time. Although, I will more than likely use the Weebly software because it is much cooler than the google sites software.

Book

We used Microsoft Word to create books that were printed out in a format ready to fold and print. This was done by changing the view. We found a short story online and were to put it into this format. We also added pictures to the story that we selected from Google Images. I did my book on the Little Match Girl, my favorite childrens story that is very beautiful albeit very sad! I then printed out my story at home and lamiated it creating my own little version of the complete story. This was a very easy activity to understand and complete.

Website Creation

The website creations was a fun idea, and overall I enjoyed the project. I have never created a website before, so it was definitely a learning experience. I had some difficulty with the site at first, but I think if I would continue to make websites I will improve my skills. I think a classroom blog is beneficial, because it is an easy way to share information going on in the classroom with the students parents, and it makes the parents feel connected to the classroom. The website is also a fun way to showcase some of your students work and activities online so everyone can see. Another benefit of classroom websites would be the fact that as a teacher, I could go to other teachers websites and find fun lesson plan ideas, or see what kind of speakers and activities are going to their schools, and invite them to my own school. Overall, I think a classroom website is a fun and beneficial tool to incorporate into the classroom.

Website

For my website I did a website that involved United States History. On my home page I opened with a famous quote from president Roosvelt because of his importance to American history, it draws the readers attention. History is not everyones favorite subject but big American events is something that everyone is interested in. The image on the home page is also important because students can be captured with an image because a picture is worth a 1000 words. I thought it would be important to put a class schedule on the website for communication purposes because now both students and parents know what the students will be learning for the week. Classroom reminders was also something important that I included in the website because now instead of the parents calling or e mailing me on a daily basis, they can go to the classroom reminders and know that all the important information is posted to it. Students also do not have an excuse for forgetting important information because all of it is online. The fun facts tab was a personal addition that I thought would creative. Students are always wanting to get extra credit to boost their grade and this is a productive way. The students that want to better their grade will go to the website and look at the information and find their own facts. Students learn better when they want to learn it, instead of me lecturing about it.

Bubbl.us is a great software to use. It is available to everyone and anyone who is interested in using it. It is very easy to access. All you have to do is go to its website and make up a user name and password. Once you have done that you are ready to start using the application. It so simple and it really helps when you need a mind mapping tool.

This software is easy to use. There is a really great “help” page that can walk you through almost anything you might want to know about bubbl.us. There are tons of shortcuts that you can use when you start to mind map. These shortcuts make your mind mapping experience much simpler as well as quicker than other websites that are out there. I would use bubbl.us any time!