Digital Story/iMovie Project

I am continuously am amazed by the ways technology can be used today. While I was aware of iMovie and the ability to create these awesome projects/movies, I am always impressed by the software itself. The assignment can be so stressful and time consuming, but the final projects are always magnificent to see!

I think I realized after doing this assignment that I continue to get more comfortable with technology the more experience I have with it. I feel like this point can be backed up by the fact that some of my audio seemed to be audible when making my movie, but was barely audible when the final product was presented. While it was frustrating for me at the time of presenting, it was necessary to have that experience in order to understand that recording audio directly on iMovie is not the best idea!

The use of digital stories in the classroom can greatly enhance understanding of a variety of subject areas as it caters to all types of learners. It also is a unique way of introducing material that allows students to really be driven to the material since its not something that they see with every lesson. iMovie is also great for the classroom because it is possible for kids to be able to use to create their own projects as well.

If I had to do this specific project again, I think I would spend more time planning out my script because the audio is the most important part to my digital story. The audio explains the concepts of money and relate it to various situations that may be encountered at a carnival. While there are pictures included, it is ultimately the audio that helps students to learn the most about this area of math.

Overall, I have learned that it is through creating these activities and lessons that I have learned the most about myself. During the first week of class when we were asked to write down what are strengths and weaknesses were, I thought I had an idea of what they really were. I have now come to the realization that I still need to work on the following areas: assessments, anticipatory set, and the closure. I look forward to continuing to grow and strengthen these areas as well as the other areas as I gain experience in the classroom setting. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning to use technology in the classroom and can't want to incorporate it in more of my lessons in the future!

WebQuest Activity

WebQuests are a great way to engage students in independent or small group work. The feature that I really like about this form of technology is the way that it allows students to work at their own pace. Therefore, for those who read slowly or work at a slower pace can work through the activity and learn about the given topic without feeling rushed. The activity not only forces students to think about their prior knowledge on the subject but challenges students to build on this knowledge and reach a new level of understanding.

The area of difficulty I had with this activity was that of timing for each of the days and the main objectives for the overall lesson. While I planned out my lesson as far as my objectives went, my objectives were not strong and clear enough to allow my final results to yield a high level of understanding. If I had to do it over again, I would really focus on my objectives by thinking about the overall goal for the lesson. While I want my students to know about the explorers, these students should also be able to analyze the accomplishments of these explorers and the impact they had on the world as we know it today. However, my lesson and activities did not drive kids to think about the European explorers in this way.

I also think I could have done a better job of using more multimedia within this activity. This is such a wealth of information out there in cyberspace. It is just a matter of reaching out into it that you can find great resources that provoke thought. By using a video of some sort at the beginning of this lesson, students may have been more motivated and driven to start and work to complete the activity.

The more lessons I complete, the more I think about all of the aspects of teaching that I have learned through taking education courses. While I have a wealth of information and knowledge inside of my being, I often do not allow my thoughts to fully soak into the paper and into my lesson. Instead I have these aha moments after the fact that tell me that if I had just thought about it for a little more time, the end result may have produced a better outcome. I hope that it is only a matter of time before this changes.

SmartBoard Lesson/Presentation

In working on the SmartBoard presentation, I really started to think about all of the ways it could possibly be used in the classroom; I realized there are very few limitations to this form of technology! I could have driven myself crazy while working on this specific assignment just because there are so many tools and opportunities to incorporate multiple touches for students. I think that is why it was so much fun for me to do! However, even though I enjoyed this activity a lot, I think there is still many areas of this piece of technology that I can improve on. 

I think I found that the key to success with this form of technology is developing a very detailed strategic plan before starting to build the presentation. If you go into the lesson without this, it can be overwhelming and the lesson will turn out to be messy because the objectives are not as clear and the activities are not as planned out as they could be. Overall, I think this is the biggest takeaway point I have gotten from this technology course: What is the reason for using technology and how does it help to promote an even higher level of learning? 

I know that my SmartBoards can get even better as I continue to learn to use them and incorporate them more into the classroom setting in a variety of ways. Whether it be to introduce a new topic, teach a more complex idea, or to review before a test, SmartBoard is a tool that should be used to help engage and motivate students to want to learn. I found myself inspired by the ideas on this website as the author offers a wide variety of activities and ideas that can be found helpful in a the classroom setting.

Overall, the more I use technology and make it a part of my lesson plans, the more excited I get about teaching students in the classroom. I always used to feel like the use of technology was more trouble than it was worth since they can often be either time consuming or really boring activities. However, through the completion of this activity, working with SmartBoard, and taking this class, I have learned to embrace it and can't wait to enter the classroom!