Overwhelmed...

Having computers in the classroom and using computers are two completely different things...along with that comes responsibilities, liabilities, and security issues!
I teach kindergarten...and would feel more competent if GDOE assisted a kindergarten teacher in understanding how to incorporate computers into their kinder classroom. Along with that how to deal with viruses, spikes, surges, hacking, backups, lack of connectivity, etc
Don't get me wrong it is good information what we are learning in our GATEWAY TO TECHNOLOGY CLASS...kudos to our instructors! Ideally, computers in the classroom are a great idea...but I have this sinking premonition... there's more to come; on top of EVERYTHING ELSE WE HAVE TO DO.

yours truly

-Overwhelmed

Gateway To Technology

It's been an interesting crash course in computer technology, so far. I was especially intrigued by learning how to do a basic spread sheet, since I had never done one so far. Beginning SY 2011-2012, I intend to work with spread sheets in my classroom from now on . So, I ask myself, "Why didn't I learn this skill long time ago?" Yes, it really does make a big difference in that it alleviates the stress and time involved in manually averaging grades of students. Honestly, though, I'm just so happy to learn something new about computers, everyday.

As for blogging, I picked up this skill from one of last semester's courses here at UOG, so I'm pretty much familiar with it. Also, my professor was a stickler for including quotes and images, and although tedious at times, I rather enjoyed doing them.

I'm really appreciative of this opportunity to learn basic computer skills inorder that I may integrate computer technology in my classroom. At the present time, exposure to computer technology is through the use of my laptop that I bring to class when I want to use it for my lessons or presentations. The fact that we'll be receiving a free laptop for our use is really appealing, and I'm sure that everyone taking this course shares the same sentiment.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are- Theodore Roosevelt

Class so Far.

Overall the Technology class has been very informative. I am definitely learning new ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I really hope that with all the money the school system was awarded that we will be able to take what we have learned this week and actually apply it. I would live to be able to do text to speech videos for example in my classroom, but with the proper equipment it will not happen. Tom, thank you for sharing the things that you have so far. I am especially thankful for the website that you have created so I do not have to take very many notes in class. =)

Jodie Barnhouse

I like this video I found.

First day of school

Imagine it is the first day of the next school year.   Students enter your classroom and see a table of computers or a cart full of laptops.  How will you feel?

Twitter as your PLN

Image via CrunchBaseDo you Tweet?  I have to admit that I didn't think that I would have much use for it.  I joined Twitter in April and since then I have been pleasantly surprised to find how useful it can be.

Twitter is a social networking tool.  You can use it on your mobile device or on your computer.  Like Facebook, it allows you to connect to other Twitter users and communicate with them.  A Twitter message is called a "tweet" and is limited to 140 characters.  This may not seem like much, but what if some of those characters were an address to a web page?  That's why I joined.  I wanted to promote my website and announce when I had added material to it.  What I didn't expect was that it would turn into my very own personal learning network (PLN). 


The common misconception about Twitter is that it is full of short, random, meaningless comments.  To be sure, it has that; but when you join you are able to choose which Twitter users you want to follow.  You don't receive tweets from the entire Twitterverse, just the ones you want to follow.  I wasn't interested in what Lady GaGa had for lunch or any of that material.  The majority of accounts I'm following are educational technology related:  Edutopia, Classroom 2.0, Wired, Will Richardson, Daniel Pink, Steve Hardagon, Betchaboy, several that are Google related, and more.  For the most part, these people don't tweet the mundane parts of their day.  What I get from them are references to new material that I was unaware of.


Here's what I do.  A few times a day I'll take a minute or two and scan through the tweets I've received.  They only have 140 characters per tweet, so the messages are concise; this enables me to scan several dozen quickly.  When something catches my eye, I'll "Favorite" the tweet.  When I can, I go through my "Favorites" list on my computer because it's quicker than my phone.  

Here's a sample of what I've gotten in the past few weeks:

• I learned that Google Docs is now a mobile app for Android phones
• a video link from Steve Hardagon entitled "Why Students Don't Go To School"
• "20 Tips for Writing a Blog Post When You're Uninspired" from kikolani
• "Tips for Using Project-Based Learning to Teach Math Standards" from Edutopia
• From Will Richardson, a link to an article on how standardized testing is going to be used to evaluate NY teachers
• From jcalvert4, a website with 57,000 historic videos and 7 million photos; royalty-free and available for download for free.  Wow!

So how does that sound?  Why not try it for a week?  It's free and you can choose who you want to follow.  Twitter for me is a quick way to find material that enhances what I do.  What can it do for you?


Quick Twitter tip:  Use a URL shortening tool like TinyURL.com to shrink the length of web addresses in your tweets.  You only have 140 characters, so make them count.

Related articles

• A PLN Delivers Learning to Your Doorstep (usingdata.wordpress.com)
• Using Twitter and Other Social Media for Professional Development (shawnurban.wordpress.com)
• Exponential learning (cwilkeson.wordpress.com)
• Tearing Down Your Classroom Walls (freetech4teachers.com)

We've come so far....

I remember my first computer lab ever. It was my elementary school, Cathedral Grade School. We had a bunch of those "OLD" APPLE computers, the ones with FLOPPY DISKS and a black screen with the boxy green text. Wow! I've come a LOOOOOOOOOONG WAY baby and I'm having a lot of fun!

Image source: Issac G.'s Blogger

Gateway - After Class: Do You Remember When...

Gateway - After Class: Do You Remember When...: "When I was in elementary, we had a manual typewriter. It was difficult when a mistake was made because we used correction film. Today, thank God for Microsoft Office. The computer does all the work. For example, it deletes, spell check, Thesaurus, etc...

Do you remember when

I was growing up we had a polaroid camera. Now we are in today's technology with digital cameras where we could easily take photos and download them into the computer.

Technology memories

I remember going to the AV Room to watch the movie set up by my teacher. I also remember how comfortable my children were with exploring on the family computer. They were thinking of possibilities and I was worried about breaking the computer. I also remember carrying my small computer to school so my students could use it. Now I am optimistic about having enough computers for my students to use.

Do You Remember When...

When I was in elementary, we had a manual typewriter. It was difficult when a mistake was made because we used correction film. Today, the computer does all the work. It deletes, spell check, etc...

Emiliana Limtiaco