Try something new for 30 days

The Power of Words (and video)

Thanks for a great class!

I've learned a great deal, have more resources to choose from but more importantly, am motivated and inspired to REALLY incorporate technology in my area. Although, I knew I could work with technology, I didn't feel I had the creative eye to create something that didn't look shabby. I'll be working on my website now.. thanks to the WIX.com site you exposed us to. And I really appreciate your offer of contacting you via email for post class questions.. (Will I be invoiced for that??) Good luck in all your endeavours! See you around!

So much to learn

We have almost completed our class on Technology. Yesterday there was so much to take in. I hope to have some time to just sit and look at all that is being offered. I really like the idea of having a website for our grade level. It would be nice for the parents to read notes from school or the teachers at home or even at work if they had access to internet at their convenience. We all know that notes sometimes or most of the time do not reach home. This could be another way to assure notes get to the parents.

communication through technology

within the past couple of decades, communication has improved tremendously through technology; from riding on a horse to deliver a telegram to instant messaging on our smart phones. technology has made it easier to communicate to family, friends, colleagues, and parents of my students.

a problem i would like to solve is not necessarily with technology but the buy-in of my school to take advantage of what technology was provided us and go green/paperless completely. this would make communication within our school more efficient and save our planet at the same time.

Organization

I used to run a small business, and I have to say that I "sucked" at organization, especially come tax time. My receipts were all over the place from small ticket items to big ticket items. In fact, I'm being audited for tax year 2008 and I can't find my old receipts! I think I must have thrown some away. What I want from technology is to help me organize my receipts in a very simple way without me having to do all the work. I saw a commercial on t.v. called the neat desk (I think that's what it was called) and all I would simply do is place the receipt on a scanner like device and the device inputs all receipts, documents, notes, etc... and organizes everything in the computer. You don't really have to do any work! The other option I thought of was excel. I wanted to be proficient in Microsoft office especially excel, as it is a powerful tool used by many businesses, but of course, time, money, and dedication is the only way to really learn the program. A friend of mine bought the package of learning excel for, in those days, over $300. It was one of tutorials where you watch on tv and you learn it with your computer. You can pause, stop and play at your convenient. For me, I found it really boring. I prefer a class setting where there is interaction with the person teaching.
I think there are so many technology and software available for free or for a fee that I have gotten burnt out by alot of them.

a magical thing

    Computer technology is magical. It has enhanced my lifestyle in many ways. Ways like, how to grow plants, to know whats the best laptop, boats for sale, meeting new people, talking with them through video, leaving messages 24/7, and the list goes on. Doing all of this in the confine of your bedroom...like magic..yes? Of course! Without stepping outdoors I can bring it indoors...through a flat screen. Or, allow others to view my opinions in a matter of minutes..and get their reponse that very minute..via video conferencing. SO MAGICAL!!! Are you getting my drift? Adios.

Learning more on Technology

I have been using my pc for years but only basics. I use it for typing letters, memos, newsletters, etc. I have also used excel and tables with the help of my friends. I would like to be able to do it on my own. I want to do more on tables and graphs because that will help me with my reports and data collecting in class. I am a Yahoo and Microsoft Word user. Using something new - Google - is like starting over again for me. I am also learning something each day in class. It all looks and sounds very interesting. I hope we will be able to see more than one computer in each classroom soon. Can't wait to learn more.

Teaching & Technology

I definitely will have to work twice as hard without the technology resources as a classroom teacher. Each day I'm so grateful for technology and learning to be tech savvy because I constant rely on online ideas for lesson plans etc... I believe with the lack of funds GDOE has to offer on curriculum, sometimes no updated textbooks for student use. It explains why we continue to have many more other problems that arise within our system. Learning how to be more effective as a classroom teacher and being able to learn more technology can enhance effective teaching techniques. Technology also improves student test scores and comprehension.

Taking this class allows me to access and learn more especially on the five modules taught in Gateway to Technology. Here's hoping the GDOE system will strive to make technology a high priority for everyone to explore.

Wow! Just recently this past school year, I had a great experience and example with teaching & technology while using the website: http://www.ixl.com/ for my students learning math and allowing parents to be involved to part take to monitor their child's progress. This process allowed me to communicate more with my parents to assist me in the learning process of their child. The constant preparation and monitoring allowed me to guide and assist students to prepare for a pre & post test.

Thanks to Gateway to Technology for teaching me how to simplify my teaching career. I'm excited to learn more tricks for the trade.

Flashback

The record player, tape recorder, walk man, disc man, boom box, pager, walkie talkie, phone booth, rotary phone, not so smart phones, type writers, overhead projectors, desktop computers, etc...do you remember some of these devices? Do you remember asking yourself, "how can technology get any better than this?" Well it has and will continue to evolve every day that goes by. We can either sit back in amazement or educate ourselves and move forward with it!

I personally thank God for Smart phones and the World Wide Web. Communication between family and friends, both near and far, has never been so easy! From free long-distance video calls through Skype to free text messaging through Whatsapp (yeah...I like free stuff), I'm pretty confident most of you would agree with me if I say today's technology is actually pretty cool.

On a more professional note, through the use of my Smart phone, I can access my email at any given time, type up my homework for Gateway to Technology class, communicate with parents, collaborate with teachers, research, find resources, create important documents, play games, listen to music, read the bible, and go on facebook...(I can be professional on facebook =P)

So how has technology (Smart phones and internet) solved my problems? I no longer have to always wait until I'm at home, in front of my laptop to accomplish what needs to be done.

It's strange to think that in the past years we were able to function without cell phones, Smart phones, and the internet. Now it's hard to imagine life without it. =) Shall I dare ask the question, "How can technology get any better than this?"?