Blog Post 14 and 15- That's A Wrap!

We were asked to reflect on what we believe our strengths and weaknesses are going to be when entering the world of being an educator. I have exactly two years until I am a graduate from the University of South Alabama to become prepared for my endeavors as a future educator. One of my strengths, I believe, is that I am very accepting and willing to learn about new technologies out there to help further education. I honestly like the change that is happening within the world of education, and I believe this quality will allow me to find innovative and interesting ways to teach my students. A weakness I could see myself having when it comes to PBLs in the classroom is being innovative with the PBLs I choose. I would be nervous that the project I would decide to do would not actually be effective and the students wouldn't learn the material.

Some final uses of technologies that were introduced with us included QR Codes. QR Codes can be used as a tape recorder. Teachers can record their voice for students, as well as students can record their own voice for themselves as well. The teacher can essentially become a personal tutor for the student this way. After recording, you can turn the recording into a URL, this way it is accessible to all students.

Three helpful classroom tools that are good for reading include Ipad Centers, Poplet Centers, and the Alabama Virtual Library. In an Ipad Center, students can record themselves reading, after reading the child listens with the recording and makes sure he or she did not make any errors upon reading the first time. This allows self correction for the student. Poplet is an app you can download to Ipads. First, students are to choose a book, and once they have done that they can use the app to add pictures, information, and text to create a digital bubble map to use as a visual tool for their reading. Also, the Alabama Virtual Library is an app students can also download onto their app Ipads. The student is then able to type in a word, then the student is read, by the app, an introduction and facts to whatever the word they typed in.

Also, we were to watch a video instructing how to make an Imovie relevant within the classroom. I personally loved using Imovie for the book trailer we made in an earlier assignment. It is definitely something I would incorporate into my classroom as an English teacher. The fact that students as young as six years old are able to use it is truly amazing, and says something about the correlation between upcoming generations and technology. A final type of app we learned about was Discovery Education Board Builder this is an app students are able to use to create their own educational board, they are able to add pictures, facts, and links from Discovery Education to their board. This can be used as a study technique for themselves or shared amongst their peers.

One of the final videos we watched was an interview directed by Dr. Strange about Twitter For Educators In this video, it was discussed how Twitter is changing the way teachers are learning. Through sites like twitter and technology, we all become learners. Education is no longer just a teacher teaching a students, but now everyone, including teachers, are able to now become full time learners. Everyone can learn something from everyone.