Reflection

What key learnings from this course do you plan to utilize when you student teach or teach?
I think an important thing that I learned was how to use technology to add to a lesson to make it more effective. I'm really not very technologically savy so I was kinda opposed to the idea of using technology. Being in the class however gave me a little insight of how technology can be more beneficial to learning. One thing that I would use would be wordles. I think wordles are great for introductions and getting to know students but also for students to to get to know another. Wordles can also be used for learning in content areas. They can be used for different areas and different topics, they can be flexible and fun for students to create. Even little things like wordles can add something more to a lesson. Providing students activities to get them actively engaged in learning.
A WebQuests was another great example of how to incorporate the use of technology into a classroom to support a lesson. Creating a WebQuest helped to understand completely how to construct one that would be beneficial to the content that I would be possibly teaching in the future. Presenting them in class allowed everyone to see how they were differently used which helped to spark more ideas. WebQuests can be a great add on to a lesson but its important that it matches the lesson that you are teaching and that the objectives are met. Technology activities like a WebQuest are only beneficial to learning if it is used to support a lesson.
Another thing that I learned was through our presentations in class what as teachers we can use without violating copyright laws. This was an important topic to discuss because to be honest I didn't know what we can or cant do. Being aware that there is leeway and what are the basic rules was a good thing that we went over. When using technology like videos or movie clips I know what I can show with in those guidelines.
By taking this class I think I am more open to using technology in the classroom. When used in the right way it can really make learning active and engaging. It also keeps the attention of students and get them excited about learning.

WebQuest Presentations

The presentations of the WebQuests today in class were really creative and everyone had such different ideas. It got me thinking that technology isn't just used for research or presentations, it can really be used to tap into a new type of education. There were so many interesting ideas that were presented about how they were going to use the Webquest in the classroom to make a lesson more interactive. Most of the ones shared were so creative but they also served a purpose. I know with making my webquest I was afraid that it would just turn into students sitting at computers duing research and just answering the questions to get done. I felt that if I was going to intergrate technology into the classroom that it should be encouraging to learn and to engage students. That it isn't just busy work for them. I really liked how some of the Webquests dealt with real world things. The students can relate to the subject and they know how this is beneficial to them.
By doing the Webquest project myself I was really able to see how it can really add more to a lesson. The students become more engaged and actually want to learn. It is easy for a WebQuest to become pointless busy work and that students will regret it more than just having a regular lecture or test. The challenge with WebQuests is to keep them engaging but simple. The students should clearly understand what you expect from them in every aspect of it. Sometimes that is really hard to do. Directions and rubrics are key.