Check In

In TPTE class thus far, I am learning more about technology than I would have expected! In the first few weeks of class I thought that at the speed we are going we will run out of things to talk about. Now, I am beginning to think that not even a semester is long enough to review all the tools on the web. I am thoroughly enjoying the class and am excited about the new things I will learn in the future. I just hope I can remember it all!

Quest of Webs

This past week, we did an activity on WebQuests! I had never heard of a WebQuest before, but I really enjoyed critiquing a few examples with other students in my class.  As we reviewed various sites, I noticed a couple things that set WebQuests apart from each other.  First, is organization of the site.  WebQuests are so useful because they provide all the directions, links, and tools that one needs to research a topic and accomplish an activity . However, if the objectives and instructions of the activity are disorganized, this process becomes much more difficult.  The layout of the site is very important as well.  Even simple things like colors and pictures when you first visit a site are so influential in your perceptions of it.

I could definitely see myself using WebQuests in a Science Classroom.  There are many biological concepts that relate to issues going on in the world today such as genetic engineering, gene cloning, etc. A WebQuest would help students become familiar with topics like these while learning about the biological processes behind them and then formulating their own opinion about them.  Similarly, WebQuests would help organize group activities and discussion with other students that would aid in their understanding.  By creating my own WebQuest or utilizing one from the internet, there are many ways that this web 2.0 tool could be used in the classroom.

The next time I am searching for a specific WebQuest to use in an activity, I will be aware of sites like QuestGarden where they are organized into various subject areas.  I will know how to critique a specific WebQuest through the site evaluation that we completed in my TPTE class. I will know that it is important for there to be an author, reliable contact information, and consistent revisions made to the site. 

Website Evaluating

This past week I evaluated a site called Cells Alive which has multiple demonstrations, animations, and models representing various cellular structures and processes.  A few of my favorite interactive tools are the model of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell as well as the demonstration of mitosis and meiosis. I appreciate that you can watch the process as a whole or focus in on one particular step.  I can really see myself utilizing a site such as Cells Alive in the classroom.  It is so important for students to study the particular parts, steps, and functions of cellular processes through scientific resources such as textbooks, articles, and lectures.  However, allowing students to visually see these processes often helps incorporate all that information.

This activity taught me various practical ways to evaluate a website that can be used in the classroom.  I learned that it is important for there to be contact information on the site as well as an author.  Having the credentials of the author posted helps the reader to know that the information on the site is reliable.  Also, as technology is always changing, it is important that the site is consistently under revision so that information is portrayed in a current and applicable way.  Finally, I learned that the most successful sites are those that are user-friendly to various age levels.  I appreciate that the Cells Alive is not difficult to navigate with clearly identified links and headings on the side of the page. 

Overall, this activity was very beneficial for me as a future educator. In the "Internet Age" that we live in where information can be so instantly accessed, I must be able to decipher between valuable and invaluable sources.  This activity provided me with questions to ask concerning various websites which will be beneficial as I conduct my own online research and as I teach my students how to conduct theirs. 

Picky Wiki

This week, we created our first Wiki! I had never used a Wiki before, but I am continually amazed by the various tools that can be utilized on the internet.  There are many benefits of a Wiki which include creating a glossary, working on group projects, composing a study guide, peer editing, making a calendar, and organizing data.  I really enjoyed the All About Me Wiki through PBworks because it is an organized way to read information about the other students in class.  This would be a great way for students to introduce themselves in a class setting. You could also have students post on their Wiki page but present another student's Wiki so that they would become more familiar with the students in the class.

While there are many benefits to using Wikis, I do think that the site could be more user friendly.  It was more difficult for me to figure out how to set up my page initially than it was to use sites like GoogleDocs.  There are many tools that I do not think I would know how to use if my professor did not show us in class.  I enjoyed the KWLS chart because it allowed me to really process what I had learned about the activity and what I still had questions about.  The YouTube video that we watched called "Wikis in Plain English" was a great, concise summary of why Wikis are useful.

If I were to utilize a Wiki again in my classroom, I think I would create a glossary page and have students post various new vocabulary that they learned. For example, after a lesson on the parts of the cell, students could individually post the name of the organelle and its structure and function.  If a student sees that someone wrote something incorrect or lacks information, they can fix it for them.  Overall, I think Wikis can be very useful in the classroom, and I am looking forward to gaining more experience to boost my confidence with using them.

A Technological Journey

This semester I hope to become more comfortable and familiar with using technology personally and professionally.  I know that as I grow more confident using technology as a means of learning in my own life, the better I will be able to utilize it in my classroom.  I am especially excited to learn how to use software programs such as Excel to better organize my own information as well as create graphs and diagrams for students. Likewise, I am so interested to learn about Smartboards because they have become very popular in Deaf Schools being that they are so interactive.  I am looking forward to continually seeing the benefits with educational blogging as well as creating a website for students and their families.  I hope to learn about the advantages and disadvantages to using texting in the classroom and any success that teachers have seen with it.  I am curious to see the function of podcasts and web streaming in the classroom to connect students with skilled teachers and various lessons.  I feel most comfortable using Powerpoint, Word, and various online resources, but I know there is so much more of technology to be explored! I am thankful to be on the journey. 

Lets Talk About Me.

I am a senior at the University of Tennessee studying Deaf Education and Biology.  I was born and raised in Franklin, TN and am a graduate of Brentwood Academy. I love all the music, good restaurants, and coffee shops of Nashville and yet the small-town feel as well.  In elementary school, learning sign language became a fun hobby of mine, but over the years, it has grown into a deep admiration for the Deaf community.  I never would have thought that I would like Biology much less be passionate about teaching it.  Nevertheless, my freshman Biology courses revealed my desire to understand the processes and structures involved in everyday life. When it came to choosing a licensure area, I was hesitant to choose Science because of the rigor and difficulty I knew it would bring. However, I think it is so important to be passionate about what I will teach so I know the hard work and stress are completely worth it.  Next year, I will be interning at Tennessee School for the Deaf as well as the Deaf Education program at West High School. I am thrilled at the thought of the experiences and opportunities I will gain there and cannot wait to see my progress as an educator and always a student.