10

Working on an interactive powerpoint sounded really fun from the beginning. Then I really delved into it and confused myself. I wanted to be able to build an entire powerpoint in the form of a game show on my own. If I had more time on my hands, outside of school, I may have been able to do that. Since I didn't have the extra time to focus on it like I would have liked to, I ended up finding a template online and all I had to do was tweak a few components and add my questions and answers. I think I'd definitely use this kind of template again. I made a review game for 5th graders leaving the classroom for summer. The creator of this template definitely had a lot of time on his/her hands.
Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?

I might use data collection tools to survey my students and let them tell me how comfortable they are with a certain subject. It could be as short as one question rating the familiarity of the kids with a certain chapter in math before the test. I feel like my students would appreciate the anonymity of an online survey since there are many worries of judgment in a situation like that. I could use different types of data collection tools, such as a simple notebook and pen to monitor the progress of my students.

My favorite blog posts were the Slideshare Powerpoint tips we all posted. Those are much easier to pay attention to than reading a long, boring, drawn out list of ways to spice up a presentation. I had never used or heard of Slideshare until that day in class and now I feel like I see it everywhere. They're a great tool for keeping mundane information interesting.

In addition to everything I've learned this semester, I'd like to learn how to set up a video conference and what tools and tricks to use in order to maximize effectiveness. It would be nice to be able to use that to contact people in situations I could use for my classroom. In high school, my Marine Biology teacher set up a video conference with some of NOAA's affiliates who were researching in another country. That was really great because we got to ask some questions to people directly involved in marine biology. That was a great experience and I could see doing that with my students- having them video chat with authors or scientists to have different concepts explained in a way that my lack of hands-on experience wouldn't allow me to explain them. It could also make it easier to set up a quick parent-teacher conference.

As I grow older, I don't want to become like some of the technologically impaired teachers that I've had over the years. I think the most important part of achieving any tech goals would be to keep up. I'm aiming to become at least acquainted with all the new technology as it comes out. The easiest way to fall behind is to be uninvolved and uninterested in what's up-and-coming. I plan to use seminars, classes and resources like the Tech Sandbox to stay in the loop and make sure I never become a disconnected teacher.