I have to admit, I have really enjoyed every activity that we have done thus far in 486. This is all so new to me, and at some times, a little fast-paced. But each activity is, in my opinion, extremely interesting and somewhat enlightening. I had no idea that these programs existed, but the possabilities they have in being used in the classroom is encouraging. I have heard of blogs, of course, but never even considered starting one. Now, I find myself checking my blog almost as often as I check my facebook profile to see if anyone has commented on a post. It is quite addicting.
Last Thursday in class, there were two activities that I feel I learned a lot from, and enjoyed. The first, was the activity that showed us how to create links. I have always wondered how to create hyperlinks by simply selecting a word or phrase in a sentence and creating a hyperlink to redirect the reader to the intended site. I thought the process would be more involved, but it is simple once you know how to do it. The other activity was the practice wiki. I cannot tell you how frustrating it was last semester to have my friends talk about their wiki while having no idea what a wiki was or what it involved. Now the mystery is revealed, and soon I will be talking about my wiki, maybe even confusing others. The cycle continues. I have a feeling that the wiki is a greatly untapped, unknown resource of the education profession.
Along the lines of what you said Jennifer, I have never seen a teacher use a wiki in the classroom. In fact, I have never witnessed teachers use any of the tools that I have seen thus far in this class, nor in other classess I have taken in the education program. I cannot imagine having veteran teachers learn to use these tools, but wonder how much more efficient instruction could be with these tools being used for lessons and assessment. I think we will have a huge advantage in our classrooms if we continue to use what we have learned, and I think the benefits for our students' will be greatly rewarding.
About Me
- Kristin Trammell
- I am a student at UT about to enter my internship year at Anderson County High school. I have a major in Geography with minors in History and Business. In addition to being a student, for the last four years I have worked at Agri Feed Pet Supply as the aquatics manager. I am extremely passionate about education and hard work. My interests include fishing, hiking, cooking, eating , reading, and movies.
Kristin,
ReplyDeleteAccording to an article I read this morning (and will probably ask you all to read, too!), the tide may be turning, regarding use of web-based tools and interactive technologies in K-12 classrooms. It is criminal that higher ed is not leading the way with this, and it is unacceptable that within the college of ed our professors are not modeling good practice with technology. I mean, they could at least use BlackBoard more effectively! I see the same problems that you see at the college level. Unacceptable.