Blog Journal 3

ELA Technology

Of all of the technology standards presented in the ELA Standards and Technology Matrix (Grade 2) table, I would be most prepared to teach using the SmartBoard or Promethean. I have visited the Tech Sandbox a couple of times and learned how I can utilize various tools and features that the SmartBoard/Promethean have. However, I am most comfortable with the SmartBoard because the Promethean seems a little more outdated. I am also comfortable using the Wordsmyth when finding ways to explain and present different versions and meanings of words. The technology I need to familiarize myself with more is StoryJumper and MyStorybook.com. I have never used these before but I do see how they can be useful for things like presenting a specific text, creating an audio recording of a book, and creating visuals. I also need to learn more about pixlr. I do not know how often I would need to use something like this but, it does seem like a great tool and came come in handy with creating beautiful and useful graphics.

CPALMS Educator Toolkit

One CPALMS Educator resource I would use is the STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity. With this resource comes a variety of activities and experiments the students can participate in that directly relate to them and encompass several subject areas in one. For example, the "Pop, Pop, Pop!" Lesson Plan allows the students to work both independently and collaboratively. With this lesson, the students will "utilize mathematical computation skills and knowledge of the effects of sugar and caffeine on their health to decide which soft drinks should be removed from vending machines to keep the school compliant with the Healthy School grant" (cpalms.org). It calls for the utilization of several technological devices/programs such as computers, interactive whiteboards, and Microsoft Office. It incorporates Science, Social Studies, Mathematics and Language Arts. It also is a great way to pin-point a specific issue that affects students on a local and national scale. This resource can alleviate so much stress from teachers and give them effective ways to implement STEM topics in the classroom.

Newsletter

Working on the newsletter was an eye-opening experience. It made me realize how much I am already familiar with on Microsoft Word. I liked using the Word Art, images, page color, and page border features. They all added some dimension to the newsletter. However, there were some things that were challenging. I struggled with getting the 2-column feature to work properly and finding where it would be most effective to use it. I also had some trouble incorporating the hyperlink and getting it to direct to the correct website. Next time I do something like this, I will make sure to utilize my space better. There were some places where I could of added more useful information instead of a graphic. I also think I could have been a little more creative with the layout of the newsletter. One major thing I learned was that it is not a good idea to create something on a Mac and then transfer it over to a PC. I ran into an issue with this because when I transferred it, the entire layout and format of the newsletter changed and I had to alter/fix almost everything on the pages. For my future in education, I have learned that implementing something like a newsletter can be very useful in the classroom. It is a creative and personalized way that I, as a teacher, can reach my students and their parents to let them know what is going on in the classroom.

References:

http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/73479

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