Google docs

Google docs was very helpful in many ways. It's a great way to save original documents that need to be uploaded at a later date. It's a better way than emailing documents to yourself which I have done in the past. Going forward, I will always use google docs for saving information. I had a few problems with google docs, but figured out where I went wrong. I had a problem because I tried to download my file first instead of uploading it in google sites. Now that I have figured out this little piece of information, I feel very confident using google docs. I will definitely use this in the classroom saving tests, quizzes, and homework packets. This tool has made my life a lot easier.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this class because it taught me so many things I did not know about technology. I feel that my knowledge about technology was lower than most people before I took this class. Hopefully, I can now teach what I have learned to other teachers and students. Most of these tools that we have learned about are very new to me. I have struggled to catch on with some, while others have been really easy to understand. I believe that I will be using some of this material in my own classroom. I am going to make sure that I keep familiarizing myself with the tools I know I will use. Overall, tpte 486 has been very helpful for me as I continue on my teacher journey.

Glogster

Google Forms

Google forms is a great tool for teachers to gather data. I thought was a very easy program to use as well. Google forms can be used for tests and quizzes also. The best quality of this program is being able to create questions and see the results right there in front of you. There are many different formats for the questions. The only problem I saw was that once the questions were created and saved, you could not see them any more. The only thing I could see were the answers submitted. I think this is not only a good tool for teachers, but also a good teaching tool for students. You could show the students the answers they selected as a practice test. The students can also learn about mean and standard deviation from this program.

Smilebox

Free newsletter made with Smilebox

Smilebox is tool that is very easy to use. There are a number of different backgrounds and themes to choose from. I did not have any trouble using this program. The only problem I have with Smilebox is that it seems to me that this would be used for an elementary school class. I don't know that I would ever use this in a high school classroom. The only time I could ever see a high school class using this would be presenting a project. I do not think I would ever use this in presenting material in the classroom.

The Best Dog in the World

This video was fun to create and learn about. I felt like the uploading the photos and resizing them in picasso was very easy for the first time. I am finally getting familiar with picasso. The only problem I had was finding my original document when I was posting this to my website. I saved it in google docs, however, when I uploaded it my pictures were not there. I learned that it is possible to get free music off of the internet without violating any copy rights. I never knew that was possible before now. Although my video was about my dog, this is something that can be used in the classroom. Students can do videos on projects that we learn in any math class. However, I feel Geometry would be the best class to use this program. We have so many projects involving real world experiences.

Spread Sheet

The spread sheet is a good tool for classroom use. I found it difficult at first to minimize the question to where it fit on the page. There were also a lot of little technical difficulties I ran across while making my spreadsheet. There are so many different tools that are available, and it makes it difficult sometimes to find exactly what you are looking for. I am getting more comfortable using the tools now. I believe the more time I spend using the tools, the more comfortable I will become. This is definitely something that I will be able to implement in my classroom. The only thing that I need to do is get more comfortable using excel.

Inspiration

Inspiration is a great way to organize ideas and thoughts. I believe this is also a good tool to use in the classroom for many reasons. I can use this to map out a chapter before we start. Students would benefit from seeing the chapter broken down into different categories. Concept maps are very useful to introduce new topics. I found that inspiration was very easy to use. I picked up on all of the tools fairly quickly. I feel comfortable with this program, and feel that I could use this anytime. Inspiration will be something that I will feel comfortable using in the classroom.

Scavenger Hunt slideshows

I really enjoyed learning about pictures. There are so many things that I didn't know how to do. I never knew that you could change the pixels in a picture to make it sharper. I didn't even know how to upload pictures to make a slide show. The scavenger hunt was a great way to learn how to do all of these things. I learned that you can take a picture down to 96 pixels, and then make it 6 by 8. After doing this the picture looks very sharp and clear. This is also a great project to implement in a classroom. I have taken pictures of vocabulary words from geometry. This is a great way for students to actually get a real-life picture of the definition.

My math wordle

Wordle was fun to learn about! I never knew there was anything that would create interesting designs out of words you type in. I had fun with wordle for a few hours creating different ideas. This is something that I feel I could use in the classroom, especially in geometry. I feel like geometry is a subject that requires a lot of memorizing definitions and key words. This would be a great way to design the start of a lesson. It would also be beneficial to teach the students how to use this program as well. There are a lot of students that love creativity, and this would be a good way to help them memorize words or phrases.

Reflection of Website

This website can be a great tool to use in an Algebra 1 class.  Discovery Ed was put in to place to measure standards.  It is something that every Algebra 1 teacher should try.  The only problem with this site would be access to a user name and password.  If someone teaches Algebra 1, Biology, or English 1 in the state of Tennessee, they will be given a user name and password.  It would also be very beneficial for teachers to take a class to learn how to use all of the features in Discovery Ed.  I highly recommend this website.

Introduction

I hope this class will give me the knowledge I need to use technology in the classroom.  I have used limited technology so far as a teacher.  I have always wanted to do more, but feel that I am not capable of using more technology.  I would like to learn different ways to use the computer to effectively teach my students.  Finding different websites for the math program will be very useful.  I am also excited about learning how to use a blog.