Blog #4: Wiki's and WebQuests

I have learned much over the past two assignments. The first one that I would like to discuss is the Wiki page that we had to create.  I feel like a wiki page would be an interesting assignment for the students to use during the class.  I felt like this assignment was a unique way of including the class and a very good way of engaging them.  If you made creating a wiki page a project the students would enjoy it because it gives them something else to do as opposed to copying down notes off of a PowerPoint.  I feel like many history classes today get involved with death by the PowerPoint and it bores the students who actually want to learn. 

The other tool we used was the WebQuest.  The WebQuest is something I may end up using in the future in my classroom.  It was an easy tool to use while giving directions and it makes it easier for the students because it is on the Internet.  If a student wanted to work on a project while at home they would not have to worry about a piece of paper with the directions on it because they would be able to access it on the internet whenever they needed it. I enjoyed this assignment and thought it was the best one if the class.

Blog #3: Making Movies and PowerPoints

So far I have found this class to be the most educational out of any of the Ashland classes I have taken thus far.  I believe that the technologies that we have used and been shown how to develop have been fun and interactive for me as a student. I believe that it will be even more fun for students if we as teachers are able to get away from PowerPoint teaching.  One of my favorite activities we did this time around was the movies for the classroom activity.  I really get into the movie making ideas and I believe that it would be fun to let your students participate as well.  I think the students would enjoy making their own classroom movie on a certain topic.  It could be used as a project for the students to teach one another and make things a little different then a typical classroom.  I also liked the PowerPoint activity.  I am still getting used to how to effectively use PowerPoint in the classroom so this activity gave me a much better grasp on how to use it.  Although, I would not consider myself a PowerPoint wiz by any means, being shown how to insert different things into a PowerPoint to skip to certain slides was a tool I will most likely use in the future.  The one activity I did not get much out of or really think  I would use is the Google spreadsheet.  It had some good functions such as setting up a grade book but I think I would probably stick to Microsoft Excel when it comes to doing my grades.  It wasn’t a bad activity I just don’t believe I would get much use out of it.

 

Blog #2: What Have I Been Learning

Since my last post we have used one of my favorite resources yet, Kidspiration and Inspiration! I have used Inspiration before and I believe it is a very neat tool that can be used in the classroom. It gives the students a interactive graphic organizer that can be helpful for those students who are more hands on like myself.  For any lesson that I would like to teach instead of using a boring powerpoint to highlight the material I could use Inspiration and turning my powerpoint in to a web. Also, if I would like to use it as a worksheet for the students to fill out I can fill in as much information as I would like and leave the rest blank for the students to finish.

We also learned how to use Google spreadsheets which was a pretty neat tool. I had a little bit of trouble learning how to use it but it seemed like a simple way to keep track of grades for your class. I have never been one with numbers so it was easy to use when it came down to adding formulas because they were already embedded in the system for the most part.  I don't know if I will use Google spreadsheets in the future but it is something that I should be familiar with in-case I do ever need it for something.

Blog #1: Thoughts on Interactive Posters and Web 2.0

So far I have learned a lot about different types of technology in the classroom.  We have used Web 2.0 and Interactive Posters to begin to develop our understanding of the different ways to integrate technology in to our curriculum.  I would have to say that out of the two tools we have used so far I enjoyed the Interactive Poster the most.  The Interactive Poster was the easiest to use and provides the teacher with many different accessories to use with the format.  It was simple to post videos and I thought it was really neat how easy it was to put audio on the page. As a history teacher there have been many famous speeches that have been delivered and I think students would like the idea of listening to audio because it is something different.  Web 2.0 was also unique because it allows you to create many different formats for different sections of your class.  It too was easy to access and I could see Web 2.0 taking over the place of PowerPoint.  It is interactive and gives a different look then the boring layout of PowerPoint.  I think it would get students more involved in the learning process in the classroom to use both these features much more.  So far I have enjoyed the tools we have used and I will undoubtedly be using them to some affect in my own classroom.

About the Author

My name is Corey Taylor and I am currently studying to become a high school history teacher.  It has been a long and adventurous road for me. I did my undergrad at the University of Kentucky where I started out with a major in business. After I found out that I hated math I figured I should change my major. I decided to switch to secondary education.  I come from an entire family of educators and since I enjoy helping people and talking to people I thought education was the right fit for me.  I chose history because frankly it was what I was best at in school and I have a strong interest in it.  It took me four and a half years to get through my undergrad and I graduated from Kentucky in December of 2010.  Kentucky requires you to go to their grad school in order to get your teaching license. One because they want more of your money and also because I believe you have to stay and teach in Kentucky for a minimum of two years. I now live at home in Elyria and am currently coaching baseball, soccer and basketball at Elyria Catholic High School. Sports have always been a passion of mine.  I am a huge baseball fan and I bleed Kentucky blue when it comes to college basketball season. I hope you all enjoy the insights that I have throughout this class!