Has anyone ever been to Wordle.net? (http://www.wordle.net/) It's a neat tool to make word clouds. I thought I would share it. You can put in your own words, pate the link of a web page that has an RSS feed, or enter a delicious user name to get their tags. Once your cloud is created, you can edit the style of it, such as the font color and type. They can be printed out or saved to Wordle. This could be a good activity to do with your class. You might use it for vocabulary words, key words to a chapter you are reading, or for review. It just seems like a fun alternative to regular class work. Check it out!

You may be able to see mine better at this link (http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/784072/Teaching_Blog)
I used my blog address to make this one.

*Final Reflection for Integrating Technology Class*

After completing the course, "Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society," I feel that I am more aware of how much of an impact technology can have on learning and what advantages there are to using it. This was also the first class that is directly related to the specialization I chose, so it made me more enthused to continue this program. This is just the beginning of learning how much I can do with technology in my own classroom!

This course also helped me to develop my own technology skills because I learned several new things and got to experiment with different tools that I haven't used before. Some of these were creating a wiki, blog, and podcast. Doing these assignments helped me to realize all of the different ways that these tools could be used in a classroom. I think it is important for a teacher to first have experience with technology that they would be using in their classroom. We learn by being involved in things. Technology brings a new excitement to teaching. There are so many more possibilities.

My knowledge of teaching and the learning process has definitely been deepened. Learning today is way more project-based. Students are taking more control of their learning. I've learned that the role of a teacher has morphed into more of a facilitator. This course has also opened my eyes to just how much students are doing outside of the classroom that isn't reflected inside the classroom. There are so many times in schools that technology has been seen as bad or as a distraction to learning. In a DVD presentation, "Bringing the Fun into Teaching with Technology," a teacher, Houston, stated that we should look at the ways technology can be beneficial and I agree with that.

I have definitely seen that learning today is more learner-centered. Before all of this technology was available, a teacher was the main source of information. Today, that has changed. Students now have access to all kinds of information, usually immediately. Students bring ideas to the classroom and it is our job to show them how to sort out, organize, and evaluate them.

I will continue to build on my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology to increase student achievement. One way I can do this is to continue to stay updated on current technology and to make sure that I involve myself in my own learning process. I'm not going to be afraid to try new things. I was a little nervous about creating a podcast for this class, but in the end found out that it was a fun process and that there were many ways pod casts could be used in the classroom. The process of making a podcast has many steps, which require planning and organization. I think by keeping myself updated and willing to try new things, it will help increase student achievement by breaking down the walls of the classroom. I will be able to connect what students are learning in school with what they are learning out of it. Also, students will be able to learn about things that are interesting to them as individuals.

Two goals that I would set for myself long term would be to collaborate with other professionals in my field about best practices for using technology in the classroom to enhance my own professional growth and to put into use some of the strategies I have learned in my own classroom. For the first goal, I plan on talking more with teachers I work with and also looking out into the global community. This course has helped informed me of more ways to seek out professional blogs, wikis, and more that are related to specific things that I am interested in. I could talk to teachers from different areas just to get input on how they do things and what works for them and what doesn't. I have already started to do that right here through my online class at Walden. :) As for the second goal, I do not have my own classroom right now being that I am a Teacher's Assistant. I will continue to pursue a teaching position and I feel that being involved in and completing this Masters program will help set me apart from other applicants. I have gained so many great ideas from just this course alone and I plan on implementing them as soon as possible.

Podcast Assignment: Technology Survey

For this assignment, I interviewed three teachers at my school and asked them different questions relating to the types of technology that they use. I was unable to interview our students because most students that I work with are non verbal. All teachers I interviewed are female. Their ages range from 24-60. Their teaching experience ranges from seven months to 38 years. I enjoyed doing this assignment because I got to try something new myself and I also got input from my colleagues about how they feel about technology and what they would like to see more of.

The questions I asked were:
1.) How much time do you spend using technology on a daily basis in relation to school-related activities or work?
2.) What kind of access do you have to different kinds of technology in your school/home environment?

3.) How interested are you in learning how to use new technologies in the classroom/personal use? What kinds of technology?