I. 5 THINGS THAT MADE ME THINK

1. MANY of the podcasts. I had never listened to podcasts before this class. I have found several that I enjoy. I am sure I will use these as valuable free resource as I teach. I will use them to help me find new tools to use in my classroom. I was amazed to hear the things that are being done in schools and I want to be one of those innovative teachers.

2. Basically all the things we did. I really hadn’t used any of the tools that we did and probably wouldn’t have taken the time, or had the courage to try them on my own. I really enjoyed voicethread, letterpop, and the online calendar. I’m sure I will use these in some way in the future.

3. Forcing myself out of my comfort zone. This class made me realize that I can do this stuff. It can be very time consuming, but I think that will improve if I just continue to try. It can be hard with my time constraints to make myself do these things, but I learned that it can be do able and it is good for me. I want to keep trying new technology and to get better at the things we did in class.

4. Using eZediaQTI2. I would have never sought out this kind of software. At first it was very overwhelming, but as I worked on the projects I caught on quickly. I wouldn’t be scared to try to use it for my classroom.

5. This page. I never would have dreamed I would have a blog. It’s definitely a tool I want to use with my class. I heard so many podcasts with good ideas on using blogs. I like them because students are writing without realizing they are working on their writing skills.

Basically this whole class was new to me. I have to admit I was very overwhelmed a lot, but the information was good.

II. TOOLS I WILL CONTINUE TO USE IN THE FUTURE AND WHY

l. Letterpop – What a great way to do cool newsletter to keep the communication between school and home going.

2. Voicethread- I can think of many neat ways to use this in my classroom. Kids will love doing these projects over paper and pencil.

3. WordPress- I want to use blogging in my classroom to get students to read what their peers think and to get them writing. I think they will enjoy it more than pencil paper journaling. Plus it might be fun to have parents participate to get a form of interaction going.

4. Some form of online calendar. I think it would be a great classroom tool. I also think I will use it personally for my family that way each of us can add and access from where ever we are.

5. A website. I don’t think I will keep the one I did for class. Now I know I can do it. This one is ok but I would hope that I can do better. I do think it would a great tool to use to communicate with parents.

III. TOOLS I WILL USE PERSONALLY OUTSIDE OF MY CLASSROOM

1. The online calendar- As I said before, it will be nice for my family. Everyone can add things and see what others have going on. It has to be better then everyone having a separate schedule.

2. AIM or some form of IM-it can be handier than email when you are online at the same time.

3. Voicethread-I want to put some family pictures up and have my parents narrate for my kids.

IV. MY FAVORITE PODCAST PRESENTER AND WHY

1. WES FRYER!!!!! I was just constantly amazed at the innovative ideas he and his guests had. The only problem is they could be lengthy. I like 20-30 min. The longer ones were ok in the car but at home I like the shorter ones.

2. Kevin Honeycutt– He had some OUTSTANDING guests. He was good to return questions I had. I ordered a book and dvd because of one guest. I checked out many websites and got some great info from him. I also liked his outlook on life.

V. CLASSMATES WEBSITES

1. Denise Seimens: Basically because it is awesome!! As all her work is. I liked the art aspect of it. It is very esthetically pleasing.

2. Marci Edgington: I LOVED her graphics. They were very warm and pleasing esp. for lower elementary. They made you feel welcome . I also liked the sayings and poems she used.

3. Joleen Schoenthaler: Again I really liked the graphics. They were cute and made the site feel comfortable and welcoming.

Looking at the websites made me realize how pathetic mine is. I hope I can learn from my classmates and improve.

VI. REFLECTIONS ON MY WEBSITE

What I like about my site is that its done and I did it!! At first I was very overwhelmed but just jumped in. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It did take a lot of time, but I would hope with practice that would get better. I would like to get better backgrounds and graphics. I also think it will be easier when I have real classroom info and not hypothetical info. I do want to have a website. Mainly I want to just do better at tweaking and adding more things. Overall, I am glad that I was able to complete it. I do think there is room for improvement, but I think that will come.

URL: www.ginaaurand.net