~ChApter 4~

In chapter 4, there are many technical things about using computers and what they can or cannot do. This was a very interesting chapter, because I learned many new things about the computer that I use every day. (Who knows, maybe I will become a little more computer literate in the lingo dept). Input devices are a common storage unit. They perhaps have taken over the out dated floppy disks in many ways, more commonly known as the USB ports or memory sticks. These are a more convienent and smaller way to store your files, and move from computer to computer. In the output world of things, printers, fax machines, speakers and headsets also help make our life alot easier. It is quicker to fax a document straight from your computer to the guys across town rather than mail it to them, and it is also a lot quicker AND more convienent to print something out in 10 seconds rather than write a 5 page paper by hand. The storage on your computer also has alot to do with how fast your PC runs. The more memory you have used on your computer the slower it might run. On the other side the less you have saved to your PC the faster it might also run. Although the speed of your computer has to do with RAMS and MB.

Goodness! I feel overwhelmed learning about all this stuff computers have to offer! I just knew computers for what they were and not all this technical stuff! :) I just want a basic computer that goes on-line and does Word, PP, Publisher-just the basics, and I will be just fine with that! I will save all this other lingo for the computer peps!

Last class we learned about the Inspiration! software. I think that this software is a wonderful piece of programs to have. It lets you create and explore many new and exciting things for your kids and makes learning fun! Many more teachers should use this software to create their concept maps with to help their kids connect more to their lesson! This also can help keep your students attention longer so that your teaching is more effective in the end!

:ChaP 3:

The first site I explored on our interactive text book was a calendar website that showed all the important dates of history. It has many different links, with different calendar areas that can be explored. For example, they have a calendar for black history, the civil war, the space race, and many more educational calendars that can help a history teacher tremendously. The second website that I found very helpful to me is the Wordsmyth website. This can help any teacher, or in this case any student. You just type in a word, and at the click of the button you have the definition right in front of your eyes. It also gives you the synonyms and pronunciation of each word. This will help cut down time on vocabulary lessons. It will save you time in classes if you are able to have computers in your classrooms.

In the last class, I learned again a lot of new things about Microsoft Word. I was able to create a news letter that had columns, word art, backgrounds, and many other different things. This will help me a lot in my future, not only in my classroom but in my future summer jobs. In my classroom, now I will be able to send out letters to my parents, and notify them of what we are doing in the class as far as assignments in class, and outside of class.

While I was looking at all the different websites under assistive technology, I found one that really interested me. It is called Readingpen II. This website is to help children with dyslexia. It does many neat and interesting things. It can read aloud the sentences, cross reference words in the sentences that may be confusing to some children, and it also displays the text in a large print to make sure that the words are seen and this helps so that they are not mixed up by the child. This can help a teacher help that student to overcome his dyslexia. You want to help the child as much as you can and with this software, I feel that this will help that student out and give him/her more confidence in themselves.

*ChApTer 1*

Chapter one shows us many different uses for technology in the classroom & how to present it. Now days, incorporating technology into a classroom is very important. We are in a digital age & world. Kids at very young ages are being introduced to technology like educational computer games and games such as Leap Frog. Keller developed the ARCS Motivational Model which has been instrumental in the classroom. Making a child feel motivated may not always be easy. The ARCS is here to help with that. By focusing your students attention on something that is very interesting to them, it helps them to become motivated to learn that subject area. By doing this, the student is learning something that is interesting and important to them at one time. The ISTE is also another woderful orginization. The non-profit orginization helps schools locally, as well as nationally by providing up to date technology like new computers, programs, and the latest in educational break throughs with moderen technology. Teachers today should feel very lucky to have the world literally at their fingers. Computers are an amazing thing to have and help the schools out tremendously, whether with grades, transcripts, or just finding out information from the web. Technology is wonderful and helps out in a variety of ways.

Since the last class, I have learned many new skills. In Word, I learned how to move pictures around the page! (Thank goodness!) I also learned how to create tests with page breaks, graphics. That helped me alot especially the pics :) Since I do a lot with Word that is such a life saver!

I think that this class is going to teach us all alot of information that we didn't know! In this day and age since the technology is always changing, it's a good idea to take a technological class. I am excited and hopeful about what lies before us in this world of technology!