It's hard to find a starting point in listing my goals. Recently I attended a meeting at my son's school where the PTA president was saying that the PTA was able to purchase smartboards for every classroom. I had to pretend I knew what that was! Later that day, my son explained it to me and I googled it for more information. I would like to be knowledgeable in the appropriate uses of smartboards in the classroom. I want to be relevant in the way I teach. I also not only need but desperately want to be able to put together PowerPoint presentations. My husband says I'll think it's easy to do but I think he is greatly overestimating my ability to do anything on the computer. I think PowerPoint presentations come in handy in a variety of forums not to mention in classrooms. While part of me really wants to say that I never want to be able to blog or form a wiki I am strapping on some enthusiasm. After reading some of the links provided in the Blog module I can see how teachers can really use these formats to disperse all the information their students could possibly need. I can see myself using this as a way for my parents to stay connected and consistently updated on what their children are accomplishing while in my care. I feel that my son has made great strides this year because I can supplement what he is learning in kindergarten thanks to his teacher's weekly newsletters letting us know exactly which sight words they are working on and which math skills, etc. If there had been a format like this at his preschool I could have been a much more helpful resource to him. A PowerPoint presentation could be helpful in teaching those parents who are interested in learning how to access wiki links and blogs. I know just enough to know that the possiblities are endless. I am currently able to e-mail like a madwoman and facebook if that helps the reader in understanding just how long this list could be. I make simple charts on Word and call them spreadsheets so I feel smart. I guess I should consider spreadsheets another goal. These could come in handy not just for professional purposes but for personal uses as well.
I put this Blog excercise off for as long as I could. I am so intimidated and overwhelmed by this class already. I want to say this was easy enough but perhaps I should wait to see if I did it correctly!
Danielle:
ReplyDeleteYou did created the blog and posted your first post correctly! Sometimes, I think we make things harder than they really are because we are afraid of the unknown. How do you think understanding how scared you were is similar to your students or your son when you give them/him something totally new to do?
You had a great blog post! I can really tell that you have been reading and getting into the technology realm! Good luck this semester!
ReplyDeleteI thought the idea of a blog is a great way to keep parents connected and updated. A lot of times we have events in our classroom or at school and the parents cannot come because of work. It would be nice for them to be able to see what there child is so excited about. Like using the smartboart!
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ReplyDeleteDr. Keesee,
ReplyDeleteI know exactly how my fear of the unknown is similar to that of my students' and my son's. Even grown-ups would like to stomp their feet and scream, "But I don't want to." I always tell my son we have to do homework right away because there's no point in delaying the inevitable. That's easy for me to say: I already know all of his sight words! I know that I was really just postponing the inevitable when it came to a lot of technology, including blogs.