January 27 Lecture

Last night's lecture was more my speed. I find Dr. Couros easier to understand than the speaker who lectured last week. I did find the amount of information provided was a bit overwhelming. In regard to technology I really do feel like the spoiled child at Christmas who has received a truckload of gifts. It is hard to really appreciate everything or even know where to start. I was particularly interested in the photo programs Dr. Couros mentioned because I am obsessed with taking photos of my kids. I am interested in trying out Picnik. I really do value the social networking aspects of technology. I am a Facebook addict and love how easy it is to keep up with the lives of friends and family by using this tool.

My Adventures in Technology

I am quite impressed with myself for making a video using a webcam, making it into a video on Movie Maker, and then downloading it onto YouTube. It is amazing what I am now capable of doing. I had a really hard time getting a decent video on my webcam. The lighting was terrible and the image staring back at me is the scariest version of myself I have ever seen. I had a little trouble with Movie Maker but I found YouTube to be really user friendly. Seeing my video on YouTube would have been more satisfying if I did not look like I had a mental affliction. I did not know I could look that ridiculous. I hope that very few people ever view it. Here is the link to my video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imSLycMmbWo .

My Adventures in Technology

I have successfully subscribed to Google Reader and am fairly impressed with it thus far. It is an efficient way to keep up with the blogs of others. I have posted comments on a few pages and hopefully they have all recorded. I am sure the ones I left on blogspot did but am not as familiar with the workings of wordpress. I am still procrastinating on the YouTube video. I am quite vain and being nine months pregnant with a nose that looks like it belongs to Rudolph (I have a cold) is not inspiring me to get behind a camera and post my video on an international site.

January 20 Lecture

I agree that technology is an amazing tool that can connect citizens of the world. To think that I am participating in an on-line course is something that I would have thought impossible ten years ago. I did enjoy the lecture but found some of it hard to follow. I do not speak techie and when people start using techno lingo I am often left in the dark. Hopefully this course helps me understand some of those basic terms that those who are more computer savvy than myself so casually throw around.

My Adventures in Technology

As I may have mentioned before I am a techno-novice so starting the introductory activity has been a challenge. Thank goodness for the tutorial video. After watching it 5 times I was able to complete most of the task. Now I have enough wiki skill that I can teach my husband, and fellow classmate, how to complete the activity. Knowing more about technology than someone else is a new feeling for me and quite empowering. I am now ready to tackle embedding my video on YouTube.

***All of my entries titled "My Adventures in Technology" are where I documented how I developed personal learning environments and networks during this course.***

January 13 Lecture

The lecture we had on January 13 was entertaining. I realized how fortunate we are to have modern technology in our classroom. We no longer have to rely on "old school" practices. I do on occasion use an overhead projector in my classroom but have not even heard of most of the other technologies discussed and demonstrated by the speakers. New technology can be overwhelming but it is so much quicker and more effective than the old. The creation of the Internet has been monumental in distributing teaching materials to classrooms all over the world. The quantity of information that is now available to educators is impressive.

Where I Am At...Where I Hope To Go

I find technology amazing yet frustrating. I am always excited to try the "latest" technology but using it does not come naturally to me. I try to incorporate technology into my lessons whenever possible. I was fortunate enough to be given a SMARTBoard in my classroom and have found that even though I have a limited understanding of it, it is my most engaging teaching tool.

In this course I hope to learn more ways to incorporate technology in my classroom. I am excited to call on my peers and instructor for expertise that will help me become more technologically literate. I believe that the use of technology is of the utmost importance in my classroom and am always open to learning strategies to help my students advance in this area.