post #6

1) I am not the biggest fan of web 2.0. I definitely think it is cool and useful, but for what I plan on doing with my students it will be to advanced. Even I found it a little confusing. I like being able to share information with others, but it wasn't as easy and efficient as I would have hoped. It is great for an older student working on a big project together/

2) Even though your teachers always say refrain from using Wikipedia as a source of information, for some reason, students continue to go to that website. Yes, the information can be altered and not 100% accurate, but most of the time it is very useful. I agree with teachers not wanting it to be a students only source, but for quick learning it is a great tool. It is the first link to come up when you google something, so most of the time that is where we look. I have always found legitimate, useful information on Wikipedia.

3) Last week I actually learned a lot about constructing a PowerPoint than I did before. I use and make power-points all the time in every class I take. I always make them the same, simple way. I learned how to make transitions, use animations, sounds, clips, and themes. I only knew how to change the format and font. Now my power point presentations are full of entertaining and useful information and entertainment. I thought it was most useful to learn how to use a theme with different slide layouts to change it up a little. Inserting pictures made the PowerPoint much more enjoyable. The last thing I learned that I never knew before was the speaker notes. I always say them at the bottom of the page but never knew what they were. You type what you want to say to the class and it doesn't show up on the PowerPoint. I learned so many new, great tools for making the best PowerPoint possible.

Post #5

My views on the Internet are nothing but exceptional and substantial. It is a fast, efficient and easy way to learn and research information. You can basically find anything you want by using a search engine on the Internet. I use it everyday , multiple times a day. It is useful for your own personal curiosities and enjoyment. It is useful in school for a variety of assignments and research papers or projects. The only time I would say it isn't useful is when you have to do an assignment of your own opinions. I isn't useful when you copy and paste information without learning, and when using illegitimate sources and finding out wrong information. Plagiarism is the biggest downfall to using the Internet, but the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to the beneficial uses of the Internet.

To support web based learning, I would assign a lot of work on the computer. I would have students research a new and different topic every week, assign a research paper, and design a project where surfing the Internet is necessary. For a research paper, I would have them use google as their primary search engine, but navigate away from Wikipedia as it often give false information. Any .edu, .net, or .org will be acceptable and required for papers and projects. One resource I would like for my students to take advantage of would be the online dictionary and thesaurus. I find myself using that every day in bettering my vocabulary and papers. 

The grade level of my students will be from kindergarten to 5th grade. I do love and use the Internet frequently, but since we are becoming more and more reliable on computers, I am afraid by the time I start teaching it, the students will no more than I do. Sometimes I get confused with complex computer programs and I am concerned that it will be sometimes a test for myself to show the students how to use certain tools. 

post #4

The concepts in chapter seven opened my eyes to new ways of sorting information, studying, and presenting ideas. Outlines are already such a huge part of my life, but then taking the information from the outline and making it into an idea map is a great way to study. I can make myself a quiz, make someone else a quiz, and learn off of it. Storyboards are a more elaborate way of sorting the information from the idea map and is also very helpful. I plan on using the computer as my most reliable source of technology. I construct my outlines and maps on MS Word. 

I would require my students to construct an idea map so they can become familiar with how to make them, how useful they are, and how they are a great study tool. I would give them an outline or summary of a subject, and have them create a map out of it. Or, for a quiz I could have them fill in the blanks. I use outline almost everyday in all of my classes. It is so important for students to learn early on how to make a clean cut informative outline. It is a great way to stay organized and learn material. I would require them to outline a chapter and use that as their study guide. After they master the idea map, I would have them do a storyboard for a more challenging assignment. All of these concepts are very helpful and used in a students everyday life.

In the last week I learned more about outlines, knowing how to find good websites and research, and inspiration. I plan on teaching my students about how you identify a legitimate website vs a non-legitimate source. I hope to learn more about inspiration, as I am new to it and never heard about it before. I can see it being very useful in the classroom. Mail merge is also still very new to me. That is something every teacher should learn how to do. It is easy, necessary, and efficient.