Beth+McCollister

EDU 240 Beth's FINAL ** 1.    As **//COGNITIVE MEDIATOR//**, the educator helps students to become independent learners who construct meaning by combining new information with their own background knowledge.
 * TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
 * Discuss two assignments that you completed using a South Dakota State Standards topic in your major area of study. Describe each program and then tell how you could use that program with your students to enhance their technology skills when you start teaching.

A. This semester I created several things that had to show the South Dakota State Standards. One was the Microsoft Word Newsletter. It was one of the very first things that we didthis semester. At first it was hard coming up with ideas that were age appropreate for whatever age level i'm teaching. My newsletter was for a first grade class, so mine covered things that go fast, such as cars, speed boats, cheetahs, and more. I did learn new things that I did not know about Mircosoft Word such as how to insert a textbox and change the font color and size.

B. Another assignment I remember doing for the South Dakota State Standards was the brochure from Windows Publisher. I did not know much about the program prior to taking this course. I thought it was very interesting to see all the things that Publisher has to offer. All a person has to do is choose whatever item they want to create such as a newsletter, invitations, brochures, and other formal cards. Then, a person can choose a template and Publisher has many to choose from or a person can start from scratch. I choose to do my brochure on weather which included a lot of pictures to show weather. I made sure my brochure was colorful and caught the young students eye. **    2.     As **//RESEARCHER//**, the educator seeks to improve educational practices within the school setting, using an inquiry approach to serve students more effectively.
 * How has completing research in this class (reading the textbook, researching sites on the Internet, creating a presentation for class) helped you to become a better teacher candidate?

I always thought Google was a helpful website, but what I didn't know that it has a lot more to ofter than I thought. Using google a person can set up an account and have a access to a person website, a blog, and even there own webiste library. Where they find sites that are paticulary interesting to them then they can keep them in this website library and the person will always have their favorite websites. This can help make me a better teacher by keeping me update on new information for whatever grade I am teaching. Sites that we learned about that would people helpful for teachers is the powerpoints websites. They are websites for teachers where they can find pretty much any powerpoint topic. This saves a lot of time so the teacher doesn't have to waste time making powerpoints. I think students respond well to powerpoints and I think they are wonderful things to have. **

3.    As **//COMMUNICATOR//**, the educator is skilled in modes of communication that will enable effective communication and collaboration with other educators, parents, and families.
 * Discuss one Internet site and one technology program that will help you to communicate to your students and their parents when you become a teacher? Describe how you could use each one to communicate to either students or parents when you are teaching.

A. An internet site that teachers can use to communicate in their classrooms is a blog. For this class we used blogger.com. They are very easy to set up and people have a vareity of settings they can use for security. However this is an excellent way to share informations with students and parents about what their children are doing at school. Teachers could use blogs for group projects. Students in groups could use the blog to write back and forth and learn good commincation stills.

B. I think a great way that teachers can communicate with students and parents are newsletters. Teachers have been sending home Newsletters for a long time. I think that fact that a teacher can easily make a newsletter using windows publsiher is great. I know I will use it in my classrooms to make sure there is no confusions with what is going on at school. It is always a way to get parent invovled in their childrens learning. **  4.     As **//EVALUATOR//**, the educator maximizes students’ learning by using a full range of formal and informal information-gathering processes in order to respond appropriately to student individual differences.
 * Discuss one web site and one technology program that you used and evaluated this semester? Why did you find each one useful and how might you use them in the classroom when you start teaching?

A.One interent sites I found to be the most helpful for teachers are ones that can easily create: rubics, crossword puzzles, and tests. That is very helpful for teachers to have this tools, so they can save time for themselfs doing other important things. They are relitively easy sites to do as well. All a teacher has to do is get to the website enter all of the imformation he/she wants and then print it off. The test may take a little longer because obviously a teacher needs to type in the information he/she wants on the test. After figuring about the material a teacher wants on the test all the teacher has to do is print it off and hand it out.

B. I really thought photo album maker was a very neat tool to learn how to use. I never heard of it until I took this course and now I think I will use it to organize my pictures. People could use the photo album for a scrapbooking or just to add detail to pictures. This program is easy and fun to use and I think student would enjoy it too. Students could use it to use in a presentation or anyting that would include pictures. I also did not know that the smartboards have so many resources that students can use. Smart boards get students involved in learning and it's great of visaul learners. I know when I was a kid I would have loved to have smartboards in my elementary school classes. **