PDP~ My Beliefs

I believe we all need to incorporate technology in our classroom. In all of our education this semester we have been exposed to many tools that will be helpful in our future classrooms (and it doesn't include a fraction of the available resources). Not only because there are so many resources that are helpful and fun in a classroom, but because technology, so why not educate students about the benefits as well as the dangers oftechnology use. I feel it is our duty to educate students on technology to the best or our abilities.

PDP~ Lessons Learned

PDP~ Strengths and Weaknesses

On the UNI survey I scored as an apprentice in almost all areas because I havent created learning activites for he classroom. I have not been able to create learning activites and therefore I have not been able to reflect on my abilities as a teacher in those areas. I feel like I personally can do almost anything required of me on a computer, and if I can't, then I will figure out how. That is one of my biggest strengths in this area; I am always willing to try new things and I know I can do anything I put time and effort into.
In my lesson planning for other courses I have made an effort to add in technology use and presentation. It is an important part of the NET standards to incorporate technology in planning and designing learning environments and experiences. With a changing world that lives and dies with the newest and greatest, we as teachers of the next generations must stay on top of it all. If we are aware of and able to use technology, students will see what we are teaching as more related to their lives. That will be one of my greatest strengths as a teacher as well; my ability to and desire to instruct my students in many different ways will help me later on.

Digital Cameras & Picasa

We learned about using digital cameras and Picasa to edit those pictures taken on our digital cameras. It was very interesting to see all the different things that can be done in Picasa that other photo editing tools cannot do. My sister uses Picasa religiously and swears it's the best but I have never really played around with it like I did this week. I definitely downloaded it to my own computer so that I can learn to use it even more. It is important to be aware of the different functions available on our digital cameras as well. I am a big picture person and love snapping all sorts of different types of pictures. I have played around with my camera quite a bit and I feel like I know it pretty well, but getting to know Picasa better will benefit me for classroom use as well. The tools available through Picasa make it very easy to upload and share photos on my blog and classroom website, and is a great tool for students to be able to use as well.
Students using Picasa for assignments in all different types of classes is definitely a possibility I see in the future. I think it is important to offer different types of media for students to express themselves while still teaching the content area you are working within. It is always exciting to learn and discover new tools that allow students to be individuals and learn in their own way.