C4T

For this weeks C4T, I was assigned to Jen Deyenberg's Blog. In her post, she talks about TodaysMeet, a chat tool that is clean and easy to use. She says that teachers can use it to create a space for students to share and contribute. There are no adds or sign up needed, but it does require they enter a name for accountability. In my comment, i said I think that this would be a great tool in the classroom. It gives students the opportunity to say things maybe they wouldn’t feel comfortable saying out loud. It would also be a good way to get kids to communicate/participate even after they’ve gone home. I would definitely be willing to use this tool in my future classroom.

In this weeks post, she talks about a site called "games for change" She says that while video games are very impactful for students, educational games are rarely more than a interactive work sheet. Games for change is a search engine for games that are based on all sorts of relevant, curriculum based games. There are many different types of games. Some are apps and some are web based. Some you have to install. She says to try them all out, cause you don't know what kind of technology your students will be using at home. In my comment, I said this seems like such a useful technology. Harder subjects probably come off as a little less intimidating when it is in the form of a fun game. I will definitely be using this technology in my classroom.

Blog post 13

With my students at the beginning of the year, I would like to do a post about who/what inspires them the most. It could be to cover a language arts standard. The Instructions for my project would be:

For blog post (2 or 3) tell me who or what in your life inspires you the most. Tell me why you were so inspired by this person, tell me a little about this person, and include a picture.

My biggest inspiration

My biggest inspiration in life, no question would be my mom. My mom inspires me because she is one of the most kind hearted, independent, and hard working people that I know. Growing up, it was always just me and my mom. For many years, she worked to jobs to support us. She made sure I never went without or wanted for anything. When she had financial trouble, she never let it show how stressed she was, and she never asked for help. Although she was busy working so much, she always made time with me her number one priority. When she was home with me she never seemed exhausted or overwhelmed, she was always playful, loving, and energetic. My mom taught me what it meant to be a good person, to have priorities, to work hard, and to put others first. We are truly best friends. I hope that I can one day be half the woman and mother that she is, and I am so unbelievably thankful for her.

blog post 12

I was really interested in what assistive technologies are out there that could benefit me as a teacher to help me reach all of my students. Being a public school teacher, you encounter many different kinds of students who all have different needs. I want to be able to connect to all my students, no matter their circumstances. One technology I found very useful were the talking calculators. This technology helps students who are vision impaired. I first learned about this device from the video Asssitive technologies for vision and hearing impaired children.

Ipad usage for the blind was also extremely helpful. I love that there are apps out there that I could use with my students to learn, that caters to the blind. Sort of like braille but for technology. No student should ever feel left out or confused because they have a disability. Assistive technologies are very important for the future of our children with these handicaps, and I hope that technology will continue to expand in that area. I hope that when I become a teacher, I work for a school system that makes these resources a top priority in their budget.

EDM 310 Smart Board Project 12 Part B

C4K

In my first C4K for this month, i was assigned to Olivia's blog . In her post, she talks about why it is important to know how to swim. She says its good to know how to swim for your health and a good way to exercise. She also said it is good for surviva reasons, because if you ever fell off a boat and didn't know how to swim, you would drown. In my comment, I said I agree that it is very important to know how to swim. Swimming is a great way to exercise, and it is good for survival reasons, just like you mentioned in your blog. Swimming is also fun. Great post!

For my next C4K, I was assigned to Charles's blog In his post, he includes a picture and a link to a game he is playing, Cops and Robbers. He said that it took him 24 guesses to find the robber. In my comment, I said I enjoyed the game, and that it took me a few guesses too. I also said that the more he practices, the better he will be.

Group blog project

Teacher Interview

C4T

This week, I was assigned Andrea Kerr's blog In this post, she was talking about teacher evaluations. She talks about creating an evaluation for students to list the area's they felt they did well in, and the area's they felt they were weak in. In my comment, I said that I thought it was a really good idea. Many times, children feel uncomfortable saying the are confused in public, and are probably much more willing to express confusion when they know only you will be seeing it.