Final Project - Course Overview
1. Discuss the two tools that were your personal favorites from the semester and why.
Why I love Canva: One of my absolute favorite apps that I worked with this semester is Canva. Though it was the very first project that I made for my website, I still think that my informational poster is one of my favorites. To see that poster and read my entire Canva review, click here. I ran into a few issues with the app crashing as I was just beginning to learn how to use it; however, the benefits of this app far outweighted a few technical glitches.
In my future classroom: Canva would be very helpful for making posters to decorate the classroom, designing flyers for school events, or even spicing up a PowerPoint presentation. Students in middle or high school would also find this useful when making presentations or concept posters during a literary study unit. |
http://profitblitz.com/canva-tutorials/
Adobe Spark |
Why I love Adobe Spark: During this semester I worked with two different Adobe Spark applications. Since I don't think that I will be able to decide which one I like more, I will group together Spark Page and Spark Video. I used both of these apps to work on projects about the Wabash Cannonball. After compiling the information, it was really easy to use one of their professional-looking templates to form my presentation into a webpage and a video.
In my future classroom: Both of these apps would be helpful for any kind of presentation or report. Specifically in an English classroom, I could see Spark Pages being made about individual characters from a novel or the setting. Spark Videos would be good to make as a final project in a unit to analyze a specific element of a theme or symbol throught the book. This could also be a fun opportunity to create a movie trailer for a book that they finished. |
2. Look back through your entire website and reflect on what you have accomplished & learned this semester.
This semester I have learned a large amount about technology's role in the classroom, as well as learned about some specific apps that will be useful in my future classroom. As a person who has grown up with technology, I was surprised to learn about so many really great apps and websites that I had never heard of. Websites like HSTRY (where you can make interactive lessons online) and TeachThought (that provides teachers with helpful tips and ideas to use in the classroom) make a teacher's life much easier.
I encountered blogs that helped me to consider the use of technology in my own classroom and provided a chance for me to learn from other expert teachers. I was challenged to think: What impact will social media have? (Week 3) Will I have a class library? (Week 10) How will I handle unmotivated students? (Week 8) It is very encouraging that in the future I know there will be resources created by other experienced teachers to help guide me as I navigate the use of technology in my classroom.
Now that we are reaching the end of the semester, it has been good to have a chance to look back on all of the projects that I completed this year. Each one of them challenged my current skill-set and gave me inspiration about using these tools in my future classroom. Please explore the Projects tab if you would like to see more. Below are a few examples:
I encountered blogs that helped me to consider the use of technology in my own classroom and provided a chance for me to learn from other expert teachers. I was challenged to think: What impact will social media have? (Week 3) Will I have a class library? (Week 10) How will I handle unmotivated students? (Week 8) It is very encouraging that in the future I know there will be resources created by other experienced teachers to help guide me as I navigate the use of technology in my classroom.
Now that we are reaching the end of the semester, it has been good to have a chance to look back on all of the projects that I completed this year. Each one of them challenged my current skill-set and gave me inspiration about using these tools in my future classroom. Please explore the Projects tab if you would like to see more. Below are a few examples:
Technology will always be an integral part of my classroom and through DED318 I have learned the skills and many potential ways for technology to not only be productive for the students, but also for the classroom environment as a whole.
@burtnessenglish 12/7/2016