Final Reflection

1) Did this course meet your expectations?

Yes, for the most part I am satisfied with ED 480. It was only too bad that we had problems with Elluminate and that some of the online programs we wanted to use had shut down.

2) Why do you think this course should be required for all ED students?
I definitely think this course should be a requirement. I think it should be required before some of our practicum courses so we can actually test out the technology before student teaching.

3) How will you implement technology into your future classroom?

There are so many ways and not enough space to list them all. First, I would get my students to learn how to type and do basic word processing/ presentation skills. I think this will really motivate them to do their projects and writing assignments. It will also prepare them for the real world. I would definitely used media in my classroom. I have tried using Safari Montage in my practicum and I found it very helpful. Distance learning is something I would love to try, possibly a virtual field trip to a foreign country.

OneTrueMedia - Weebly Commercial

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My group - Colleen, Myo Sook, Aggie, and Ken - and I created a commercial advertising Weebly.com using OneTrueMedia.com. Initially we wanted to use toufee.com because of all the cool features. But we found out that video can't be uploaded on free accounts so we opted for OneTrueMedia instead. OTM was easy to use and had some good basic features. More advanced features were available with a premium account. However, I got the impression that OTM would be better to use for slideshows of pictures rather than actual movies. There wasn't a lot of options when it came to adding text to your video. That made it difficult for us because we didn't have any dialogue in our commercial. Another problem was uploading our video. It took me almost half an hour to upload one video clip. Plus I kept getting kicked off the uploading process with error messages. All in all it was a pretty good experience trying out onetruemedia. And i think out commercial turned out pretty well :D

Weebly.com

a) What was the assignment?
We had to create an online portfolio using Weebly.com. We added sections for experience, education, hobbies, skills and awards, references, and blog. We were also given the option to customize the layout and add pictures, slideshows, etc.

b) What did you like/dislike about the assignment and the weebly.com software?
I liked using weebly.com. It's a great idea to have an online portfolio because nowadays everybody's online and it's also a good backup incase your computer crashes or you lose you hard copies. Weebly was relatively easy to use. I had a little trouble uploading photos, however. I really didn't have the time this week to keep trying, so I didn't upload as many photos as I would have liked. However, I will try to update my weebly site. There is so much potential for it.

c) How would you compare/ contrast a webpage like this with a blog?
A blog seems to be an almost daily update of you life whereas weebly is more of a compilation of the major things you have accomplished. Some of my classmates have used weebly for their 471 practicum reflections. They say it is easier to use than a blog and it also allows you to upload files like documents and presentations rather than just picturs which Blogger only allows. I think that's a great idea and if I hadn't alread started my 471 blog, I would have definitely done one on weebly.

d) How would you use this as an educator in the future?
I would love to use weebly for my own personal use to keep track of my professional experiences. Weebly would be great to do an online portfolio of students work (writing, art, math, etc). In this way, relatives and friends far away can also take a look at students' work. It will also be a permanent (as long as Weebly.com doesn't shut down) display of each student's work. Plus, there's integration of technology.