The End

This is the last week of school and today was the last day of INST 4010. We got into groups and did a role play of a scenario given to us. It was very difficult to make it thirty minutes, but we had a good discussion overall, on and off the camera. The discussion was a good one to talk about and was realistic so it provided a good experience and point of discussion for the future.

This class has been a good experience and has opened up and provided me with so many resources that will be wonderful and beneficial to have in a future classroom. I've learned so much and feel more confident and competent with technology. I look forward to implementing much of what I've learned into my own classroom someday and I hope to continue in my learning and education about new things that can further the education of my students. :)

A visit to a classroom at Edith Bowen started out the class today. We were able to see first-hand, how technology can and is used in a classroom. This short field trip gave me some great ideas that I want to use in my own classroom someday.

After returning to the computer lab, we completed some evaluation forms for various websites. Of all the forms, the WWW Cyberguide form was the one I liked the most. Some of these forms were hard to fill out because they only asked for an author of the website. Most of the websites I looked at were sponsored by a group or were set up with copyright; they didn't have specific authors. The forms also seemed too general. The websites we had to look up were more specific and so it was hard to decide whether they met the criteria or not.

Because I was filling out the forms, I noticed more about the credibility of the website or who it was created by. I also looked more at the purpose of the website. Rather than just assuming that it was there to provide me with resources and information, I looked to see if I had to sign up for something or purchase some program in order to reap the full benefits of that website or program.

For me, using a website evaluation made me look for important things that I don't normally notice. When using websites for lesson plans and information in teaching, it's vital that the information be valid and updated. It would also be valuable to use an evaluation in determining if a website would be appropriate for my students to have access to and to use. If a website is too distracting from its purpose or if it's difficult to navigate, I don't want my students to have to struggle through it. A website evaluation process is valuable because it helps me pay attention to the validity of the site and its resources or authors.

I wouldn't necessarily fill out an evaluation form for every website that I ever visit. They would be beneficial once in awhile, but I would use the criteria from them for every website I use for information or resources. When using a website for those two reasons, I want to make sure that the information I am gaining from it is correct, valid, and updated.

Instructional Architect

In class today, we learned about the resources available through Instructional Architect. I think this is an incredible and valuable resource for use in a classroom. Activities can be set up by the teacher and students can then access them. It's great that these activities are previewed and set up by the teacher. There are so many activities and links available for use. They span across all subject areas and are a great way to integrate technology in the classroom. It's nice how you can create your own folders with the activities you want and can add additional ones from outside sources so that you can find them easier. This is a tool I plan to use in my future classroom because I believe it will be beneficial for myself, and even more so for my students. I'm excited that it is a major technology integration idea, too.

Today we learned about inquiry-based learning and the resources available on http://webqueset.org. I really like the concept of inquiry-based learning. It appears to be similar to project-approach learning in that it encourages students to consciously think and be actively engaged in their learning and in the classroom. Students take an active role in the concepts they are learning by hands-on opportunities and experiences. This website is a great resource that allows technology integration into the classroom. I'm excited by the resources available on the webquest website. There are some great ideas that would be great for use in a classroom. The only criticisms I would give are that the website was a little challenging to navigate at first and some of the links wouldn't open up or work properly. Most of these projects take time to complete but, learning is not something that should always happen instantaneously. Overall though, this is a website I would love to use in my classroom and that I think would provide my students with a different kind of interactive learning.