Enjoy the small things in life : )

I just love this picture!! it's really creative and i love all the colors!!! it just reminds me that everyday offers so much beauty and wonderful experiences! I think we sometimes forget to slow down and enjoy the small things in life. This picture reminds me that when my life seems crazy and hectic, there is still serenity in the world : )

Instructors using technology in the classroom

Almost every professor in my classes here at CSU use powerpoint on a daily basis. The allow us to access these lessons for each day and print out copies. This is extremely helpful in classes because it allows you to be an active listener to the lecture while adding your own notes and examples to create a better understanding of the material that is being presented. By giving us the notes ahead of time, we are not focused on writing the information down as quickly as possible in order to get all the notes. A few teachers will also connect to links of websites to quickly show an example of a situation we are discussing in class or to show videos. I have also had to create powerpoints for certain classes in conjunction to giving a presentation. It shows you how difficult it can be and all the little tricks that are useful in being an effective presenter such as colors to avoid, large font sizes, and knowing when to cue a certain slide and how long to keep it up for, which are all good skills we need as teachers.

Blog 4: Instructional Software Websites

I found a website called Plato.com. This site is a really good instructional software for many reasons:- You can preview sample lessons, Offers teaching strategies to fulfill the needs of certain children(broken down into age groups/levels), lots of activities to promote learning based on what needs to be improved on ie:phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, math skills and so on. Doesn't seem very confusing-easy to navigate.

Blog 3: another evaluation of a website

I was not totally clear on what to do for this particular blog. I decided to review a website called Trackstar. On this website it looks like you can create Online lessons and activities. You can also search the website by subject, grade and theme to use previously posted ideas from other instructors. From just briefly searching under the keyword "Kindergarten", i found lots of helpful websites that promote active learning through technology based activities. Seems really cool and a good tool for any teachers who want to add some creativity into the curriculum!!