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!!

copyright

Cpoyright laws are an important part of any information found. It's important to give recognition when needed for work that is not you own. It is nessacary for anyone who creates something and chooses to make that creation available to others. People work hard for the what they create and it's important to recognize that. The idea of the creative common is great because it allows information to be shared, especially amoung educators. The copyright is important for many things but the creative commons allow us to share info and not go through the proccess of getting permission to use an idea in the classroom. I allows more flexability and freedom.

evaluation of a few websites

after evaluating a few websites, i see how much information is available to everyone. The wesite for AACE provides information about future conferences, the topics discussed and locations of each. It haslinks to other websites that are related to it about technology, a digital library, a career center and more. it seems helpful for locating seminars and such on technoligy and education but is hard to read because the print is small. also the conferences are far away from us, which is not usefull but may be for others at different locations. AECT-this provides information about scholarships for student in the feild of education, a job listing part, and conferences. It would be nice if you could search for jobs based on certain areas (narrow it down to certain states). ISTE is another technology in education website. This one is more visually appealing. I like the all the colors and the bold headings. This website provides articals, book sales, and seminars accessible through the website. ITEA- very similar to AECT in what it provides.includes job listngs, conferences, and chapter locations. I don't like the way it is aet up, words are small and hard to concentrate, i feel like i'm straining my eyes. The design seems like it was meant to older adults in teaching, not younger ones like myself.

answer to question "ways to teach reading comprehension"

I found on this website useful tips and ideas such as leading a discussion with the children after reading a book/story, creating worksheets that ask questions about the storyline ( depending on age of children) or for the younger children, maybe just having a worksheet that has different pictures of scenarios that illistrate the story and ask them to choose which one fits the story...ect. It also gives you seasonal themes and such....
You can also specify the age appropriate material such as K-2nd grade, middle school, high school and so on!


http://abcteach.com/directory/reading_comprehension/