My final thoughts about computers in the curriculum...

Well, I have to say that I truly enjoyed this class..It is so much more than I expected it to be...The most useful thing I think I will take from this class is not only all those wonderful websites for teachers to use(Thinkfinity, being one of my favorites!) but the fact that now I know what is available in tech land!  I had no idea what web quests were, that virtual field trips existed and I definitely didn't know what blogging was until now!!!  I feel awake now!!  I will save all those websites and will not only share them with other teachers I know, but also with my children(the websites that are appropriate for them!)  This class also helped me think more about lesson plans and it was great practice for me writing them for each of the projects.  

Last week of class

It's been a pleasure being in class with all of you this semester.  It has been fun and I've learned so much!  Good luck,  Analia with your pregnancy...Will we see you in the Fall semester???  Anthony..Good luck with your wedding and your new home!  And Congratulations on finishing your Masters!  Cindy..Let me know if you ever hear from your agent!!  LOL...and let me know what class your taking next semester!  Arleen, have a great summer and good luck to you at Cardinal McCarricks HS (I graduated from St. Mary's in '86)...Tina & Rosalind, have a wonderful summer and good luck with the remainder of your classes -what are you taking next fall?

It's been a pleasure...How long will this blog be opened for???  Can we blog all summer????

Lori...thanks for a great class...It really is an important class to take.  There is so much out there in tech land for us teachers, we just need someone to guide us to it.  Thank you for guiding us, it's been fun and we learned a lot!!!  Have a great summer & enjoy your new home!

Website grading systems vs. Excel

After reviewing each of the four grading websites, I was amazed at their capabilities.  I found mygradebook.com  to be a little more difficult for me to maneuver around.  I did however like the small questions marks which when clicked on explains what you need to know in order to complete the task. Also it was linked to  quizlab.com for making quizzes, tests and assignments which I thought was pretty good.  Classbuilder.com is run by edHelper.com which is a website I like.  With this grading system I found a lot of positives.  With this system, the teacher has the ability to not only use it for grading purposes but also can generate common report templates such as class lists, report cards and assignments.  Also, the teacher can generate attendance reports to parents via email.  The last thing I thought was great was the ability to create a classbuilder webpage for parents and students.  It can help keep the lines of communication open between the teacher and the parent.  Thinkwave.com is a grading source I liked because of its capabilities to  give the parents their own access to the students grades, announcements about assignments, attendance record and comments.  It allows the parent to have access to their child's school information.  I think that in the lower grades such as k-5, parents would be more inclined to check this information out.  It's a great tool in keeping on top of their studies and grades.  It also gives the teacher the chance to make specific announcements regarding field trips, reminders for assignments and also allows the parent to contact the teacher.  Parents are given a start key and an access code to access their account.  The last grading system I looked at was trackmygrade.com.  This is my favorite.  I felt comfortable using the different screens and it was easy to use.  It flowed nicely. I was able to make a grade book and check out the different features.  It offers the teacher a way to keep track of grades, compare grades student to student, attendance, and also print our reports such as progress reports, classroom reports and comparison graphs.   This system also allows parents to check grades by providing login access.  Although this system did not have as many features as Classbuilder.com, I thought it was easier to use.  

As far as Excel goes for tracking grades, even though I have never really used it for this purpose, it doesn't seem as easy to use as one of these websites.  On Excel you need to plug in everything!  From assignments, to grades, to formulas to calculate grade% and averages.  I wouldn't even know where to begin...I think I would prefer the grade book(paper & pencil) to the excel program.  Excel also is limited as far as being able to offer different templates or reports.  With excel there are no 'extras' for teachers to take advantage of.  The other grading systems offer so much more.  The websites offer an easy way for teachers and parents to see grades and other information and for teachers, be able to maintain the grades with ease.  It is more up-to-date and offers the teacher so much.  Technology is amazing!  I look forward to someday working with one of these systems for grading purposes.

Week #9 - YouTube

I have embedded the Brian Regan youtube video and now I just added a link to the hilarious youtube video of "Introducing the Book"...It is pretty funny!   I like youtube...there are alot of different subject matters on this site to watch as a video...from pool safety to comedians to videos made by all different individuals... I do have a good idea as to what is offered on youtube... My next research will be on podcasts....I don't know much about them!

Week #6 - Tagging, Folksonomies & Technorati

I checked out the different sites such as Technorati and Creative Commons and I have to be honest...I don't really get it!  The Delicious account I have I 'get'.  But I don't understand really how Technorati and Creative Commons will work for me or how to use it....Can anyone shed some light on this??? 

Thanks...

WEEK #5 - IGOOGLE & ZILLOW (Web 2.0 Awards List)

I looked around at the award winning sites through 2.0 learning and decided to look at igoogle..I set up my own igoogle start page on my computer.  It's fun!!  A lot of neat gadgets and information to add to each topic - humor, entertainment, news, music, home and technology...I liked it!  I also looked at a real estate award winning site...Zillow.com...  I liked that one too..I signed onto that site and now I can look at foreclosures, see what my house is appraised at (through zillow of course) and get information regarding real estate...It's a great guide to learning about mortgages and real estate...Also, if you plan to sell your house "by Owner" you can list on there...

www.zillow.com

www.google.com/ig

Week #5 - Big Huge Labs

I went into the image generator - Big Huge Labs and was able to make a poster of my grandmother's 90th birthday with her and my cousins in it...it allows you to write text, save it, send it and even send it to Flickr...I published it to my Blog.....That's another great website...I created an account and also saved the website to my delicious account....