From+My+Heart

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After completing this wiki I can honestly say that I have learned and obtained so many tools that I will be able to use in the future. It has truly shaped my outlook on how to teach. Before taking this course, I was so naïve to the possibilities and available things that can be incorporated into the classroom. All of these tools are fun ways to stimulate kids to learn. At the beginning of class I could honestly not imagine using so many technology tools within lesson plans, but now I don’t think I could teach a lesson without using at least one. They enhance teaching so much and make it a ton of fun for the teacher and students. In addition to all of the new tools at my disposal, I have dramatically increased my creativity and ability to develop units and lesson plans. It started with a general rubric and by the end my mind would run rampant with hundreds of ideas for lesson plans for each assignment. Without this course my skills in creating and mapping out our learning guide would be very weak. Honestly I am now very confident that I can walk into a classroom and develop creative, stimulating, and fun lesson plans that will really teach the kids something.  I think I am most proud of my Google tools assignment for several reasons. When I originally finished I was a little confused as to how I would present my work to Dr. Stocker. Instead of using conventional methods I decided that I would be a little more creative. Using Picasa I was able to take screenshots and upload those images and make them available to people who were given the link. (Google can do so much its amazing) Now you can click and see my screenshot example. This class not only taught me to use the tools that were assigned, but to explore, search, and manipulate the technology available to meet my needs. It is an active learning process which I have come to love exploring and experimenting with. I remember being in a state of amazement when I saw some of the things that Dr. Stocker was capable of doing on a computer. I can only imagine where I will be in a few years. If its even 1/4 of what she can do I will be very happy with myself.  One thing I would do differently would be better organization from the beginning. It was a real task to reorganize everything at the end. (But so worth it, its so much better now) Going back and trying to re embed things and upload again was a real task. To anyone in the future sometimes it can be impossible to get some of those codes back so make sure you keep them. Otherwise you will be left having to link it to another site which isn’t very convenient.  After my Google tools extravaganza I am not very worried in regards to using and utilizing tools within a classroom. If I build upon the strengths and skills this class has given me I have no doubt I will be fine. On another note I’ve worried about everything these past couple weeks with graduation days away and needing good grades in all my classes. But as I write this final reflection a sigh of relief has passed over me and I am finally done and so proud of what I have done and so glad I was given the challenge and opportunity!  My ability to explore new technology and utilize it will definitely be incorporated everyday within my classroom. I plan to use so many of these tools and many new ones that I will find to enhance the learning within my classroom. I still plan on using some conventional methods, but I want to be one of those teachers everyone talks about for using such cool technology. I hope that people ask me how I did that and if I can show them how, because I think everyone should know how to use the tools from our age of technology. The world is constantly changing, upgrading, and advancing. As a teacher I must do the same! Eventually these tools will and techniques will be as common as a chalkboard or whiteboard in a classroom. I plan to push the teaching world so that more teachers are exposed to the wonderful possibilities available today!