Thursday, June 14, 2007

Post #8

Security on the computer and the internet is very important. Viruses can slow down your computer and can end up costing a lot of money to remove. You can protect your computer by buying or downloading any of the antivirus software, such as Norton or McAfee. You should also update antivirus programs because people are always coming up with new viruses. To reduce your risk of getting a virus, there are many things that you can do. It is important to scan all materials downloaded off of the internet, all attached files, removable media, and software.

I was not very proficient in Excel before this class, and I learned a lot about it. It is still the program that I understand the least. I probably will not use Excel a lot as a teacher, but it is definitely something I will be able to use in my personal life.

I think that Excel will be useful in managing my finances. The mathematical functions and the charts are good for numbers. I am pretty bad with money so hopefully I can use excel to keep track of my money and my bills in the future.

Post #7

Evaluating web resources is very important for those teachers who plan on using technology in the classroom. There are various factors that can be used to evaluate websites. First, Authority, or a credible author or website creator. A good website will clearly present the author and their credentials. Affiliation refers to professional organizations or companies that support the website. Purpose and objectivity are also important when evaluating a website. If there are a lot of ads and pop ups, the purpose of the website is probably sales and not information. The content validity and currency should also be examined before determining whether or not a website is good.

I have learned a lot about excel since my last posting. I have learned how to make slideshows that are interactive instead of linear, and also how to include video in a powerpoint presentation. This is going to help me a lot in my future as a teacher because all of these skills will help my presentations to be more interesting, which will help my students learn more.

So far this has been my favorite part of the class. I actually enjoy putting together the powerpoint presentations, and I enjoy seeing the final project even more. I will definitely be using powerpoint more than any other program in the future.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Post 6

Integration is defined as bringing different parts together and combining them as a whole. Technology integration is the combination of all technology parts including hardware and software to enhance the learning process. Technology is widely used today in curiculum planning because it offers programs, activities and lessons that teachers cannot always address during class. Integrating technology into the classroom can help students immensly, but it requires education and training on the instructors part. It is important to note that technology should not drive the curiculum, but rather enhance it.

Since my last post, I learned a lot about putting together power point presentations. I knew how to do the basics, but I learned things like animation, master slides, color, and adding pictures. All of these new skills help make the power point presentation more interesting, and therefore will help to better keep children's attention. I think that these skills will help me in my future career as a teacher.

Over the past week I have visited wikispace a few times. I think it is an amazing tool for teachers to share their knowledge. I looked at other teachers' pages and I found a lot of interesting information on photography and fine arts, which is what I am interesded in. I will definitely be using this website in the future.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Post #5

Computer based training is becoming more and more popular. It is a tool that allows people to learn by using software on computers. It is more focused on the student than the professor, and because of this has recently been refered to as individual lead training. It is widely used in business to train existing employees on new skills. It is also unique because the user is provided with instant feedback and can access the software 24 hours a day.

I learned a lot about the web since my last post. Before last week, I had never even heard of Wiki, but now I know hoe to create a page and post links. I think that this will be helpful to my future as a teacher because I can share my ideas with other teachers and get feedback. I can also search other teachers pages for ideas and information.

This class is helping me realize that there are a lot of things about computers and technology that I do not understand. If I am going to try to make my students interested in what they are learning, I am going to have to learn a lot more about technological advances.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Post 4

Memory is what a computer uses to store data and information. The memory contains the operating system and system software, application software and data that is processed. Memory can be volitile, lost when the computer is turned off, or non volitile, information is not lost when the computer is turned off. There are many different kinds of memory. Random Access Memory, volitile, holds information as long as the computer is on. Read Only Memory stores information that is always the same such as instructions on loading. Flash memory can be deleted an rewritten. Flash memory is used in computers as well as digital cameras, phones and mp3 players. Computers can come with different amounts of memory, but portable memory devices can also be used to add more memory space.
I have never used the program Inspiration, so learning that in class will definitly be helpful to me in my future career. Inspiration is any easy way to create concept maps which can be very useful for teachers.
I am excited because I signed up for Utube today. I have never needed it because my friends always send me videos, but now I can look them up myself and send them to other people. I know I am a little behind in that area, but I am pretty happy.

Post #3

There are so many types of software out there, it is almost overwhelming. Word Processing software is probably the most popular. This software creates documents that are mostly text, such as research papers, letters, and flyers. Although mainly text, word processing software usually contains clip art, tables and graphs. Spreadsheet software is also very widely used. This software is used mostly by those who work with numbers and finances, but it can be very helpful for teachers in keeping track of grades. Presentation software such as Powerpoint allows users to put together information that is visually pleasing and more portable than a huge notebook like you see in some movies. Other productivity software includes database software and Personal information software. Basically any task that you need to complete, can be accomplished by using a computer.
I enjoyed the webhunt activity. Although I was already pretty good at looking things up on the internet, the content was interesting. The questions that were asked brought me to websites that I did not know existed. I guess from this activity, I learned how much information is really out there.
After reading chapter three, I was a little overwhelmed by all the different types of software. I have always considered myself to be fairly computer literate, but there are so many things that I have never used, such as database software.

Post #2

Since the internet began, its growth has surpassed my expectations. The internet got it's start when the US Department of Defense wanted a network where scientists could quickly share information from miles away. This network, developed in 1969, was called ARPANET, and allowed scientists and academics to communicate with eachother. Since then the amount of computers linked to the internet has grown exponentially. In 1984 over 1000 host computers were linked to ARPANET. Today, only 23 years later there are over 200 million host computers on the internet. Its increased accessability, and the large amounts of information has made the internet a nessesity quicker than anyone could have anticipated.

Again, things that were taught in class since post 1, are programs that I am already familiar with.

I was born in 1984, and to see how much the internet has grown in my short lifetime amazes me. I always seem to think that there could not possibly be any new technologies that have not already been developed, but the internet keeps growing. It will be interesting to see what computers and the internet will be able to do in another 23 years.