Final post

I can honestly say that this is one of the most informative classes I have taken at UT.  I have learned so many new tools and programs I can now integrate into my future classroom.  One of my favorite projects was this blog.  I loved being able to reflect on each project we did and make this my own.  I could see myself using this in the classroom to keep parents and the students at home involved.  My favorite projects were learning about the Web 2.0 tools, like Picassa, Glogster, Animoto, Wordle, digital collections using Imovie, and the Interactive spreadsheet.  All of these activities were fun and once I got the hang of them were fairly easy to use.  As a teacher I would use digital storytelling to introduce something that students may deem as boring to jazz it up to where it will appeal to them.  The Web 2.0 tools I mentioned would be a great way to design a video or a newsletter for the parents to see what students are doing in the classroom.  My partner and I were assigned to research Glogster and found that this interactive poster board would easily replace a boring book report or Science Fair poster with an animated, interactive, creative and collaborative web page.   I now realize how being a master of technology will help me in the classroom.  Students want learning to be fun, and if it is something interactive where they can use and work with these tools, they will be more likely to remember the lesson and enjoy it.  I will expose  my future students to all the tools I have used in this class to allow them to create their own work and learn in a fun and digital way!!