10 Some last words...

I originally had some trouble with the PowerPoint Interaction assignment because it took me FOREVER to find a template on the Internet that was relatively easy to manipulate, aesthetically pleasing, and aligned with the assignment requirements. Once I found a tangible template to use things became easier. I settled for a simple Jeopardy game because I didn’t have the time or energy to search for the “perfect” template. Honestly, I think the simple design would be easier for third graders to use anyway. I didn’t love the idea about editing features that were put there by someone else, because I wasn’t always exactly sure how the animation worked. I went through a lot of trial and error. Many of the text boxes were slightly off center, so of course I had to go and change every single one. I had to add a lot of transitions and mess with all the settings. I also had to add sound. If I were using this for instruction, I would edit it so there were different settings in the animations for right and wrong answer, and I would add a scoreboard.

As an aspiring third grade teacher, I could use Data Collection tools such as surveys to assess my students’ many opinions about various things. I could create a more psychological-based one to find out the best way my kids learn and thrive, or I could create one just for fun so I can learn more about my kids’ personalities. I believe third graders are more than capable of filling out an online survey.

I find everyone’s different opinions about educational technology to be very interesting. Coming from a technologically-privileged home, I like to hear about the other side of the spectrum. The two things I liked reading about the most were the concept maps and the PowerPoint video tutorials. The concept map was one of my favorite projects in this class, and I loved seeing how other classmates created concepts maps to different subjects. That's another thing I liked seeing; how we all took the same concept of the assignments but applied them to different subjects and grade levels. 

I have always wanted to know how to use Photoshop. It's not used for educational purposes a whole lot, but I believe if I understood it enough it could definitely be useful. I'm really in need of the knowledge right now because I'm running an organization. I love designing things on Word and Powerpoint but Photoshop can offer so much more. Just think of the possibilities of graphics you could design yourself and use to support your teaching. 

This class has opened my eyes to the modern world of educational technology. I want to teach around 2nd-3rd grade, and I never knew how ingrained technology now is in (most) schools nowadays. Since I haven't been in Elementary School for almost a decade, I haven't noticed how much things have changed. My goal is to continue learning more technology I can use in my future classroom and to successful integrate it into my curriculum.