voicethread

A voicethread is a multimedia device that can hold videos, images and other documents. Using voicetrhead you can comment, navigate to other pages and share them with others. There are other applications when using voicethreads as well, such as being able to doodle on a slide, pick which comments you want shown and be exported to dvds or mp3s.
I don't think I would use voicethread just to show a video. If I was going to create other accounts for the students for a project or we would use it year around I think I could use it, but not for a one time thing. The cost is relatively low for the biggest package for K-12 education at only $60 a year, and would be a good investment if you were to use it often.

week 10

This week we made a brochure and resume using Desktop Publishing. I thought it was a good activity and feel more comfortable with Desktop Publishing now that I have done more projects on it. The program was easy to use and can be very useful in class. I feel that while teaching, a brochure can be a great way to introduce the class to parents and students at the beining of the school year. I hope to make calenders to keep the class more organized. I have noticed that when teachers have made calenders, students seem to be more organized and turn in assignments on time more.

Delicious

I think that delicious is a great idea but I would probably never use it. I do not use the computer very often, and when I do, I already know what I am looking for. For those that visit a lot of sites often and switch computers often, it would be a wonderful tool to have everything there no matter where you are. I just don't see me using it that often.

Week 4

After using Spreadsheet to make a gradebook and material aid, I can see where it can be very helpful. I am not too sure that I could really get into using it as a material aid as much as I would the gradebook, but it is worth a try. the gradebook seemed particularly useful, and a lot better than using the old pen and paper. I liked how you could get the averages of everyone, and could even compare by using a graph. By using Spreadsheet, you could get accurate calculations, where as if you used a calculator, you could possibly make mistakes, and it takes longer.

When I went to the Inspiration website I found a lot of information about the Inspiration products. I really liked how the programs are based on visual concepts. I am a visual learner, so I would have done well to have those programs while in school. I was particularly interested in the science portion. I even checked out the Kidspiration products for sciences and thought they were very interesting and would be a good learning tool. If I could, I would use Inspiration in my classroom as part of the teaching method. In my opinion, students need to see the same material presented to them in different ways since no two students learn the same way. I could use Inspiration as the visual part of learning.

Writing activities that move ideas onto the paper as sort of a road map and then to written text seems to be the way to go. I noticed that Inspiration had students put their ideas into a web of ideas, then from there they could put them on paper in a rational order and add on as needed.
Students can help their peers writing by giving them feedback instead of the teacher having to give all of the feedback. If you gave time to students to do peer revisions and then gave them time to fix problems, students would be getting more feedback. I think that if students were to use the internet to give peer feedback, assuming that all students have access to internet outside the classroom, you could eliminate time being used in the classroom for peer editing. A simple e-mail would work, or even setting up blogs for students.

Blogging

I never have been interested in blogging. I have a facebook, but that is just to stay in touch with friends that have moved away. I have never been big on just posting my ideas on the web and have always wondered where those that did found the time to do so, I can see how it could be beneficial in the classroom though. If students are to blog their ideas and write something that everyone, not just the teacher will see, they will be forced to think more critically and take more time to do their work. Even though blogging does take a considerable amount of time, I wouldn't consider it a waste of the students' time as long as it has educational purposes. Taking the time to come up with a good response that others will potentially read should encourage students to do better in the class.

Hello, my name is Katie Hettich. I am a sophomore at A&M Commerce majoring in biology. I plan on teaching high school colorguard, winterguard and biology after I graduate. I am very involved in colorguard and winterguard throughout the year. I have tought cologuard at local high schools as well as written high school shows. I am also in Ars Nova winterguard, and will be marching with the Crossmen this summer.
My family includes me, my mom Jana, dad Harrell, and brother Billy. We own and operate a farm on the outskirts of Sulphur Springs, TX.