2. Most Useful Tool
Everything I learned in this course was extremely
useful to me! The RSS reader was one of my
favorites because I can go to my Google homepage
and have current trends in education and news at
my fingertips. I am able to access educators’ blogs
and gain many teaching tips, lesson ideas, classroom
management and organizational ideas, and even
decorating ideas for my classroom. Learning to
utilize this tool has proven to be very addictive! I
am constantly perusing the internet to find sites to
add to my homepage!
3. Successes
I have had many successes while working on this course. First of
all, I am more comfortable in creating my own wiki. In the
past, I have used wikis that were already in existence. Now, I
can create my own and tailor it to meet the needs of my
class. I will use the wiki I created in this class at the
beginning of the school year to acquaint my students and
their parents with the expectations of fourth grade.
Secondly, I became more familiar with Glogster. My students
will enjoy creating their own Glogsterspertaining tothe units
of study in science class. Lastly, I overcame my hesitation to
utilize blogs as a way to communicate with other educators. I
recognize the benefits of reaching out to other educators and
sharing ideas.
4. Challenges
I decided to take this course because I need to
became more adept at using technology with my
students in the classroom. One of the biggest
challenges has been the amount of time it has taken
me to become familiar with the different tools, and
my ability to navigate through the information and
tutorials to assist me in setting up my wiki, blog, and
other web publishing tools. Many of these tools were
new to me, so I spent a tremendous amount of time
absorbing the information and learning by trial and
error!
5. Moodle and Online
Learning
This is the first course that I have taken online. I found
Moodle very easy to navigate. The course outline was very
informative and organized. It provided me with many
examples and explanations which enabled me to digest the
information. It individualized the learning and allowed me
to work on the projects at my own pace. I appreciated
having each section of the course outlined and easily
accessible. At first, I was apprehensive to take an online
course, but I won’t hesitate to take another course in the
future, because this course has taught me a great deal.
6. A Collection of My
Accomplishments
https://mrscedroneswiki.wikispaces.com/
I developed this wiki to inform students and parents about
fourth grade expectations. I am also going to allow
students to write comments, respond to questions, and
share information with other classmates.
As the year progresses, we will post questions and
responses related to reader’s workshop lessons and
books we are reading in book clubs.
7. My Class Blog
http://kidblog.org/TheExtraordinaryEighteen/
I created this class blog for students to discuss science
topics. Students will be able to comment, respond, and
interact with their classmates about the units of study
in fourth grade.
10. Final Comments
I learned a great deal by taking this online course. I am
motivated and excited about sharing all that I have
learned with my grade level partners. I will begin the
school year integrating the technology and tools into my
lessons to increase and enhance my students’ learning.
