*Second Blog*

Insights (related to technology and teaching) you are gaining from our class or elsewhere in life...

The past few weeks in Instructional Technology I have learned a lot. I now know how to put contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity into business cards, classroom brochures, and power points. I think this is very beneficial for my future as a teacher. All these concepts that we are learning are allowing me to expand my knowledge in technology, which will benefit my students.

As the weeks continue I feel more confident using PowerPoint and word. These two programs are very popular and many know how to use them, as I did before, but after being in this class I feel confident in changing the margins, adding hyperlinks, inserting text boxes, transitioning slide to slide, inserting pictures, having the mouse click "off", aligning the pages appropriately, along with many other small details.

This class is definitely teaching me a lot and I hope that I only learn more :)

*First Blog*

Current thoughts on technology's role in the class room:

I think that technology plays an important role in today's classrooms. Presently, there are many different ways that teachers can integrate technology into their curriculum. The use of the internet can aid teachers in expanding the learning experience for their students. Research projects, fun activities, and other straight forward information are great ways to incorporate the internet in today's classrooms. The internet is a great way to also practice academic skills inside and outside the classroom. For example a student can google "math problems for grade 5" and different math activities will be available. Having technology on hand, and the developed researched skills to use it properly, will allow the children to exceed their limits as a student and a member of our society.

I think my level of technology expertise is average. Although I don't know everything, I feel very comfortable using the internet. There will be many times when I will have to learn something new, which will not be a problem considering that technology is expanding throughout the years. The more I know the more confident teacher I will be, because I will be able to pass on the knowledge of technology to my students.