Wikis

Wikis are kind of confusing to me at first, but they are very useful and helpful in the classroom. I would definitely use them in my classroom. I actually have a professor this semester who uses one frequently. He teaches a class on teaching grammar and writing in the classroom. He also uploads aides, websites, and articles for our class to view on his wiki.

I do believe that learning by conversing is much more effective than handing out worksheets or just assigning busy work. Then more hands on you are, then more learning someone can absorb from any given experience. The busy work assigned in the classroom is only stored in their short term memories, when a class is active the test scores may be higher, but more than anything, the students will feel experienced and confident in the subjects taught.

No student is the same, therefore they all learn differently. It is wise to have unique teaching tricks and styles when teaching. That test is an odd way to motive students, it can give them an identity, and can inspire them to want to learn more.

Excel

At first I was severely confused by the Spreadsheet application. Now that I actually know how to use it, it is incredibly useful! I can definitely see myself using this in the classroom to make worksheets, do my grade book, and so on.

As a teacher, using a Spreadsheet is an easy way to keep all your data organized. The Spreadsheet completely makes a calculator absolutely useless, but it would be wise to check the grades periodically.

The textbook lists three great examples that Spreadsheet is capable of doing, but literally the possiblilities are endless.

My thoughts on blogging...

To be quite frank, I still have not caught on to this whole blogging thing... but I will admit, it is very convenient to be away from the classroom and still accomplish tasks that are usually done there.

Week 2 Assignment

What do you think about using blogs?
I personally do not like using blogs, but they are an inventive way to communicate & shares ones ideas with others.
What and how do you think blogs would be useful for education?
I am glad I am learning how to use blogs. I am planning on becoming a future high school English teacher and this would be a great way to obtain my students' attentions, as well as pursuing them to write.
Some people think using blogs in classrooms is a waste of students’ time. How would you respond?
I think it would be a waste of the students' & schools' time if they are using it as a form of MySpace, not for an educational purpose. If used correctly, this is a great way to motivate students to learn about the Internet & writing to certain audiences.
What are some ways that you could use the technology ideas in Chapter 6 to support your curriculum and student learners?
Going Green is a very important topic today. We need to be aware of our environment and this would be a great way to cut down use of paper in the classroom. Students would be able to submit & pick up their assignments all on the web.

Introduction

Hello, my name is Jackie Dee Gattenby, I am from Garland, Texas. My birthday is November 22nd, and I will be turning 21 this year. I went to Garland High School, and I am now entering my 3rd here at Texas A&M University- Commerce. I am an English- Secondary Education major and will be graduating December 2009. I am a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and I am very involved on campus and throughout the community. I am very grateful for my family. I have a wonderful half-brother & half-sister who attend middle school in Garland, Texas; they are really great kids and I miss them so much when I'm at school. My parents divorced when I was very young, but I am still close to both. My mom remarried my step-dad when I was in elementary school, and my dad has still not remarried. I grew up living with my dad and he's the greatest dad any girl could ever ask for! I am so ready to graduate and start my career. I plan on pursuing my Masters at SMU after graduation.