Week of October 23

This week I have been working on my web page assignment. I enjoyed creating it! I think learning to create a personal webpage is an excellent skill for a teacher to acquire. What a wonderful way to introduce yourself to your parents and students! On my page, I was able to include my personal philosophy of education as well as the required information and links. I love being able to sit down and really think about what I do and why I do it. I have always believed that God called me to be a teacher, and writing out my convictions affirms that. The Lord has given me a unique opportunity to exercise my skills as a teacher while staying faithful to my calling as a mother. Both are such blessings to me.

Having a personal web page gives me the opportunity to express myself as well as provide an effective communication tool with parents and other teachers. I am glad to have learned how to do it! As with most of the other assignments, it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I was expecting.

Week of October 16

I am proud to say I completed my very first Power Point presentation. Body Systems is one of the last units of the year that we cover in first grade science. It is one of my favorite ones. The students bring life-sized cut-outs of themselves to school. As we discuss the different body systems and organs associated with each one, they color, cut out, and glue the various organs to their bodies. By the end of the unit, the students can see their brain, heart, lungs, stomach, bones, etc. on their own bodies! Right now, I do not have a computer in my room at school. Therefore, I cannot yet use the project I created. But I anticipate that the day will come when I do have a computer, and I will enjoy showing the students my presentation on Body Systems.

In addition, I now know HOW to create a power point presentation (which is more than I can say before taking this class). When I have computer access in my classroom, I will be able to use power point to share information with my students in a colorful, creative way.

Week of October 9

Today was our introduction into web pages. I have to honestly say that creating a web page is something I never thought I would do! I never thought I could do it, actually. I am beginning to see through this course that many elements of the computer world that I considered way out of my league are not as intimidating as I thought they were. Granted, we have just scratched the surface of this new challenge, but I believe if I can just continue to follow the directions that are given to me, I'll be surprised at what I can create.

My husband continues to remind me to save all my notes from this class. He wants to learn many of the things I am learning! I never considered myself "computer-savvy," but when I see just how much computers CAN do, I realize how very little I know.

Week of October 2

Having no prior experience with Power Point, it was helpful for me to read How to Score More Points with your PowerPoints. The article focuses on 3 main aspects of a presentation: content, presentation, and design. It is important that the content be structured and organized. While it is not necessary to include every detail of information you want to present on your slides, it is important that your information is well-documented. The heart of the presentation, however, lies with the speaker. It is important to be engaging, enthusiastic, and interesting to the listeners. Having a well-designed presentation also helps. The use of appropriately themed graphics and art can make the presentation more appealing. Be careful, however, not to be distracting with too much animation or sound.

All of the elements listed above work together to keep a Power Point presentation from being Power Pointless. Since I am a visual learner, I always appreciate having something to see as well as hear when I am receiving new information. Power Point is an excellent tool for this.

Week of Sept. 25

This week I completed my first exam. What did I learn? There is a LOT about word processing that I didn't know! Honestly, I thought this portion of the class would be the "easy" part. Word processing is certainly what I have the most experience with, as far as computers are concerned. I had no idea there were so many applications and possibilities that come with Word. Thankfully, we were allowed to use our notes and Microsoft Word Help. I am grateful to now know how to better utilize this program. I am also grateful that I have notes to remind me of how to do it! My husband has asked me to please hold on to all my notes from this class, because he was also unaware of many of the applications. (Mail Merge is his favorite new discovery!)

My nerves were high during the exam, but I am pleased with my score. We are now embarking on Power Point, with which I have had no experience up to this point. It is something I have wanted to learn for awhile, and there is no doubt it will be useful in my teaching.