The Seventh Week

This week, my professor introduced the class to a technology that I did not know existed (I feel that I was probably not alone in this situation among the other members of my class). He presented to us the option of using Google Docs in a business, educational, or even home setting. Google Docs is a service offered by Google that provides access to various applications, such as a word processor, spreadsheet maker, form developer, and presentation application. Not only can you access these documents whenever and whenever, but you can also invite others to share the documents and collaborate on them in real time. It is offered for free--you just need to create a Google account (Gmail, their email server, has unlimited mailbox size!). Google has a video that explains the concept and features of Google Docs in an entertaining and creative format; you can view it by following this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA.

Google Docs is definitely something that I could use in my future classroom: there will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate with my fellow Spanish teachers on handouts and presentations especially. The ability to comment/edit/add to a worksheet that I have or another teacher has created will allow for constructive criticism and networking in curriculum development. Also, the presentation application will provide the opportunity to keep all students in the same level of Spanish to be on the same page--if teachers collaborate on one presentation, they all can use it in order to keep the classes cohesive.

The Sixth Week

This past week, we discussed Microsoft PowerPoint in class. Sure, it is a commonly-used application; however, PowerPoint is also a very useful tool in various situations. Its importance in many fields is why it should be discussed regularly. Walking through this application, though I have used it for nearly seven years, helped me to realize small details about the creation of presentations that truly are vital to the success or failure of communication with your audience. For instance, I never had considered how much more interesting slide animations (when used judiciously) can make a presentation. We also emphasized the importance of "keeping it clean"--we pointed out the need to cut down on excessive clip art, crazy colors, capitalized wording, etcetera.

PowerPoint is certainly a useful tool for teachers everywhere. I feel that, as a Spanish teacher, I might not have as many opportunities to use it in lectures as, say a History or English teacher; however, I can still implement it in my classroom for the benefit of my students. For instance, I can create a Jeopardy board to practice vocabulary or history/culture facts. Or I could even use it as a medium to practice grammar: an infinitive (unconjugated verb) and a sample subject could be on the first slide, then the next slide would display the correct conjugation. PowerPoint would also be an excellent tool for my future students to use in creating presentations for projects about Spanish-speaking countries or famous Hispanics.

More about the E-Portfolio

In this post, I just want to clarify more the contents and purpose of the Electronic Portfolio assignment that I will be completing over the next few weeks in my COMP 204 class. I will essentially develop a "living résumé" that includes all that I have ever learned, accomplished, or participated in as professional enhancement. The beauty of creating this portfolio is that I can revise and and edify it when necessary, and there is still an absolute reference to this information: a potential employer can simply enter the same URL and pull up my portfolio at any point in time for updates. The portfolio will be divided into three categories--these divisions are Knowledge, Skills, and Disposition (these are outlined by the National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education at http://www.ncate.org/). The portfolio will contain various demonstrations of my competence as a future educator. For instance, the Knowledge portion will store my résumé, as well as scores and grades in education courses; the Skills section will provide examples of lesson plans and writing samples that I have created; and the Disposition portion will, most notably, contain my philosophies of education and of technology in education. While the E-Portfolio is certainly not a replacement for a hard copy of a résumé or portfolio, it provides employers with something that sets you apart from other applicants because it is something unique and shows your ability to work with technology.

The Fourth & Fifth Weeks

I intentionally waited for two weeks in order to publish this post because I wanted to have more information about the software we were learning about and the project we would be using it for.

The software to which I am referring is Microsoft Office Sharepoint Designer 2007. Sharepoint is a user-friendly and accessible program for designing web sites (you don't have to be able to code in HTML to use it!) . As we were still dealing with the Web and the Internet when using this program, we continued to discuss terms and tools that we can use online. We put specific emphasis on the importance and valure of the network server and learned how we could use it to publish our sites.

We are specifically using Microsoft Sharepoint Designer in class in order to create electronic portfolios: an electronic portfolio is essentially an interactive resumé that contains anything and everything that pertains to your profession that potential employers may want to see (in my case, school administrators). The electronic portfolio really will be a great way to keep record of all that I have accomplished and used for personal enrichment as a preservice teacher--the format is also simple for anyone to navigate. In my future classroom, I could also use Sharepoint to create a webpage for my class and post homework schedules, research links, class calendars, and worksheets for kids who were absent that day. I could use a web site to not only communicate with my students, but also to put out information for other teachers to use and respond to via email. Sharepoint is also an excellent way for a school to maintain a web site, albeit a very basic one.

The Third Week

Sorry that this post is a little late...I've been trying to keep a regular schedule of posting on Saturdays or Sundays, but that didn't work out this weekend.

Last week in COMP 204, we began to discuss the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). Though they are colloquially held to be synonymous, we learned the distinct differences between the two in class. The Internet is the massive network of networks that powers tools such as the WWW, email, and file transfers all over the world. The WWW is just an application of the Internet that allows its users to navigate through web pages via hyperlinks and view information in a multimedia format. Besides technical terms, there was not much to be learned about the Internet and WWW for our class--we have all been using them since elementary school for classes and entertainment, so we know our way around.

We did, however, broaden our viewpoints on the Web and the Net by examining them from a future educator's viewpoint. For example, the Internet is an extremely useful tool when it comes to connecting a school district (we have a campus network that demonstrates this idea to us daily) because administrators, teachers, and students can all access software, hardware, and other data necessary for the learning process. Whether the information is handouts explaining projects, a worksheet to be filled out and submitted via the network, or a district-wide bulletin to inform parents of news in the schools, the network provides ease of access to all. The benefits of the Web are clear, especially in this day and age, when students respond so well to technology and use it so often in their daily lives. Online learning can take place in the form of Web scavenger hunt or research project using various websites. I recently read an article that dealt with my discipline specifically: it detailed a study conducted with ESL students that used hypermedia to learn new vocabulary and showed significant increases in learning and retention of the words that they researched themselves using the Web.

The Second Week

During the past week, we continued our study of MS Excel, then moved on to Microsoft Word. In Word, we tackled some common difficulties, such as tab and text alignment. We learned how to make the ruler our best friend by setting indents (left, right, AND hanging) and tabs (left, right, decimal, you name it). I didn't know that there was more than one type of tab before this class! We also went over how to best use the Review Ribbon in MS Word Vista to track changes and add comments.

Being able to set tabs and indents will certainly cure many formatting headaches when it comes to making handouts and worksheets for my students in the future. Not only will these basic skills make my life as an educator easier, but they will also improve the professional appearance of any letter, resume, grant proposal, etc. that I write. I can also use the "Track Changes" and inking features (yeah, tablet PC's!) to mark changes and edits on students' essays if I choose to do so electronically via email.

The First Week

The first program we studied this week was Microsoft's Personal Information Manager, Outlook. We practiced using the program not only as an email provider, but as an organizational tool for schedules, tasks, and appointments. We learned simple ways to connect with others connected to Microsoft Exchange, such as mass emails sent as blind carbon copies (BCC) and appointment requests through the use of shared calendars. With these freedoms and new opportunities for communication, we were also taught the importance of responsible information sharing and professional conduct.

A program such as Outlook has obvious uses and benefits in the teaching environment (given that I teach at a school that uses Outlook). I had not used it for more than sending and receiving emails before this class--now I find it useful for setting up my schedule and keeping track of events. I will continue to do this as a teacher, especially because Outlook allows one to share calendars with other users so scheduling appointments is much easier and more efficient. Outlook also will allow me to send requests for appointments and invitations to events to multiple users at a time, ensuring that all involved are on the same page and receive the same updates.

We also dabbled in Microsoft Excel this week. This was an especially groundbreaking lesson for me because I had only used Excel to create charts and bar graphs prior to taking COMP 204. The class went over the difference between formulas and functions, and I now know the proper names for the components of the program itself. We have had the opportunity to practice computations and designing spreadsheets by way of a gradebook that we will keep for ourselves in the class.

Excel has mostly very obvious applications in the classroom as well. A spreadsheet can be manipulated in various different ways to be used as a record book for grades, whether the teacher wants to categorize students by age or add weight to certain assignments. The gradebook could also include a section for making note of students' attendance. As an advisor for a club, one could track the financial records of the club or organization. A spreadsheet could even be used to manage personal finances at home.