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.