Looking Back and Moving Forward

Well what can I say this was an interesting class. I learned so many new applications that I can use within the classroom that are interactive for both a lesson and for the students. I'm so happy that I was able to take this class and feeling very comfortable with not knowing how to work everything.


One application that I really liked to use and was very unsure of was Prezi. Prezi allowed me to make a presentation in a fun new way instead of a boring PowerPoint. I do plan on using this more with classes and within my own class when I get there.


Another application that I enjoyed using was Glogster. I used this application for an assignment in class. I was very unsure at first but once I got the ball rolling I enjoyed using it and it will be something I would use within class as well.


I could talk about all the different applications that I used within class but those are in my previous blogs. I took a lot away from this class and I will continue to use technology as a way to teach children even if its my own daughter or children in my class. Technology is always changing and advancing and it is something that children need to be aware of. There are so many appropriate websites for children to use that can help educate them and help them further grow and develop.

Children enjoying the computer. Picture from durdenamandaedm310.blogspot.com 

Tech Tac Toe - Glogster

Glogster is a website (www.glogster.com) that creator can make posters that are interactive for others. I never used the web page before and I'm so happy that I did. When I first looked at this web page I wasn't sure if I was really going to understand what needed to be done but the website breaks it down and makes everything very clear.

I think this website/activity would be great for teachers to us within the classroom because it is a fun and interactive way to teach or share something. This is something that even students can easily use. One template that I noticed was a history time line. That would be an excellent page for students to use when presenting important dates throughout history. I would recommend this website for not only teachers but professionals as well who would like to have some fun when in a meeting.

This is the Glogster that I created. It is very simple and straight forward. I would like students to use this poster to share more about themselves to the class. This would be a great activity to use during the beginning of the school year because everything is still so new to them.

Tech Tac Toe - Wordle

Wordle is a generator of word clouds from text that is provided. When a word appears more than others the larger the word becomes. Wordle allows the creator to change the size, font, color, and layout of their personalized word cloud.

This is something that teachers can easily use within the classroom because it takes only seconds to create. When i created my word cloud I used my educational philosophy statement and was able to create my wordle. When a teacher uses this in the classroom I think it would be a fun activity for the students because they have the chance to make it their own. The website also allows the chance to print or share the created wordle.

My Educational Philosophy Wordle generated at www.wordle.net

PLN

When looking through twitter there was many conversations and links going around. One resource that really stood out to me was interactive lesson plans from Discovery Education http://www.fit4theclassroom.com/. I found this to be a great resource for teachers who want to wake their students up during the long winter months. When looking through the website it provides four sections for the teacher to pick which then breaks down to different activities that also have another learning aspect tied in as well, for example a math lesson.

My Opinion
To begin I have a personal twitter but I barely ever use it. I felt that trying to keep up with the twitter that I created for class would be the exact same thing. One thing that I really did like about having the chance to create a new twitter was the ability to focus on one topic which would help when I needed to participate in an edchat or ntchat. The chats seemed to be slow but like to have the chance to put in my own opinion without there being an extreme amount of comments like on Facebook. I also like having the chance to apply my own opinion without being judged because I don't know the people who host the chat. This is also a great way to learn from others. By this I mean they can post lesson plans but share what went right or wrong and how it could be changed. The link to my personal twitter is https://twitter.com/kintnerm73

#Edchat Personal Twitter Feed https://twitter.com/kintnerm73

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Megan Kintner and I'm currently a student at National Louis University. This is my first year here and I'm excited to see what I can walk away with.



My daughter Zoey and I at Navy Pier

To share something about my personal life I'm 24 years old and I have a beautiful daughter named Zoey who will soon be a 5 year old. She is such a strong inspiration in my life and she continues to push me to succeed everyday especially when the days seems almost impossible to finish.For the past two years I been with my boyfriend, his name is Noel and he also has a soon to be 5 year old daughter. This year for Christmas he surprised me with a puppy and she is a Serbian husky named Holly.  



My puppy Holly


 Also I currently work at a retirement community and I'm a waitress there. I been working at the facility for about 6 years now and I cant wait to finish school and work in a field that I will enjoy. On my free time, if I have any, I like to bake. I find a lot of cool ideas on Facebook or Instagram and I try to create the same thing.  It's nice that I get to use my boyfriend and his coworkers as my guinea pigs and the things I make are always a success! 

When looking back at all the careers I wanted to be when growing up and as many times that I changed my mind, I always come back to wanting to become a teacher. When looking back in my childhood and the teachers that I had; they all had something special about them that stood out to me. For example, one teacher would come to school early to help me strengthen my read skills and that was impressionable to me because she took the extra time to help me and not let me fall behind. This is what drew me to the path that I'm heading down now and I couldn't be happier.

With looking at the development of technology and how it has advanced so much through out the years I cant wait to see what it will be like when I become a teacher in the classroom. I personally believe that technology is important within the classroom because it allows not only the teacher but the students to access all kinds of information along with different types of resources.