What have you learned from the Education blogs you have been reading this semester?

Reading blog posts by experienced teachers has been really beneficial for me. I’ve read posts on classroom management, organization, lesson planning, technology, teaching strategies, exceptional students and so much more!

I really loved this post on how to survive your first year of teaching. She had a lot of great tips for staying organized and staying sane! As a future educator, getting started in my own classroom has always seemed daunting, but this post definitely eased my mind! Read my review of this blog here!

I also learned a lot from this post on using student choice as a teaching strategy! Unfortunately, I think many of us often default to teaching by lecture and trying to keep total control of a classroom. This post really opened my eyes to how effective student choice can be!

Reading blog posts has also given me insight into how to teach exceptional students. For example, in this post, I got a glimpse into the mind and dreams of a girl with Down Syndrome. It was a great reminder that I became a teacher to teach ALL students, not just my higher-level students. Check out my review of this blog post here!

What are my three favorite apps from this semester and why?

My absolute favorite app from this semester was Notability! This app was a life-saver! I used it in absolutely every class I took, and I even used it outside the classroom! The ability to import documents and presentations in order to annotate them was indispensable. I was able to go completely paperless, while still taking handwritten notes! Read my review of Notability here!

Next, I really enjoyed using Adobe Slate for Digital Storytelling. This app made my presentation look beautiful and professional; I couldn’t believe how good the final product looked! Plus, it was really easy to use, and the process is fun in itself! Read my review of Adobe Slate here!

Lastly, I loved creating Word Clouds with WordPack! I spent a couple hours just playing around with the app, creating works of art out of some of my favorite poems! Besides just being a lot of fun, this is a great app for analyzing literature and utilizing different disciplines within one activity. Check out my review of WordPack here!

What have I learned about using Twitter in Education?

Twitter has been a great resource for discovering new ideas and resources! Not only did I find great resources from following my classmates, but also from following other educators. This would be a great way to get students to interact and learn from each other in the classroom. Students can do their own research, post their findings online, and share it on their twitter feed with a classroom hashtag. Students can then use these Twitter posts to see what their classmates discovered and learn from each other, rather than just the teacher! Check out the different resources my classmates found here!

How do I see technology impacting my future classroom?

After taking this Educational Technology class, I definitely see myself using more technology in my future classroom! A common theme running throughout my blog posts is that while technology is not NECESSARY for learning, it definitely ENHANCES learning! 21st Century students have grown up with technology; they know how to use and interact with it. If I can implement technology into my classroom in an intentional and effective way, my students will be more engaged and willing to learn!