Web Evaluations

http://www2.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/11605_12006.cfm

I think that this would be a great resource to use to explore website legitimacy. It is set up in a way that could be easily used as an activity with students. If I were using this with a group of students I would have them examine the following chart: http://copia.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html. This chart explains the criteria for evaluating web pages. It is a great companion to the UCLA activity. The UCLA activity asks readers to evaluate certain websites based on this criteria and decide which they would use for a  research paper. Students could get in groups and decide which of their group of websites would be a reliable resource for a research paper.

Wiki Wiki!

Learning about wikis this week in class has been very interesting. I have read a lot of wikis, but never really knew how they worked. I think that the potential they have in the classroom is very exciting. Reading about all the things that teachers have done with them makes me interested in exploring how I could use wikis in my future classroom. I like the ideas of having students share their field trip experiences, collaborate on projects,and post spelling words and homework assignments. I saw one teacher that had students who were absent for a trip use the wiki to tell about their experiences on their trips. It could also be used as a way for students who miss school for illness or other reasons to stay involved in what is going on in the classroom.

As exciting as the possibilities of wikis seem, I think I still have a lot to learn about them before I would feel comfortable using them with my students. I think that it is something that takes a lot of practice. I also have concerns with how long it would take students to get used to using them, assuming they have no prior experience with wikis. Despite this, I think that wikis are something worth learning about and they have excellent and unlimited possibilities. 

Great Expectations

Technology is such an integral part of society today, and no one keeps up with new technologies quite like today's students. Because of this, it is crucial that teachers not only keep up with new technologies, but integrate them into their classrooms as well. Integrating technology into the classroom provides options for students of different learning types, gives students a sense that what they are learning is relevant, and allows more outlets for students to express creativity and critical thinking.  These are the tools that students want to be able to use in classrooms, but are not readily being made available to them.

There are so many new technologies that are capable of being integrated in to the classroom. In this course, I expect to learn more about these. Podcasts, blogs, and wikis are all things that I have heard of and come in contact with, but I expect that in this course I will learn more about them and how to make them available to my future students in a way that will benefit their learning. I expect that this course will provide me with the tools I need to be a tech savvy teacher who is capable of guiding her students through all these new ways of learning.

There's a first time for everything. . .

. . . and this is my first time blogging! I never thought that I would actually start a blog. I have many friends who have started them, and I read a lot of blogs online (my favorites are listed to the right). However,  I apparently have chronic writer's block (or blogger's block, in this case), I never really knew what to say. I guess an introduction is a good way to start. My name is Lizzie Smith, and I am a senior at the University of Tennessee. I am studying Geography and Elementary Education. I enjoy reading, food (cooking and eating), music and movies, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with my friends and family. While in school, I also work at the Wesley House Community Center in Knoxville. It is the greatest job in the world, and I work with the most incredible kids. I started this blog as a way to reflect on what I have learned in my "Integrating Technology in K-12 Curriculum" course. So for now, my topics of discussion will pertain to that. As for the future, maybe it will help me to shake the blogger's block, and I will continue and venture on to other topics. Thanks for reading!