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Final Reflection

I have learned a lot of important things in this class that I will definitely use in my future career as a teacher. I have gathered a ton of resources for all of the different subjects I will be teaching. I have learned about all of the things google can offer in the classroom. And most importantly, I have become more comfortable with using technology in new ways. I think that learning about all of these different resources, such as Showme, Pixton, and LucidPress, has showed me that learning should be fun, interactive, and creative.  At the beginning of the semester, I knew that technology could be useful in the classroom but I don't think that I really planned on using it a ton. I never thought about creating a teacher website full of useful things for the parents and students. But after this class, I realized that technology is almost a necessity. I now realize that technology is so useful in so many more ways than I thought. You can use it to assess students in different ...
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Publishing Reflection

Creating a newsletter can be a great way for students to present information because it is different and fun. I think it might be kind of hard for younger students, but for the older students it could work really well! For example, in 3rd grade, students are asked to figure out what their point of view is based on the text. You could have the students create a newsletter showing how their view differs (or is the same) from the author's point of view. Have them use the newsletter to show specific quotes from the text where the points of views are different or similar. It could also be fun to insert pictures that went along with the text. (http://www.uen.org/core/displayLinks.do?courseNumber=4230&standardId=70408) Another way 3rd graders can use newsletters is in health education. One of the core standards is to understand how to manage stress. I think it would be fun for the students to create a newsletter showing other people how to cope with stress and how to improve their ...
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Animation Excitement

Creating animations via Powtoon, or other free animation sites, is a great way to mix things up in the classroom. You can use animations to teach or have students create animations to show what they have learned. One way I think I would use an animation is to teach the class syllabus and classroom rules and procedures. This can be a lesson that is usually boring and hard to engage students in. But with a fun animation it can make it way more exciting! I found another great way to use Powtoon online. You can use it to present a new project in a fun way. For example, use the mission impossible template to give the students information about their project or homework. This is way more interesting than just giving the students a paper with all the ideas! After all, everything (including homework) is more interesting when you make it a secret mission.  I also think that Powtoon is a great way for students to show me what they learned. For example, I might have each student create a ...
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The Magic of G Suite

I absolutely loved learning how to use G Suite in class. I was amazed at all the things you could do with it!! I can't wait to use some of its features in my classroom one day. Picking just three tools is really hard, considering all of them are so amazing! One of the tools I would love to use in my classroom is Google Slides. I remember using Google Slides all the time in middle school and high school. It is so nice because your whole group can be working one the project at the same time. In an elementary setting, I think that Google Slides is a great way for students to gather and present information in an interesting and exciting way. I would use Google Slides for a variety of assignments and projects for my students. I could have each student create a slideshow to tell us a little bit about themselves. Or I could have the students work in groups to research a specific topic (a country, and animal, etc) and create a fun slideshow to inform the rest of the class what they have fo...
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Infographics

An infographic is a visual way to display information. Usually (especially infographics used in elementary school), they are colorful and fun to look at. They also display the information in fun and innovative ways. I think creating and interpreting infographics is a skill that students need to learn. The will run into infographics in their life whether they want to or not. I think infographics are also a great way for students to show that they are learning and understanding in a fun and creative way. I also think infographics are an engaging way to show students information. They need to be able to interpret an infographic in order to gather the information presented in it. You can use infographics for all ages. For example, in 1st grade you can make an infographic about a morning routine. Show that you need to wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and brush your teeth. For a little older students (perhaps 3rd or 4th grade) you could have the students create an infographic about a...
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Initial Blog Post

Digital literacy is all about communicating and gathering information with technology. With technology we have so many ways to gather information and it takes both cognitive and technological skills to process all of that information. I think digital literacy is very important, especially in the world we live in today. No matter what your career will be or what school you go to, you will have to use technology. Whether it is for organizing information, gathering information, writing information, or sharing information, you will use it and you need to develop the skills to use it. I think a couple of the main skills students need surrounding technology include gathering information and organizing information. Students need to be able to research and find the exact information they are looking for. Then they need to be able to organize it whether that is in an essay, infographic, powerpoint, or email. I think technology is very important to use in the classroom. When I become a teach...
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