510 week 1 my computer history!

If you want to get technical, my first computer was a Nintendo. haha! As far as a PC is concerned, our first was an apple 2E and then an apple GS (I think). I was about 6 at this time and the year was somewhere around 1987-89. The first thing I remember on those computers where the games. Oregon trail was a favorite at home and school. We also had army games like Howitzer and Parachute. Howitzer worked kind of like battle ship, you put in coordinates trying to blow up the other persons tank. Parachute was the game where little men parachuted out of the sky and you had to shoot them as they fell before they blew up your gun. These games were really simple, but at the time very entertaining. I refused to type or do anything constructive on the computer, at that age it was purely entertainment.

When I was in middle school (1996) we started to use the internet. I mainly learned to type so that I could instant message my friends, it was a big thing back then. During that time, many of our teachers began requiring typed reports and papers over hand written. I still could not type very well and I often paid my older sister to type everything for me! If you would have told me then twelve years ago that I would be using a computer for a good portion of my daily life I would have laughed at you. I never would have dreamed that I would become so dependant on a computer and the internet. Years ago I could have gone weeks or months without turning on a computer and now I rarely go more than a few hours. Boy how the times have changed!

Week 6

Well, we are all done with 515 and I feel pretty good about it. This class is called technology tools and I feel like that is exactly what we covered. We started with the graphics and presentation programs which for me was a bit of a slow start. I had no use for the graphics program, but I did find it fun to play with and thought it could be used on a free day or as a introductory activity. The presentation programs like Empressor however, I did find useful. I thought the slide design was useful and easy and I played with adding music and links which I thought was easier than using power point. Next we got into search engines and the Boolean techniques. I had never compared search engines before and I just used whatever came on my computer. I soon began to like foxfire a lot more than before and through the use of our Ning and the evaluations, I found some issues with Internet explorer. It was also nice to be reminded of Boolean techniques, because that is something that I had been taught years ago and forgot about. Week three got us further into google docs with spreadsheets and again I was pleasantly surprised. I have used Excel quite a bit and had also used some simple formulas. I was impressed with google docs again by the ease of use, access, and collaboration. Being able to share and access information from any computer hooked up to the web is a lot better than having years worth of spreadsheets backed up on one computer. The recipe formula also made me think about different and creative ways to use a spreadsheet that maybe I haven't done before. The most valuable and useful information for me was probably the software evaluation. I found that the software evaluation tool we used (Sun Prairie) was pretty much everything I would consider on my own and somethings that I never thought of. This was very useful to me because I have just begun to process of purchasing some new automotive software and I was able to evaluate it and share it with others to get a second opinion or two. This class was pertinent to what I am trying to do in my classroom, it opened me up to some new technologies and ideas, and even made me a little more open minded and creative with things I already use. I am looking forward to see how the next class will help me improve my teaching.

Week 5

This week I am really happy with what we are working on. The software evaluation was the most important thing we have done thus far. I reviewed a web-based software program for my automotive classes called Modern Automotive Technology Suite. This program allows for the instructor to teach from web-based power point presentations that include interactive learning modules and activities and assessment tools. This is really exciting for me because instead of creating all of these presentations and activities, all I have to do is log on to this website and deliver the information. The information is updated every six months instead of having a text book that is out dated by the time it hits the shelf. The presentations are better than anything that I have every created on my own and my students will love it. I use a similar program for my autobody classes and I have had great success with it. This is a perfect example of how I want to use technology in my classroom. I am so greatful that my district sends me to these conferences so that I can learn about great teaching tools like the Modern Automotive Technology Suite. This will increase student learning and interest as well as making my job easier and more fun!

Week 4

I used "In time" and found an aviation lesson that will work well for my middle school class next year. We actually have a flight simulator in one of our tech classrooms and the only thing it is used for right now is a toy. This lesson includes ideas like using the simulator to teach the parts of the plane during which I could also include minor physics and principles of flight. The students could also develop a flight plan and learn how to use flight controls. This type of lesson could be done in small groups or individually. I am excited to see that others still have simulators like this and actually make useful lessons out of them. During the preparation process for this class I will explore the flight simulator and its capabilities so that I can use it to its fullest extent. I can also incorperate other technology like computer and internet usage to have students do some research on different types of planes and aviation.