Snyder,+Jennifer

The two weeks of this course went by really quickly, but I definitely learned a lot in that short amount of time. I learned about some really interesting technology that I'll definitely want to use in the future, such as prezi, glogster, and wordle. I think they are really fun ways to present information and now that I've been introduced to them, they're really easy to use. I had never participated in a wiki before this class, so that was something else new that I learned. I think having a place where everyone in the class can add information and respond to each other is really cool. As other people have mentioned, I would still like to learn how to use a smartboard. I'm not even sure exactly what it is, but everyone keeps talking about it, so I guess I should learn something about using it. I don't think my views on classroom technology use have really changed since the beginning of the course, but I do think that I have become more aware of the variety of technologies available to me and how to incorporate them into a classroom.
 * Journal #5: Reflection **


 * Wiki page for DNA Timeline : http://istc501summer2010macaulay.wikispaces.com/DNA+Timeline+Wiki

Journal #4: Copyright and Fair Use ** I knew a few things about copyright and fair use before reading the articles, but I didn't know very many details. I knew that fair use existed and that it meant you could use copyrighted materials, but I didn't know anything about the specific guidelines and restrictions. I also knew that something existed that gave permission for teachers to use copyrighted materials. However, I didn't really know anything more than that.

From reading the articles, I learned a lot about all the restrictions that exist for fair use. I was surprised that there are no universally accepted guidelines for fair use, but rather four factors that have to be considered. It all seems pretty arbitrary and subjective to me, but I guess there's not really any other way to set the guidelines. I also didn't know that if a teacher uses the same material every semester, it does not qualify as fair use. I thought that the main issues with copyright were the material itself and who was using it, not how often it was used. I think it's great that fair use applies to digital learning as well, since that's what a lot of people use now. I had never really thought too much about copyright in the past unless I was writing a research paper or something like that, but now I realize that I'll really have to keep all of this in mind when I'm a teacher.

I do use some Web 2.0 tools in my everyday life. I definitely use Facebook a lot, but I use it more to share pictures and to keep in touch with friends rather than to share useless status updates about how I'm feeling or what I'm doing. I don't really think anyone cares about that. Facebook helps make my life more efficient in some ways because it's an easy way to share pictures with people who want to see them and if I need to contact someone, I know that Facebook is usually a pretty reliable way to get in touch with them. However, it does make me less efficient as well because I sometimes waste a lot of time just browsing through people's profiles and pictures. Another tool I use pretty often is Pandora. I really like being able to design a radio station around the music I want to hear. It's really good at picking songs that I like, to a degree that's a little scary sometimes. It's like it can read my mind. I really like hearing songs that I had forgotten about or discovering really cool new songs. Pandora is just a great way to listen to music that I like, be introduced to new music and also see what other people are listening to, since it connects with Facebook. My favorite Web 2.0 tool is probably StumbleUpon. My boyfriend introduced me to this and now I'm addicted. It's so much fun to just click "Stumble!" and be taken to a website that's related to something I'm interested in. If it's something I really like, I click "I like it!" but if it isn't, I just stumble again. I'm sure you can imagine how this can lead to a lot of time wasting, but it can also bring me to a lot of really cool websites. I didn't know that these were all considered Web 2.0 (but I also didn't know what Web 2.0 meant until today and I think it's definitely a silly term), but they're on the list on that website, so I guess they are.
 * Journal #3:Synching Up with the iKid **

I plan to use Web 2.0 tools in my classroom, not only because I think they will be useful, but also because I think it is unavoidable. I feel like kids (and maybe adults too) have such short attention spans and want to be constantly entertained. If they're not interested in one website or one tool, they can quickly just move onto another one that they find more interesting. There's just so much information that they don't have to settle for something that doesn't interest them. I think this attitude will carry over into the classroom. Students are likely going to get bored and tune out if they're not interested in the subject (which, honestly, it's likely that they aren't going to be even if you do your best to motivate them and get them to see how it really applies to their lives). I think we can use technology that they enjoy to get them interested in what they are learning. I think classroom technology in 5-10 years might be the main way that students learn. Maybe students won't even have to come to school every day, but instead can use technology to connect with the teacher and other students. Students are increasingly becoming responsible for their own learning, and it seems like having them use technology on their own as the main way of learning could be a real possibility. It could be that there would be no issue of incorporating technology into the classroom, but that the classroom would actually be based on technology.


 * Social Bookmarking Site**: []

Journal #2: Technology Integration Beliefs and Experiences ** The way that I remember technology being used for instruction most often when I was in school was through powerpoint presentations. So many of my teachers would put information into a slideshow and then go through it while we took notes. I actually didn't mind this that much. I did get bored but it made it pretty easy to see what we were supposed to know. It was especially convenient when the teacher would post the powerpoint on blackboard because then i didn't even have to worry about taking notes (or even showing up for class in college). I don't think this was the best use of technology though. The powerpoint was basically just a substitute for a chalkboard and didn't add much to the lesson or how we learned the information. I did have one professor for psyc 101 when I was a freshman in college who put cool stuff into her powerpoints that made them more entertaining and more of a tool for enhancing her lecture rather than the whole content of the lecture. In her powerpoint, she would embed videos of her kids (who were SO adorable) that demonstrated the ideas she was talking about. That made it really easy to see what she was talking about, and I can still remember those ideas now. She also put a lot of funny pictures on the slides, which made the class fun and actually did help me to learn the concepts. I think really any technology has the potential to be integrated into teaching in a way that is useful and engaging, but it definitely has to be done correctly.

**Journal #1: Technobiography** I can’t remember ever not using technology during my life. When I was really young, we had a computer that my sister and I used to play games. We had something called Prodigy, and I had no idea what it was at the time, nor do I have any idea now. I just looked it up on Wikipedia (so useful!) and apparently it was “an online service that offered its subscribers access to a broad range of networked services.” Ok then. To us it was just a fun way to play some really cool games. I also remember playing Oregon Trail (which was the best thing ever) and games that taught how to type or do math. As I got older, we started using AOL (remember the awesome dial-up noises when you signed on?) and my friends and I started emailing each other and using AIM to chat. I also started using the computer for school assignments. PowerPoint was really cool back then! The other thing I used the computer for was downloading music (Napster was awesome). We also had a Nintendo 64 which was really cool and Mario Kart will forever be my favorite game. I had a gameboy too and used to carry it around and play games all the time. I was a really cool kid.

Now, I use technology in so many different ways without even thinking about it. I am almost constantly on my computer because I have nothing better to do, so I check my email and facebook quite often. I like being able to connect with people online, but I think it is starting to get to a point that is a bit ridiculous. I absolutely hate Twitter. I recently got a new laptop that has a webcam, so I figured out how to use Skype, which is really cool because a lot of my friends are studying or working abroad and my boyfriend lives in North Carolina, so it’s a good way to keep in touch with them. I hate talking on the phone, so it’s a nice alternative that lets you actually see the person you’re talking to. I like to think that I am pretty technologically proficient, and I tend to date guys who are pretty nerdy, so they have taught me things that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise (like downloading TV shows and movies with torrents, but of course I would never do something illegal like that). Another benefit of dating a nerd is that if I ever need help with something, I ask my boyfriend. I do tend to have bad luck with technology though because I am incredibly clumsy. I have either broken or lost three digital cameras, a couple of iPods (one was my little sister’s. oops), and two cell phones (one involved an embarrassing incident resulting from my phone being in my back pocket. Just some advice-don’t put it there). But that hasn't stopped me from using technology in just about everything I do.

I am taking this course because it is required for the MAT program. While taking this course, I hope to learn about new technological tools because I know there are many that I have never used before. I also want to learn how to incorporate technology in a classroom in a useful way. Finally, I would like to learn ways to use technology to make my life and my students’ lives easier. I think that this course will help me to make my classroom more engaging for students. Instead of using a PowerPoint presentation every day, as many of my teachers and professors did, I hope that I will have a wide variety of tools to use that will be more interesting.
 * Personal Homepage**

I grew up in Bel Air, Maryland, but moved away from home to attend the University of North Carolina. I graduated in 2009 (the year our basketball team won the national championship!) with a degree in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Spanish.

I had originally planned on going to med school, but when the time came to apply, I realized that I had no desire to be a doctor anymore. After graduation, I stayed in North Carolina and tried to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I worked as a summer camp counselor at a science camp and had so much fun, and teaching had been something I’d considered before, so I decided that I would try it out.

I love chocolate, baking, and singing in my car (which is useful for staying awake during those long commutes in the morning). My secret talent is that I can lick my elbow. (Did you just try it? I really can do it.)