Overall, I think I explored a lot of different, new tools that I can see myself using in my classroom. One of my favorites is NetTrekker. I have been looking for a good way to have my students research the Internet and find valuable sources without having to sort through all of the junk that is out there. I try to teach them skills to help them distinguish between good and bad websites, but for some of them that is very hard skill to grasp. NetTrekker is a great tool to help these students. I hope to encourage my district to purchase access for the students.
I also enjoyed using some of the Google features that I haven't explored. I have used Excel Spreadsheets numerous times, but never used Google Spreadsheets. I found it easy to use and very similar to Excel. I could see using this with my coworkers. I also really like using Google Sites. As I previously stated, I have wanted to build my own website for personal and professional use, but I wasn't sure where to begin. I found Google Sites to be user friendly and provide lots of options for users.
Finally, I really enjoyed our discussion about Software Evaluation. Our district has been rather lax when it comes to the evaluation process for software. As part of the technology committee, I would prefer we had a rubric to use that adequately evaluated software that teachers would like to use. There were a lot of great points made by my classmates that I plan on bringing back to our committee in the fall.
Overall, I feel like I learned a lot from this class and was forced (in a good way) to experiment with things that I "didn't have the time for" before!!
Kristy,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found the course valuable. You did a great job, and you will have no problem incorporating the tools you've worked with.
Nettrekker is a great resource, especially for younger students who don't have enough experience gathering and interpreting information. Your district would do well to listen to your recommendation.
Good luck to you!