Animoto video

Finally here is my Animoto video that I created


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Week 15-Using Games for teaching and Learning

This week we discussed the use of games for teaching and learning. I found some of the games that were posted actually pretty fun and helpful in learning certain skills. I believe educational games are a great way for kids to learn. Obviously not everything can be taught by games but some things can. For example in Elementary school when we were learning how to type faster, there was this game where you raced other cars and your car went faster the faster you could type the word on the screen and it was entertaining and fun. However I always lost because I couldn't type and still "pick" at the keys.

If I became a teacher of some type which I am interested in then I would definitely try to incorporate games into my teaching especially the younger the kids were I taught because I remember it was always a lot easier to learn when your enjoying what your doing.

Here is a website that has science games where kids learn about science while they are playing which could be really helpful in middle school classroom
http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/games/

Week 14-Distance Education and Virtual Schooling

This week we learned about Distance Education and Virtual Schooling. Virtual School is much like online classes in college where students can work at their own pace to a certain extent. However it is becoming more popular to "home school" kids from K-12 grades and they use virtual schooling to work at their own pace. I am not a big fan of Virtual schooling at really any level. I struggle to keep up with online classes becasue I do not have to go class most days so I tend to forgot about assignments and get behind online classes. I also strongly disagree with Home Schooling throughout high school. My cousins are home schooled and I know people that have been Home schooled and I find them very ill-prepared for college and alot of the time socially awkward. I learned so many valuble life lessons just going to school everyday and having to interact with my peers and teachers. And I benefited from not being in a "safe" environment all the time kids need to learn that there not always going to get their way and going to a normal school teaches this. I know it sounds harsh but it's true.

I use Virtual Schooling a lot during college, for example I am taking 3 mostly online classes this semester. I don't think I will be able to use Virtual Schooling and Distance education once I graduate but it is very effective now. For some people this type of schooling works very well espiesally for people whoare very driven but prefer to work at their own pace, however it is not for me.

This is a Link to a Virtual School for kids of just about any age. I thought it was kind of interesting because I had never seen a virtual school before this site.
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx

Week 13- Creating a Profesional Web Presence

This week in Class we discussed the importance of having a professional web presence and how to make one through Google. We used Google sites to start creating our website in class and learned how to use Google Sites. Having a Website is very important because it may help us get a job in the future. Future employers could look up our website and find everything they need to know about us in a very Professional Website.

Being able to create a professional website could definitely help me in my future career. If I were to work for any company I would know how to create a website for them. Knowing how to do this really gives us another skill to put on our resume. A lot of jobs may require a website and knowing how to make one only adds to our ability to get hired.

I choose this website from you-tube because it shows you easily how to create a website of your own.

Week 12- Social Tools and Cloud Computing

This week in class we discussed cloud computing and some social tools. We talked about Google Docs which is an example of cloud comuting becuase once some one uploads a Google Doc they can allow other people to not just view it but also edit it so this workd really well for group projects and such.

If I become a football coach I could defiantly use Google Docs. For the Gameplan each week, I could upload it on a Google Doc so the other coaches could view and edit it before we discussed it with the team.

This is a great Article about cloud computing that really explains because I'm sure most people like me have almost no idea what cloud Computing is.
http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031

Week 11-Open Source Software

This week we learned about Open Source Software. Open Source Software is a great tool for College students like us! There are programs are literally almost just like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel. This is great for college students who are tight on money which is about 99% of normal college students because almost every student will need to use word or power point  multiple times in college and this is a great way to be able to use programs just like these for free!

I may not need to use this software in my career field but I could certainly use it right now. I mean what college student wouldn't want to save a little money especially when you can programs that are just as good.

This website is a great place to download a ton of Open source software for FREE!!
http://sourceforge.net/

Week 10-Spring Break

No post due this week.