Today was Google Docs!

So, today we learned about Google docs. I was pretty confused at first but as we went along I kind of got the hang of it. My partner with Google docs was Amber Kohler. She's awesome. :) She was assigned to go onto the website National Geographic for kids and find and an animal that we could do a report on. She decided on frogs which I found interesting because I was obsessed with frogs when I was younger. It was interesting to collaborate back and forth with Amber through Google docs even though she was within the same room as me. It was hard not to just talk to her about what to do instead of talking through the computer. Something that surprised me as I was working with Google docs is that it would show Amber what I was doing without me even sending it. All I would have to do is save it and she was able to see what I had done. I feel that Google docs has great potential to help people communicate well and work together on a project.
We also did an activity in class today that I really enjoyed. We went onto Microsoft Word and started this Round Robin sort of thing. What you do is you start a story by first giving it a title. Then, you write the first sentence of your story and move to the person's computer on your right side. You then write add a sentence to their story that they started and continue on with that process about 4 or 5 times or as many times as you desire. At the end you edit the story for grammar and read story for entertainment. One story was quite entertaining and funny. In fact, it was my neighbor to the right (Tambri Hansen) that had started it. I definitely think this is something I will use in my future classroom because not only does it stimulate creativity, helps with grammar but it also uses technology! :) It was a good day and I feel that I did not fall too far behind. Hooray!

Video on Technology in the Classroom

Blog Posting #2!

Alright, today's class was awesome! I learned so much in the YETC from Nathan. He has done so much for education teachers out of the kindness of his heart. It is just so awesome. I learned about so many resources that I can use as a future Elementary Education teacher. He informed us about spellingcity.com where it teaches spelling words and has many other activities that can help your students with their spelling. He said, "It's like having another teacher in the classroom!" He also told us about the Mathematics Worksheet Factory Deluxe 3 which has so many options for math worksheets. My favorite resource which I will probably use even just for my entertainment is storylineonline.net. It has famous movie starts or TV actors that read aloud children stories. We watched the actor that played Sam on Lord of the Rings read the book, "A Bad Case of Stripes." I couldn't help but smile the entire time. I really am going to go onto that website whenever I need to relax and have a "pick-me-up". :) I love reading children books and love having them read to me. There truly is nothing better. Nathan also taught us about the Format Factory which converts videos into a format that works better for teachers. He also informed us of how we can find help when we are confused or looking for certain materials. He told us to go to http://teacherlink.edu.usu.edu or ucet.org. This is where I found out how amazingly kind Nathan is. He has provided all of these resources for all of us just out of the kindness of his heart. He has worked very hard and asked nothing in return except that we use them to become better teachers. How awesome is that!? You don't find people like that everyday. Another resource he showed us is kiddierecords.com. This website has the ability to put records on MP3 files. He also showed us pioneer.uen.orgk12, and phunland.com which were very informative and something that I know I can use in the future as an educator. I really enjoyed this class period and felt that it was very valuable. I'm so grateful for people who work hard to make life easier and more enjoyable for others.

Class Blog for INST 4010

Hello! I have never really done blogging before but here we go! This blog was created for my INST 4010 class so that I can become more technologically savvy. Seriously, when it comes to computers and technology I am a little challenged. :) Hopefully, by the end of this class I can come to understand computer lingo and understand how it works! I guess we'll see! Adios!