Tool #10

I attended an iTouch workshop earlier in June and thoroughly enjoyed working with the different applications. My favorite Apps are: Animoto Videos, I Can Read Lite, Shake and Spell, Pop Math Lite, and Dragon Dictation. The 'lite' Apps will be very easy for my 1st. grade students to manipulate independently. The Dragon Dictation will help my students see that writing is simply speaking on paper.
This was the first technology workshop that I really enjoyed and didn't leave discouraged. The iTouch was very user friendly. I definitely had a 'wow moment' when I realized technology could be fun!

Tool #3

This was a very time consuming activity! I had a lot of problems getting the products to the blog page, but through much trial and error, I succeeded. Getting the gadgets the correct size is still very challenging.

My students could use pictures as story starters. They would enjoy making a wordle from their friends' names, and later----making wordles from vocabulary lists.

Tool #2

I have viewed other blogs and I see that I have a lot to learn! On the positive side, I am feeling more open to incorporating more technology into my classroom. I think many "middle aged" people (those of us who did not grow up with computers) have had the same negative experiences I have. When I first worked with computers, one could actually lose all the data with a touch of a key! There were no back-up systems as there are now. No wonder I am so anxious when leaning new programs.
I loved the example of the steam engines being built into sailboats. Technology is here to stay and is changing at a dramatic pace; we teachers have no other options other than to accept it, embrace it, and enjoy it.

I commented on the following blogs:
Technofitness Here I Come
Carlos Ortiz
Melissapaulblogs
Speedlimit20
Shopping Teacher

Tool #1

The process for Tool #1 was a little challenging. I think my students will enjoy communicating with their peers and at the same time------their writing skills will increase.