The End of TPTE 486

The class is coming to a close but I'm certainly happy that I had it. Throughout the class there were numerous instances where I learned something that could easily be used in my future classroom. From wiki's to websites, TPTE has given me a somewhat new perspective of how to incorporate technology into my classroom and how students can interact with me through the internet. I also learned that Google is a phenomenal resource in many more ways than just searching for who the lead singer of The Eagles was. I can use Google to share work with other teachers and students alike in a manner that I did not even know existed. This class will certainly come in hand in the future and I appreciate UT for making it a requirement. There were assignments that didn't go as well as I would have like, but overall the class was enjoyable and productive. Thanks Ginny!

Website for Fulton High School

I'm currently working on my website for TPTE 486. The website will be useful(hopefully) for giving my future students information about myself and in helping them keep up with given assignments. I get to include the projects I've done in this class and create a new blog for my students at Fulton High School. It'll be interesting to see how students respond to the website since I don't ever remember any of my high school teachers having a website. I'm hoping that they will visit the website often enough that it will inspire me to continue to add to it. In reflection of the assignment that this is, I am happy that it is something required of me in the program. Creation of a website is something I've always wanted to try and I can tie it with my profession in such a manner as to help myself and others stay organized. There is plenty that I need to learn to maximize the usefulness of Google Sites, but(like anything else) I'll learn with time.

Digital Portfolios

The work portfolio is something I would generally lump with artists and cartoonists when thinking about it. Interestingly I have had to change this perspective as I have moved through the education department at UT. Our portfolios include different items that we've completed through our program. I like the use of digital portfolios specifically. There are som many useful means of distributing a digital portfolio with little or no harm environmentally or monetarily. I have made numerous assignments that will end up in my portfolio(now on taskstream). The sweet part about this is that I can email, or just give someone access to, my portfolio that lives anywhere in the world. They can see what I'm able to do in terms of education with very little real effort on my part. The digital portfolio is definitely something I would like to see enter secondary educatioon. Students could choose their best papers and individual assignments and give universities an easier way of properly judging their effort in high school. It will likely happen at some point, but given that it's a good idea it probably wouldn't be instituted for quite some time.

Interactive Spreadsheet and its Uses

The interactive spreadsheet, while not actually going according to plan, was a good assignment for me since I am not very good with Excel.(as can be seen) I like that students can do an assignment and instantly receive feedback on their answers, even if that feedback is just whether they are right or wrong. In this age of instant gratification it seems almost inadequate to give students an assignment that they have to wait a day or two to see the results of. With an interactive spreadsheet I can constantly be teaching the students such things as subject-verb agreement without actually having to look over their shoulders and see if their answers are correct. I would certainly be able to find many other uses for such a format of education.

Ray Bradbury iMovie



I was unsure as to what I was going to do with this assignment initially. I thought of doing my own biography, but I felt I wouldn't learn much from that type of exercise. I came up with the idea of doing a biography of an author that I had not only read, but one that I am going to enjoy teaching during my time at Fulton this year. Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451, which I will be teaching this year. This gave me an opportunity to study what made him such a great author and what made him an interesting man as well. Bradbury was able to look at the world in a given period and come up with fantastical images of what that world could transform into with the right(or wrong depending on perspective) choices being made by those in power. An interesting moment in this was reading one particular interview that he once gave. In this interview he describes once being dumbfounded by seeing a woman with what we would now call headphones in her ears and it being attached to a small radio with a long wire sticking out. He said she was oblivious to the world around her and he was afraid of the consequences of progression in such technology. The interview was held in...pause for dramatic effect...1973! That was just very interesting to me. Look how far we've come since then. All I can do is wonder if it is a step in the right direction. That type of wonderment is what Ray Bradbury was trying to inspire.

Inspiring with Inspiration

For my Inspiration project I made a diagram displaying common themes in some of Shakespeare's plays. I enjoyed making this project because I can definitely use what I have made. The program itself is very easy to use and accessible. Making the diagram was not difficult andthe availability of images I could use was fairly astonishing. I want to use this program agin at some point because it is definitely a valuable teaching tool. Inspiration can be used to create many other diagrams for displaying information in a manner that is understandable for students and in such a way as to not confusing or boring. I certainly like that it can help connect ideas and "buzz" words for students in a visually appealing manner.

Midway Through TPTE 486

Well, I've made it to the midway point of TPTE 486 with no glaring problems so far. I feel fairly good about the course so far. I came into the class with a good bit of previous knowledge about what we have covered so far. I have enjoyed learning about the Web 2.0 tools, many of which I was unaware of. I am excited to learn of similar items that I have never seen as far as programs and tools are concerned. I do not have any worries or anticipation about how the rest of the class will go based on what we have done so far.