Final Reflection

      I have learned that there is more to the internet than just Facebook and Pinterest. There are tons of educational websites available for free that teachers can use. Because I am an Elementary Education major, I will be using some of these websites in the future possibly in my classroom or as a student in the upcoming semesters.
      I think my favorite tool was the website creator, Wix. I used that to create my website for the virtual tour assignment. It was interesting creating my own website and I think the idea of a virtual tour/ field trip/ assignment is a great. I will definitely be doing that in my classroom somehow. I also liked the binder website and the website that we could search anything and it would pop up on things like twitter and google images. Hopefully, I will be able to ask my students to use those in some way.
      I would liked to have learned more about using the SmartBoard and everything it has to offer. I think some schools have those now and are using them more. I have used them a few times and it's very confusing. I also think there's a website that provides lessons for the SmartBoard and I would have liked to have been able to learn about that and how to do different think on the board. 
      Overall, I think this was a useful class because it provided me with useful websites and information to use in the future. 

Assignment 8 Reflection

         For assignment 8, our group researched the digital divide. We used Google Slides and a group text message for communication. I learned that the Digital Divide is a real thing and some people in the United States still don't have internet. The Digital Divide is a world wide issue, too. Teachers and education also have to deal with the Digital Divide and students have a lack of technology at home or in the classroom. I found it interesting that Alabama has a higher percentage of non-connected people than the national average. 

URL to presentation: 
https://docs.google.com/a/crimson.ua.edu/presentation/d/1leB4bXuPoEXR73kcIQuIDx28SWLRAzMyNj-aKbJVork/edit#slide=id.g43a76a12f_018

Assignment 7- Virtual Tour Summary

           I created a virtual tour of the San Diego Zoo. I had students follow links about Giraffes and Giant Pandas. The webpages they view have information, videos and even a live cam. Students are to create a blog post telling facts about the animals, something they learned, and something their favorite part. A more detailed explanation is located on the website. I also gave students the opportunity to earn bonus points and gave them directions on how to do so. I learned a lot about creating a website and virtual tour. Creating a website is difficult and time consuming!! But it is a lot of fun. I enjoyed doing it and am proud of the completed product. As for the virtual tour, I will probably be using it one day in my classroom. I hope my students are able to use technology and benefit from a virtual tour.

Website Review: Weebly

• Weebly is a free website creator. You can create a website, blog, or store type of website. 

• It can be used in education by letting teachers create their own classroom website. They may use it to post resources, assignments, calendars, and notes for the class. A teacher could even assign the upper grades to create their own website based off something they learned.

ISTE Standards for Teachers: 
1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.
2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments.
3. Model digital age work and learning.
4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. 
5. Engage in professional growth and leadership.

ISTE Standards for Students: 
1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and collaboration (d)
3. Research and information fluency
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
5. Digital citizenship
6. Technology operations and concepts

Assignment 6- Evaluation of Resources

The educational website, Funbrain.com is very beneficial. The website is colorful and attractive. The actual games on the site are educational and can be played by all students. There are math and reading games available. They range of difficulty as well. I would recommend the use of this educational website in the classroom. I had high ratings for each of the components of the evaluation.

The Foundation for a Smokefree America is an organization against smoking. The website provides prevention videos for youth and adults. There are quitting tips and live talk videos. There were numerous yes’s in the evaluation. The only no’s I really had were answers to the questions about the dates and information being updated.  I would recommend using this website for educational use in a health class for upper level classes.

In Class Activity: Delicious Search

http://www.funbrain.com/math/index.html  Funbrain is a website that has educational games in all subjects and for most grades.

http://www.anti-smoking.org/  The Foundation for a Smoke-Free America is a website that goes against smoking with educational videos for youth, quitting tip, and motivational talks.

Website Review: Delicious

Delicious is a website that contains links. You can create an account and store any website links you want, that way they are never lost and you can always go back and find them.

I think it can be used in education by the teachers and students. Students can create an account and store their links for research papers or assignments. Teachers can store their links for lessons, assignment examples, and other games and things for learning. Teachers can put links on their page and have students find them and have to do assignments from finding the links.

Standards for Students:
Research and information fluency

Communication and collaboration 

Digital citizenship 

Technology operations and concepts 

Standards for teachers: 

Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity 
Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments 
Model digital age work and learning
Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility
Engage in professional growth and leadership

Assignment 5- Dream Classroom Computer

Dear Mrs. Biehn,

I would like to request four Apple iMac computers for my classroom. These are great computers and require little to no virus protection software. This computer and its software will provide ample learning opportunities and experiences for students. It is the most up to date and modern technology available, too.

The iMac is extremely powerful and easy to use. It has an attractive, sleek look. Students and teachers can download free apps for students to use. Keynote is used to make presentations and can keep the entire class engaged. iPhoto is good for presentations, research papers, and photo journals. They can organize the photos, add effects, and even crop them. Students can use iMovie to produce their own version of a book, which is called a book trailer. Solar Walk is an interactive app that allows students to navigate through the galaxy, look at planets close up, and learn about the history of space navigation.

I could also purchase iBooks, iTunes, Apple TV, etc. These are all apps that can be used in the classroom for educational purposes. iBooks can be purchased just like normal textbooks. They are interactive, too. Students can explore different lessons instead of just reading about them. iTunes is full of lectures and videos that are available for use. I can play the lecture as a supplement to my own teaching. I can use Apple TV to lead a class brainstorm or present a lesson or I can have students connect their Mac to share their work, give group feedback, and collaborate on projects all via the big screen. A printer would also be beneficial as students can print their assignments and test results in the classroom.

Smoothboard is another version of the SMARTboard. It requires a Wii Remote, projector, projection screen, and an IR Pen. It’s simple to use and can turn the screen into an interactive whiteboard. I can present my lessons on the screen and even take screenshots of the current screen. I can pull up a website and write on top of it. I can underline or circle words. This would be very beneficial in showing presentations in class and teaching.

Ultimately, this will be a great investment for my classroom. Students are learning how to use iMacs in and out of school. They are becoming more popular in the workforce, too. iMacs are known to last at least 5 years. If they are taken care of properly, they can last at least 10 years. I am strongly recommending this be taken into consideration.

Quantity	Computer	Specifications	Justification	Price	Total Price	Vendor
4 1 1 1	Apple iMac	Apple Wireless Keyboard Magic Mouse 32GB Memory 3TB 7200-rpm hard drive 4 USB ports Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless Technology FaceTime HD camera 21.5 in. LED- backlit display Headphone Port SmoothBoard (accessory) Projector Printer	Can go anywhere in the classroom Wireless and can go anywhere It can hold a lot of documents and programs Fast Capable of holding a lot of different outer devices like printers, smartboard, etc. Webcam to do projects, Skype other classrooms and teachers, can share videos and still images on the internet Big screen, easy to see everything, clearer Headphones are an option Turn any flatscreen into an interactive whiteboard To use with the Smoothboard	$ 1099 $24.99 (license) $849.99 $99.00	$4396 $24.99 849.99 99.00	Apple www.apple.com www.smoothboard.org Best Buy www.apple.com

Thank you,

Emily Barnes