The Last Blog #10

     This week’s assignment taught me how teachers create classroom jeopardy. I never knew it was all on PowerPoint. I like how PowerPoint lets you jump around and make slideshows that aren’t linear. On the surface, it looks like something that simply allows you to make basic presentations, but the ball is really in your court. The one thing I don’t like is how tedious it can be to insert action buttons. To have to insert an arrow to continue on every slide rather than copy paste is a bit of an annoyance. I will definitely go all out on PowerPoint when I become a teacher.

     One thing I found interesting was how most of us analyzed our high school’s websites. Most of us never actually thought about what makes a good website. Sure, we might have thought to ourselves “man, this website sucks” if a site we’re on is downright awful. But I can say that I’ve never said, “This website is great! It follows the proper design mechanics to a tee!” The lesson on C.R.A.P. was very interesting because it was what we don’t necessarily look for, but expect. It was nice coming from class with that knowledge and applying it to a website that is close to us, our high schools. It’s weird to think that our high school’s web design game might not be on point. Mine was okay for the most part but I see that Kyria was underwhelmed with her school’s website.  

     I want to be a high school history teacher. With that being said I think I’ll use Data Collection tools to create syllabi and tests. I don’t see what I could do that would make me have to send out letters. If the situation occurs I’ll be in deep trouble because I sucked in that portion of the skill check. I remember in high school teachers who reused tests from previous years were well known and really easy to cheat from. That isn’t happening to me. I gotta keep things fresh and spontaneous. I will also use web evaluations to check sources and make sure that my material isn’t susceptible to overt plagiarism and cheating.

     One technology-related skill I would like to learn next is Excel. I’ve always sucked at Excel and I don’t know why. It’s not too hard to use as far as the basics go. Spreadsheets are common so learning how to use Excel is kind of a necessity. Especially if I want to be a teacher or any type of professional. From what I’ve seen, Spreadsheets make everything easier and more organized. I know Excel is up next in the curriculum. If I can get by with a good idea of the basics, it’ll be a success.

     I will achieve my technology goals by following a blog on technological advancements on education. That way, I can keep up with what’s new. I will also practice using technology to sharpen my skills so I don’t forget how to do certain things. I will also be open to discussion about educational technology with other teachers and hear what they have to say. Maybe they will know about something that I’ve never heard of. In a nutshell, my ways of achieving future educational technology-related goals are: practice, keeping up on updates and having discussion.

And also, if you haven't already, please take a few seconds to take my survey: https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bd46WUm5Gcx10bP