Blog Journal #7

    I visited a few teachers pages to see what there profile would contain. A few of the pages I visited contained a very minimal amount of information, sometimes just an email. However, other teachers took it a bit further and included more information for people to get to know them and also inform both students and parents of what should be completed by that point in time. A few things teachers included were the grading policy they implemented in the classroom, some teachers also had a class calendar that listed what meetings were posted for which days. This would give students and parents an idea of when the teacher may be available. https://www.leonschools.net/Page/22071

    I envision myself using various programs in the classroom in order to run an efficient class. I would use Canva to create a newsletter as we did in a previous assignment. I would also use YouTube read alouds with animated speakers to keep the students engaged. Another program I could use is AR for students to read books and test on them so I can see what level they are at.

    The group project that we have just completed was my first time using wiki. I didn't really like the way wiki was set up. It felt disorganized and a bit hard to read. I did like how the links brought you straight to the page you were intended to be on. That said it wasn't my favorite program and I don't think I would use it much in the classroom. I would like to teach at an elementary school so if I used it, it would be for parents use. I would have one page for assignments and due dates, one page for future projects, one page for parent conferences, a page for monthly newsletters, and a page for reading suggestions. This way parents could go to wiki when they have any questions and see if they can find the information they are looking for.

Blog Journal #6

 Using Diigo in this class was my first experience with the program and I have enjoyed it so far! The platform seemed to be well organized and I could easily view posts within the group. It was easy to post websites with tags and descriptions. I also liked the sticky note feature so I could add in small notes as I read an article. My favorite was the annotate feature. I think this program was really good for annotations and it made annotating really simple. I think this program would be very beneficial for many classes, especially english class. The website itself looks a bit boring which I think decreases the readability of it a bit. It's very text heavy but I do still enjoy the program.

I really like the blog website. It is very organized and very easy to read. It has a good layout and even allows you to change the theme. You can post comments as well. I have learned how to make a post visually appealing and grab the attention of the intended audience. I have also learned about the program itself and how it works.

An interesting tool I might use when teaching is Generation Genius. The tool is something I learned about during an interview with a teacher. She described the website as a modern day Bill Nye. The website has interesting videos that pertain to a variety of topics. They also have quizzes, lesson plans, and activities that can be used to entertain and educate students. The website is current, it is relevant to many topics, it does not overuse ads. The website is definitely age appropriate, it is very engaging with many diy projects to offers. I think Generation Genius is a very good program for students. Here is a link to Generation Genius; https://www.generationgenius.com/

Journal #4