Voicethread

A voicethread is a form of communication over media. It allows you to post media and then ge others' thoughts and opinions wthout having to see that person face to face. If I decided to use a video for my classroom I would definitely use voicethread because my students and I could discuss assignments and they could point out exacly wha they need help with. I would also use voicethread because I can get suggestions and other information from people that I normally wouldn't be able to get. I just think it is an overall great idea because it is a new form of communication and now people may not have to send and read all those different emails and instant messages. I would more likely than not use voicethread in my classroom.

The Journal

I think using technology over face to face communication with students is a way for teachers to hide and not do their job to their best ability. It is okay to send an occasional email or to send a link but to hardly ever communicate in person is ridiculous. Instant messaging and online chatting should be for personal use only, not for instruction. Teaching methods such as those don't do anything but make people more lazy. Instead of getting out the bed and going to school they sit behind a computer screen all day. Nothing can take the place of face to face learning. I think it is the most effective way to get ideas across to other people because you can see where they went wrong. The computer is nothing but a distraction because people venture off to their favorite websites and forget all about the assignment their suppose to be doing. The only advantage I see in using text based communication is for friendly reminders or last minute additions to the class. I don't think majority of students retain information when they receive through podcasts and similar forms. Podcasts should be left to view videos and music. Video games can help with studying depending on the the situation. They help people to reason and think more critically and help them to perform in spur of the moment incidents.

The Delicious site

The site is okay for people who use the Internet a lot. I don't spend much time on the computer so it doesn't benefit me. I won't use the site because I don't frequently visit the same websites over and over. I guess when I get more in to browsing things on the web it will be a good tool, but until then I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing.

SPREADSHEET

After using spreadsheet I found that it makes things way easier. If I need to make some type of chart I just type in my data and spreadsheet does the rest. Teachers use this tool to help average grades, to organize their lesson plans, and to stay prepared. Overall I think that spreadsheet is a very helpful tool.

Inspiration In The Classroom

On the Inspiration website I found many tools and techniqyes used to assist students in structure and preparation. I love the library option because it allows students to type in keywords and then provide those students with a lot of choices. I would definitely use Inspiration in my classroom because it gives students confidence in their work. Even if they were a little confused at first, Inspiration gives them that little extra push they need to complete the assignment without the embarrassment of asking public questions.

Writing activities that require students to do brainstorming and prepare diagrams would fit the Inspiration based classroom best. It gives studens the opportunity to revise and edit their papers and to change simple vocabulary terms into more advanced ones. In light of teaching time being limited I would organize peer editing groups where students get with other classmate and take and offer suggestions that will improve the writing assignments.

Blogging School

I think blogs are a good way to express your feelings without feeling restricted. As far as education goes I don't think blogs belong unless the subject is journalism. I wouldn't say they are a waste of time but I think there are other methods in education that are more productive.

Hi

I'm Tezlyn Posteal and I am A freshman at Texas A&M University-Commerce. I am from a neighborhood in Dallas called Pleasant Grove. Most of my family grew up in the country but I am a city girl. I enjoy writing, listening to music and shopping. After I graduate college I plan to be a kindergarten teacher and open a daycare. I have two brothers and three sisters and I am in the middle.