Movie: The Giver

TPACK

The overall principle to be learned from TPACK is the importance of balance in teaching. The three areas TPACK focuses on is technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge. All three must exist to have the best teaching. If a teacher only has content knowledge, then while the students may recieve all the information they need and more, it will not be recieved well because the teacher does not know the methods used for best teaching children. If there is technology and nothing else, then a student may know how to use a computer and other devices, but will never learn what they are supposed to. Even two combined does not work. If a teacher has content and pedagogy, but not technology, he/she will not be able to relate as well to students of this technological day in age and will not be able to prepare students for the technology that will be vital to prepare them for what will come in the future. Only content and technology, and so on will not give the best education possible. Each of the three are vital tools and should be part of a teacher's training as well as be incorporated into the lessons taught to the students.

Image of TPACK symbol found out: http://apscms.net/staffpages/cjearthtree/files/2009/09/tpack-contexts.jpg

Story Board

Web 2.0

In completing the web communications project, I was able to exponentially increase my knowledge of the workings of the internet. It opened up tools that I had never even heard of and not only did I learn things that I needed for the project, but it opened up whole new worlds for me that I can explore and continue to learn about. I believe the most important thing I learned was RSS and how to use it. Too many times I have wanted to allow others quick access to things i do and have never been able to. It is an important tool and will be especially important for my future classroom as I give students assignments on the computer. (Not too mention the definition/meaning of RSS was one of the rare things that I was able to say I knew about technology that my husband
didn't) My favorite new tool, and also a very important one, was picnik for editing photos. I have always wanted to know what to use to edit photos and be able to use cool effects, but have never known how. Now it is a tool I will use all the time!

Video Chats!!!

After finally getting the camera and chat to install, here are the results!!

Asynchronous chat:courtesy of facebook!



And synchronous chat:
(the little pic in the corner...)
courtesy of g-chat!!

Ta-Da!!!

Technology in the Life of Janae

I am fortunate in the fact that I was introduced to technology in my infancy. While, yes, I didn't quite understand what it was at that point, it is crucial in the fact that my father, an ever tech savy, updated individual, has been a lifelong example.

In my early years of childhood there was a black-and-green ancient Mac in my playroom, where I learned how to function a computer and loved to play games and make pictures with an early version of a program like paint. When I discovered that most of my friends did not have computers in their homes I was confused, as I grew up thinking it was a common thing to have a computer. As soon as computers began to be a common household item, my father updated our computer to and began to educate me in the workings of Microsoft Office. In elementary school I was first introduced to touch typing and began my career in typing up schoolwork. At the age of 11 I was allowed to get an e-mail address for the first time. It wasn't until middle school that I became immersed in the internet and now cannot live without it. Throughout high school I was introduced to new things on the internet for journalism and to better improve my research. Since then I have added a new e-mail account, facebook and just a couple of months ago began blogging for the first time. Out of all of my experiences, the one that will always be the most memorable was my early days in elementary

school playing Oregon Trail in computer lab!