FINAL Reflection for the MEIT Program

Where to begin...this program has taught me way more than I thought I would learn about technology. I began wondering if anything would apply to my grade level and I am leaving with way too many ideas to use in my classroom! The best part about the program is that I got all of these ideas for myself AND I have plenty to share with other teachers. Ideally, in the future, I would like to be an elementary technology integrator. I would enjoy not only teaching children from 5 to 11 how to use technology, but also the staff. They are the toughest ones to get on board with technology and I really think I could help some leary teachers learn how to use technology in their curriculum. Since our district and most surrounding us are cutting in the area of technology, I am going to try to share my ideas with others without having the "integrator" title. I really hope that my Third Grade WIKI takes off. If it does, I would like to start other way for grade levels to share ideas. I would also like to start a blog to share with the teachers all of the interesting Web 2.0 tools and software programs that are available for them. I say that now, I have high hopes, but I am a classroom teacher and when school starts, the kids in my class and my curriculum becomes priority, but this time I hope that it is different. Here is to hoping!!! :)

And... I AM DONE!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!! :)

Computer Architecture-Final Reflection

Looking back on this, I learned a lot of very helpful and important information. I wish this class would have been a bit earlier in the program. Now when I read an ad about a computer, I can understand what it means. It was very interesting learning about the components of computers. I also really liked learning about the different malware. It amazes me that most of them did start with good intentions...it goes to show that one bad apple spoils the bunch. My favorite activity was the disaster recovery activity. This is going to be very useful to me in the future. Overall, I enjoyed this class and I feel like I have a much better idea of how a computer works.

Computer Architecture-How a Computer Works

Here we go...(I'll give it my best try!!)

It all begins with the motherboard. This is where all of the critical components are. Then there is the central processing unit is the brain of the computer. All info that comes in and goes out will travel through the CPU. Most of the computer memory is stored in the hard drive (long term storage) and that information is there forever. Another way a computer gets it's information is through the random access memory (short term memory storage) or RAM. This gets to the CPU much faster than the hard drive. All of this is possible because of the processor, where most of the electrical circuits are to help the information travel through the computer. All of the information that is put into a computer is the input and the information that comes out is the output.

When you boot up a computer it starts with the BIOS read only memory (ROM). This tells the BIOS it is time to start looking for and begin running the operating system and the rest of the computer components. It is looking for things like the memory card and loading all of the information into the RAM. The BIOS also does a memory check and count at this time. Now the BIOS looks for the operating system (OS) located in the RAM. The OS is crucial because it interprets different application software programs to the computer, like software. All things that are used in the operating system are coded specifically for that OS. Computers do no run without an OS. The OS is where all of the software is located, but in some cases you need hardware to run software. For example, if you have software that plays or burns DVD's, you cannot do that unless you have a video card and DVD burner.

Computer Architecture-OS Activities

These are the activities that I completed for the Operating System activities:
Talk to a "Techie"-I called my brother who works in computers. He fixes, installs, and updates computers for companies and homes. He was forever a PC guy, until he bought a MacBook. What switched him to the other side? He says that Apple has a superior operating system, no viruses, and their computers come with far more than a PC does. The main reason that he likes PC is that it keeps him employed with all the problems it has. Most of the time he is re-writing hard drives. He said that only about one percent of his cases are for Macs and they are typically old models.

Use an alternative OS for regular daily tasks- For this activity, I borrowed my mother's PC laptop for the day. Let me start by telling you that I have forever been a Mac girl. Every school I attended had macs and we had one at home since my dad was in education. I have very little experience with PC's. So, I tried to switch for the day and tried Windows XP. At least I only had to do basic operations, because that was easy. It was not very organized to me. I felt like I took too many steps to get to a place. I am used to just going to my dock and launching an application. The other thing that I did not like was how plain the interface was. If anything, this activity confirmed why I continue to be a mac girl.

Learn 5 new features of your operating system- On my mac, I have OS X (10.5.8). I went into system preferences and learned about Spotlight, Parental Controls, Spaces, Universal Access, and Sharing. In spotlight, I learned that you can actually block spotlight from searching some applications and folders. Parental controls is great, because you can limit the amount of time a child spends on the computer, applications, and what they do on the internet. Nice for the future! Spaces is great because you can manage all of the windows that you have on your desktop without having to move them over and minimize them. You can adjust the rows and columns and how to switch between spaces. Universal Access allows you to change settings to help people with impairments. You can zoom in, add audible sounds, and change the display. This is helpful if I would ever have a student with special needs that needed an adjustment so that they could use a computer. Sharing is fun, but dangerous because you can make your computer open for others to share files with. I tried this out with my brother who lives in Colorado. He had some files that he wanted to share with me and I with him, so we went to the sharing function and shared our files!!

Pirates of Silicon Valley- There were a few things that stuck out for me in this movie. First of all, Steve Jobs was basically the voice behind Apple, but not the inventor. I was also amazed at what a difficult person he was. The movie portrayed Bill Gates as more of the calm, cool, collected guy, and I always thought the opposite. Second, it was interesting that both guys had "sidekicks" that were with then through out the process. Third, after watching the movie, I understand why PC and Mac are so different. Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were very different people. Steve being the holistic type and Bill Gates being more of a mathematical genius. However, the one similarity between them was their drive. They had to go through a lot and sacrifice to get where they are, but they were both very driven individuals. "Good artists copy, great artists steal." No wonder I am a mac girl; great name for a computer (LISA)!!

Computer Architecture Class #1

Prior to the class, I can honestly say that I have had no experience with the components of a computer. I have heard all of the terms that we discussed and maybe knew a "loose" definition of some, but I would not be able to identify these things within a working computer. I find that everything that we cover is interesting to me because it is new and interesting. It is also beneficial to know what you are talking about, especially if you are going to be considered a technology leader in your school/district. The history of the computer was very interesting to watch. It s amazing to me that someone can come up with something like the computer. I also enjoyed the discussion about different components and input, process, and output. Like I said, I have heard the terms before, but I am looking forward to having a deeper understanding of a computer.

Digital Media Class #5

Again, a lot of information to be shared in this class. I really enjoyed the screencasting. It was very easy and very useful. I can see using this a lot with my kids so that they can refer to directions at home and at school. I also like the podcasts and could see using that with the kids doing a summary on a book that they just read. I am busy working on my WIKI which I am excited about. I am making it for the third grade teachers in the district so we can use it as a place to share resources. The hardest part is going to get others on board, but I made a screencast, so hopefully that will help to start the process.

Digital Media Class #4

Lots has happened since our last class and it has really helped me to see how useful and important Web 2.0 tools are. My daughter, Molly Brynn Gartzke was born on 3/28. This is my second child and it has amazed me how things have changed in just three years. After my first daughter, Maggie, was born, we spent many hours on the phone calling friend and relatives and sending out pictures on e-mail when we got home from the hospital. With Molly, we were on the laptop right away posting things on Facebook, uploading pictures to Flickr, and talking with relatives in PA on Skype so they could see the baby and big sister. It was amazing how fast we could get the information our to people. However, all of this missed a generation. Our grandparents did not get any of this information. My husband's grandmother lives in Oconomowoc and didn't get to see a picture. For as much as we could share in that little time, it did still leave some people out. This really made me think about things. I am not sure what I am thinking yet, but it was an eye opening experience as to how powerful yet inclusive all of these tools can be.