Spreadsheets...arughhhhhh!!

This week caused me to step out of my comfort zone and try spreadsheets. I have very little to no experience with them. I was very nervous at the beginning and then we had class time to work on a spreadsheet. There were two that we could pick to do and it was very nice because it walked me through the activity step by step, there was no creativity needed, but feel I walked away knowing a lot more. I can also say that I also feel a bit more comfortable with spreadsheets. Could I teach them to my class, NO WAY, but at least I feel like I could maybe attempt to do my own class spreadsheet on assessment data. It was actually good to feel this way because now I know how many teachers feel when there is new technology introduced. I never really understood their anxiety, but I did in this class!! I just need to remember to take it slow and not just let it go because then I will forget things if I don't use it.

Word Processing in the Classroom

This week in class, only five of us were there, but we still had some very meaningful and thoughtful discussions (and good licorice thanks to Bryan:)). We did two major things, looked at different search engines and learned more about Google docs. I found but of these activities to be very applicable to the classroom.
It was very interesting to look at different search engines. You get so used to using just one you wonder why you should try another. I learned that the different search engines may serve different purposes. Google, for example, is the search engine that I use and I was not aware of the function of making your own search engine. This is great for the classroom because then you can somewhat control and filter the information that the kids are looking for. I also discovered askkids.com which is a kid-friendly search engine that I would also feel comfortable using with my class. In fact, I used it the next day with a student who was looking for images.
As far as Google docs goes, I think that it is a great tool for the kids to know about since it is free, accessible from home and school, has a presentation feature, and can have multiple users. However, one draw back for my level of students is that it is written in HTML and there is no tab. I have to teach them the proper rules of word processing a paragraph and that is a major one. Our district has been looking at new word processing programs for elementary and it would be a HUGE cost saver to just use Google docs.

My new class

We began a new class in my MEIT on November 6th. We had some interesting discussions and then got to get our hands dirty and tried some programs that designed graphics. We were also introduced to many online presentation websites. I had a lot of fun with both of these things, but find my head overloaded after this first class. It did lead me to a discussion with our technology instructor on using the online presentation programs versus Appleworks presentation which we currently have at school.
We also began a new book, Supporting Learning with Technology by Joy Egbert. The first chapter was very helpful with definitions and explanations about technological "stuff". It was a very interesting read and got me thinking about many things.
This is my first year teaching third grade. In the past I have been a kindergarten and first grade teacher. I have used technology with both levels and was very successful and also very limited in what I could do. I am trilled about teaching third grade because I think that my technology options have increased, but I am not sure how. That is what I am looking for. I am interested in learning about new technologies and how I can adapt them to my class and third graders. I am also looking to share these ideas and philosophies with other teachers at different grade levels so they can try what I have learned with their classes. In fact, we had a district meeting about a new curriculum that we are implementing and we are at all different levels. One teacher was very proficient and I suggested to him that he should start a blog to communicate what he does on a daily basis in this new curriculum so that we could have an on-going conversation without actually getting together.