ED205 Online Blog

A critical analysis of this class, eh?

Well, I think this class has been a tremendous help. When I first signed up for this class, I figured, “Ok, Computers in Education….probably just how computers are helpful in the classroom.” But right away I figured out that we (as future teachers ourselves) needed to know the basics before we could understand how to integrate technology in our classes. It’s surprising to learn how many basic things I didn’t know (and I’m assuming, others as well). I liked how we got a quick (but helpful) lesson on how PowerPoint and Excel work. These are two very important programs to know, at least for myself. The Atomic Learning site was also extremely helpful and easy to understand. It was cool to be able to keep going back to it for reference. Another thing I like about this class is how the assignments are (sometimes) fun to do. For example, last week’s photography lesson taught us the basics about digital photography, but being able to use our creative juices to take pics and then edit/display them was fun and it gave us a hands-on way to figure out the regulations for our pictures. Personally, I like online classes more than live classes. I am able to complete the labs and assigments at my own pace and on my own time. I am also a person who works better alone than with other people (not saying I’m anti-social by any means), so I can concentrate better at how I want to approach assignments/posts. Also, I’m a huge fidgeter. I can’t sit still for too long, which makes sitting in a regular class a little hard for me. I always am tapping my foot or wanting to get up and walk around, or something. It’s nice to be able to do that with an online class. The only slight disadvantage is that being a natual-born procrastinator (especially more now than ever with my kids), I tend to “forget” that I have assignments due sometimes and try to hurry and get them done accurately. But if I had the choice, I would take all classes online if I could. The professor is always available for help BECAUSE it’s an online class, and because students might need help a bit more than with a regular class. As far as this class goes, I don’t have any gripes thus far.

The five most important software applications each student should know to help them succeed in school and/or work are (from highest to lowest ranking) educational games, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and software that relates to digital camaras. I think educational games should be a basic application to use for children before and during the earlier school years (Pre-K through 5th grade). I think it’s important to make learning as much fun as possible, and if that means converting education into a game that a child can have fun and learn from at the same time, then it is an extremely important tool. As the student gets older (around 6th grade), and research is a bigger part of the curriculum, Word is a very important tool to learn and should be taught around this timeframe. This is usually when students start handing in reports and papers, and should have a basic knowledge of Word at this point, being that it will probably be the most often used tool. For the high school years, PowerPoint should be taught to students because class presentations and speeches are used more, and it is a program that is not very difficult to learn. Plus, it is also a tool that can be used frequently in the college years, as well as later down the road in different occupations. Excel, like PowerPoint should be taught in high school because it can be used for various mathematic applications, charts, and other areas in different occupations. I know where I work now, we use Excel like crazy. It’s used in conjuction with Access and by itself, and is a huge help with calculations. Lastly, with digital photography becoming more advanced and popular, I think it’s important to teach the basic properties of editing software (cropping, special effects, etc.). Digital photography is being used for so much today, it can be incorporated into anything. I also think this is an important tool to teach during the later high school years, and is a valuable program because it encourages creativity as well. I believe these five programs should all be taught in school (and before college, as you can see). They will all be very helpful for every student’s future.