LiveText

I think that livetext is one of the most useful tools for the classroom that we have utilized in Edtech. It is a great way to put everything together so that children are more informed about what is going on in the class and what they need to do. I feel that it discourages a lot of confusion that kids might not experience, such as not knowing what is due when, not turning in assignments the right way, etc.
In my future classroom, I feel that it is essential to post the syllabus, and assignments on the internet so that everyone is kept up to date. This also allows parents to moniter what is going on inthe classroom and ensure that their child is turning their work in on time. I think this also makes less work for the teacher regarding parental complaints, uneasiness, etc. because parents may feel more reassured about their child's education if they are more involved through websites like LiveText.

My Diet

It was an interesting experience documenting my diet for two days. Some of the foods that I ate had a lot more calories than I had imagined and some of them had much less calories than I thought. The same thing happenes with my activity. For example, I had no idea that any calories are burned during sleep. I also didn't realize that my kick boxing class made me burn so many calories. It was pretty impressive how many calories are burned in hour of kickboxing. I also was suprised by how many more calories I had consumed during the first day than the last day. I also burned a lot more caloires during the second day than the first day.

collaborative tools

In class we were assigned a collaborative tools project. In this project, we used the designated cite, google. As members of google, my partner and I are able to publish our information on our google project withouth actually being in the same room, or anywhere near eachother. This makes it easier to complete our project because we are both busy, so it would have been difficult to find times when we were both available to get together.
We decided to do our project on a lesson plan for a geograpy class. We decided that each student should be responsible for reporting on five countries in a blog. The student should describe the countries basic facts, the government, and so on for each country.
I feel that collaborative tools have a lot of uses not only in the classroom but also for business projects, etc. People are so busy these days that it is difficult to find time where two or more people can get together outside the classroom, or the workplace.

Wiki

Wikis are a way for mutliple authors to post information the web. Once one person publishes a post, an infinite amount of other people are allowed to post informatiom responding to that topic. Unfortunately, wikis aren't always reliable becuase anyone can post whatever they want, whenever they want. So if unreliable person posts information, but makes it look true, people could get thrown off. The largest existing wiki, wikipedia, edits its information quite frequently and quickly, which allows for less of this to happen.
I have made a wiki for my use in Edtech class, in which we publich information about education technology. It is a useful tool for the classroom because it can be used by so many users.

Digital Cameras

I chose to write me powerpoint project on digital cameras in the classroom. Digital cameras can be a helpful tool in the classroom. For example, they can help document a field trip, reveal a student's creativity, help develop a porject, etc. Clearly there are multiple uses for digital cameras in the classroom.
It is also beneficial for students to learn how to use digital cameras and other new technology that aren't available at home due to financial reasons, etc. Students should have knowledge of new technological inventions, and I believe that it is part of the schools' responsibilty to introduce students to these things.
I use my digital camera a lot to document memories I have with friends, family, special events, vacations, etc. I can definitely see myself using digital cameras in my future classroom because I feel that they are necessary technological tools and a fun way for kids to learn.

Web Sources

Web sources are good tools to utilize for research, altough the researcher must be careful and detailed when using them. This is because anyone can post anything they want to on the web and make it appear factual even if it is made up. For example, we looked at two websites in class about the White House. One website was real and the other contained false information. Both of them looked very similar, but once I read on in the fake site, I identified that it was some kind of a spoof. In order to evaluate websites, one should look for accuracy, authority, objectivity, coverage, and currency.
Web resources also need to be cited like other research materials. I learned in class that there are sites on the web that would enable me to simply type in my information and then it will organize it into bibliography format. I think this is a very useful tool because bibliographies can be very tedious and time consume. I feel that this website will help me a lot in my research.

Skype

Sites like Skype and Delicious allow people to talk to eachother through their computers and each person is able to see the other person on the screen. This technology can work for people across the hall or across the world. I would imagine that this particularly useful for family members or spouses that are separated for some reason or another. Skype and Delicious are another step closer to actually being with the person, rather than the phone or internet, because there is a visual image of the person on the screen. They are also beneficial because they are a lot less expensive than some of the alternative devices such as webcams.
I haven't ever had a reason to use a website like this, but I also know how it feels to miss someone far away so I realize how nice it is just to see the face of the one you love.
I don't see using these site in the classroom too frequently, but it would be helpful if a student was away for an extended period of time and it could be used he/she wanted to talk to his/her classmates.

Excel

Excel is a program that is used to present information in graphs and charts. It has tools built into it that can add across rows or down columns. This is helpful because it saves the user time.
I was very unfamiliar with Excel before we used it in class. I feel that it is creates a clear and understandable method for presenting numbers.
I don't think that I will use Excel in my classroom. It's a little bit too complicated for me. I also think that there is a kind of a limites amount of information that it can display.

Powerpoint

Powerpoint is a valuable tool for presenting information in a creative way. It enables the creator to present information with pictures, sound effects, and animation. Powerpoint is best used in a lecture setting because it should not stand alone. A powerpoint presentation should not be so wordy that the presenter does not have to explain the powerpoint. The presentation should be used as an accompanyment to a lecture.
I use powerpoint alot in school for projects because I feel it is a really informative, yet simple way to present a lot of information. I also think that it keeps people's attention longer that just a lecture or a poster because the slides are constantly changing. For all of these reasons, I could see myself using powerpont presentations in my future classroom.