CEdu 581: Week 1

Describe your previous knowledge of the concepts presented in class 1?

I don't know lots about computer architecture.  I, however, have heard lots about all the different parts and seen numerous parts of a computer because my husband has built many computers for himself and friends/family.   Because my husband was well informed -- I really didn't have much interest in it or need to understand it -- as long as the computer was working for me, I was content.  

What did you learn through the activities in class 1?  I found the "walk through a computer" movie interesting.  Yes, it was an 80s movie and a bit outdated but it was neat to see the insides of a computer and get a better understanding of how things work.

What questions do you have about the material in class?  Did the new version of the "History of a Computer" come in?

Week 5: Online Meetings & Web 2.0 application

This week we were introduced to different online meeting sites. The sites seem very beneficial for people to collaborate on -- especially those that live far away from one another.  Using these online meeting sites can save people on gas money and time.  

I chose to look at the Web 2.0 application of TripCart.  It is a trip planning tool that I really enjoyed looking at.  I thought it offered many wonderful qualities all in one spot to help individuals plan their own unique travel experience.  I love to travel and have started using the site to help plan my next summer vacation to Hawaii.  If you love to travel, I would suggest taking a look at the site ... www.tripcart.com.  The site offers a 'take the tour' screencast that shows you exactly how to use the site and everything it has to offer.  Happy traveling.

Week 4: Podcast and Vcasts

I really enjoyed doing the podcast/vcast assignment this week.  Once I figured out how everything worked I was ready to go.  I decided to use gcast with my students.  I found the program very easy to use. The kids enjoyed singing our morning song into the phone and then listening to it on the computer.  One of my students (who asks very good questions) said "how does that happen?"  I didn't know how to explain it to him in 'kindergarten' terms.  :-)  As my students listened to themselves, they all had smiles on their faces.  In the future, I look forward to having my students read stories and sing more songs.  It would be nice to show to families at conferences.  I think these activities will help keep my students motivated. Two of my fellow kindergarten teachers used sightspeed and I would like to try that program as well with my students because they would be able to actually see themselves.