crayon and paper

In taking this class I learned about a lot of new technologies and about a lot of ways to incorporate them into my classroom in the future. I had never heard of a webquest before taking this class, and although I do not think that is the most interesting of ways to incorporate technology, it could be an entertaining way for students to research a certain topic. Podcast use in the classroom was one of the best uses of technology that I saw in this class. In addition to the podcasts being extremely cute and entertaining, they also provide students with opportunities to practice their writing and speaking skills (and to learn to use a new technology). Digital storytelling was another thing we learned about that I thought was  really unique. I could definitely see students loving this project. They might not enjoy writing out narratives, but they would definitely enjoy putting their digital story together.

Of all the technologies that we learned about in this class, I think I would most likely want to use podcasts and digital storytelling in my future classroom. These two things are extremely fun, and it will be easier to motivate students in writing something if they know that it will be published.  I also think that I would like to use computer and internet time not as just a reward for students who finish work early, but as a way to further enhance their learning. Students in my classroom will be able to play games to practice skills and research more advanced topics if they have already mastered something more easily than the rest of the class.