Blog #10

Just recently we have learned about the application, Excel. Excel is a Microsoft application and is a spreadsheet developed for Windows and Macs. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tools, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications. I was pretty familiar with this application because I had used it in high school. Ever since I was in high school and worked with little kids, I have dreamed of becoming a teacher, specifically first grade. First graders themselves are too young to use this but I could utilize it for my own class. As a teacher, I would use this and find this very helpful in my class for many reasons. One, it will be an easy way to for me to grade rubric sheets for class grades and also I could also use it to establish a seating chart for my students. I could also use it to create a schedule for what I will do in class. It will become very helpful for me in organizing my class. 

Probably the most interesting thing about reading other people's blogs is seeing other people's perspectives and thoughts on topics. It is really cool to see other people's views and what they thought about things in the classroom. Also, it was pretty cool how for the most part, everyone picked different websites or games and we all did not write about one. This made me learn about more websites and resources and gain more knowledge on them. Having a blog throughout this course, also made me get to know the other students in my class more and really connect with them. I thought it was really cool when I was reading a blog and that person had the same idea or thought as me. Personally, having blogs were great and I really benefited toward them. 

In the next steps, I would like to learn more about the different kinds of computer software is out there that could assist with my teaching. I feel like there is a never ending list of educational softwares that help in the classroom both with teachers and students. I really would like to do some research and get a better idea of all available software. For example, that one day when we went to the Tech Sandbox, I had no idea that all of these softwares even existed. I was blown away by the 3-D printer and the roll coaster software. This is what really interests me and can't wait to explore other softwares. 

One way for me to achieve my future educational technology related goals, is to educate myself more about how to use technology in the classroom. One way this would be done, is attending conferences or lectures specifically held for teachers. In addition, I could continue doing research and testing out new softwares that I could possibly use for my classroom. I truly believe technology enhances learning in the classroom and want to be very knowledgeable about everything when I become a teacher. I also cannot wait to see what other high- tech advances of technology will be happening when I am a teacher.