Michele Jacobs

Tri-City Elementary

Buffalo, IL

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Prior to this course I had little experience with technology but enjoyed learning new programs and applying them in my classroom. I know that I have a lot to learn, but also feel in the four weeks that I have been in this program I have been exposed to many valuable components of technology.

The tools that I have learned to use to access, manipulate and generate data are- Web browsers- Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer; Search engines- Yahoo, Yahooligans, Alta Vista, and Just Ask Jeeves. I need more experience narrowing down a search to find the most useful information. I have learned how to create links for surfers to locate my information and other important sites on the web. I found this skill to be difficult at first, but gradually it became clearer. I have much to learn about why a link might work one day and then send an error message the next day. I have used a database and a spreadsheet to display information in a chart. I found Claris Home Page program an easier tool to use than Front Page. I need to explore more with Front Page in order to feel comfortable using it. Home Page is a friendly program that allows me to upload from a created page instead of using Fetch. As with Front Page I need more experience with Fetch. I have found Claris Works 5.0 to be somewhat different than 4.0 which is what I had previously. I had never created a web page, but now feel more comfortable attempting one on my own. My school does not currently have a web page but I would like to create one this fall.

The communication tools that I have used to access, manipulate and generate data include the web and chat boards at the U of I site. I have not participated in many chats, but will try throughout our next course. The web board was my primary way to communicate with my peers about our assignments. I used e-mail to communicate with my peers and my professors. I utilize Eudora for my coursework and Claris e-mailer for home. I have discovered Listservs and enjoy reading the latest discussions. I discovered a lot of interesting information on the EdTech Listserv. I have learned that by putting links on my portfolio page I can communicate with many people. (The direct phone line to Brian and Nancy is another important communication tool that we have learned to use.)

The term multimedia is very broad and can cover a multitude of tools. I have chosen to focus on the tools that I have used throughout C&I 335. I have become more familiar with scanners, digital cameras, and digitized video equipment. I will understand them more when I actually use them on my own. I will be using a digital camera and scanner for my major project this fall which will allow me to become more familiar with them. I do not fully understand the in and outs of the digitized video equipment that we were introduced to in June. The programs that I have learned more about are PowerPoint, HyperStudio, CU-SeeMe, and Real Publisher. I am using PowerPoint in my major project for this fall and have already created my templates. I am still working on the addition of music to our portfolios. I have created some stacks on HyperStudio at home for this fall to use with my students. I found this program to be user friendly. I would like to do teleconferencing with Cu-SeeMe but do not know enough about it. I believe the more you use a program the more familiar it becomes.

This area is one that I really learned the most about because I was not a regular Internet user before this course. I have learned how important acceptable use policies are to a school district in order to protect their students. I have learned that students can arrive at inappropriate sites by typing in a word in the search engine that may have multiple meanings. I have learned that using kid-friendly browsers such as Yahooligans and Just Ask Jeeves are great ways to protect students. I have learned that all information on the Internet is not factual. The CARS checklist is a good place to start when critically looking at web information. I have learned to caution students about putting personal information on the web. I know that the information placed on the web is protected by freedom of speech. You are not allowed to copyright someone else's information as your own. I have also learned that there is piracy of software and other fraudulent acts that occur on the Net. The most important issue that I feel I learned was that of accessibility. We learned to use Bobby to check our information to see if it was accessible to all browsers. This is an issue that is of interest to me due to the visually impaired student I will have in my classroom this fall. The articles that we read and sites that we visited really helped me understand what he would see when he reads certain sites. I have learned that it is important to create a lab that is physically accessible to all students. I believe the issue of accessibility for all is critical. An area that I would like to explore more fully is court cases involving schools and Internet usage. The Internet is a tool used more frequently in schools today. The cases I am referring to are minimal at present. However, given the "sue-happy" society that we live in I can see these cases growing in number. I would like to know if there are laws governing such legal actions and how much protection an AUP would provide for a school district in our judicial system.

The areas of evaluation that I would like to know more about are: rubric formation for technology based projects; technology usage assessment tools; the effect technology has on teaching and learning; and portfolio assessment criteria.