By the very nature of what I teach in the Business and
Finance career pathways of the Career and Technical Education Department at
Angleton High School, I have the great fortune to work and teach with Web 2.0
tools every day. Currently, the utilization of an online gradebook, the
creation of a faculty blog through Edmodo and various professional development
ideas to encourage my colleagues to use more and varied technology tools in the
classroom are all ways myself and other teachers can model the importance and
benefits of technology for our students and each other.
In my classroom, I use Web 2.0 tools such as emails to
submit assignments, Collaborize Classroom (blog), Wordle, Tagxedo, Animoto, Windows
Movie Maker, Glogster, Quizlet, Dropbox and Poll Everywhere, where students can
respond to questions using text messaging on their cell phones. Students are
always so open and responsive when you share technology that can assist them in
the classroom. They can always think of multiple ways and classes that the technology
can be beneficial. In addition, they love to be engaged in their own learning
activities, and technology tools allow them to be an active part of the process.
I will continue to introduce many technology features to my students in the
future, and will continue to grow and learn about new tools so I can share them
with my students.
The availability of web conferences and discussion boards has
been a great source of information and collaboration as I have journeyed
through graduate school. Many times I have felt frustrated and confused about
assignments along the way, but the web conference and discussion board opportunities
have lessened the anxieties. The professors have always been accessible, and in
an online environment, that was crucial to our success. However, the greatest
reward has been the collaborations and relationships with some amazing
educators who I know will now be life-long friends and colleagues. A special
thanks to Kimberly McKay, Dana Chelette, Blaine Locheed and Vicki Mason for
always being there when I needed assistance, guidance, advice, or just to vent.
You are amazing!
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