oh hay fish.. like oh hay dinosaurs!

Blog Journal #1

Computers and new technologies are important parts of the educational experience because so much of teaching has become dependent on them. Certain computer programs have made it much easier to make lesson plans or display the information being taught. It's also important to teach about computers and technologies since the kids learning about them are entering an age of technology. I agree for the most part about the issues brought up in Chapter 1. I don't agree that computers will help with social, ethical, legal or human issues but I do agree that it's essential to productivity and professional practice.

I think we will use computers in the classroom to become more computer literate to, in the future, be able to teach others the same skills. In order to be able to teach, we need to understand the computer's programs and softwares, how to use them, and what they are best used for, which this class will teach us. I hope to learn how to use programs that, until now, have seemed foreign to me. I would like to eventually be able to reiterate what I will learn in this class to my peers and, if I somehow end up in the field of education, my students.

I have absolutely no idea how to use PowerPoint or Excel and random other computer programs and would love to learn how to use them! I feel myself to be a fairly computer savvy person so hopefully this class will enhance my expertise. I'd also like a better understanding of computers/technologies in the classroom, I guess. I'm a creative writing major so education/teaching isn't exactly what I'm interested in.

Blog Journal #0

Prior to this class, my experience with technology has been very basic. I know how to use a computer, navigate the Internet, type a paper on MS Word and somewhat compose a power point in MS Power Point. MS Excel is like a foreign language to me; I couldn't tell you a single thing on how to use it or what it's used for. My basic knowledge has enabled me to perform the simple tasks wanted or needed.

I hope to learn how to use the programs on the computer more thoroughly from this course. A greater understanding of the programs will help me further in other classes I will take during my time at Florida State, and therefore after. There's no room for ignorance in the technology age and I'd like to be as informed and knowledgeable as possible!

The learning style questionnaire showed me that I am pretty well-balanced between most dimensions on the scale. I am slightly more of an active learner than a reflective learner, which I learned means I am more successful in learning when I can try it out for myself rather than thinking about the subject matter first. I am significantly more intuitive than a sensor, which means I'm more innovative and comfortable with abstractions rather than solid facts. Being slightly more verbal compared to visual means I grasp concepts better with written and spoken words as opposed to learning more from graphs, diagrams and visual presentations of the material. I am almost tied between sequential and global learning, leaning more on the global side. This means I have a tendency to absorb information with little to no understanding of it and all of the sudden it will click in my head.