EDM 310

Although I read several political blogs online, I had never really considered writing a blog myself. Working on this blog has been an experience that I have really enjoyed and would consider continuing beyond this classroom. Google documents as a whole was something I had some experience with before entering this class and had used it most back during the campaign to keep track of contact information for volunteers. Although it still has a few kinks to work out, it has improved significantly since I was first introduced to it. Perhaps the most useful aspect of the Google "works" was Google presentation. I have found it to be a good alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint as it is easier to keep track of your documents and you don't have to worry about saving it, or emailing it to yourself or any other hassle.

I think perhaps out of all of the technologies utilized I enjoyed using iTunes and podcasts the most. Although I use iTunes quite frequently, it was purely for the purpose of purchasing music. Finding educational podcasts and using them outside the classroom has been something I have really enjoyed and I feel that listening to them helped prepare me for the Praxis II exam. This is a technology I could certainly see using, particularly as a teacher where I could create a podcast that would cover days that I may be absent so that my classroom doesn't fall behind.

Finally tools such as ACCESS and ALEX are terrific opportunities for teachers to communicate with each other and share ideas and classroom strategies. As a teacher, one might feel that lecture and other classroom activities are getting dull and repetitive and this provides a great opportunity for teachers to infuse their classroom with fresh ideas. I feel that all these technological options I just listed were the most important aspects of EDM 310 and the ones I will take advantage of in my future career.