Week 04

This week was a great technology week for me as a new teacher. I learned about fantastic new tools to incorporate into the classroom, the mind map and RSS feeds! I am most excited about the mind maps; it allows both the teachers and students to express creativity on their own. It can be used for as number of different types of learning tools. For the project I created a quick cheat sheet on the Quadratic Formula, so one excellent use is a study guide. The reading also recommended to use as a tool for students to express what they have learned using a mind map. It allows them to put concepts together in a way that will help to make more sense as well as learning even more about the subject. It also will allow a teacher to see how their students understand the topics that were gone over in the classroom. The article mentioned that when a student presents it to the classroom and explains their mind map, it helps them understand the topic even further and see what mistakes they might have made when they attempt to explain their thoughts. Another new tool that was gone over in class is the use of RSS (really simple syndication). As a teacher you may have your students write blogs, post projects, and what not. The RSS feed will let you know when these things and projects have been posted in an organized manner, so you do not have to keep checking, especially when what you are looking for is not consistent when something new is posted. This could be used for your favorite websites as well as what your students are doing. I just noticed the symbol is on my Google mail site! Now I know what it is.