Course Reflection IT 645

I have learned how to utilize a lot of resources, in IT 645, to aide in teaching my classes now and in the future. My first assignment was to create my own Blog so I could share what I learned in each chapter with my group members and also so I could reflect on what they learned in each chapter. I liked the fact that I had to read the chapter but only have to write about one topic; call me lazy if you want. I did however have to comment on my group member’s topic, but the pressure of organizing an essay type piece of work was off my shoulders so I liked that a lot. However, I felt more pressure to write a better reflection because I knew that other people would be reading my work; I wouldn’t necessarily say I liked the pressure but I wouldn’t say I disliked it either. For the most part I enjoyed doing the Blog, but I don’t think I will use it again after this class is over.

Next I had to do a flyer, progress chart, and quiz. I found these assignments to be the easiest of the semester. Especially since Dr. Wang provided a website to use for the flyer. I liked creating the flyer and will probably use flyers in my classroom when I have to set up teacher-parent conferences or other school related meetings. I think it is a good tool because it shows the parents that I don’t mind putting in a little extra work, they might relate that to how I teach their children. The progress chart was a good tool and easy to create using excel, but I probably will not use the actual tool because the school I teach at has a software program that includes students grades, what assignments they are missing, attendance. The concept of showing a parent a progress report on their child is a great idea. I have had three parent conferences this semester and I always bring a student progress report with me. The quiz was easy to create and I liked using power point to give a quiz. I like that I have the choice to make the quiz more visually appealing and it saves paper, so instead of printing out quizzes all of the students can view it on the smart board screen at one time. However, the only thing I do not like about a power point quiz is that some students take longer than others to complete quizzes and this may cause some problems with delivery. I will more than likely use this tool in my classroom, but it probably will not be my primary delivery method for quizzes.

The next assignment was the rubric, puzzle, and test creation. I really like the Rubistar website; I have always dreaded making rubrics, but not anymore. I will definitely use this tool in my classroom, especially when I assign projects or research papers. I will make sure to give my students a copy too so they know exactly what they will be graded on. The APTE Puzzle Center was also a great tool. I have already used it in my class. My fourth period class is separated by a lunch break, so the class ends up being about fifteen minutes longer than all of my other classes. One day they almost finished everything I had for them to do by the time they went to lunch and they still had about 30 minutes left of class when they got back from lunch. While they were eating I jumped online and created a crossword puzzle on the APTE Puzzle Center website; it saved me because it was so easy to use and fast. The Easy Test Maker website is also a good tool to use in the classroom. I have already used it to create on test for my class. I like how it sets everything up as far as format because that was my biggest issue when creating tests. The only complaint I have is that on the free version when it prints out it separates questions depending on where the page stops. I had a multiple choice question on one page and the answer choices on the next page. So I will have to decide if I want to pay to join their website so I can print a better copy of the test.

The website was a great tool and I will definitely use it for my classes next year. It was very simple to set up and maintain. I want to create a website for each of my classes next year that way if one class is ahead on assignments, the other classes won’t have access to them early. I also like the communication aspect between the students, parents, and I. The website will be a much easier way to communicate with parents and will be a resource for them. They will have access to assignments due and when their children need to be studying for a test. Trackstar was also a good tool, and I will definitely use it on my website. I like how it gives parents and students easily accessible websites for related information.

The movie was an interesting project. I liked making it and found it pretty easy to do. I will use it in my classroom because I think the students need some visual stimulation sometimes and I think they will think it is cool to hear my voice on the video. I will also use the listserv for my class, especially with the parents of my students. This will allow for an open line of communication between parents and me, and it was fairly simple to set up. Overall I liked the class and found it very beneficial to my career in teaching. It was definitely worth the tuition and time I put into it.