Final Thoughts

No one can possibly imagine how absolutely horrified I was at the thought of taking this class!

I use a PC and I am very comfortable with the Microsoft programs that I use, but I was never brave enough to venture out to explore other possibilities. I am almost always the class "elder" and I was fully aware that younger students are far more technology/computer savvy.

This class required me to step way out of my comfort zone and use the computer in ways that I would never have been brave enough to try on my own. It was very stressful at times, but with Jeff's help and explanations, I muddled through.

My web page will be helpful to both my students and their parents. Digital slide shows and digital movies will be great for introducing new material and documenting events and field trips. I am very excited to know that my school has purchased Inspiration. Before this class, I would have been too intimidated by it to even attempt to use it. Now I look forward to it!

Creating a blog was the one thing that least interested me. Blogs are blocked at our school, and because I knew that I would not be using it, I just couldn't get excited about it.

I am surprised at the confidence I now have and I am excited about using the things I have learned in my classroom.

Hurrah! I survived!!!

Digital Movie

I chose to use Windows Movie Maker for my digital movie because outside of TPTE 486, I do not have access to Mac computers and would not be able to use iMovie. I was really afraid of attempting such a project before I started, but I found that it was not as scary as I had imagined. After selecting the photos I wanted to use, it was actually fun to put them in order and select the transitions that I thought best suited each one.

My digital tour on campus at the Tennessee School for the Deaf will be of interest to new students and their parents, as well as people who are curious to see this school for students who are deaf. This is a beautiful campus with an amazing history. Movie Maker will be fun to use to document classroom activities, events, and school programs.

Welcome to TSD

This is the digital movie I made to welcome you to the campus of the Tennessee School for the Deaf.

Inspired by Inspiration!

Inspiration is fabulous! Because students who are deaf are visual learners, Inspiration can only enhance their learning. My students will especially enjoy this for brainstorming sessions and it is a wonderful graphic organizer. Making character webs, as well as visual comparisons and contrasts, will certainly hold the interest of the older students and bring them a better understanding. I am especially excited because the school has recently acquired this software and it is available to me! I had such fun learning to use this software and discovering the possibilities. This is super!

Inspiration

OME - (or is it OMG?)

We are just over the halfway point in class and I guess I am most proud that I was able to create my Scavenger Hunt slide presentation by myself. Using Picnik to resize the photos made it so easy. I guess it is possible to "teach an old dog new tricks," it just takes the old dog a little longer to "get it" and it takes a lot more practice. And I learned that I should not turn in the rubric for a project before I finish the project - that's how I missed having a blank page at the end of the Scavenger Hunt activity. Oops!

Scavenger Hunt