Week 5 Connection

Creating a Technology Learning Plan this week in class, is beneficial in setting the goals I want to accomplish in a clear time line. Instead of just thinking about incorporating more technology, I know have the plans set forth with the means of doing so. I have wrote the plans to get the ball rolling with student online reflections. This forces students to get used to writing about their and describing where the strengths and weaknesses are instead of simply saying, "I like" or "I don't like". But to be able to tell me why in words, is a important concept to learn. This will flourish into peer critiques and eventually online critiques with students from other schools around the world.

The task of evaluating software for classroom use was scary to me at first. It turned out to be simpler than I thought with the help of presented sources which outlined what to look for in purchasing software. Although I feel more confident in evaluating software now, realistically I will not be looking to purchase any in the near future. The software my school currently owns is more than sufficient enough for student use. My school purchased the Adobe Creative Suite software which includes Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, etc. Students learn to work effectively with Photoshop in Digital Photography and Computer Graphics. Dreamweaver and Flash play a role in web page design and advertising. Besides this program, I am interested in doing more research in the free software offered by many companies. We have already learned so many beneficial tools that I will use in teaching students to collaborate with others from various regions in the world like Skype. However learning to evaluate software, enables me to review the free software also in order to distinguish which is worth downloading and which is not. I just won't be looking to purchase software anytime soon.