Wrapping Up the First Week

I survived! WooHoo. This week hasn't been as crazy as I thought it would be, but I can definitely tell that it's going to get a lot more stressful. Balancing research, writing papers, and experimenting with new technology will be a challenge.

I'm curious about our "choice projects" for the technology class. I know I'll get a better understanding of it as the class continues, but I'm nervous some of my ideas won't qualify. I really want to create a Glog for the first day of school. I want it to introduce my team, myself, my expectations, FAQ's, and other information that my 6th graders' and their parents would want to know. But I am a little worried that I can't implement it into an instructional plan. Either way, I think it's important to get a Glog going.

Another project I want to work on is my classroom website. My school district has it's own link for each classroom. My goal is to create a functional class website that is simple enough so I can it update daily, easy to navigate for students and parents, yet is very savvy and fun. This will definitely be useful for not only my first year of teaching, but throughout my teaching career. Hopefully I can work with some people who are familiar with the Millard website and ability to create a classroom web page.

Oh and on a side note. I really want a digital pen. It sounds so silly, but I LOVE writing down thoughts and ideas on paper...but I never refer back to my notebooks (I usually just throw them away when I'm through with them.) So if I had a pen that took all of my notes and converted in into editable text...that would be SWEET! I wonder if I could put that on my wedding registry? LOL

It's been so exciting to be exposed to all of these wonderful pieces of technology. I love that everyone in my class has additional information to add or other helpful sites to help adapt each project/technology so it fits in our own classroom. I hope I can "master" all of the technology we've been introduced to. Yet I have a feeling I won't be proficient in everything, but I think that's ok. As long as I know the basics, I believe the rest of it will come with time playing around with the technology. Although, I really think my Bitstrips character looks ridiculous: No site can perfect my butt chin :o)