The End is Near!!!

I can almost see it, the light at the end of the tunnel! We are almost done our term and getting ready to head out on our second teaching placement. I have been waiting and waiting to get out into the classroom and it felt like it was so far away but it is here and I almost can't believe it. I am so excited and nervous to get into my classroom and start teaching my grade 5/6 and 7/8 classes.

This term I have learned so much in my ICT for Education course and I am so excited to use the different apps and websites that I have learned about in my classroom during my placement and my own future classroom. My top three favourite things that I have learned about this term:

Animoto:
A super cool website that allows you yo create picture slideshows with music to add more diversity in your classroom.
Pro: Can bring out creativity in your students.
Con: Can only be 30 seconds long unless you pay a lot of money.

Weebly:
A website that allows you to make websites, for free! Connect with your students and the parents of your students through an online website, or get yourself out there for a job with an online e-portfolio.
Pro: You can have another stream of communication with parents showing pictures and talking about what has been going on in the classroom, provide access to handouts, and a classroom calendar.
Con: Limitations with the free program. Have to pay for a specific domain.

Google Drive:
I had experience with Google Drive before this course but I feel that covering it was so huge because there are many people who had no experience with Google Drive and I feel that it can offer so much to you as an individual but it can offer you so much more as a teacher.
Pro: You can view your students work and have them submit work to you through the Google Drive, because it is on the "cloud" crashing computers, or forgetting it at home are no longer valid excuses.
Con: The Google Docs portion lacks some of the features that Microsoft Word has.

There are so many things that we have taken in this term and I can't wait to use all of them in my classroom...when I get one! Hopefully I can keep up my blog somewhat and share my thoughts while I am pre-service teaching and then eventually through a classroom blog!

Til' Then!!