Reflection Week 3

This week it was fun to use Google Draw.  I've dabbled in it a little bit before, but this provided the opportunity to explore more. I like the ability to reorder shapes, bring to front-send to back, and group them together.  This reminded me of using the Smart Board software.  In my concept map I was able remix photos to enhance some of the points.  The photos I used I took from the photo sources that were provided, the new ones for me were Pixabay, Morguefile, and Pexels, so I used these sites to find my images.  Out of the three I liked Pexels and Morguefile, I found they were easier to use.  Pixabay seemed to be more restricted.

I have been used Blogger for many years now, so creating a blog wasn't new to me.  While I have been using it for a while, I had to admit I haven't been good at keeping my blogs up to date.  I do like this idea of creating a portfolio for myself using a blog, so this will be interesting.

I have made blog headers before, but I hadn't used Google draw to do so.  I thought it was much easier than the process I had used before.   The picture I added for my header is a view from our house on the lake- one of my favorite spots.   I also hadn't used labels before either, so I liked learning how to set that up.

Thinking about how I can use these things with teachers and students, the first idea that comes to mind is having them use Google Draw.  I found it quite easy to use, especially since you can apply the same logic as using the Smart Software (which they currently use) and how it easily embeds into a Google Document. I can think of all sorts of projects where students need to draw and then add to a Doc, so this will be great to show them how it works.

I am also constantly talking about Creative Commons, so having some more free sites for images will be great to share.  Many of my teachers already blog for their classroom news, so anything new about blogging I might gain will be great to be able to show them.  I am looking for better ways to add slideshows to Blogger, so if anyone has any ideas please let me know.

Aspirations

What do you ASPIRE to?
Why did you take this course?  What do you hope the outcome will be for you?

For a long time I knew I always wanted to be a teacher.  There was something about the profession that just drew it towards me.  Perhaps it was the nightly dinner conversations that were always about education, as both my parents were teachers; or the idea of teaching the future, having a hand in supporting others in their quest of becoming a life-long learner.  In the end I knew teaching was for me.

I think my aspirations are more than just teaching.  It's about being the best person I can be in this life-time.  Treating others how I care to be treated and trying my best at being a good person.  To be kind, considerate, and passionate, to lead by example, and always keep striving for more.

I am taking this course because I like teaching others, helping them move forward, to support the change in education necessary to create the next generation of people who are also kind, communicative, risk-takers, who can problem-solve, while always continue to learn.

I know from observing my own learning, I too need to be inspired.  I need be helped to think outside my pre-set limitations, so that when I come back to teaching others, I have a fresh new perspective and vision for the future.  With this course I hope to challenge my ideas and push my learning forward.