Finally done!!

I just finished my instructional unit, the last assignment of the semester. What a relief. The project was actually kind of fun to do. I feel like I've greatly improved my computer skills over the semester. I used to dread having to do a PowerPoint, now it's such a simple task, and something that I like doing. PowerPoint is among the many programs I now feel confident in using.

One day left of class, boy am I ever ready for break!

Panraven Pandemonium

Although I was extremely frusterated while doing my panraven story, I wont totaly bash the program, it's new and rather slow, and in combination with my computer, which is old and very slow, it took in excess of two and a half hours to complete. Most of this time was spent waiting for the hour glass to turn back into an arrow so I could continue my project. I feel like this program has a lot of potential, and if improved in a couple years I would probably use it in my classroom. I think that kids could get really creative with this. If I could make a couple of suggestions to improve this program, they would be to allow as much text as desired on each page, and to make it possible to design your own album style. As of right now I would recommend using photobucket, or flickr to display photos.

Panraven Story

Click here to read my story.

Alaska Grown!!

I completed my sense of place poster using the Comic Life program, which is awesome! I had no idea there was such a program. My poster was composed of different pictures throughout my life, all of which were set in Fairbanks. My poster was titled "Alaska Grown". I think Comic Life would be a great program to have in the classroom, it's not only fun to use, but it allows students to express themselves in a unique way. As a teacher I would have students use Comic Life as we did, to give people an idea of where they come from. It would also be a good visual aid for any presentation. After completing my poster, I feel fairly comfortable using Comic Life, but like anything else, there is always room for improvement.

11th annual River Regatta

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Making a Digital Video

I've never made any sort of digital video before, and I thought it would require a great deal of work. The Windows movie maker made it fairly simple for me. I actually enjoyed this project. Although my movie was more less a slide show, I had fun doing it, I would definitely use this resource again. The only problem I encountered was accessing a scanner to scan old photos onto a CD. With the right technology available this tool would be great for students. They could use it to display a home video, to teach a lesson to other students, or as a means of presenting a project. As a teacher I would use this tool as a way to present information to my class, watching a movie is much more engaging than listening to a lecture. I feel pretty comfortable using this resource, I'm sure I could play around with it more and expand my skill level. Now that I've completed my video I need to figure out how to feature it on my blog.

Reno for Halloween

I'm so excited to be leaving to Reno tonight. Although the stress from packing and finishing last minute homework assignments is wearing on me, it will all be over soon. I have a feeling I won't be doing much relaxing on this vacation either, so much to do and so little time. I hope to get some good pictures and post them when I return. Have a good Halloween weekend everyone!

Microsoft Office

Well, I finally broke down and bought the Microsoft Office software. I must admit, it's pretty handy, expensive, but handy. PowerPoint is such a great tool, I wish I would have been familiar with it years ago. It's much easier than I had expected. Speaking of Microsoft Office, if anyone needs the program I have two more licenses that are for sale, let me know if you're interested.

Increased Comfort

I was quite frustrated with everything having to do with computers last week. I am, however feeling much more comfortable this week. I don't know what brought this change about, perhaps I was just overwhelmed with a number of other things last week. I'm looking forward to creating my powerpoint, and getting to work a little with that Coral painter.

Back in the swing...

What is this the third week of school? I'm having a hard time switching from summer mode to school mode. I'm not used to being so busy and getting so little sleep, but a lot of that has to do with my time management skills. I'm running into a specific dilemma pertaining to my computer class, I'm having to download all these software programs that are costing me a fortune because my 2002 Dell did not come equipped. What I struggle with the most is that I'll have to get a new one next year. Kind of a pain but what else can you do?

My name is Whitney Todd, I'm a senior here at UAF, majoring in elementary ed. I begin my student teaching in 2008. When I'm not in school I work as a receptionist at an orthodontic office, I enjoy playing sports and traveling, both of which I did quite a bit of this summer. I played on two softball teams and traveled quiet a bit for tournaments.