1. Some of my favorite tools include Jing, Diigo, Spellr, and iMovie. Diigo is probably my fav at the moment, I love how it keeps track of things I'm interested in, post updated comments on news articles I've read, and helps me tag and organize sites I've bookmarked. Along with Diigo, I plan to use Spellr with my kiddos. I think it's a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding, along with their creative side. (Thanks to Holly Walz for that idea!) I'm also planning to make several iMovie's with my students.
2. I'm very excited about this year. I have learned so many new features to share with students. I am definitely more comfortable with the majority of the tools, and feel that they will be very beneficial to all. I myself, still need more practice with a few, but am confident that with continuous use and practice, I will have them down in no time. My classroom has always been a hands-on environment, however, this year it will be more hands-on in the technology department. I not only plan to model/use these tools, but plan to have students use them daily.
After this training, I feel as though my understanding for the importance of technology in the classroom has grown. Through the use of technology, we can travel the world without ever leaving the room. We can give students a visual to connect with. As the saying goes, "a picture's whole a thousands words".
3. For me, I was very surprised how easy many of the tools/features were to navigate. Because of their simpleness, I felt motivated to learn more...to challenge myself to more difficult task. I never thought creating a blog would be fun, or using diigo to tag and bookmark information. I'm now wondering how I ever survived without it.
