What+Have+I+Learned+from+ISTC+301?

What have I learned from ISTC 301?

I have learned so much by taking the class ISTC 301. I never realized how much technology there is out there to use in classrooms. I found everything useful to know about, but not everything is useful for me students to use because I want to teach early elementary students. I do think that I can use almost all the tools I have learned about in this class with my students.

I think the tools that I will use the most in my classroom in the concept maps, digital stories, and podcasts. I like that digital stories allows you to bring in pictures that you have taken yourself. I learned in other classes this semester that children value pictures that you have physically taken rather than a picture found in a text book, so digital stories went well with that information that I have learned. I think that digital stories are exciting for students because they are not just reading from a book or their teacher just telling them information about a topic. I can definitely see myself using this tool.

Concept maps are always a teacher’s best friend, so it was nice to learn about an online tool that makes concept maps. I like that teachers can pull it up on a computer and projector and fill it in as the students give answers. It is a lot faster than using an Elmo and the teacher writing the answers in the map. I think typing is a lot faster.

Podcasts are fun to do and younger children get a kick out of them. It is a lot more fun to listen to a voice on the computer than always hearing their teacher talk in front of them. I like that children, even young children, can create a podcast. This is possible because all they have to do is talk. It is always fun for them to hear back their voices as well.

I have put a lot of time into this class and think that I deserve a great grade! I think that I have done well on each assignment, even when I did not know exactly what I was doing.