iGoogle: All about Convenience

Today was my first experience using iGoogle. And I think it is awesome!  I began by watching tour, which walked me through how to change theme (to enjoying the beach!) and then how to add different "gadgets."  The gadgets are basically websites and other tools that I use a lot or that I am interested in.  It is very convenient to have all of the sites on one page so you can just click and be right to them.  I like to check the weather before leaving for school and it is easy to see at the top of my page.  I check my email regularly and added that to the page as well as different blogs about running, cooking websites and sites to check the news.  You can edit the settings easily to decide what you want to show or how large the gadget should be on the page.  Once the page was done, I used FastStone Capture to take a picture of the screen.  It was simple to use and just required a quick installation.  Check out my iGoogle page below or use this link:

Introducing "The Math Masters!"

Today was our first group meeting to create our group introduction.  Unfortunately, WiZiQ was not working for us so instead, we collaborated on Skype and used Google Docs.  Since we were all math majors, we decided our group name would be "The Math Masters."  We created our introduction using Wordle.  I had never seen Wordle before and think it would be a great tool to use in the classroom for vocabulary and writing!  Anyway, our group did a great job collaborating and I am looking forward to working with these ladies for the rest of the semester!  Check out our introduction below:

Technology: For Better or Worse??

Technology can enhance intelligence, but there are some ways that it does not. As a teacher, I rely on technology everyday as I turn on my Smartboard and try to engage my students in my math lesson. I can quickly pull up a game to practice solving equations or access a video about how to use a compass to construct an angle. On days when my students need to practice on their own, I can give each of them one of the mini-computers we have to watch videos, practice and learn the material at their own pace. Having technology in the classroom has revolutionized the way we teach. Information and resources are at our fingertips in moments. Classrooms are not only more interactive and engaging, but teachers can differentiate and respond to the needs of their students in a variety of ways.

On the other hand, sometimes people rely on technology to the point where they forget how to or do not know how to do things without it. Using a calculator to solve math problems means that for many students, they will forget how to do those basic skills by hand. I am constantly reminded by my students that they do not have conversations with their friends. They have digital conversations through texting, Facebook, email, etc. It is vastly different to have a conversation in writing when you cannot hear a person's tone and judge body language and someones reactions. Even more now as students speak and write the same way as they texting their friends, they are struggling to learn the conventional ways to write.

Technology can be a powerful tool when used in the right way. I feel that we need to find a balance of using and not using technology so that technology is enhancing intelligence, but not taking it away from our students.

Moment in History: Beginning of Intel

Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce found Intel in 1968

Moore obtained his PhD in physical chemistry in 1950 and shortly thereafter, began working for Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in California. Noyce received his PhD in physics and in 1953, he began working the same Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory as Moore. After some time at Shockley, several of the researchers, including Moore and Noyce, decided to leave Shockley and found their own company. In 1957, they founded the Fairchild Semiconductor.

In 1968, Moore and Noyce were unhappy at Fairchild and decided to start their own company. With the help of Art Rock, who gave $2.5 million for them to start the company, they created their own company named “Intel,” which is short for Integrated Electronics. Since its creation, Intel has developed the world’s first single-chip microprocessor, the Intel 4004, and the Altair 8800 processor, which was the first to be used in people’s home computers. Most recently, Intel has developed the Pentium processors that are in about seventy-five percent of the new PC’s that are built today. Today, Intel has earned billions of dollars and continues to remain a sign of innovation from Moore and Noyce’s work.

Here is a link to a video of Gordon Moore talking about the invention of the microchip:

Sources:

http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/1000/The-Men-Behind-the-Microchip-The-Early-Years-of-Intel-Founders-Robert-Noyce-and-Gordon-Moore.html

 http://inventors.about.com/od/ijstartinventors/a/Intel-History.htm

First class!!!

Hello!

Time to start blogging!  It feels like not too long ago that I learned how to set up and keep a blog for another class with Dr. Smirnova.  It is much easier to do this time around!  I am very excited to begin the Teaching with Technology class because I know when I took Dr. Smirnova's class a few months ago I learned so much!  It was great to meet everyone last night and talk a little bit about the different projects we will be working on during the course.  I am not the greatest at using technology and it can be overwhelming at times, but I am confident that this class will expose me to more resources and tools using technology.  And hopefully, I will be able to bring them back to my classroom and use them with my students.