google docs

I use google docs at my on-campus job. I work in the admissions office, and I work with student applications. We use google docs to keep track of grading scales; this way we can edit or add grading scales to the document. Today I learned how to "share" to people through google docs. This is really easy to do- you only need their email address.


Google docs could be really handy in a classroom for students to work on projects together. Perhaps students could use this to submit rough drafts and have other students or a teacher edit their work. It could also be useful as a forum-type situation where students can ask questions and other students or the teacher can answer them. Obviously it is great for group project- students can share research, resources and ideas through the doc. Students could organize the whole project on google docs and not have to worry about working on it in class. This would make it easier for students to work since they could work online whenever and wouldn't have to worry about meeting around other students' schedules. This would also give them all an equal sense of responsibility; they would all have the same information in front of them, so they would have no excuse not to contribute.

My Life Concept Map
By Liz Bonfanti
EDTF200-01

This concept map above is designed to show what is important to me in my life today. I have four main categories: family, favorites, college life and hobbies. Each category has numerous sub-categories: family I list my family members, favorites I list my favorite things, college life I list all the activities I keep busy with, and hobbies I list all the things I like to do in my free time. Some of those sub-categories have their own sub-categories, such as my favorite books or music.
I have only used Inspiration a few times before in high school, so this project was a great refresher on how to create a chart or diagram. I never knew you could insert sound into your chart. I also did not know there were templates for use either. This project definitely got me more aware of all the different things you can do with the inspiration program and how useful it is in the classroom.
I think Inspiration is great for schools because it organizes information well. It is beneficial for teachers to use to make flow-charts, outlines, and diagrams for student. Students can use inspiration to make their own charts about what they learn or what is going on in their lives. After reading a book, the student could make a chart showing the sequence of events or the characters of the story. They could also use this program in a science unit to show characteristics of different rocks, plants, animals, etc. In social studies, students could use this to make a timeline or graph important people or events. I would like to have the students do a life concept map like I did the first week of class. This way I could see what is important to the students and I could learn more about them while they’re learning how to use inspiration.

Reinventing Project- Based Learning E.C.

I am starting my journey as a brand new teacher. I don't have many lesson plans or classroom projects already under my belt. I have not even taught more than 3 or 4 lessons in a classroom. I certainly have not had the opportunity to incorporate project-based learning in the classroom, let alone with an emphasis on media; however, I have created a math lesson plan on money, incorporating an internet game into the procedure. I think project-based learning is very important in classrooms because students are going to be so much more interested in a subject when they see how it affects them in real life. Also, when they have something to show for all their work (more than just a test or essay), they are going to feel more accomplished. It is important to use media in project-based learning to keep up with current times. Projects aren't just paper-mache and photographs anymore; they are computer graphics, editing and research to get an even deeper understanding of the lesson. Technology will also help the students to work together, to collaborate, and to communicate their ideas with one another.
I also think it is really important for the teachers to collaborate through technology. It will definitely benefit the students and faculty if the teachers are sharing ideas and working with one another on lessons. The teachers will learn better ways to teach through technology, and the students will experience a variety of learning styles.
In high school, my Brit Lit teacher was very interested in incorporating media into our projects, and that made me enjoy them so much more! I was able to make charts, podcasts, and participate in forum discussions. I especially loved podcasts because I love editing film. I thought it was so neat how she was trying to incorporate what she knew about technology into our classroom to teach us. She reminds me of many of the teachers in this article. In my Children's Lit course in college, I was encouraged to create a blog, which I had never done before. I am glad my professor encouraged me to do this because I feel like this is something that I could incorporate into a classroom someday.
Overall I thought Reinventing Project-Based Learning really re-inforced ideas I already had about technology and projects. I think technology should not be ignored by teachers just because it may not be the way they learned how to do things. I think it is very important for teachers to keep up with technology and realize that teaching their students about technology through project-based learning is actually benefitting them because they are excited to learn about it and it gives them skills for the future.

About Me

My name is Liz Bonfanti and I am an elementary education major with a minor in special education. I would like to be a teacher because sometimes I feel like the job was created for me. I enjoy working with children, I like to be creative, I am organized, and I love coming up with new ideas and making them fun. I feel like I have an okay understanding/comfort level of technology. I can do everyday tasks on the computer: I know how to use word or excel, photo or video editors, can navigate the internet well; however, there are a lot of things I have no knowledge of: I can't really troubleshoot, I don't know how html works, I don't know how to create webpages or anything.
I have taken two online courses: Regional Geography and Intro to Sociology. I took these courses this past summer to get caught up with credits so I can graduate on time. It was definitely convenient to take these classes online because I was also working, so I could do the classwork early in the morning or late at night. I also thought the classes were easier since they were online. The only things I did not enjoy about them was 1. If there was a computer problem (such as my tests not loading for my sociology class) I had to call computer services and contact my teacher and 2. I wish I could have interacted with other people in the class more. If this course would have been offered online as well, I think I would have preferred to take it in a regular classroom setting. I would be afraid of having computer problems and the professor not being able to help me.
As for an interesting fact about myself, people usually find it interesting that I was homeschooled until 10th grade.