How TPTE 486 Has Changed My Views of Technology in the Classroom

Coming into TPTE 486, I had no idea what to expect.  I assumed we would be working on blogs, and other technology that I knew how to use prior to class.  But we ended up learning about even more technology that would be helpful in our future classrooms.

Learning about Wiki's was something I was not expecting to cover, but I am very glad we did.  They seem to be a very useful classroom tool, and are extremely easy to use. Learning to use Google and all it has to offer has probably been the most beneficial tool in this class. From Google docs, to photo presentations, and websites, it has everything you need to succeed online.  Two years of graphic design, and trying to learn how to code was going nowhere.  Now I can make a very informative website with no stress, and share it with my students and their parents.  ActivInspire was also an extremely important classroom tool that I now know how to use.  With the use of Interactive Smart Boards, ActivInspire is a must-have in the classroom.  It's so versatile that any subject area could use it for lessons.  If I am lucky enough to have an Interactive Smart Board in my future art classroom, I will be using ActivInspire for lesson introductions, and covering art history.  Making Digital Diagrams in Inspiration, and using photographs from public domains to make Digital Stories in iMovie helped me to discover new possibilities of teaching art to my students.

Using technology in the classroom can be intimidating for some teachers who feel uncomfortable using these new tools.  TPTE 486 gave me the experience, and practice of using technology before I contribute it to my curriculum in the classroom.  After taking this course, I feel confident in my abilities to teach my subject area with the aid of technology.  

Digital Stories

I have never used digital stories in my lesson plans, nor have I been taught by using digital stories.  I am more familiar with teachers using instructional videos that they have bought or rented, or even movies, to use as a teaching tool - never videos that they had put together themselves.  Learning how to make digital stories in iMovie has inspired me to teach lessons using this tool. 

I learned in TPTE 486 that using digital stories can be very beneficial for students, and even teachers.  It's an intriguing way to capture the students attention, and brings technology into the classroom.  Learning iMovie was a fun process for me.  As an art teacher, I am constantly looking for new
creative ways of learning and using a digital story in iMovie is definitely one to try.

In my future art classroom, I would use digital stories in high school art history lessons.  Art history can be a subject most teenagers are not interested in, but by making a fun and engaging video, they would be more likely to participate.  Other digital story ideas could be about learning different techniques in painting, or instructional videos on how to properly throw clay on a wheel. The possibilities are endless using iMovie!