Self-Reflection Report

EDU 506, Computer Applications and Resources in Teaching, is in my opinion a very beneficial addition to any educator’s knowledge and teaching repertoire. Prior to the class beginning, I thought that I would know everything about the class content, and would not be stimulated by such. However, as the class progressed I found that my initial opinions were very wrong in that the class provided me with a variety of skills and tools that I had previously not been familiar with. Not only did I learn how to use excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft front page more effectively, but I was also refreshed on many of the basic tools associated with programs like word, that are very important for all teachers to know. Thus, I strongly recommend this course for all educators alike, as it provides an efficient examination of the growing need for technology within the classroom.

Assignment 1: Lesson Plan

Description: The first assignment of the course required a lesson plan to be developed by using Microsoft word. With that said, I used my knowledge of history and social studies to produce a lesson plan pertaining to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Throughout this lesson, students will examine historical figures such as Rasputin, and also key themes such as the era’s significance in regards to both the first and second world wars as well.

Reflection: I found this assignment to be a basic, yet informative way to begin the semester. Although I thought that I was fairly well experienced using word, this assignment allowed to both refresh and my knowledge and utilize it in a way that would allow the students to obtain the knowledge effectively.

Click here to view my lesson plan.

Assignment 2: Microsoft Excel/Class grades

Description: The second assignment of the class required using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to express one learning activity. Thus, my project entailed producing a record of class grades for a number of students. Furthermore, this assignment allowed me to produce the spreadsheet in a way that presented a variety of different grades for a variety of different tasks that the students had completed.

Reflection: I found this assignment to be very useful, perhaps the most useful out of any of the projects throughout the course of the semester. Because I was fairly uninformed about Microsoft excel before this class, this assignment taught me how to produce spreadsheet data and utilize that in the classroom.

Click here to view an abstract of my spreadsheet.

Assignment 3: PowerPoint

Description: The third assignment of the class required using Microsoft PowerPoint to prepare a slide show to accomplish the following tasks: first class presentation, making a proposal or recommendation, present a research report, give a lesson or instruction, report progress or status, and making a book report. Therefore, this assignment dealt with a number of different factors that enhance one’s technological skills. Therefore, I utilized excel to present a lesson plan dealing with the historic Enlightenment era, and its affects on subsequent revolutions as well.

Reflection: While I found this assignment to be basic, being that I use PowerPoint frequently in both college and my teaching, I also found that there is a plethora of information and tools available on PowerPoint that I did not know existed. During this lesson, I was informed of how to integrate timers, music, and pictures through various means into one’s presentation. Thus, I found this assignment to be a useful reminder on how to use the program.

Click here to view my slideshow presentation.

Assignment 4: Microsoft FrontPage

Description: This assignment taught me to create a web quest presentation that allows students to learn a variety of information through technology. It required numerous parts as well, including an introduction, tasks, process, evaluation, teacher page (with resources), and a concept map as well. My web quest dealt with the American Revolution, and although it was created for an eleventh grade classroom, it can be adapted for a different grade level with some modifications.

Reflection: I thought this assignment was really cool in that it allowed us to create a web page with a lot of useful information. Also, it is very useful to know how to do such a project for the classroom setting, in that Microsoft FrontPage has a lot of different features that all are beneficial for the classroom.

Click here to view my web quest.