Juli Trush

EDU 506

Fall 2008

Harrison Yang

Overview of EDU 506: It is almost impossible to be a successful teacher without the use of technology. When I first enrolled in this course I thought I was educated well about using technology in the classroom. However I learned by teaching myself. EDU 506 has recapped my knowledge of using a variety of technology, and taught me many things that I was unfamiliar with. I learned many useful tools for organizing my teaching using technology. It is important to keep updated with the changes in technology and the uses of internet based learning. I will use the projects designed in this class in my own classroom to engage and instruct students using technology.

Word Processing and Writing/ Writing a Lesson Plan

Description: The Word Processing project was designed around writing a lesson plan.

The lesson plan that I designed was for students in Studio Art, grades 9-12. The project title is “Name Kaleidoscopes.” The detailed procedure was designed for students to create a radial design using their names. Students learn about the Elements of Art and Principles of Design for this project. The project identifies with New York State Learning standards for the Visual and Performing Arts; I, II, and III. The lesson plan included pictures of previous assignments finished and fonts were designed to format the lesson plan so that it is easily understood.

Reflection: This project was very helpful for following the procedural guidelines when teaching the Name Kaleidoscope project. I found that learning about text wraps and placing pictures in the lesson plan also made the plan engaging for any teacher to want to do. I also learned some short-cuts to using footnotes and format auto shape that will help me when writing future lesson plans.

Link: Please click here to view my lesson plan.

Problem Solving with Spreadsheets/ Creating a Gradebook

Description: The Spreadsheet project was designed around organizing a grade book for grades 9-12, Studio Art, sketchbook assignments. There are three classes of Studio art that hand in sketchbooks once a week. Their grades were recorded in the spreadsheet and averaged using a standard calculation. When the calculation was produced a visual graph was allowed showing the percentages and overall scores for each class and student.

Reflection: This assignment originally was intimidating to me because I was unsure that I would understand the calculations in order to get an average. However, once I got used to the program I realized how simple and quick it can be to average a student’s grade. I also really like the feature of showing the visual graph so that the teacher and the student can see the progress clearly.

Link: Please click here to view my spreadsheet project.

Preparing and using a Slideshow/ PowerPoint: Open House for New Teachers

Description: The Power Point project was designed to give an effective presentation of visual material using a slide show. This project was done with a partner. The presentation was designed for new (and old) teacher providing information about open house and how to prepare for it. There were various text layouts used as well as images and links to show examples of existing teachers projects, websites and ideas for presentation at open house. The Power Point also included sound to enhance the presentation and attract attention from the viewers.

Reflection: This assignment was really fun and useful. I enjoyed learning about PowerPoint, but also working with another classmate. We were able to share our ideas and creative backgrounds that allowed us to design a solid presentation. It was also very helpful to learn the shortcuts to adding pictures and sound. I was really happy about the final product and consider presenting it to future colleagues.

Link: Please click here to view my PowerPoint presentation.

Designing and Developing Educational Web Projects/ WebQuest.

Description: The WebQuest that I designed is a final project for grades 9-12, Studio Art.

The WebQuest was complete with a home page and links to unit introduction, process, evaluation, conclusion, and teacher pages. The project is based around researching an artist using hyperlinks to search engines and images. Each students goal is to fill out a questionnaire that is linked to the process page. They then will use the example ( that also has a link) to help guide them in organizing images that represent the artist chosen. Students will use the images to create a Clue Collage using the template provided in the WebQuest. The WebQuest was full with hyperlinks to project reference sheets and website search engines. There is also a rubric attached for grading purposes and alternate projects for the assignment.

Reflection: This project was a favorite of mine! I enjoyed learning ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I found that it was very useful to provide references for students via the internet. I was very proud when finishing the entire project, them and all! I will definitely use this project for my class this year. I would love to take a class to design more websites and PowerPoint presentations to use for my classroom.

Link: Please click here to view my WebQuest project.