First Blog!!

This is my first time blogging and I'm very excited to try this out! At first I wasn't sure if I liked the idea of having my own blog, but as I thought about it some more I realized it was something that I wanted to try out.

When I learnt I was going to be in an ICT course I was nervous to begin with. I like to think that I know how to do the basics on a computer, but I know there is a lot I don't know.  I didn't want to be that one person in class who had no idea how to make a website, never blogged before, or have never heard of any of the websites. After the first class I soon realized I wasn't the only one who doesn't know about these things. Now after having a few classes I'm excited to come to class because I know I will learn things that could benefit me and my future students in the classroom. 

I think using technology in classrooms can be beneficial, but can also come with negatives. I think the internet is very useful in classrooms, but teachers and students need to know how to use it properly. Students need to know how to use this resource properly and effectively. This is something I am looking forward to learning in my ICT course. I want to know how teachers can teach their students how to use the internet effectively and properly. We need to be able to trust our students, but we also need to teach them proper skills. I think students need to be aware that using the internet is a privilege, not a right! I also think using smart phones in the class is now acceptable, but again, students need to use them effectively in the classroom. 

A neat activity we used the first week of the ICT course was when we used wordle. This is a creative way to make "word clouds". You can change fonts, sizes, colors, and much more with this website. I thought this was a great idea to get our ideas out and play around with the words we thought of. This is something I can see myself using again because I liked how everyone could be creative in their own way. 

I'm excited to learn about the different sources that I can use in my future classroom and even in my personal life. I hope to learn how I can use technology effectively in the classroom. I think this course will really improve my knowledge about technology.