use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of resources

I'm pretty sure my favorite thing in the world is internet search engines. You can find anything and everything with them. They are the most helpful things in the world. Seriously, what would we do without them? Oh yeah, look through books and books of info searching for information. I definitely do not miss doing that in grade school. I will take Ask.com over those heavy encyclopedias any day! Also, after you find websites that are especially helpful, you can save them to your favorites or bookmark them and go back to them whenever you feel the need.

Collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, preparing publications, and producing other creative works using productivity tools.

Technology is ever-changing and fast paced. Althou.gh it seems nearly impossible to keep up with all of the constant advancements; I believe it is extremely important for teachers to do the best they can to keep up with it. It can be very beneficial for teachers to stay current and keep the technology world present in their classrooms as these advances can be used as tools in education.

use technology resources to facilitate higher order and complex thinking skills

I thought the programs Kidspiration, Inspiration, and Mediablender were great for achieving this goal. They demand creativity and thinking outside the box while helping students gather information, organize thoughts and see their work come together. All three of those programs drove me nuts, however, I am grateful for learning them because I now see how beneficial they could be to students.

Use content specific tools to support learning and research.

When I started working on the Lesson Plan Assignment, I was quick to discover all of the technological opportunities there are available to help students of all ages learn. I can't decide decide what to use. It is nearly impossible to narrow down what I want to integrate into my lesson plan. There are so many great things to use. There are piggy bank games online to help children learn how to count money. There's the idea of using a search engine to research different topics. There's the paint program for younger children to be creative.... I think I'm going with that. I'm just amazed at all the ideas open to teachers in the area of technology. It is just awesome!

use technology tools and info resources to increase productivity, promote creativity, and facilatate academic learning

Before this class, I had no idea how to make your own website. I definitely had no idea that it was so simple. Using word to create a web page and adding hyperlinks to assignments or other websites was in a way: fun... Creating web pages is a great way to express ideas or to show your enthusiasm for something. It was an absolute breeze and it is something that I definitely plan on using in the future for college, networking, and teaching... I think you could create and adapt a web page for ANYTHING.

demonstrate profficiency on input and output devices...

On November 30, I connected my digital camera to my computer with a USB trying to upload the pictures to my computer. My camera shut off and would not turn back on. Therefore I couldn't put the pictures onto my computer. After a few minutes of hopelessness with my camera, I decided to take the memory card out of my camera. I put it into my Garmin Nuvi GPS and connected that to my computer. I was able to connect my GPS to my computer and upload the pictures off of my memory card that way; which was a major relief.

Demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.

I like to compare using computer programs to riding a bike. Once you learn how to use a program, you never forget how. Even if you spend years without using it, it usually just takes you a minute or two to figure it all out again.