Technology is the Future (Class Reflection)

As I sit here, at Barnes and Noble, sipping my caramel machiatto at 10:30am on a Sunday morning, I am realizing just how effective and "instruction" changing this course has been for me. Although I have taken technology courses before, I've never seen such success with technology within my classroom before this course. My literacy project blog and my Read180 digital story were possibly two of the top highlights within my classroom throughout the entire year. I also have no doubts that the Web 2.0/ Webquest will be the third.    Through this course, I have developed many useful skills and time savers related to technology. I will definitely be using Evernote in the future, along with Google Docs, Google Sites, and Blogger. I think the most important concept I realized in this course was that in order to use technology, you need to be engulfed in it constantly. In the last class I took with Arzt, I had no real application of it due to in being in the summer. My goal for this summer is to keep blogging and researching technological tools for the classroom. Practice makes perfect right? 

Web 2.0 Turned WebQuest

As I thought about what I could create that would technologically inspire and engage my students, I found that letting them use a web 2.0 tool in the classroom simply wasn't "big" enough for me. I also was contemplating about what I would teach/instruct for the last four weeks of school due to the level of inconsistency with testing, field trips, talent shows, and field days. One night it all clicked. I decided to create a "move at your own pace" webquest where students move through an interest inventory, into a career information "race track" using Drive of Your Life, and finish by creating an Xtranormal movie about their career of choice. I am SO excited to implement this within my classroom. I feel as though they are going to love it! Especially at the end of the year, where their minds are typically everywhere but on instruction. Below is both the link to the webquest and my own Xtranormal creation of my possible career choice as an astronaut!!

Ms. Freitag as an Astronaut!!!

Creative Careers Webquest