10 Thoughts on Using Power Point in your Classroom

1. Power Point is an easy way to present information to your students.

2. Power Point can have audio added to it very easily.

3. You can save your Power Point from year to year and add to it when needed.

4. Power Point is an easy way for students to present information also. May appeal to students much more than a traditional report.

5. Most people are very familiar with how to make a Power Point, so it's user friendly.

6. Even older computers have software to run a Power Point, so it's easy to present information anywhere.

7. Using images that you find online is a fun way to jazz up your Power Point.

8. Students would rather watch a Power Point than listen to you lecture.

9. Not as creative as a Prezi.

10. I like Prezi better :)

10 Thoughts on Making a Web Quest for your Students

1. Web Quests are a great way to engage students in whatever subject you are learning.

2. Making a Web Quest can take quite a bit of time, so plan ahead.

 3. It's easiest to find your websites first, and add contact later.

4. Remember to keep track of the answers to your questions. It's easier to write them down as you go than to go back and find them later.

5. You can integrate a variety of subjects into your Web Quest (math, social studies, language arts, science, and art).

6. Some subjects have more websites than others, so if you want your Web Quest to include lots of different websites, make sure that you pick a broad subject.

7. Web Quests can be a great way to introduce a unit.

8. Web Quests can also be a great way to end a unit.

9. I would wait until after you have pre-assessed your students to create a Web Quest. That way you'll know what they already know, and what they need to know.

10. Plan plenty of time for your students to complete the Web Quest. It could take days!

10 Thoughts on Making a Video Using Windows Movie-Maker

1. Thanks to Movie-Maker anyone can make a movie.

2. You can make a movie from still photographs.

3. You can also make a movie by import video that you have taken on another device.

4. When you upload your video, Movie-Maker divides it into clips. Because of this, you can do many things.

5. You can move the clips around and change the order.

6. You can decide how long each clip runs.

7. You can easily delete clips from your movie.

8. It's easy to add music to your sound track.

9. Make sure to save often, I accidentally deleted mine when I was almost finished. Luckily, because Movie- Maker is so easy, I was able to recreate what I had done quickly.

10. I had a lot of fun making a movie using Movie-Maker and would recommend it to anyone :)

Here's a link to the movie that I created using footage provided by my teacher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyDxW-TvSPQ&feature=g-upl

10 Thoughts on Creating a Blog as a Teacher

1. As a teacher, blogs are a great way to communicate with your students and their families.

2. Creating a blog is eazy-peazy!

3. I used blogspot's template, but you can download many other options for your blog (for free).

4. Personalize it! You want to make sure that your blog represents who you are and what you want to convey to your
    audience.

5. I found creating a blog to be much easier than making a website.

6. Reading other teacher's blogs is a nice way to get new ideas for your classroom.

7. Because blogs are public, make sure that whatever you post is something you would
   want the whole world to see.

8. You can add videos and insert pictures.

9.  You can link to other blogs that you think your readers would find useful.

10. It's easy to edit your blog, so don't be afraid to add content :)

10 Thoughts on Creating a Prezi

1. Prezi can make some people dizzy, so be sure that your transitions from slide to slide are not too quick and "zoomy."
2. It's easier to upload videos and pictures to your slide before adding text.
3. Sometimes, you upload a picture and it looks as though it never loaded. If you exit and come back, voila, you're picture has magically appeared.
4. Prezi's look more "polished" than a PowerPoint.
5. It's easy to change the order of your slides.
6. It's not as easy to change the "path" of your slides.
7. While I found Prezi to be pretty easy, it was challenging for some in my class.
8. Prezi is a great way to present information, particularly if including videos and/or images.
9. Because a lot of the general public still haven't heard of Prezi, you can make an impressive presentation.
10. People will be impressed (see above).


Here's the Prezi that I created http://prezi.com/f6iuutqujcup/copy-of-home-grown-tomatoes/

10 Thoughts on Using Dream Weaver to create a Web Page

1. As a teacher, a web page is a great way to communicate with your students and parents.


2. Text Boxes are a good way to organize your content.


3. Using a template will help save time and make your page look better.


4. Make sure to re-size your pictures.


5. When adding anchors, make sure to highlight and add link beginning with #


6. Adding colors can make your page really "pop," but overdoing it will make it  
look busy.


7. Adding link's to your page is an easy way to enhance your webpage.


8. Use your right click to change font size and color.


9. Make sure that your content is relevant. 


10. I found Dream Weaver to be counter-intuitive and hard to negotiate. I            
prefer being able to click and drag.

Welcome to my Magical Classroom

My name is Manessa Adams and I am excited to welcome you to our second grade class. I look forward to getting to know you better, and would like to tell you a little bit about myself.

          I have lived in Salt Lake City my entire life and love being surrounded by mountains.  My teaching career began as a preschool teacher, and I have been working with children for almost 20 years.  I attended the U of U where I received a degree in Early Childhood Education and later received my Master’s Degree from Westminster in Elementary Education.  My husband and I have three children.  In my spare time, I enjoy camping, reading, listening to music and spending time with my family.

          I believe that it is important to educate children in a way that pays attention to their social and emotional needs in addition to their academic needs. Learning can be fun, and children learn in a variety of ways. You will see a lot of hands-on activities in my classroom.  I also love to incorporate art, music and movement into my lessons whenever possible. 

          The teacher-student-parent relationship is very important. I will send home a weekly “Parent Letter” every Friday to keep you informed of what’s happening in our classroom and throughout the school.  I welcome parents in the classroom, and would appreciate any time that you can spend with us.  Also, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call, email, or meet with me anytime.

          I can’t wait to begin this year’s learning adventure with you.  I look forward to seeing you soon.