Week 1 - Inspiration

I must admit, when I first heard that one of our many subjects for Semester 1 was technology, I was scared. Me and technology dont mix. I dont have an i-pod, or an  i-phone. I have never written a blog and I dont use You tube! I feel like I must be one of the only 24 year olds in the world who doesn't feel comfortable with technology. So for me this subject is a blessing in disguise. As a student teacher I understand that technology and ICT are wonderful resources that my students will want to use and explore. I need to ensure that my skills are up to date to enable me to be able to engage my students in the wonders of technology. I need to help create students for the 21st century and this is going to include more then just word processing and gathering information from the internet (McAnear, 2003).  ICT will play a huge role in education and the way I run my classroom when I become a teacher. I am going to utilise this subject to the best of my ability to ensure that I have the knowledge and skills to help children with ICT right across the curriculum.

Today I explored a program called inspiration. I had never heard of it before but after just 30 minutes I discovered what a truely wonderful program it is. It is such a useful program and I can see myself using it in the classroom as a learning tool for students of any age. I specifically enjoyed exploring the mind map application.  It is a fantastic opportunity for students to organise their thoughts about any topic they are learning about. Below are examples of work I produced in insrpiation. I actually had a lot of fun making the mind map and the image of "things that I like!"

I will finish this entry with a quote by Arthur C. Clarke. "We need to educate our children for their future, not our past."