Week 3 Blog

I can relate to a lot of the things talked about in the online article, but I remember my computer experiences from elementary and middle school as being more recreational than educational. On page 9 the article mentions programs like Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?, as well as other familiar programs like Oregon Trail and other BASIC programs. I used those programs in 2nd and 3rd grade, but I remember them as being free time activities, not learning programs. But then again maybe the point was to get me to learn while having fun. The sad thing is I learned how to code in BASIC and to some extent in HTML, but that wasn't until 1999, when I was in high school. This article makes me wonder if my school districts weren't far behind the curve on integrating technology into the classroom.

I like the fact that this class is making me think a lot about the nuts and bolts of teaching. I had no idea how many online resources there are for planning lessons and setting up assignments. Rubistar, Taskstream, and the Yahoo teaching groups are all resources I'm sure I'll use to help make my first years in the classroom go much smoother. I guess what this weeks lessons taught me is how much I don't know about preparing to teach.