Blog Post 4

I think that outlines, maps and storyboards are really great tools for teachers to use in the classroom. They help to guide the lesson and they show how far a teacher has gotten during that particular class. Having blank outlines with topic titles always helped keep me focused during lessons, and when there were items to be filled in, it makes students pay closer attention. Maps and storyboards also help add a visual element to teaching, which will engage students far more than just talking at them. Inspiration was a really good program! I enjoyed creating my concept maps and it presents the information in a fun way!

I also think that I would definitely encourage my students to use outlines! Keeping their notes organized is a lesson every student should learn early on! Giving them the opportunity to follow along with my lessons using fill-in-the-blank outlines definitely keeps kids focused... and as long as the information isn't horribly boring, they usually enjoy seeing the class go by. Watching the outline get filled in, or the progress the maps are taking seems to make class go by faster.

Becoming acquainted with Inspiration is definitely a highlight of my past week, as well as learning all of the shortcuts for Google searching! Inspiration will help to make my classes more visually appealing, and it's also a great tool for students to use too! I loved learning about how to quickly and efficiently get information from Google as well-- I know I'll be spending a lot less time picking through everything on the Internet for the information I need!