Post #3

Ummm... wow. Chapter four had so much information in it I think my brain might explode. To be completly honest I had a VERY difficult and not so much time getting through the entire chapter. I feel like it's important to have a decent foundation and understanding of technology, but chapter three went into WAY more detail then I have ever cared to know. On the bright side however, with so much infomation I definitly learned a lot. I learned about the different parts of the computer and what they do to allow the computer to function. I learned more about things I already thought I understood. For example, I knew that I plugged my mouse into a USB port, however I learned the technical name for it is a Universal series Bus port and that it can connect up to 127 different peripheral devices with a single connector type. (...what?) Like many other chapters in this book Chapter 4 took simple things and made them far more complex than I feel they need to be. For example, I feel like learning how to effectively USE a printer (change ink cartridges, fix paper jams, trouble shoot problems) would be far more beneficial as a teacher than learning the different methods by which different printers transmit ink onto paper.

At first I HATED the inspiration program we had to use last week. I felt like it was a waste of time and that concept maps were derived from satan. After complaining about it to my roomate however, she told me that concept maps are the easiest way for her to understand information. I guess I hated them because my mind doesn't work that way. I'd rather see information written in a paragraph and decipher it myself than have someone create a map of it for me. So I've had a change of heart about the whole project. I feel like concept maps will be benificial to students (particularly elementary school students) because it simplifies information and breaks it down into more manageable pieces. I'm glad I learned to use this software in class because if someone were to show it to me as a teacher and I had never been introduced to it, I'd be totally lost. I've struggled with how to break down information to make it into a useful and easy to understand concept map, but at least I won't have to worry about figuring out how to use the software.

So since most of this post has already been rather negative (my appologies) I figure I'll continue with the theme. I HATE THIS TEXTBOOK. There, I said it. I feel like I learn SO much in class by actually doing things and having them explained to me. But when I get home and read the information in the textbook it pains me. As a teacher I don't feel like I'm going to need to understand the specifics of how a computer functions, but moreso how to work it. I feel like instead of learning all the technical details about how every piece of technology works, we could be learning things that would be more relevant to the teching profession. I feel like sometimes I'm taking a class on how to TEACH technology. I understand that the textbook is part of the class and you can't just stop using it... but I wish you could.