Blog Journal 8

    I acquired some new skills from working on the Web Design assignment. I learned how to make a logo for my website, have links to all of my other pages on my home screen, and how to have external links open in a new window. I also began to get familiar with the platform we used. I liked that we wrote an 'About Me' section and had some creative freedom in the design of our website. I disliked the function of the website, I found it very difficult to complete some of the tasks needed to receive a passing grade on the assignment. I can used what I learned from the assignment in my future career as I now have a logo, banner, and an idea of what I would like my teacher website to look like. The link to my website is:  https://mrs-zamskys-aice-psychology.square.site/ 

    I have also acquired new skills by working with Diigo. I have learned how to post a link to a group and annotate the article that I have posted. I also look at what my fellow classmates have posted in order to gather more information about what we are learning about. This application can be useful in my classroom as I can have a group created for my students where they post their annotated texts and can compare with their classmates. I can use Diigo with team members as we can share informational links including videos and articles to give each other lesson ideas and more. Finally, Diigo will be useful for my individual professional efforts as I can keep track of all of my annotations and view my students and colleagues work at any time. 

    Technology and teacher professional development go hand in hand. Teachers not only have to constantly move with the innovation of technology in their personal lives, they also have to apply this to their classrooms. This can be difficult and may seem like a lot for teachers to handle, but teachers stay informed and learn quickly. Technology innovation can help make certain aspects of teaching easier. For example, teachers can now give multiple choice tests or quizzes which the computer can grade right away. This makes it so that teachers spend less time grading and more time preparing their lessons or have more time at home. A site I can use to stay informed of technology trends in education is:  https://tech.ed.gov/what-we-do/ . This is run by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology which develops national educational technology policy and helps it transform how technology is used in the classroom. The blog section has updates of what the newest trends are.