Science Sim

Today in class we learned how to log into this sim world called Science Sim. Our whole class logged on and we all had "avatars" (a computer person to represent yourself). We teleported to a place called Alaska South and went into a school and learned how to chat with our fellow classmates. I'm not really seeing how you could use this technology in the classroom... The teacher said that you could use it to teach kids about other cultures or you could go on a virtual field trip to a castle or something. But it's all cartoon, it looks like you're playing a video game. I think that kids would really like it and would think it is way fun but I don't really think it's useful in the classroom. Maybe in computer class or in high school but probably not elementary school.

Spreadsheets

Today we learned how to use Excel spreadsheets. My mom is a teacher and she uses it all the time. I think that it is a very useful tool for us to learn. I really like that you can put in a formula and it will calculate the answer for you. It saves so much time! Instead of sitting and punching everything into a calculator, it will just figure it out for you. How handy. It was pretty confusing figuring out how to open the file but once we got it open, it was easier. My favorite part of class was learning how to do the texting online polls. It was so cool watching our texts and seeing how people voted! Technology is amazing. I can't wait to use it in my classroom!