Blog Post #2

 Technology I cannot live without....my 

My first laptop was heavy, weighing in at around 10 pounds and considering today's laptops, large.  When purchasing a laptop, you had to choose a type of drive.  The connectivity was limited, including the ability to print, attach your camera, transfer files between devices and use external devices like a scanner.  At that time, I couldn't imagine only having a laptop (or less than 5 necessary cords!).  Still, it felt like a wonderful freedom to be able to carry some of your work around with you, especially when traveling.  

Fast forward to 2022...my only work computer at my school is a laptop!  Not only are laptops indispensable, but they are able to deploy all the technologies used in this course and required for my job.  I have very much enjoyed this class and thus far, the two activities I have derived the most value from are the assistive technology/Google Chrome Extensions and the flipped classroom/video.  Specifically for the extensions, the Google Chrome Extension Math Type.  I am supporting two different Physics classes and am writing a lot of Physics equations each week day.  It is wonderful to be able to use this chrome extension to be able quickly and easily type out equations.  This is especially true because one of the students has hearing loss and needs all things written out.  This tool has added a lot of value and simplified this process.

Initially, I was reluctant to create a movie.  I choose a topic that is important to me, wetlands! I used my own photos and videos to create the movie.  I was so happy with the finished product!  I didn't realize how fun it would be to create the movie and plan to create more as I introduce students to new topics!  I am on the board of Ohio Wetlands Associations and will modify this video and use it as an introduction for some 7th grade grant work around water quality, wetlands, and H2Ohio.  I am grateful for all the ways we've been pushed to try some new technology in this course!