Post #4

The way I might use the concepts used in chapter 7 to help me as a teacher are to use the outline and maps as visual learning options. Depending on what grade level I end up teaching these methods could be extremely helpful. It is a good visual way to break things down so the students can see how they relate to each proceeding topic. It also helps students organize their own ideas and lead them into the right direction. I would use MS word or Inspiration, depending on the grade level. Both programs are easily maneuvered and would allow the students to organize their information. Storyboards help students organize their information after they have already created an idea map. I can teach my students how to incorporate graphics, text, video, audio, and other features into their storyboards.

I will definitely encourage my students to develop  outlines and concept maps before taking on a project. Outlining is a great way to get students to think more about what they are writing, Requiring students to make an outline often will allow an easier experience while writing a paper for instance. They have to think more about what they are writing instead of just putting words down on paper. Idea maps help students brainstorm in more depth. Storyboard are a great technique because they allow students to organize audio, text, graphics, and video while planning. All of these will allow students to save time when actually doing a project, and teach them how to prepare. 

New skills that I have acquired in the last week that I think will be especially useful in my educational career are how to use mail merge and search better.  I had no clue what a mail merge even was.  It saves so much time and allows me to more easily communicate with parents. Learning how to search more efficiently is another thing that will save me time. Knowing this information will also help my students.  I have actually used some of what we learned in my own searching.  When looking for something and not wanting a certain word to come up, i used the dash. So many things like this seem so necessary now that I know them.