Gabrielle Medina

EDU 214

ASSIGNMENT 1: Introduce Yourself Essay Reflections

What I Learned: From this assignment, I learned a lot about both my peers and myself. There are

a wide variety of students in this class from all different backgrounds, and for being in an online

course, it helps to get to know the people I will be working with for the semester.

Strengths and Weaknesses: There were not many weaknesses of this assignment, but one of them

was trying to condense my list of favorite movies from a million to just about three or five. I

managed though, and I got to hear about some movies that I’ve never seen before from my peers.

Another challenge was finding the right words to say in my replies to my classmates. I wanted to

make sure that I asked the right questions, instead of ones that seemed too personal, if that makes

sense.

Activity: An activity that I would use with my students would be by using Google Docs to create

a “mock social media profile” about themselves, which would include pictures of them and the

captions would be their interests, hobbies, etc. This assignment will introduce students to using

Google applications, and specifically, Google Docs, where they will explore all the functions and

features of the application.

ASSIGNMENT 2: Build Your Ideal Classroom Reflections

What I learned: During this assignment, I learned a lot about what kind of space I want my

students to be in. I also got to see some very creative drawings from my classmates, and how

they imagined their classroom setup to be. I didn’t realize the wide variety of ideas that people

had, like having circular tables, rather than rectangles, or having a laptop at each desk rather than

a stationary set of computers. I enjoyed seeing these ideas and may even consider adopting them

in my classroom.

Strengths and Weaknesses: My biggest strength in this assignment was being familiar with the

Google drawing app. I was able to create my ideal classroom with ease. The only issue I had

with this project was finding pictures or clip art that would fit the aesthetic that I was going for.

Many of the pictures or clipart that I found looked too out of place to fit in my drawing.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students would be to create a drawing of their

“happy place,” using only Google Drawings/Google Slides. This could be a place that they enjoy

visiting, their bedroom, their grandparent’s house, the beach, etc. The idea may also be adapted

into a Slides presentation where students would present about why that is their happy place and

demonstrate it with pictures.

Assignment 2.2: Create Flyer Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I got to familiarize myself with the different tools and

features of Microsoft Word. I found that it is very similar to Google Docs, however, has several

more advanced features that can be used to make sure my flyer/certificate looked exactly the way

I wanted it to. Knowing how to utilize these features now will benefit me greatly when I am a

teacher when I will have to make flyers and certificates for my students.

Strengths and Weaknesses: The biggest issue I had with this assignment was trying to get my

images in the right spot on my documents. Each time I used “insert image/clip art” or dragged a

photo directly from Google, the image would mess up the rationale of my entire flyer. However,

I found that the trick to this was to create a text box first, then to place the image inside. After

doing this I was able to put the image anywhere that I see fit, and it did not affect the aesthetic of

my flyer/certificate.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students would be a contest to see who can create

the best flyer for the classroom. The flyer must include rules and expectations for the class as

well as be pleasing to the eye, other than that, students have full creative control. The winner of

the contest will have their flyer enlarged and hung up in the classroom for all students to see

when they walk into class.

Assignment 3: Create a Weebly Site/CSN & CCSD Scavenger Hunt

What I learned: In this assignment, I learned a lot about how to navigate the CSN Education

website and the CCSD official site. I didn’t know there were so many free resources available to

me through these sites with plenty of information to guide me to success. I like how all my

resources are in one place that is easy to navigate, which is especially useful when I have to look

up or need to use multiple resources for one project.

Strengths and Weaknesses: My strengths in this assignment was that I am quite tech-savvy when

it comes to navigating websites. Although the site was already easy to use, I utilized my

knowledge of shortcuts to make it even easier. For example, I would use “Command+F” or

“Ctrl+F” to find text or phrases on the screen. I also was very comfortable using Weebly since I

have had experience with the site before. I did not have much trouble at all with this assignment.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students is to navigate an educational software

that we would use often for class. This could be using Google applications like Slides, Excel, or

Docs in which the activity would be set up like a scavenger hunt, where students must locate

tools and features of the programs and record what they find.
Gabrielle Medina
EDU 214

Assignment 4: Google Slides/PPT Presentations Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I learned how to utilize all of the features that Google Slides

and Microsoft Powerpoint have to offer. I found that there were a lot of features that I wasn’t

quite familiar with before, that I was able to explore in more depth for this assignment. For

example, I never quite utilized the “add YouTube video” feature in Google Slides. This feature

made it very easy to look and add YouTube videos into my presentation.

Strengths/Weaknesses: My biggest strength in this assignment was that I was already mostly

familiar with the basic features and tools of both software to create an adequate slideshow,

however, this assignment allowed me to get to know all of the tools that both software had to

offer. I did not have much trouble in this assignment, however, if I had to pick a weakness I

would say that I couldn't decide on what template to use or if I wanted to create my own. There

were so many fun and creative templates to choose from, it was difficult to pick just two!

Activity: An activity that I would implement in my classroom is to have students compare and

contrast the features and tools of this presentation software, and decide which one they like best.

After researching the similarities and differences, students would use their preferred software

and create a slideshow explaining why they prefer that software over the other.
Gabrielle Medina
EDU 214

Assignment 5: Excel Spreadsheet Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I learned how to utilize Microsoft Excel to create a grade

book for my class/classes. I learned the interesting addition function to add up a set of data

without needing a calculator. I also learned how to use the average function to get the mean

number from a set of data without a calculator either.

Strengths/Weaknesses: My biggest weakness in this assignment was that I was not familiar at all

with how to use Excel. The only thing from excel that I knew how to do was input data points

and create a graph. Other than that, the software was almost completely foreign to me. I learned a

lot from this assignment which is what I would say is my strength. I was able to learn the

features and tools from excel that will be incredibly useful for me in the classroom.

Activity: An activity that I would implement in my classroom is to have my students input a

specific set of data that they collected (i.e., student’s birthdays, number of pets amongst students,

etc.. ) and utilize the math functions to demonstrate student’s knowledge on the software. I

would teach students how to use the addition and average functions that I learned, and to

demonstrate how Excel can make it incredibly easy to sum up a set of data points without a

calculator.
Gabrielle Medina
EDU 214

Assignment 6: Software Evaluation Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I was exposed to several educational software(s) that I could

use in my classroom. Specifically, I was able to learn about the software ZipGrade and Padlet.

ZipGrade is an online scanning app that grades papers at the click of a button. I think that this

application can be incredibly useful if I have large classes because it can cut the grading time in

half. Padlet was also a really interesting software that I learned about. I loved all the features of

Padlet and am considering using it as an integral part of my classroom to ensure students are kept

up to date with all the latest classroom news and assignments.

Strengths/Weaknesses: My greatest strength in this assignment is that I am very adaptable to new

technologies and software, and it doesn’t take me long to be comfortable with a new product. I

got to know each of these softwares in just a few days and I would be comfortable saying that I

would be able to integrate ZipGrade or Padlet into my classroom with no problem. I had no

problems during this assignment.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students is to have them explore similar

technologies, but ones that are centered around educational games and quizzes. I would have

students pick from a list of technologies, including ones like Kahoot, Quizlet, and more. Students

would create their own game or quiz using these technologies and present their findings to the

class.
Gabrielle Medina
EDU 214

Assignment 7: Emerging Technologies Slides Presentation Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I learned about the benefits of Google Classroom. I have

already been introduced to Google Classroom first hand as a student, but through this

assignment, I was able to see the software from the instructor’s perspective. I enjoyed reading

through the study that I used in this assignment, which taught me plenty of information about the

pros/cons and student attitudes of this application.

Strengths/Weaknesses: My greatest strength in this assignment was that I was already fairly

familiar with the use and integration of Google Classroom from the student perspective. I

remember using Google Classroom often throughout my secondary years of school, which made

it more interesting to see the software from the instructor’s perspective. My biggest weakness in

this assignment was looking for an article that presented evidence that was useful for my

presentation. It was a lengthy process looking for a quality article that held the right information

I was looking for.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students is to have them respond to a survey to

get their feedback on the pros and cons of using Google Classroom. Through this survey, I can

see student’s opinions on the software and whether or not I need to make adjustments to its use

to ensure students are getting the most out of their time in class.
Gabrielle Medina
EDU 214

Assignment 8.1: Assistive Technologies Slides Presentation Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I learned about the ongoing hardships that students with

learning disabilities face in the classroom. I was also able to get to know a software that allows

these students the capabilities to enhance their learning experience with just a few

customizations to everyday learning materials. Through my research on the Kurzweil 3000

software, I found plenty of helpful information that I could implement in my classroom.

Strengths/Weaknesses: My biggest weakness in this assignment was that I had little to no

knowledge of any sort of assistive technologies and software, so it was difficult searching for one

that I found interest in or thought would be useful in my classroom. I thought about doing several

other software and technologies but the Kurzweil 3000 stuck out to me the most.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students is to create stations for them where they

lose one of their senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch) and they could only use the assistive

technology that I have provided them to complete a task (copying a paragraph, reading a piece of

text, etc). They must complete the task before moving on to the next station. At the end of the

activity, I would have students rate the difficulties of the task once they lost that sense and get

their feedback on what they learned.

Assignment 8.2: Online Collaboration Reflections

What I learned: In this assignment, I learned how to use the share feature on Google docs, and its

benefits when working in groups on a project. I also learned how to properly APA cite a source

and how to do a hanging indent on Google Docs when creating works cited/bibliography pages.

Strengths/Weakness: My biggest strength in this assignment was my familiarity with Google

Docs. I have used Google docs several times in the past, and at one point was exclusively the

only application I used to write all my papers or essays because I was required to share them

with my teachers at the time. With my previous knowledge of how to use the software, this

assignment was a breeze. I had no difficulties at all during this assignment.

Activity: An activity that I would create for my students is to have them collaborate on creating a

presentation on a topic of their choice (from a list that I have provided). Students must

demonstrate their collaborative activities by ensuring all students have worked on the

presentation (seen on version history, which shows which students have added to the project). I

would also be checking for if the work was split evenly amongst group members and the overall

quality of the project.