Timeline+Assignment

Timeline Assignment Reflection:

The Timeline assignment gave students a chance to trace major events of a short story called //A Rose for Emily//, by William Faulkner, and put the events into chronological order. I showed students two options for making the timeline: they could use a Power Point or they could use a timeline-making website, [|www.timetoast.com]. Part of the assignment was to incorporate pictures that represented events on the timeline, and to include a link to a website that has relevance to an event on the timeline. I was pleasantly surprised that more than half of the students were willing to use the Timetoast website, a website in which they were not familiar.

I realized that it was rewarding to see students willing to explore a new technology, learn how it works, and be creative with it. I learned that, if given the opportunity, students can experiment and learn how to use new tools, and I don't have to walk them through every step; they can figure it out. I realized that I need to let them explore and trust their young minds' abilities to discover new technology.

I intend on using more web-tools in my classroom, such as Prezi, or online bulletin boards, brochure-makers, or flow-chart-makers. By allowing students to explore the tool on their own, they can learn so much through self discovery; and they may even be able to teach me a few things!