Blog Journal 10

          Because I don't intend to be a teacher, I think that my usage of excel and data collection may be a bit different than some of my classmates. In library science, I can see data collection and organization such as this being useful for cataloging resources, both physical and digital. It wouldn't be difficult to use excel to track what resources are being used, by who, and when. This would be useful both to ensure the safety of resources and to observe patron behavior. An understanding of which resources individuals use and when can help allocate resources in a more helpful fashion. I can see Excel also being useful in allocating spaces. For instance, if I end up working somewhere like Strozier, with numerous rooms, spreadsheets would be useful to manage claims of certain rooms at certain times. In fact, Strozier's website already uses a spreadsheet to help students quickly and easily see which study spaces are checked out, and when they will be available in the future.
          One of my other courses this semester has to do with big data, and how analytic techniques are being developed frequently that were nonexistent or unreliable even just a decade ago. The large amount of functions that Excel offers undoubtedly have utility in data analysis that I have no concept of how to use. I'd like to become more familiar with the software, and the myriad applications that come with it.

Blog Journal 9

A Flipped Classroom inverts the typical structure of a classroom by having students work on understanding concepts outside of the classroom, while working with their instructor in the classroom to understand and complete homework. I actually learned Algebra 2 in an inverted classroom, and I enjoyed being able to have my instructor on hand to help me through aspects of our homework that would have otherwise stumped me.
Open Educational Resources allow educators everywhere to access educational resources that could help them or their students.
https://www.oercommons.org/courses/88-open-essays-a-reader-for-students-of-composition-rhetoric
These resources allow educators to collaborate on educational techniques and share what has been able to work for them.
I've never before paid much attention to the nuances of powerpoint, and I've never used either the button function or the slide master feature. Slide master is incredibly conducive to reducing redundancy, and I truly wish I knew about it earlier in my educational career. The ability to standardize slide designs is generally useful, but became even more useful when I had to create a game in this class. It's infinitely easier to standardize your buttons than to add a button or two to every single slide.