One Last Thing

This has been one of the biggest learning experiences I have had. To top that it is"things" I can use. I have been spreading the word about this course to everyone I can. There are so many "things" I learned it is hard to identify my favorite. I want to incorporate voicethreads and online slide shows with students or for students so I guess I could say those are my favorites.
Learning how to create a Wiki was the most difficult thing, but I felt so accomplished when I completed the task. I still haven't been able to figure out Flickr letters, but I will!!!! The instructions on how to do everything we easy to follow so I shouldn't have had any problems. Sometimes it takes me experimenting with stuff to get it. I just need to experiment more.
I feel more comfortable with this technology and have even shown a couple of my teammates what I have learned. I'm hoping that since I can apply the things I've learned that I will want to keep up with any new developments.
Once again, I want to say I have learned so so much and I have told so many people about this class. They are excited about the course and that is just from what I have told them.
Thanks for an educational journey!

Thing #23

After browsing the Discussion Forum in Classroom 2.0 I discovered there are a lot of people out there that want to share or have questions. I did come across a couple of cool sites that I hopefully can use Interactive Quiz and Phixr for online photo editing. The problem with the discussion forum is there are too many interesting topics. I kept finding things I wanted to bookmark or comment on. I even ordered a book from Amazon based on one of the groups' discussions. Several of the discussions covered questions I had or hadn't thought of but was interested in.
I joined the TeacherLibrarianNing. Of course it was created by Dr. Joyce Valenza so it was full of useful discussions. I also joined Texas School Librarians. The thought of communicating with fellow librarians at all levels is an exciting concept for me. This being my first year I want to have as much input to make the library program at my school the best it can be. Connecting with people who have been where I am will save me time and mistakes.

Thing #22

I created a Facebook account in response to my sister requesting me as a friend. That is all it took. Before you knew it there were others requesting me as their friend. Most of the requests I'm sure are from extended friends. To be honest I don't really check it that often. Most of the postings I get are for results to polls such as what television mom are you? Other posts are people stating what they did over the weekend or what they are going to do. I appreciate their sharing but I don't take the time to keep up with it. It's just one more thing to add to my to do list. I don't know when these people find the time. The information isn't directed at only me though so I don't feel so bad.

I do think it would be a good place to keep in touch with relatives and to share photos. Which I usually do through email. I understand the importance though of being aware of this type of communication and my ability to work with it.

Here is my Facebook!

Thing #7b

I love reading what Dr. Joyce Valenza writes about. There is always something that interests me. this time she wrote about the presentation she did at the National Educational Computing Conference called Library Tools Smackdown. I'm going to link directly to one of the Wikis that was created for that presentation. Since a group of us were just talking about how to promote books and reading I found this timely. Many of the things used we have learned about in the class. However, this wiki gave me a site to use to create those talking drawings used in the kids booktalks. Only problem it's a software program I would have to purchase. I will work with the trial version and see if it is easy and worth it.

Thing #21

I am learning so much! I have explored some of the features that Google offers in the past, but was not aware of all the features. I started my search with Google earth. I didn’t know that I could create a tour of places and then share it. SketchUp on Google Earth was for the more advanced user, maybe a graphic designer or architect. As far as the maps go, I could see the use of some of the them for students to monitor topics covered in science. Weather, earthquakes, marine life, and landforms are just a few.
Google Calendar is something I have used at work. I used it mainly to remind me of places or things I had to be at or do. The popup feature is a saving aspect of the calendar for me. The calendar could be used for more than my personal schedule. A list of due dates, activites, or holiday for school could be published. Just like all other aspects of Google, if you have Internet access you have access to the calendar.
Another feature of Google I explored was Google Alerts. I have several interests and it was difficult which ones I wanted to be notified about. I liked the idea of the topics being narrowed down for me. I didn't have to search for what I was interested in. Students could use this for getting information on a particular topic they are studying. Since the posts are put up all day long the information would be current. Students could track statistics of sports team without the "paper." I'm sure students would rather use the Internet versus a newspaper.
My one concern with the alerts is the bias of articles. If a contributor supports a particular political party his/her entry may not be totally objective, as in newspapers.

Thing #20

Google Docs is wonderful! The ability for students or teachers to collaborate on work/projects is one of the best features. Students could create a document, presentation, or spreadsheet and have others help to complete it. The work could be done from any computer. That is another of the best features. Students no longer have to worry about losing their work, carrying it home with them, or having to schedule a time to meet with others who are helping them. They could all access it from their own computers; whether at school or at home. Teachers could also follow along to ensure students are on the right track or that all of them are participating.
I created a spreadsheet for scheduling library checkout times using GoogleDocs. I could easily send this out to the campus for the teachers to schedule their times. As long as no one changed anybody else's time. Last year I completed a survey for the library using SurveyMonkey, but this would be better because it is free.
Teachers could share documents or forms they created with other grade levels or campuses. The possibilties for its use are multiple. The best thing I think about GoogleDocs, and I stated this above, is not having to save to a zip-drive or print the document out. As long as you have access to the Internet you have the document with you.

Thing #19

I think VoiceThreads adds to the teacher's repertoire of ways for students to present information. Students jump at the chance to use technology. The more technology that is integrated into their learning the more they are going to enjoy that learning. If a student posts their work on a VoiceThread other students could respond to their work. There were several ideas I got for using VoiceThreads. Collaboration on projects, book reviews, and student or teacher demonstrations are just some of the ways I saw VoiceThreads being used.

Some of my favorite VoiceThreads were Science Fair. I could use this to demonstrate to the students what their projects should like. I thought Sarah Marie did a great job on Geometry. Gives me ideas for ways to use this.

Thing #18

I put in the key words "earth science" and the first video I came up with had a couple of heated comments. Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics (clip) It was interesting reading the discussion. Most of the time all I read is just feedback on the video and it is usually very positive. This one had me thinking about the video a little more. Why Earth Science, posted below, would be good to introduce the Earth Science Unit. The idea that it is only about 6 minutes long is great.

Another video I viewed was off the TeacherTube titled: Book Review: Ms. Todd is Odd. It was created with an animated paper cutout. Glog Book Review: One Potato Two Potato was yet another video with a book review using the same type animation. I had seen this before and want to know how to do it.

There were several videos that I watched just for fun. I embeded one of my favorites in my Wiki.

Thing #17

I previewed several of the podcasts. I wanted to see the different ways the teachers and students were using podcasts. The Jamestown Elementary Podcast Project was good because it included work from all the grade levels. It was interesting to see all the different applications. Just One More Book!! was terrific. They included a list of additional titles that related to the podcast title and also shared the suggested reading level and topics the book covered. This would be useful if you weren’t familiar with the book and needed a quick reference. I watched the Rock Stars of Reading video/podcast and really enjoyed seeing or hearing authors in their own environment. The creators of the podcast were acquaintances of the authors so they were really laid back interviews.
Another podcast that was entertaining and informative was Geek!Ed! I listened to one of the podcasts on Technology in Education. The reason I say one is that the podcasts averaged 40 minutes. I subscribed to this podcast through my Google Reader and iTunes. I don’t really have the patience to sit and listen to something for that long but while I’m driving or walking I can listen on my iPod.
I feel that podcasts could be used for learning a new language, students sharing their work or reviews, or students who need to hear information more than once. I had a fellow teacher who recorded her spelling words so students could “ hear” them all during the week. Another idea would have students record their multiplication facts to listen to later.

Thing #16

One use I could see for LibraryThing is for reviews or reflections on books. A group could be created for a certain book and members could share their opinions or views on the piece. I could also see LibraryThing being used for cataloging a classroom library. The initial work might take awhile but in the long run it would pay off. Being able to add a tag to the book and then having it put into a group would be wonderful. I have my classroom library divided up by author, subject, and series. Having this done for me would be great.
I found an interesting group discussing banned books. The discussion included a list of the American Booksellers Foundation “Banned Books.” The list contained the school district that wanted the books banned and the reasons behind the banning request. Pretty fascinating read! I was surprised at some of the books on the list. The Giver by Lois Lowry and Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya were just two. The controversy over Bless Me Ultima was really surprising. All it made me want to do was read the books!
I created a LibraryThing account in hopes that maybe I will use it for my classroom catalog.

Thing #15

Oh my gosh!!! I had a problem understanding the instructions right off the get go. I am a visual learner and I think a little (well maybe a lot) attention deficit. Thank goodness for the Wikispaces Cheat Sheet. However, reading and applying the directions still took me awhile. Once I got going though it was smooth sailing with only a few hitches. I figured the hitches out and I was proud of some of the "stuff" I included. I know that to a pro it isn't too fancy but to someone who has never done anything like this before I did okay.
I don't think I would have students create Wikis, at least not with my teaching them, but I think I could create one for a class or group to use.
I still want to learn how to do some of the "stuff" I saw on other Wiki pages. Selena's was awesome! And I still can't figure out the flickr letters that Angie used on her Wiki. I will not give up on figuring it out.

The link to my personal sandbox page is What a Wiki!

Thing #14 Stretch

My students were familiar with Wikipedia; however, the only thing I knew about it was anyone could make an entry or change information that was already there. I told my students they could not take everything they read on Wikipedia as factual.
I typed in Harley Davidson and was led to the history of the HD motorcycle. I wasn't that knowledgeable about the topic so I wouldn't know if the information was accurate. There were several citations made in the article so I guess the info could be easily checked out.
Then I went to the discussion page and discovered others had issues with some of the material. There was an entry discussing the status of the HD article in regards to Good Article status. The HD article had fallen out of favor in its ranking as a "good article." I skimmed down and most of the problem was with citing of information. When I went to the "editing" page I didn't quite understand if the edits had been made or if this was the page I could edit. I clicked on some of the edits and didn't get it. The "history" button actually took me to where people had made the edits.
There are a lot of people out there that know or think they know about different subjects. I guess I will keep verifying any information through a variety of sources.

Thing #14

The use of wikis to have students collaborate is a great idea. A 4th grade writing class could use a wiki to respond to each others writing. Instead of trading your paper with a fellow student for revision ideas the students could do it online. The use of technology in this sense would motivate several of the unmotivated students to write.
I just completed the Essentials Online Intel class where we used a wiki. It was basic compared to some of the wikis I previewed. After reading some of the student entries and seeing the interaction I feel I shorted my students last year. How much they (and I) would have enjoyed doing this! After creating a wiki for a class/group, I want to further pursue the use of photographs, charts, timelines by the students in the wiki. I was impressed with Go West and the third graders work. This site included all of the extras I want to try. It appeared each student could create using a tool(s) of their choice. (time-line, journal entry) This would address the learning needs of all students.
Another Wiki I liked was Welcome to Room 15. This demonstrated the interaction and collaboration between students and with the teacher. The wiki had several categories that students could contribute. A couple of these were the Classroom Journal and The Newsroom. I think this would allow students of varying abilities to be able to participate. The wiki also encouraged students and parents to edit work, so it was not limited just to the classroom.
The final wiki I want to comment on is the primary one Kindergarten Counting Book and Primary Math. How awesome to know that even the youngest of students can participate with technology. Most of my experience has been with primary students just working with software that was preloaded on a computer. It didn't allow for much creativity or imagination. I realize the kids had a lot of assistance but the opportunity for them to experience this is great. Hopefully, the rest of the primary grades would continues to use wikis to build on the students' knowledge. It will help the intermediate teachers to transition the kids to more advanced use of technology.