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.

Thing #13

The best thing about Delicious is being able to search others bookmarks. This allowed me to address my specific need by typing a key work. Then I was able to look at what others had already found. I didn’t have to do all the work.
I also like the fact I can categorize my bookmarks with tags. I went to my Yahoo Bookmarks and discovered I could do the same but there were several other amenities that weren’t offered. Yahoo wouldn’t allow me to share my bookmarks or to see others’ bookmarks. Delicious not only allowed me to share my bookmarks, but I was able to determine how and to whom they were to be shared with. I could group the bookmarks in a variety of ways.
I could use this when I wanted to have students view specific resources.

The link to my Delicious is http://delicious.com/babybiker.