WOW! There was a lot of information covered in this class!! My favorites werelearning about pageflakes and discovering tadalist.com. I can envision using some of the material in class for the next school year – flickr, wordles.com, blogging. I will need to refresh my memory, but I am glad I now know where the resources are.
I understand the internet is so vast, and this class was a way to expose the students to as much as possible. Each assignment had so much information, it was difficult for me to digest it all. As a result, for the majority of the class assignments, I felt overwhelmed.
I would recommend others to take this class. They should just be prepared for information overload.
What a frustrating task this has been for me!!! I first had trouble finding a computer with itunes. I then had trouble finding headphones that work. I could hardly hear myself when I listened to the recording. Then, converting to MP3 was not as easy as the directions. I think I accomplished everything, but I don’t think I did it well. I know podcasts can be very beneficial, however, I need some more time until I create another one. It would be great for use with formulas in Math class.
In a couple of weeks, I would like to try it again.
While reviewing Classroom 2.0 and some of the Ning networks, the following sites made an impression on me:
Tagxedo looks like a great resource. I can’t wait to try it with my Math students to help them learn the definitions of certain symbols. It could also be used to help with Language Arts vocabulary.
As a parent of young children, my daughter and son watch PBS. As a mom, I was really impressed with PBS for Teachers.
My school principal has selected Gifted Education as a focus of study for the 2010-2011 school year. I plan on showing him The Gifted Kids Network.
Overall, however, I had information overload. There is so much out there, and I still get overwhelmed. What I do feel better about is now I know where to go to search for answers. The Internet is more manageable.
I enjoyed creating my first Pageflakes page. It was fun to change the theme, and to find all the different “flakes” I could include on my page. However, it was very slow (I’m not sure if it was the computer or the site). I also found the “search” cumbersome.
I can envision a page for a Social Studies project - one place to have several resources for one topic. It could be used year after year – just updates and modifications would need to be made.
For a Math class, a Pageflake would be a great place to store Math and logic games. It could be used for review, practice, or problem solving.
As I was browsing sites from my Google Reader, I came across something about Earth Day. While I am a proponent of keeping the environment safe, healthy, and clean, I did not have any plans for Earth Day. However, with Google Reader, Earth Day ideas were “right at my fingertips.”
I am so excited for Google Docs. At my school, the 5th graders are having a Backpack Drive. I just created a Google Docs for the 5th grade teachers so we can organize this task. There are schedules to create, the number of backpacks to track, etc. How great to have one central location to keep everything organized.
Another use for Google Docs is for the 5th grade Oral History project. Each fifth grader needs to interview a grandparent, etc., for a project. I had my students write down who they were interviewing on a piece of paper. Well, who knows where that piece of paper is now. I wish I had created a spreadsheet on Google Docs and my fifth graders could have entered the name.
Google Docs is a great resource for group projects. Everyone can access the project whenever they need to. If someone can’t make it to a group meeting, it’s OK. I’m excited for Google Docs.
I have been a big fan of YouTube. I like to use a video clip as an introduction. I find it often gets the students excited for the lesson. When teaching the students the Voice trait for the 6+1 Writing Traits, I showed the lyrics to the song One Voice, by Barry Manilow. The students are captivated and ready to write after the video. I used YouTube videos in preparation for a Reading Comprehension test on Female Sports Stars. I showed the students videos about the Williams Sisters, Mia Hamm, and Peggy Flemming.
After reviewing Mr. Pacheco’s podcast on page 393 problem #34, I was inspired. As math gets more complicated, it is so important for the students to focus and pay attention. So more confusion can occur if you miss one step. For those students who miss a class due to sickness, etc., podcasts are a great way to bring students up to speed. Of course, it is also a great tool for those students who do not understand something the first time around. It is also a great way for the teacher to assess the students. There are several people out there who do no like presenting in front of others. Instead of presenting in front of the class, students can create a podcast. The teacher will be able to assess for understanding of the concept, and the student will not have to sweat it out in front of the class.
I have heard Delicious is very helpful. However, I am currently feeling hindered by Delicious. The website was not working at first, I did not want to create another e-mail account, and it is taking up more room on my computer. I tried to tagging a site with “k12learning20″ but I’m not sure if that worked.
I could see the benefits in the long run. I am always looking for logic and problem solving questions. Delicious seems like a great tool to help organize the sites. Perhaps, when I am not so overwhelmed, I will be able to appreciate all Delicious has to offer.
Just this past weekend, I was at the library with my daughter. I was all set to check out a book. However, I had no idea what to get. I knew what type of book I wanted to check out, but I had no author or title in mind. I wish I had looked on LibraryThing! first. I was able to find serveral chic lit titles.
I can only imagine my 5th graders (and my daughter – when she’s a little older) using this site to recommend and review books.
