I am so happy to say that I actually completed all 23 Things. I might have procrastinated a little, but I got it done. I am very excited about all the new knowledge on technology I have gained. My favorite parts of 23 things were the media related discoveries. I really like exploring Flickr, YouTube, and VoiceThreads. These resources are great for providing more visual opportunities for students to learn. The part I struggled with the most was reflecting on my experience in my blog. I would rather not reflect on every single thing if there is another way to show we completed a task.
This class has helped me realize that technology is not as scary as it seems. I now feel more confident in exploring what technology has to offer. Also, technology is ever-changing. There is always something new, or in the making, to learn about. I want to continue to explore and learn to make sure my students have opportunities to use the online resources available. 23 Things has influenced me as a teacher by making me more brave to incorporate technology into my teaching. Before I was apprehensive about using something I did not know how to use. Now I know more so I will be able to use what I learned with my students. In order to keep up with new developments in Web 2.0 I will stay connected with our 23 Things Ning and other blogs such as Learning 2.1. I am going to continue to check my Google Reader as well for new ideas.
Thank you for ging me the knowledge and confidence to be a Web 2.0 teacher!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thing #23
What a good idea! Ning is like an educational and appropriate Facebook. It is a really cool resource for teachers and students. This also solves the problem of all the junk that can be added to Facebook or MySpace.
It is good for teachers because we can create a social network with our students, like Facebook, that is safe to use. There could be a class of school network for the students to join. This would be fun for the students because it would be like using Facebook. Once the students join there could be educational discussions or resources for the students to use.
Ning can also be a great resource for teachers. There are so many educational social networks that provide support from other educators. I already joined Classroom 2.0 and am looking forward to exploring more of what it has to offer. I found a discussion about the best resource for a website/blog/wiki. This is helpful for 23 thingsters because we can put together some of the resources we already learned. I also feel like if I had a question about technology this would be a great place to go to get some answers. I am also glad that our 23 Things group can keep in touch. This will help remind me and encourage me to put what I learned to use.
It is good for teachers because we can create a social network with our students, like Facebook, that is safe to use. There could be a class of school network for the students to join. This would be fun for the students because it would be like using Facebook. Once the students join there could be educational discussions or resources for the students to use.
Ning can also be a great resource for teachers. There are so many educational social networks that provide support from other educators. I already joined Classroom 2.0 and am looking forward to exploring more of what it has to offer. I found a discussion about the best resource for a website/blog/wiki. This is helpful for 23 thingsters because we can put together some of the resources we already learned. I also feel like if I had a question about technology this would be a great place to go to get some answers. I am also glad that our 23 Things group can keep in touch. This will help remind me and encourage me to put what I learned to use.
Thing #22
My Facebook Page
I have been using Facebook since I was accepted to Texas A&M. When I joined, only students with a college email could sign up. Now anyone is able to join Facebook. I have really enjoyed keeping up with old friends from college, high school, and elementary school. If it weren't for Facebook, I wouldn't know what a lot of my friends were doing with their lives. I prefer using Facebook over MySpace because I feel like it has less junk on it. Now facebook is starting to get more of the junk MySpace has, but it is optional.
Most students have cell phone now, so instead of banning them, we need to start making use of them in the classroom. The same is true for Facebook. If the students have it, we might as well use it. If we are going to use Facebook in the classroom we will need to be very cautious as you could get into some sticky situations. A way to use Facebook in the classroom would be to create a group for a class and have students post a comment about a topic. Then the students could respond to each other's post.
Now this would not work as well for younger students because they probably don't have a cell phone or Facebook in first grade, but the parents might. You could use Facebook as a way to keep the parents connected. There could be a page for the class where you can post pictures and events happening at school. If I did this I would probably have a separate professional profile. I would want to keep my work and social life separate.
I have been using Facebook since I was accepted to Texas A&M. When I joined, only students with a college email could sign up. Now anyone is able to join Facebook. I have really enjoyed keeping up with old friends from college, high school, and elementary school. If it weren't for Facebook, I wouldn't know what a lot of my friends were doing with their lives. I prefer using Facebook over MySpace because I feel like it has less junk on it. Now facebook is starting to get more of the junk MySpace has, but it is optional.
Most students have cell phone now, so instead of banning them, we need to start making use of them in the classroom. The same is true for Facebook. If the students have it, we might as well use it. If we are going to use Facebook in the classroom we will need to be very cautious as you could get into some sticky situations. A way to use Facebook in the classroom would be to create a group for a class and have students post a comment about a topic. Then the students could respond to each other's post.
Now this would not work as well for younger students because they probably don't have a cell phone or Facebook in first grade, but the parents might. You could use Facebook as a way to keep the parents connected. There could be a page for the class where you can post pictures and events happening at school. If I did this I would probably have a separate professional profile. I would want to keep my work and social life separate.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thing #21
I did not realize Google had so much to offer. I have used it as a search engine and recently learned about its blog and email, but there is so much more. The Picasa Web Album is a great way to back up your pictures in case something happens to your computer (which happened to me TWICE). A way to incorporate Picasa into the classroom could be to create an album of pictures of the students doing different activities at school. Then the students could use the pictures as writing prompts and create stories about what they are doing at school. You could also share this album with parents and families so they can stay connected with what we are doing at school. Here is my Picasa album I started putting together of my students last year.
Google Earth is another great resource that can be used in the classroom. This would be good to use when teaching social studies. If you are talking about somewhere else in the world, what better way is there to show the students where it is. This is also something the students can explore on their own once they learn how to use it.
I also realized I was using iGoogle and I didn't even realize it. It is on my homepage when I open the internet. It is a summary of everything I need to know to start my day; emails, news, weather and more!
Google Earth is another great resource that can be used in the classroom. This would be good to use when teaching social studies. If you are talking about somewhere else in the world, what better way is there to show the students where it is. This is also something the students can explore on their own once they learn how to use it.
I also realized I was using iGoogle and I didn't even realize it. It is on my homepage when I open the internet. It is a summary of everything I need to know to start my day; emails, news, weather and more!
Thing #20
Hawaii plans
Well, I had a REAL need for a word document that I needed to share with others and now I know I can use GoogleDocs for this. I am going on a cruise in Hawaii in a couple of weeks now, so we are trying to plan the trip from all over Dallas. I used Delicious (see Thing #15) to mark some bookmarks for activities in Hawaii, but GoogleDocs is a way that we can share our ideas collaboratively.
GoogleDocs can be used for:
Well, I had a REAL need for a word document that I needed to share with others and now I know I can use GoogleDocs for this. I am going on a cruise in Hawaii in a couple of weeks now, so we are trying to plan the trip from all over Dallas. I used Delicious (see Thing #15) to mark some bookmarks for activities in Hawaii, but GoogleDocs is a way that we can share our ideas collaboratively.
GoogleDocs can be used for:
- Group projects: Each person in the group can add their part of a project to a GoogleDoc. If each person does research on a different part of a topic, the information can be put together in a GoogleDoc for all group members to work on.
- Presentations: Creating a Powerpoint presentation in a GoogleDoc is a good way to share with others. Instead of having to email an attachment you can share the link or have Google do the sharing for you.
- Surveys: Create a survey for people to answer questions and Google will organize the responses. This could be used for a quiz that students have to respond to or if you want to get your students thoughts or feelings about something, this can be done anonomously in a GoogleDoc form.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thing #19
I really liked the first grade example of VoiceThread, Library from A to Z. It is an excellent example of how to use VoiceThread with younger students. The students created an alphabet book, illustrated the pictures, and narrated the story.
I also found a VoiceThread of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This would be a good way to present the story in a different way. It also gives me an idea of how I could create my own VoiceThread to tell a story.
I think it is really cool that comments can be added to a VoiceThread. This makes them more interactive. A student can write or record an answer to a question or a response to a picture or story. For example, in Going and Coming all the students give their opinion to the same picture. It is so amazing what is possible with technology.
I also found a VoiceThread of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This would be a good way to present the story in a different way. It also gives me an idea of how I could create my own VoiceThread to tell a story.
I think it is really cool that comments can be added to a VoiceThread. This makes them more interactive. A student can write or record an answer to a question or a response to a picture or story. For example, in Going and Coming all the students give their opinion to the same picture. It is so amazing what is possible with technology.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thing #18
I love YouTube! It can be a great resource for teaching (with some monitoring, of course). I've decided you can find anything possible on there. I need to start using YouTube more in my teaching and for my personal use. When I use YouTube in my teaching I will need to figure out a way to embed the video so I don't show any inappropriate material by accident. The videos on YouTube can be excellent resources for teaching any subject. There are several videos that can help with Science and social studies. I even found a song to help teach even and odd numbers.
At a First Grade Conference I went to my first year of teaching they told us about power teaching. After I came home I wanted to learn more about it so I searched for Power teaching on YouTube and found this video. I really liked how engaged and interactive the students were in the learning. I used what I learned in the video and it worked out well.
This "thing" actually came in handy for me today. I went to Farmer's Market today and bought some squash, but I have never cooked squash before. I remembered we had to find a how-to video so I searched for how to cook squash. Now I know several different ways to cook the squash I bought!
At a First Grade Conference I went to my first year of teaching they told us about power teaching. After I came home I wanted to learn more about it so I searched for Power teaching on YouTube and found this video. I really liked how engaged and interactive the students were in the learning. I used what I learned in the video and it worked out well.
This "thing" actually came in handy for me today. I went to Farmer's Market today and bought some squash, but I have never cooked squash before. I remembered we had to find a how-to video so I searched for how to cook squash. Now I know several different ways to cook the squash I bought!
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