Thing 8

My delicious user name is maryellen1262.

I think social bookmarking and tagging will be useful and one that I plan on implementing. I like the idea that you can label a website with more than one tag. Many times I have found a lesson etc. that could fall under more than one category. It is important to think about the tags you are assigning. If it's something too obscure, it may make sense to you now, but later on you may have a difficult time remembering where you placed it.

Here is a confession on how backwards I am. When I bother to take note of a website that I like, (regarding teaching) I usually write it on a sticky note and place it in a file (a manila file on a certain objective or unit)in my filing cabinet. I found the Delicious site very easy to use. The problem was I didn't have access to the sites I like to use (remember, they're at work in a filing cabinet) It took some time and research, but I was able to find some sites I have used in the past, plus a few new ones.

How will bookmarking/tagging impact my teaching? I will now have an easy way to file websites and useful tags that will allow me to find them quickly. It will not matter if I am at work, at home, etc. As long as I have access to the internet, the information will be available to me. In addition to my own files, I will now have access to the files of others on the same topic.

Whew! Thing 8, finally made it! I had to post this fine vacation photo of myself at Mount Rushmore to express my sense of accomplishment and relieve that I've finally made it to the end!

Thing 7

The thing I like about Google Docs is that they can be accessed from any location because they are a part of the internet. Also, important documents would not be lost if your computer or its files were destroyed.

The templates available are endless. For my personal use, I particularly liked monthly budget and the to do list. Professionally, there were templates for unit planning, calendars, and various others that would be useful. There was one dealing with compare and contrast that used a venn diagram. Students could add their ideas to it individually.

Google Docs would be useful to students in the following ways; they could share, and work together on improving their writing, as well as becoming more organized.

I have to make a comment on one of the videos. It was about a middle school in the Bronx, NY. Apparently, there was a lot of unruly behavior, violence, and gang activity in this school. Suffice to say there wasn't very much academic success. A new principal entered the school and introduced laptops and Google Docs as the new learning venue. Now students are much more engaged and overall the school has improved drastically academically. The implication was that it was all due to Google Docs. GIVE ME A BREAK! The schools vast improvement was probably due to several factors of which Google Docs was only a small part.

Thing 6

I listened to the following Podcasts: two of them were from Hillside Middle School. A student was reporting live from an event called BATTLE OF THE BOOKS. From what I gathered, students were in teams. They had been given a collection of books to read and now they were answering questions about the books. The next podcasts was by the librarian. She was introducing new mystery books that the library had recently acquired. The third podcast was by students from Jamestown Elementary. It was titled "If I were President". Along with each students recording, was a photograph of the student making his presentation.

One idea that I found about podcasts that interested me for use in the classroom, was a collection of podcasts made by students, where they reviewed a book. It was used as a resource for students searching for a new book to read. You could use them to make history come alive in Social Studies. In general, they can make learning more fun and entertaining.

I had some trouble embedding my Youtube video, even after watching the "how to" clip. I confess that I called my next door neighbor. He had never embedded one before, but is more computer savvy than me. He figured out the problem and I was successful in embedding it.

I love Youtube! Why just last night I watched the first episode of MR. ED THE TALKING HORSE on it! I have used it in the classroom before, but admittably in frivolous ways. For example, last year was my teaching partner's 50th birthday. In honor of this occasion, I showed students a video clip of the Everly Brothers singing "Birddog" (That was a #1 hit back in '58)They loved it. I would like to explore the more educational TEACHERTUBE to use in the classroom.

The video I embedded was a scene from the movie ALMOST FAMOUS. The cast is singing TINY DANCER. I really liked the movie, particularly this scene.

Thing 5

I enjoyed viewing some of the wikis that were being used in classrooms. The difference between a wiki and a blog is that a wiki can be edited by adding to it, changing, or deleting items by different members of the Wiki. A blog on the other hand only allows for people to make comments on other people's posts, without being able to change or add to them.

There were some examples given for Wikis that I wondered if they would have been better suited for a blog. Student book reviews is one that comes to mind. A book review is after all, someone's personal opinion. It doesn't make sense to edit someone else's opinion. Instead, you would explain whether or not you agreed with that opinion, adding any extra thoughts you had on the subject.

In a classroom setting, I think Wikis would be useful in the following ways; help students get organized concerning class assignments, supplies, etc., writing, revising, and editing, closure at the end of a lesson for students to express what they have learned about a topic.

Should Wikipedia be used in the classroom? I use it personally all of the time. I have never given much thought to the accuracy of the information. I would introduce the concept to students that Wikipedia is viewed as a controversial source of information. A good follow up activity would be to give pairs of students a topic to research. Tell them to use two sources, one should be Wikipedia and the other a more accredited source. Next they organize their info. by comparing how the two sources were alike and different in the presentation of their facts. Students would present their findings to the rest of the class. After all of the presentations were made, we would discuss and reach a class consensus on how valid a source of information Wikipedia actually is.

Thing 4

I enjoyed the video about Flickr. I had never thought about it before, but if your house burned down, along with your photographs and your computer with pictures saved on it, they would be lost forever. If you post them on the internet, they would be secure from calamity.

When it came time to choose my photo from Flickr, I typed in Sioux Falls. I just got home from vacationing there, and it was fresh on my mind. I found a picture of the water falls from the Big Sioux River, which is in downtown Sioux Falls.

I had a more difficult time with image maker. I wanted to put my face on someone else's body, but couldn't get it to work correctly. I settled on using a frame from ImageChef for a picture I had on my computer of Port Aransas.

I see my students using these sites in the following ways: pictures to accompany written reports, and make your own magazine cover as a creative end of book project or character analysis. The trading cards would be useful as well.

It is important to share information about the creative common license with students if they are going to be introduced to these sites.

Thing 3

My experience with Social Media is limited to Facebook. I was very hesitant about using it at first. In fact, I thought it sounded kind of silly when I heard some of my friends talking about it. Now I have a more positive attitude. It has allowed me to rekindle old friendships and connect with long lost relatives. On the other hand, there are those old friends you connect with, but after the initial greetings and updates on your lives, you find you have nothing else to say to them. Then there is the old boyfriend (the one who dumped you.) You don't dare to request to be his friend. His photographs are private, so you are limited to the small profile picture. You think, "Why can't the jerk be fat and bald?", and you'd like to scratch out the eyes of that cute, slender wife of his. Then you think, "Maybe Facebook is not healthy for me. It seems to bring out the inner psycho-stalker in me!"

These sites are definitly changing the ways we communicate. A hand written letter sent through the US Postal Service is swiftly becoming obsolete. Telephone use is decreasing as well.

The positive side of social media is that it encourages the collaboration of ideas between individuals in an efficient manner. It helps us to reconnect and stay in touch with people, with whom without the convenience of social media, might totally be lost from our lives. The negative aspects of it is that it discourages actual face to face encounters, which can make it seem cold and impersonal.

Do I see myself using any of these tools personally or professionally? Yes, I see myself eventually incorporating these tools. One idea that caught my interest was having students create a facebook page for a character in a book they have read. What a great way for students to really get into a character analysis. They could use facebook and twitter to show their understanding of important people from history as well. Online book clubs is another idea that I like (but then again, I like those face to face book clubs, where snacks are involved!)

Thing 2

My initial reaction to the Discovery Resources was, "I am getting so old." The world has changed (and is rapidly changing) so much since I was the age of the students that I now teach. I am interested in learning more about blogging and wikis and how they will enhance learning for my students. I have actually used Wikipedia as a reference source on many occasions, but it wasn't until I took this course that I learned that it was written by a collaboration of people, and that you can actually edit or add to it.

The article "A Day in the Life of Web 2.0" was interesting, but is it possible in a school environment? Well truthfully, some of the activities seemed a bit sophisticated for the level of students that I teach, but I suppose over time and with practice, they would become more adept. One of the main purposes of using these tools is to strengthen students' higher order thinking skills, along with preparing them for the future.

What do I find discouraging? There is so much to learn that it's overwhelming. Well as the saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles starts with one small step." I guess my participation in this course is my first step.

Thing 1

This was much easier than I anticipated (Thing 1-setting up a blog). I was quite ignorant about it, as I am about many things concerning technology. Now I have the confidence to face Things 2-8!

How can I use this in my classroom? Some possibilities are: students posting reviews on books they have read, discussions related to a book study, classroom news and activities, special projects, posting a question and have students express their opinion in order to get them engaged in a Social Studies topic or to introduce a novel.

I look forward to learning more about how to incorporate blogs into my classroom.