Ning seems to be a great social networking tool. I like how it is divided into so many different areas and you can join one group without having to join others. I especially like that the groups seem well defined. This site differs so much from the usual networking sites (eg: Facebook). It is direct and to the point without all of the ads, pop-ups and quirky things that can be sent to others. It is a forum where you can ask questions to indviduals that are truly interested in education and learn from their input.
The blog posts are interesting…especially the online conference on Twittering! You can even put the blogs into your Google Reader as an RSS feed. I enjoyed visiting around the site and seeing what it has to offer. I particularly like reading what other educators have to say and the questions they have.
Ning is definately something that I will bring up in our next staff meeting. I would have never known about it if I hadn’t taken this course. If nothing else, having resources such as CreativeCommons and Ning can only benefit educators and make the journey of teaching a little easier!
I am going to become a part of this network, as I am eager to learn from the experiences of other teachers. I didn’t find a group for Art Education … I might have to start one!
Twitter Me This is an older article that I decided to read from my Fischbowl RSS. I was browsing through this feed, as it is one of my favorites, and came across this. It seems quite appropriate.
In a nutshell, a teacher provides an assignment where the students need to connect with others regarding career interests. A student was experiencing great difficulty successfully completing this assignment and the teacher steps in to help. The teacher “twitters” on the computer and opens entirely new avenues for the student.
I really liked this blog. It touches on the role of the teacher, technology and collaboration on a large scale. It serves as a reminder that we need to help our students understand their web resources. Also, we need to remember, as teachers, that the process of learning is equally (if not more) important than the output of the project.
Twittering…I hear people talk about it at work, on Facebook , at gatherings and on the radio. I don’t even know what twitter is, let alone a “tweet”. After I finish this course, however, I am sure to go exploring on the web to figure it out. (Something I would have never said 8 weeks ago!) I’m not nervous to investigate now. I have a few new tricks up my sleeve and am familiar with various pages, feeds and blogs. I can do it!
Okay guys, this is way too fun! This is a fantastic tool that I’ve waited to write on because I’ve been playing around with it. I will surely use this for communication with my parents. I can post photos of the kids during activities, updates and upcoming events. I can provide links to articles and post books read in class. The list goes on!
Pageflakes would be a great avenue for a weekly news report for students, individually or collaboratively. They could link friends and teachers to it, add photos, favorites and even links to projects. This would be a great way for each department/grade to present/make available what they are doing in the class. Each month the teachers could add another page.
I am going to pay dearly for this diversion of fun…as it is the wee hours in the morning. But I must say, it has been worth it. I finally figured a few things out…nothing fancy but just enough to get my feet wet. I’m attaching a link to my Pageflake. It’s a start!
Google Docs was very easy, for the most part. I found writing a document almost identical to Word. What was frustrating, however, was inserting a table. I thought it limited me and I couldn’t manipulate it the way I wanted to (unlike Word).
The most unfortunate aspect, however, is that I really don’t understand how the presentation tool works. It would not stay “up” on my screen. I would catch a glimpse but then it would leave me a blank page with a tab. I have a pretty good idea how I think it works but will have to explore it further.
Google Docs really reminds me of a Wiki. I keep thinking of CommonCraft’s presentation of the Wiki and the camping trip. It seems as though you could do the same thing on Google Docs.
This is a great way to plan lessons with a group of teachers. Each grade level can work collaboratively but ALSO see revisions. That’s a really neat feature! You can also use Google Docs to post daily or weekly assignments for students. Lastly, it is a great way to share spreadsheets, files and info within a business setting.
I think the feature I like best about Google Docs is that you can invite people to view and/or collaborate. You can tailor this tool to suit your needs!
There are some “reel” finds on YouTube that all can enjoy. A black hole for time, it’s true, but setting a kitchen timer really helps! As far as videos for the classroom I was pleasantly surprised to find this one on Georgia O’keefe:
Another take on a video came from TeacherTube. What a wonderful project and learning tool!
The only time I watch something on YouTube is when my children are hysterically laughing at something and I rush over to see it. I had no idea what I was missing out on!
I am definately going to use this tool in the classroom. With my younger students I will do the posting and editing. It is a great way to document your classroom activities throughout the year, sharing with parents and grandparents alike! In the next unit, I am going to video our findings on seedlings and plants, incorporating comments and insights from the children.
For older students, a strong tutorial and walking them through the process is all they’ll need…if that. I’m sure I’ll find the older students teaching me a few more editing tips as well! A YouTube posting, embedded in a Wiki would be a great project!
The process of making a video would encourage greater involvement from the student. With a subject such as Art History, developing a video could pull students into a topic they may otherwise be bored with. The web provides quick, at hand resources that can help students develop a more thorough concept and understanding of a particular subject matter. YouTube and TeacherTube provide an exciting, engaging avenue for them to present the material.
A far cry from “back in the day” – when research projects were limited to journals, magazines & literature found through the card catalog system!
I didn’t realize how easy (with practice) the whole process can be!
I had a little trouble, at first, finding a podcast site I liked. It was pretty frustrating. I particularly didn’t like the link EPN. I found it confusing to navigate and some of the links did not connect. Wierd. Finally, however, I was successful and came across some good ones.
Grazr was wonderful. It is a great teaching tool. Specifically, I surfed around in the Art tab. Wonderful history and online information about artists.
Learn out Loud, without a doubt, is one of my favorite podcast directories. I particularly liked the “featured” quick links. What was so wonderful was that there are podcasts to childrens books and fables. What a fantastic teaching tool! Of course, once I explored this site I had to assemble my children and show them what I found. For once they were impressed (shocker) and actually wanted to explore the site on their own! I keep asking myself…can this really be free?
I do have a phone with an MP3 player and have the ability to download. I haven’t done it yet. I will surely use the download option to the phone when I am on vacation without internet but for now, am content just reading from my computer.
Podcasts can be a wonderful teaching tool and guide. A teacher can make his or her own podcast that is streamed to the students daily or weekly. Reminders, guidence and resources can be provided on the podcast to assist and/or guide students through a project or test preparation. In my classes I will be sure to download audio and some photos to support my unit of study and enrich the classroom experience – whether it pertains to a unit on Impressionism or Nursery Rhymes!
There are so many possibilites with the Library Thing. Personally, it is a great daily or weekly reference for new reads, suggestions & gifts. It is a great resource for book clubs and provides a global forum! It’s nice to have a place to browse books without seeing a price next to them.
Professionally, establishing a group can be another learning avenue which extends beyond the classroom. Being able to facilitate reading with access to books of similar interests is easy. Challenging the students and requiring them to post reviews on what they read encourages ownership and participation. Listing books for reference to a project is also a plus. Listing books read in the classroom, for preschool parents, is also a possibility.
There is something for everyone here! Being able to group and catagorize all books saves time all around. I particularly liked being able to track authors, signings and events on the local level. Who knows, you may be able to get an author to come to your school if you know he/she will be in town!
The reality that I can have my “favorites” at the swipe of a key…regardless of the computer I am on…is fantastic. I have often, and sometimes unsuccessfully, had to recreate a link on another computer. The best part of delicious, however, is that you can keep some of your links private, if you prefer.
I thought that this was very easy to understand, search and save. I found myself caught into the “favorites” of others…and found some things I liked! This is a great way to save and expand on information. It is a wonderful tool for collaboration and a great resource for students who are researching facts. It gives them an easy way to catagorize, group and maintain their sources.
I read a blog from The Fischbowl called Worldle the (Yellow) Wallpaper about a teacher’s experience with wordle and her class. I had heard about wordle but had not looked into it. Funny how it found its way to me!
What a great teaching tool or activity…just for the fun of it! wordle is also a Creative Commons site that provides an RSS feed as well!
Ok, this is so great! I called my children down to show them what I found and, can you believe it, my youngest one said, “Oh yeah, Mom, I already know how to do that.” Well, since she is so unimpressed with my new skills I decided to treat you all to her favorite photo (or not) .
May I introduce…Mary Cathrine Gallagher!
The neat thing about this is extending the application to the classroom. You could use it to engage students in discovery of an upcoming topic. You can provide a link, send a “postcard” or allow others to view. Students can use this tool on their wiki site projects as well. The drawback is, however, having the students get sucked into cyberspace when they are creating their puzzles.
Now, here’s another great teaching (and mother) tool…the Ta-da List. This is an alternative tool for teachers to use when a checklist is needed for a project. You can edit it and send it to your students as well. This takes less than 5 minutes! Furthermore, when you have those children with Executive Dys-Function setting them up with a list such as this could be very helpful. As mastery increases you, as the teacher, can edit the list! What I like about this is that you can share privately through email or allow public viewing of the list. ** Another added bonus is that it provides an RSS link!
