Reflections

I would describe his course is as a beginning look at some of the web 2.0 tools that are available for you in the classroom.

My favorite part of the course was learning about wikis because they are such a great classroom tool.  I was very excited about the applications for interaction.

I am going to really try to incorporate a wiki into some part of my teaching this year.  I haven't worked out exactly how yet.

I would pick a few less tools to learn and spend a little more time on each tool and I would increase the number of credit hours given for all the work.

I would recommend this course to others, but I would let them know that it takes quite a time commitment.

Media Sharing Problems

I have been trying to complete this module, but I'm having trouble getting flickr to work properly.  I'm hoping to get help tomorrow.

Tool of Choice

I chose to try Facebook for this assignment.

It is a social networking site where you can connect to all different types of people and create friend groups

I'm not sure what links to provide to learn more about it other than the link for it which is www.facebook.com.  It is a really fun place to poke around.  I've found people I haven't spoken to in years.  It's been really fun!

I think it would be fun to have a group that was your classroom and your parents to possibly be able to communicate.  Most of my parents do not have access, so I would maybe have a difficult time using this as much as it could really be applied, but I think it is a good idea.

What is Media Sharing?

Media sharing, to me, is being willing to put your media out on the web and allowing others to use and view it.  You can restrict who does and does not get to view your media in some cases.  Fair use is being able to use a certain amount or aspects of media without infringing on copyright, and creative commons is a place where you can share media with fewer copyright rules.

Wiki Reflections

What did you learn? - I learned a lot.  My experience with wikis was VERY limited before. Other than occasionally using Wikipedia I had no idea what they were.  I think my students would love to have a class research or writing wiki. Anything technology gets them excited and this would help them take ownership of their learning.  I also think that knowing others in the class could view it would make them want to be sure to check what they  post before they post it.
How will you use what you have learned? - I would really love to start a class wiki at the beginning of the year that had a story starter, book review, math, and science sections that could be added to as we gain more knowledge in each subject.
How did you feel about this tool? - I think in my previous responses it's pretty obvious, but I'll say it anyway, this might be my favorite tool we investigated yet.  I think it has the most exciting classroom applications, especially in the elementary classroom.
What do you not want to forget about this tool? - how to become a member and update a wiki
How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?  See question 2
Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?  Definitely, this is a tool the students would love.  They like to share their knowledge and this is a way for them to feel proud of what they know and be able to share it with others in a non traditional format.
What questions do you still have about this tool? - how would I manage this tool in my classroom?  When would I find time for students to work on it?

What is a wiki?

Well, as I see it a wiki is a shared space that can be quickly and easily edited by a specific group of people.  It has tons of uses for the classroom and allows students to take ownership of their learning since they can post what they know about a subject.   

3 Wikis I liked...

http://salutetoseuss.wikispaces.com/ - A salute to Dr. Seuss - I really liked it because it was a great source of information that came from many different sources, and of course, who doesn't love Dr. Seuss!  

http://allaboutmath.wikispaces.com/ - Good math resource site - who doesn't need a place to question and be questioned about math.  I do wish it were more about content and less text based though.  It did give me good ideas on setting up a good math wiki.

http://goapes.wikispaces.com/ - This was an "all about apes" wiki and I loved all that info and the presentation of this wiki.  I think my students would really enjoy its content.

Making and Posting Podcasts are Two Very Different Animals

I have created my podcast and I was really excited that I was able to do that.  I even made something I could use during my conferences in the fall.  I am, however, not able to post it for some reason.  I have downloaded all the proper stuff and signed up for all the sites that are required, and even followed all the directions.  I still can't get it to work.  If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  I was thrilled to finally understand how to create them and I now have much greater respect for those who do it on a regular basis.  I love the world of podcasts available on iTunes.  I'm currently learning conversational Spanish and Italian, as well as investigating LSAT logic in everyday life.  The last one being my favorite.  I like being able to subscribe to them and have them instantly on my ipod.  It is good to listen to while running, or running errands, and especially while traveling in cars, on boats, or in airplanes.

Reflections:  

1.  What qualities/features do you find common among the best podcasts? They are clear and concise and technically they have a good balance of things like music and voice modulation.  The elements all mesh well together.

2.  Does my podcast share any of these features? I'd like to think so.  I tried to add some fun details like music and pictures that scroll as you listen.  I thought it was really tough to create something that others could understand clearly.  I was very nervous while recording it, so it isn't as well modulated as the professional ones I listen to.

How might podcasts be useful in your classroom or your practice in education? I think they would be great to help the students with the content areas because you could put students into groups to listen to podcasts you've chosen on certain subjects and then have them journal about what they've heard.  It could also really be useful so students can hear good examples of reading and readers with audiobooks read online.  I think it has a lot more applications than I have even had time to think of yet.  I really like this tool.  I use it for myself a lot and now I have a whole new outlook on what to do with them.

Podcasts, what are they?

As I see it, a podcast is a way to communicate using audio/video with people without specific time constraints on use and viewing.  It is also portable which makes it nice.  It's like an audio/video blog in some ways.  I've been subscribing to various podcasts for several years now, but this is the first experience I've had making my own.  I've been successful in creating my podcast, which was a real feat for me :-).  My next mission is to get it posted to my blog.  I'm still processing those instructions, so I'll have it up soon.

Reflections Part Two

1. What did you learned?  I learned that applications I already use have RSS readers, so I didn't really need to subscribe, but I did.  I think for the future I will pick a different reader, but for the purposes of this class I will stick with what I have.
2. How will you use what you have learned?  I will use it to help me keep up with all the various sites a visit regularly.  I like having everything in one place.  The only draw back is that I really like being able to see more than two lines at a time of a page.
3. How did you feel about this tool?  I feel okay about this tool.  I think I will use it more for personal than professional use.  I can't think of as many uses of this as I can of the blogs we learned in our previous lesson.
4. What do you not want to forget about this tool?  I don't want to forget to add new feeds when I come across something I really enjoy.
5. How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?  I'm not sure yet, other than subscribing to educational blogs.  I'm not sure I could use this with my students.
6. Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?  See question 5
7. What questions do you still have about this tool?  Right now I don't have any specific questions.  I'm still mulling over the tool.  I'm not sure how often I will really use this particular tool.

My New Subscriptions on Pageflake

I chose Pageflakes, and I really had no good reason for doing so.  I liked the set ups they had more than anything. I've been less than happy with it since setting it up, but hopefully I'll get used to it.  I subscribed to Wil Shipley's blog because he always has interesting things to say, so I thought I would add it.  Also, I subscribed to icanhascheezburger.com because I find funny cat pictures VERY amusing, and finally I subscribed to boingboing.net because it looked really interesting.  I found it on technorati and it looked like it was different than my usual read.

Reflections

Considering this is my first time as more than a mere commenter and observer, I've learned a lot!  I did not know how many resources were out there.  I never thought of how many uses blogging could have in the educational environment.  

I think I will start next year by creating a blog to share with parents that links to my teacher web page.  I would also like to share this information with more of the faculty/staff on my campus, so they would be able to use the tools as well.

I really like this tool.  It has some great classroom applications even if I start small with just a teacher communication blog.

I don't want to forget the basics of creating my blog, I know it sounds silly, but if I want to use it at school or hope to teach anyone else to use it, I have to remember.  I don't think I'll forget posting or any of the other skills because we are practicing a lot, but I only get to create once.  I'm just glad it's REALLY simple to set up.  I would like to show others on my campus how to do this, but August is a long way off!

This could be used tons of different ways.  I think it would be great for staff communication, student learning, and even parent communication.  My favorite way so far is writing workshop.  It is a great way to comment to and question students about their work.  It should definitely be used in my classroom.  I'm not sure how I will get it started yet, but I have plenty of time to think about that as the course progresses. :-)

I'm still processing all that I have learned this week.  I am concerned still about student privacy and permission to participate, but thanks Andy for your comment.  It helped me think more about how to set up in the fall so that I can worry less about those issues.  One more question I have come up with though, it about student blogs.  I had to have email to set this up, so my students would too.  What are some good sites for safe, free student email?

Blogging About the Blogs of Others

Well, I've spent some time checking out the blogs posted on our main page, and I have seen some ideas I really like.  I am quite excited about the one that focused on the 5th grade class's writing assignments.  I like the idea of each student having his/her own section to write in.  I think that would be a truly fantastic way to get students involved.  Another one I really liked was the one from Willard East Elementary.  I think that is a fun and effective way to communicate among staff.  It provides easy access for all faculty and helps answer questions and provide information quickly.  Also, it gives people a way to comment without sending blanket emails to the whole school.

My First Post

Wow!  I really did it.  I was able to become part of the bigger, well I guess Blogger, world.  I posted a picture of the newest additions to my family so I could practice doing that.  They are Statler and Waldorf.  I don't like to post pictures of myself, so generally my pictures will be of the family pets.

Well on to the true purpose of this blog.  I've spent a few hours reading other's blogs.  I have many of the same questions and fears.  Especially the fear of confidentiality.  How do you ensure that students are not being exposed to a larger world that you cannot control?  As well, I worry about those students whose parents deny internet access for them.  How will the use of such tools in the classroom hinder them since they cannot participate.  I also wonder about class access to computers often enough to really make this an effective tool.  I do think it would be a great way to have students communicate and express themselves, especially since it will get them excited about learning because it is new and different.

I think it would be a great tool for student writing projects and questions to me.  I also think it would be a good way to communicate class updates and projects.  It is much easier for me to use so far than the application I use for my teacher web page.