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.