As I've read in a few other blogs, I am also a fan of using "favorites" or "bookmarks." Even at home, I've experienced losing my sites when there were computer difficulties. After it's fixed, I have to try to get back those sites I've lost. I've also noticed that once more than one person on a home computer is using the favorites/bookmarking option, they do add up pretty quickly and then it can be a game of "Where's Waldo" or finding a needle in a haystack while scrolling down a long list. I like the idea that those sites will stay intact and can be accessed from any computer through social bookmarking.
I also like the idea of tagging. Instead of searching down that long list, a keyword can be typed in to bring up the relevant sites in mind. I very much like the organization aspect. Another positive aspect is sharing with our learning/teaching community. To be able to share and search worthy sites seems like it will be a time saver. A disadvantage to tagging, however, could be subjectiveness or a matter of opinion. Each individual may not choose the same tags, which could lead to sites that are not wanted. I'm not that familiar with tagging, so I think I will keep the Thirteen Tips for Effective Tagging in mind when I begin Thing 14!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thing 12
My widget is This Day in History found in Widgetbox: Education. I liked that if an event link is clicked on, a brief summary of the event is available. I had a difficult time choosing...I found myself surfing around and liking a few. I'm a fan of trivia and there are some fun and challenging interactive educational quiz widgets out there (e.g. Karooba Endless Educational Trivia Quiz). I also found a quote a day widget in Widgetbox (quotes are another of my favorite things).
Most everyone I know has a Facebook, but I have not caved just yet. I see that it has its positive points with connecting people, however, I have seen with those around me that it can be addicting and can take away from face to face contact. As an example, my sister who lives near Philadelphia, called me and mentioned something that she read on Facebook. I wasn't aware of the news and am close to the person in mention. This scenario has actually happened more than once and is now an ongoing joke that I need a Facebook to stay in the loop.
I think that the social networking sites are popular with kids today because they are in a way the "thing to do" and the sites allow them to communicate and share with friends in a fun way. I can't help but think of what the 6th grade student I was working with mentioned in regard to not using phones because he can email or send a message on Facebook.... I definitely believe it's important for them as well as us to keep up with technology and new ways to communicate, but I still believe that nothing can compare to the "traditional" face to face contact or "old fashioned" phone call :)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Thing 11
I have to admit that I am guilty of reading more blogs than leaving comments....I am most likely one of those people regular bloggers despise.
In spite of my passive reading, I do see the value in commenting to posts. Comments can spur additional thoughts in the professional and blogging community. We may be able to share new info. with others and gain info. as well.
In regard to our students, I think that some students may feel more comfortable commenting and it would allow them to share their appropriate thoughts more freely. For students posting their work or ideas, realizing that they have an audience that is viewable by many others may encourage them to do their best work more consistently.
In spite of my passive reading, I do see the value in commenting to posts. Comments can spur additional thoughts in the professional and blogging community. We may be able to share new info. with others and gain info. as well.
In regard to our students, I think that some students may feel more comfortable commenting and it would allow them to share their appropriate thoughts more freely. For students posting their work or ideas, realizing that they have an audience that is viewable by many others may encourage them to do their best work more consistently.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Thing 10
My embedded video is the early 90s game show, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? I used to be an avid watcher of the show and at one point in time, actually wanted to be a contestant :) My 5th/6th grade teacher, Mr. Deforrest, introduced us to geography. This meant using our atlas to fill in maps of the world...countries, capitals, rivers, you name it.
To answer my own question from Thing 9...I just noticed that if you embed a video, the comments and extra video choices on the side are not there. That's a good thing.
To answer my own question from Thing 9...I just noticed that if you embed a video, the comments and extra video choices on the side are not there. That's a good thing.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Thing 9
YouTube is like our personal time machine :) I like that you can find videos of things from childhood and things from before childhood....old commercials, tv shows, music. Watching the videos can definitely stir up some nostalgia. What bothers me about YouTube and especially in regard to using videos found on the site in classrooms, are the inappropriate comments that you can stumble upon when you are least expecting them and the videos that are available on the side after you have chosen a video (some may not be appropriate). I did notice Kalyani said that videos can be downloaded and transferred to a DVD. When videos are transferred, is it strictly video transferred or are the comments included in the transfer? In any case, monitoring videos would have to be an important part of preparation before sharing anything with our classes.
In regard to useful videos for teaching, I searched 3 children's books authors, Patricia Polacco, Denise Brennan-Nelson, and Christopher Paul Curtis and found videos of them speaking and some videos with stories being read. I thought YouTube would be an interesting way to do an author study. I also searched Cab Calloway and The Four Tops to see if there were videos of performances and there were! I love that this is possible. I think videos of musical performers of the past, would be a really fun way to tie into social studies topics....students would not only hear, but see the music of the time period and how music has changed. On a personal sidenote, my history teacher in high school would tie in different components to the time period we were studying at the time. He made it fun. The ability for us to share videos of the past with our students makes things more concrete for them and I think would definitely peak their interest.
In regard to useful videos for teaching, I searched 3 children's books authors, Patricia Polacco, Denise Brennan-Nelson, and Christopher Paul Curtis and found videos of them speaking and some videos with stories being read. I thought YouTube would be an interesting way to do an author study. I also searched Cab Calloway and The Four Tops to see if there were videos of performances and there were! I love that this is possible. I think videos of musical performers of the past, would be a really fun way to tie into social studies topics....students would not only hear, but see the music of the time period and how music has changed. On a personal sidenote, my history teacher in high school would tie in different components to the time period we were studying at the time. He made it fun. The ability for us to share videos of the past with our students makes things more concrete for them and I think would definitely peak their interest.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Thing 8
Main Entry: 1ad·dict
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈdikt\
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Latin addictus, past participle of addicere to favor, from ad- + dicere to say — more at diction
Date: 1534
1 : to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively
2 : to cause addiction to a substance in (a person or animal)
I do believe that Big Huge Labs could be added to the Webster's definition of addict(ing). I've spent more time than I anticipated on this beautiful, spring Saturday exploring and playing with all of the fun options on Big Huge Labs. With options like movie poster, magazine cover, motivator, map maker, just to name a few that stood out for me, students could respond to books they've read, share places they've visited, add details to projects and activities, make pictures and ideas their own... I feel like my head is swimming with ideas and I honestly cannot wrap my head around everything at the moment.
Thing 7
On a personal note, I really enjoyed learning about Flickr and adding photos!
On a classroom level, Flickr could be used to share photos connected to social studies and science activities. They could explore the photos if a first hand experience is not possible. Another option I liked with Flickr is that photos can be connected to a geographic region, shown on a map. This could be a neat way for students to gain exposure to geography and images that are from that particular region....a cyber field trip of sorts. In a language arts activity, students could also share photos in their own biographies that they have written.
I think safety issues are always a concern when posting anything on the internet. Like Diane said in her post, there's a concern about what images students may be exposed to. If we want to share pictures connected to any of our activities with our students, we could ensure that those are the only images they are seeing. Also, if students post images, for a biography for instance, we could make sure that the images are not public for all to see.
On a classroom level, Flickr could be used to share photos connected to social studies and science activities. They could explore the photos if a first hand experience is not possible. Another option I liked with Flickr is that photos can be connected to a geographic region, shown on a map. This could be a neat way for students to gain exposure to geography and images that are from that particular region....a cyber field trip of sorts. In a language arts activity, students could also share photos in their own biographies that they have written.
I think safety issues are always a concern when posting anything on the internet. Like Diane said in her post, there's a concern about what images students may be exposed to. If we want to share pictures connected to any of our activities with our students, we could ensure that those are the only images they are seeing. Also, if students post images, for a biography for instance, we could make sure that the images are not public for all to see.
Thing 6
This is a picture of cherry-plum blossoms from Flickr user couregettelawn and it was posted April 4, 2006 and taken in Churchill Park in Salisbury (the state/country was not included). I initially searched keyword "peace" and found absolutely beautiful photos from nature, but they were copyrighted. I went into the advanced search and searched keyword "calm" with creative commons and found this photo.
I was drawn to it because one of my favorite things is photography and I'm always drawn to nature when I'm out and about snapping photos. The image makes me think of a spring day. The details of the flowers are nice and crisp and the background is somewhat blurred, which I think helps draw attention to the flowers.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Thing 5
I began Thing 5 last night and wasn't able to complete it, so tonight I went back and began searching and subscribing. I personally like the suscribe button (if available) and option 3 with bloglines in our favorites when subscribing. Like others, I didn't have the links option in my favorites, so I just clicked "add to favorites" and it seems to work.
With all the information out there, I feel like I could sit for hours and hours (with stretch breaks in between....I get restless) and add subscriptions both professional and personal. A question I do have concerns adding news blogs. I'm always checking cnn.com or the local clickondetroit.com for news updates, but they aren't blogs. Did anyone find interesting/factual local/national news blogs?
With all of the subscribing, like others, I feel I need to make time to sit down, take a breath, and read what's new.
With all the information out there, I feel like I could sit for hours and hours (with stretch breaks in between....I get restless) and add subscriptions both professional and personal. A question I do have concerns adding news blogs. I'm always checking cnn.com or the local clickondetroit.com for news updates, but they aren't blogs. Did anyone find interesting/factual local/national news blogs?
With all of the subscribing, like others, I feel I need to make time to sit down, take a breath, and read what's new.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Thing 4
Well, I just created my bloglines account and it was pretty painless. I was honestly a little nervous about it because I wasn't quite sure what RSS was before a few minutes ago. The videos helped ease my mind.
I'm excited to add to my folders. I think it's going to help out quite a bit time wise because everything will be organized and right there. I won't have to type everything in the browser each time I want to check out a blog or other information.
Onto Thing 5....adding some blogs!
I'm excited to add to my folders. I think it's going to help out quite a bit time wise because everything will be organized and right there. I won't have to type everything in the browser each time I want to check out a blog or other information.
Onto Thing 5....adding some blogs!
Thing 3
I am impressed with the infinite list of blogs for us to peruse and learn from. I don't feel like I've even made a dent in the list! It's definitely going to be an ongoing process :)
Thinking about my students, I feel that a blog would be do-able. Since I work with a wide range of students, I believe that a blog dedicated to sharing language arts could be done in different capacities attuned to student needs and levels. For my students that are just beginning to read and write, blog posts sharing their stories aloud, I'm familiar with the Audacity program which allows you to record vocals, as well as their illustrations and sentences could be shared. Students who are more comfortable with writing could share:
~Predictions and story reflections
~Creative writing and poetry
~Personal narratives and fiction writing
~Book, movie, music reviews
The possibilities are endless and there are a lot of things for me to think about!
In regard to concerns about educational blogging in connection to students, there is the question of computer access both at school and at home. If we are able to gain access to safe blog sites at school, however, students would have an opportunity to share in that capacity without hassle. Another concern I have is blogging etiquette. We would need to ensure that all students know what blogging is, although a majority might already know, and what appropriate commenting is as well.
Thinking about my students, I feel that a blog would be do-able. Since I work with a wide range of students, I believe that a blog dedicated to sharing language arts could be done in different capacities attuned to student needs and levels. For my students that are just beginning to read and write, blog posts sharing their stories aloud, I'm familiar with the Audacity program which allows you to record vocals, as well as their illustrations and sentences could be shared. Students who are more comfortable with writing could share:
~Predictions and story reflections
~Creative writing and poetry
~Personal narratives and fiction writing
~Book, movie, music reviews
The possibilities are endless and there are a lot of things for me to think about!
In regard to concerns about educational blogging in connection to students, there is the question of computer access both at school and at home. If we are able to gain access to safe blog sites at school, however, students would have an opportunity to share in that capacity without hassle. Another concern I have is blogging etiquette. We would need to ensure that all students know what blogging is, although a majority might already know, and what appropriate commenting is as well.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Things 1 and 2
Wow! Reading the article and watching the video definitely reiterates what I think we all are aware of....that technology provides so many options and honestly, our students are most likely aware of the options technology can provide. Beginning this, I feel a little overwhelmed thinking about options I'm not completely familiar with, but I'm excited to be able to learn and grow through this experience.
Here's a quick anecdote that I think is relevant. Last month during a quick writing topic from a book, Writing Down the Days 365 Creative Journaling Ideas for Young People, that has a writing topic a day usually connected to an important date or a holiday celebrated, one the 6th grade students I work with wrote/typed something that I think demonstrates how connected to technology our students are. The topic dealt with Alexander Graham Bell's invention, the telephone. The question posed was, what would your life be like without a telephone and how would you communicate with others if there were no telephones? The student wrote that his life really wouldn't change that much because he could just send an email or a message on Facebook to anyone he needed to talk to.
Reading the article, I found myself jotting down a few notes that came to mind. Being a special ed. teacher, I think the idea of blogs is wonderful. Being able to stay in touch and up to date on everything that is going on in the general education classroom can be a challenge. Telephone calls and emails do work, however, the idea of posting weekly plans in a blog format is neat. It provides another option for staying current with my students and the work they are completely (e.g. book reports, projects, tests). Blogging about what my students are working on or interesting articles connected to special education, could be beneficial for parents and gen. ed. teachers as well.
As I read, I also immediately thought of the Montessori philosophy and Gardner's multiple intelligences. So many options present themselves with blogging and students responding to blogs, creating own study guides etc. Students take responsibility for their learning (study guides), practice different forms of writing (e.g. persuasion), provide facts and details, not just a broad statements.
With the use of technology, students are not just providing back to us rote facts. It provides us an opportunity to provide them with experiences in thinking in other ways than paper and pencil.
Here's a quick anecdote that I think is relevant. Last month during a quick writing topic from a book, Writing Down the Days 365 Creative Journaling Ideas for Young People, that has a writing topic a day usually connected to an important date or a holiday celebrated, one the 6th grade students I work with wrote/typed something that I think demonstrates how connected to technology our students are. The topic dealt with Alexander Graham Bell's invention, the telephone. The question posed was, what would your life be like without a telephone and how would you communicate with others if there were no telephones? The student wrote that his life really wouldn't change that much because he could just send an email or a message on Facebook to anyone he needed to talk to.
Reading the article, I found myself jotting down a few notes that came to mind. Being a special ed. teacher, I think the idea of blogs is wonderful. Being able to stay in touch and up to date on everything that is going on in the general education classroom can be a challenge. Telephone calls and emails do work, however, the idea of posting weekly plans in a blog format is neat. It provides another option for staying current with my students and the work they are completely (e.g. book reports, projects, tests). Blogging about what my students are working on or interesting articles connected to special education, could be beneficial for parents and gen. ed. teachers as well.
As I read, I also immediately thought of the Montessori philosophy and Gardner's multiple intelligences. So many options present themselves with blogging and students responding to blogs, creating own study guides etc. Students take responsibility for their learning (study guides), practice different forms of writing (e.g. persuasion), provide facts and details, not just a broad statements.
With the use of technology, students are not just providing back to us rote facts. It provides us an opportunity to provide them with experiences in thinking in other ways than paper and pencil.
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