Reflection

My favorite exercises on this journey were Jing and Animoto. I had to play around with Jing for a little bit but I love how easy it is to embed an object or picture into my blog using this tool. It makes the entire internet a copy and paste board!!! I also enjoyes using Animoto and the ease of which you can create videos on the iphone and then send them directly to my blog! So simple!!! I can see where I could update my class blog from the simplicity of my phone! My phone is something I consistently carry and I could create teachable videos 24/7!




 This program has reinforced my quest for continued learning on 2.0 technologies. There is so much out there that I haven't even heard of! Watching my own personal children on the computer and their ease with new technologies has inspired me to learn from and with them.



I did not realize how easily Skype could be used to conduct class interviews from outside the classroom walls. I had created a blog before but this experience reminded me of the importance of a blog in maintaining communication with students as well as their parents. I came across a classroom blog where all the students had access to the blog with their own unique passwords. A student/parent could log in and comment on discussions even if they were absent for the day.


  I think that true beginners could probably use at least one initial face-to-face meeting before taking on the library to play programs. Once you get started, it is fairly easy. I really enjoy the fact that I can complete the assignments on my own time schedule!!! I also like the fact that help is only an email away!!! Great program and I am looking forward to Library 2 play 3 next summer!!!! Maybe we could even develop classes on just one of the web 2.0 tools that we thoroughly explore through a semester!

Thing #11

Digital Citizenship is a continuously changing medium. I think one of the trickiest challenges it poses is how quickly it changes. My five year old is more competent with online gaming than I am which is quite unnerving. As educators we are constantly being put in the role of learner. However, there are some basic online etiquette rules which will always be necessary. Your online "footprint" is a part of your identity. Companies now research applicants through social sites such as Facebook and Linked In. Some adults are intimidated by these sites but I think they are a part of our new reality and just like anything else we have to learn how to use them appropriately. However it is challenging since your student/child will inevitably come into contact with others online with less than desirable intentions. Even as an adult this can be initmidating. Our students have to be taught through role play and staged experiences what to do when these events happen.

Thing #10

It was fairly easy to create an Avatar on Second Life. However, it kept timing out on me within the district wireless so I had to try again at home. Not sure if that is a district issue or the website. Once I had signed in it was easy to navigate through the tutorial screens. I had some difficulty "teleporting". I also somehow mistakenly found my avatar in a "questionable" beach scene! I can see where virtual online worlds are educational and can provide students with experiences they might not otherwise experience. However, I think you have to be proactive on educating students online etiquette as well as what to do when approached in an inapproproate manner. I think the graphics are good as well as the music in the background. I will definitely go back and explore more!

iPhone Apps - What, how, why? Thing #9

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

iPhone Apps - What, how, why?

View more presentations from David Carr.

I can see uploading all of my old powerpoint presentations onto Slideshare. Students could have another medium to present information learned. The more choices they have the more they feel empowered in their own learning.

Thing #8

I choose to work with Screencast-o-Matic. I found a screen cast of a kindergarten class blog. This will be helpful to me because I was thinking I would set up a class wiki- but didn't realize I could also set up a class blog. I can see where students can create screencasts as to teach others how to create blogs, and upload and download videos. The screencasts allows people to access online and at their convenience.

Thing #7

I choose the two youtube videos because we will be implementing both the itouch devices and the dell 2100 netbooks school wide. I can see where posting videos could be very useful to teaching students as well as their parents about the technologies being used in the classroom.

Thing #6

I have some experience with the itouch and applications. We were part of the Power to Learn Grant and we received 80 itouches for our fifth graders. We played around with a lot of applications both free and not. This year I plan to explore some special education applications that are digital schedules and some communication applications. These are costly, however I think the benefits outweigh the costs. The goal is to provide the special education student with a tool that will help him/her in the classroom. Since all of the fifth graders will have itouch devices, this tool will be easily tailored to fit the needs of our special education students.

Thing #5

I love the benefits of Facebook. Last week my father was in the hospital and I used it to post updates to my family members across the state. It was very comforting when friends would post support! I was in the hospital for most of the week and it was very convenient to post just one thought instead of having to send email.  I have also used Facebook to find resources. It is a great platform to poll your friends on opinions on products or other items.
Twitter is something I haven't really delved into. I have an account and periodically someone will ask to follow me but I can not figure out why since I haven't "tweeted" about anything in over a year! I am still exploring the benefits of this resource.
I have attended a workshop where the presenter was "online" with the class and I found this to be fun! The responses were displayed on a screen behind the presenter and we all had a chance to respond or participate. Questions sparked more questions and I think this added to the presentation. However, the speaker definitely has to be comfortable with it or it could cause havoc on a presentation.

Thing #4

Uploading a video to Youtube was easy. I think this would be a terrific tool that a teacher could use to supplement instruction. I flip videoed a math teacher last year teaching long division and I could post this on a class blog so that students who needed reteaching could access this. I definitely think I will do this with my special education blog. I will record the homeroom teachers teaching concepts and then post or link the videos so that my students can easily access them when needed!

Zach movie.wmv

Thing #3

Skype allows you to communicate with others and share information visually. Classes could collaborate with each other across campuses. The classes could schedule times where both classes would be available. Skype allows a visual communication where sometimes an audio explanation is not as clear. Skype also allows students to "visit" places and make contacts with other students so that they can share experiences. Skype provides the students with faces and places behind their online collaboration projects.