Thing #12- Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Wow! I had so much fun playing around with these! The ones I thought would be most helpful in the classroom room included Gliffy and Timeglider. I thought Gliffy was cool because you can create webs and maps. This website would be really helpful to create thinking maps. I also liked Timeglider because its an easy way to create a professional, interactive timeline. This would be great when working on Social Studies projects or even as a prewriting activity. Overall, I think there are so many possibilities to use these tools in the classroom and I am excited to try them!

Thing #11- Online Generators

I had a lot of fun playing around with the online generators. I think they are a great way to add character to your blogs/blog posts and could be used in the classroom in many ways. I think students would enjoy using these and they would add a lot to any project using Web 2.0. Some of the online generators were difficult to use, while some were very user-friendly. I definitely think you would have to have to play around and find ones that would be best for students to use. Here is one I made using Spell with Flickr:

Thing #10- Rainforest Slideshow

My slideshow is compiled of pictures from tropical rainforests. I found all the pictures on Flickr by browsing Creative Commons images. I made my video on Animoto, which is a site that creates free thirty-second videos using uploaded images and music from your computer.

Photo Credits:

Rainforest by leithcote
Rain Forest Catepillar by julieflinestone
Nature's True Beauty by faeryboots
Tracy's Favorite Creature by eyesplash mikul
Brown Throated Three-Toed Sloth-Panama by flickrfavorites
Red Eyed Tree Frog by flickrfavorites
Cacoa Tree by flickrfavorites
Boa-Constrictor-in-the-Rainforest-South-America-1 by flickrfavorites
Rhinoceros Beetle by flickrfavorites
Deforestation by flickrfavorites
Bromeliads by flickrfavorites
The Rosy Periwinkle Plant by flickrfavorites
Logging is Destroying by flickrfavorites

Thing #10- Rainforest Slideshow

Thing #9- Exploring Flickr

I have used Flickr before to find images for picture cards to use in my classroom but have never taken the time to create an account and explore all the possibilities Flickr has to offer in the classroom. I particularly liked how you can browse Creative Commons images because it allows you to only search content that is fair use in the classroom.

I decided to search for images relating to tropical rainforests. Each year in third grade, we study rainforests in correlation with our life science FOSS kit and Earth Day. This is one of my favorite units because the kids are so engaged and excited to learn and I always enjoy incorporating the theme throughout the day. I was able to find so many amazing rainforest images on Flickr. This adorable image of my favorite rainforest animal, the three-toed sloth, was uploaded by flickrfavorites.

I never realized all the educational uses for Flickr in the classroom. My favorite idea was about teaching vocabulary using Flickr where students search images on Flickr to find pictures associated with their vocabulary words. Students can find pictures tagged to their words, create slideshows, and post them on their class blogs. I also really liked the idea of giving them words similar in meaning and then having students find pictures of the words to discover the difference; such as toddle, wander, stroll, stride, march, etc. What an engaging way for students to learn vocabulary through exploration.

Thing #8- Creative Commons

I had never heard of Creative Commons before this lesson and never honestly even noticed the "CC" written on web material. I think it is a great way to allow people to share, create, and expand their knowledge. I personally use downloaded images and audio and video clips all the time in my classroom. It it nice to know that there is a legal and fair way to share information on the web. I think CC will impact the way students learn and create by allowing them to use certain web content in class projects that they might not otherwise not be able to use. The only potential I can think of for using CC is there might be a chance someone completely uses the material in the same way without actually using it to create something original. Overall I think CC is a great way of sharing web content and enhancing the freedoms for students and teachers in the classroom.

Thing #7- Commenting

I have really enjoyed receiving the few comments I've had so far- and I have to admit I got a little bit giddy when I got my first one! I also have enjoyed reading the blogs/comments my coworkers have written. I think commenting is an essential part of the blogging community because it creates conversation and keeps the writing interactive. I read on several blogs that receiving comments is what motivates them to continue blogging. I think just knowing that someone took the time to read what you wrote makes you feel like the effort was worthwhile. I can expect that students will feel this way too, which hopefully will help motivate them! I think that blogging/commenting in the classroom will allow students to have more academic interaction with their peers and encourage them to take ownership in their writing. I also think that blogging will help students "write with an audience in mind" which is an important part of the writing process. I know my third graders will need plenty of modeling and practice with this, but hopefully it will be a valuable learning experience. I look forward to being able to read my student's blogs next year and hopefully get some good conversation going!

Thing #6- READ what's in my FEED

The first thing I came across in my Google Reader today was a video titled "No Future Left Behind", which features a group of middle school students asked to comment about education and their futures. Really what struck me most about the video is that it was written, created, and performed by KIDS. The video was created as the keynote for the Net Generation Education Project. They did an awesome job of expressing what the future means to them and challenging teachers to step up and meet their educational needs through technology.

I also ran across an article titled "Are Traditional Textbooks Dead?" about the approaching shift from traditional books to online books. I found it interesting because it pointed out some things I had not thought of before when considering computer-based textbooks. For example, the blog pointed out that online textbooks would allow textbook companies to continually update information and monitor accuracy while providing more opportunities for interaction between author, teachers, and students. Authors of textbooks would no longer write and move on to other projects; but instead continue to monitor/update/and interact with their writing as well as readers. Many classrooms have already put away their textbooks and are using resources like Curriki to obtain information. For me one of the most valid points made in this blog was that there is still a place and need for textbook companies, but they have to focus on the importance of content and be willing to evolve from paper books to online resources. However, there will still be a great need for these companies to tackle challenges and help create sources teachers and students can trust for creditable information.

Thing #5- Google Reader

I have never used Google reader before but I think it's a great way to keep informed with whats going on in Education and the rest of the world. I like it because it allows you to personalize your own news and filter out what you really aren't interested in hearing about. In addition to the required sites for "23 Things" I also suscribed to New York Times>Education, FOX News, Bill O'Reilly's Blog, and Pink is the New Blog. It's really a great way to get my FOX and my celebrity gossip in at the same time!

While exploring my reader today I came across a blog on TechLearning titled "Making a Difference" by Ben Gray. It was about how sometimes as teachers we have days or moments where we feel like we are making no progress and our wasting our time trying to make a difference. I think all teachers at some point have felt that way after having a bad day or experiencing some sort of failure with their students. In this blog he really talks about how the moments of success really make up for all of the hard work and occasional frustration. He refers to one student in particular, Abel Real, whose life was changed by a combination of encouraging teachers and aggressive technology incorporated in his school's 1-1 laptop program. Abel's testimony was touching and really made me think of how technology can help reach out to many students who otherwise may have no interest or motivation in school. He also spoke of how the constant communication he experienced with teachers and peers via blogs, instant messaging, etc. helped him stay focused after school in an unsupportive home environment. I related to this because in my own classroom I have observed how even the most reluctant learner gets excited about almost any lesson that involves the computer or technology. Kids just connect with technology and therefore anyway we can incorporate it in our classrooms is beneficial to them. It is motivating to think of how technology can help us reach out to kids who might otherwise not experience success.

Thing #4- Exploratory Reading

Reading in the "eduBlogosphere" made me think of all of the possibilities of blogging in the classroom. I particularly like what I read about using blogs as part of SSR time. Reading blogs is a completely new genre of reading and writing for students to enjoy. I think the commenting is what makes it different. Rather than one person sharing their ideas/opinions, commenting makes the blog more interactive and conversational. I think blogging is a great tool to facilitate learning in the classroom because it provides a way for students to reflect on their learning and think more meta cognitively as well as allowing teachers a way to give feedback and keep track of student understanding. I am really excited to start blogging with my kids next year, I think I am going to start with blogging about books. I think it will be a great way for students to generate excitement about books they are reading, recommend books to peers, and boost reading comprehension. Web 2.0 is a great way to merge classroom concepts with computer skills our students will need to succeed in a changing world. I look forward to discovering all the possibilities blogging has to offer with my students!

Thing #2- Thoughts on Web 2.0

I found the article “A Day in he Life of Web 2.0” to be really eye-opening as well as exciting. It definitely made me realize that no matter how much technology you are incoroporating in your classroom, you could always do more. It is slightly overwhelming to think about how much teaching will change over the next 27 or so years before I retire. Actually, I will probably be able to work a lot longer than that considering that with all the techonolgy available by that time there won’t be too much active movement required!

Thing #1- Lifelong Learning

Since I have began my career as a teacher, many people have offered the advice that to be a great teacher, you must never stop learning. Throughout the last three years, I have realized how much truth there is to that piece of advice. When I think of lifelong learners, my Great Aunt Ann always pops into my brain. She was constantly reading, traveling, writing books, tracing family history, teaching, and continuing her education trough every possible medium. I remember one particular dinner when she casually mentioned she was considering returning to school for her second doctorate (she recieved the first one in her sixties). As if an eighty-five year old woman returning to college to study something completely new was just a normal, everyday occurance! Unfortantly she didn't get the chance, but I love the fact that she never ruled anything out as a possibility.



After reading the "71/2 Habits of Highly Successful Learners" I started to evaluate my own strengths and weaknesses as a lifelong learner. I would definitely say the easiest habit for me is "Habit 6: Using Techonolgy to your Advantage". I love, love, love being a part of the information age and having the freedom to search the internet for anything I am interested in. I can't imagine how teachers survived before the internet! The most challenging habit for me is "Habit 3: View Problems as Challenges". Computer complications in particular always seem to stress me out, so I really need to work on that throughout this course. I think the most important habit for me is "Habit 1: Begin with the End in Mind". It's always important to focus on what your ultimate goal is when learning something new. I hope I can practice these habits during "The 23 Things" so that I can be fully prepared to pass the "things" onto my students!