Delicious is a time saving tool! This can help speed up the process of searching for material or certain types of activities. Signing up for delicious keeps all your favorite sites in one place. You can also share this information with your coworkers. The tags you assign are important for yourself and others searching for a certain topic. Assigning appropriate tags can be helpful to everyone.
My username on Delicious is melissahanna74. I bookmarked sites that I used last year. I'll have to find some more for this year.
Thank you for the 8 Things! This has been an interesting experience. I use technology but not in the ways that I have experienced it over the last 8 weeks. I guess you could call me a beginner or basic technology user. I've learned some things that I will use again. Thank you for your help and support.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thing 7!
Google Docs seems pretty cool.
I was not able to locate a spreadsheet to add any information to for 8 Things Learners. (Help me! I guess I'm lost...but it's just not there.) I think Google Docs seems like a tool that could be very beneficial to older students and people creating resumes. I found a couple of spreadsheets that I have saved for personal use. I saved a spreadsheet for budgeting and a check register. In my professional life I could get valuable input from some of my peers and/or collaborate on some projects. I liked how Google Docs seems to get some students motivated and show improvement. I think it would be difficult to expect that all students have access to working technology at home or school. I also think that monitoring a students activities could be difficult. You can't see everything. I will definitely be spending some more time playing with Google Docs!
I was not able to locate a spreadsheet to add any information to for 8 Things Learners. (Help me! I guess I'm lost...but it's just not there.) I think Google Docs seems like a tool that could be very beneficial to older students and people creating resumes. I found a couple of spreadsheets that I have saved for personal use. I saved a spreadsheet for budgeting and a check register. In my professional life I could get valuable input from some of my peers and/or collaborate on some projects. I liked how Google Docs seems to get some students motivated and show improvement. I think it would be difficult to expect that all students have access to working technology at home or school. I also think that monitoring a students activities could be difficult. You can't see everything. I will definitely be spending some more time playing with Google Docs!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thing 6!
I did not find any podcast that I was really crazy about. It could take a lot of time to listen and find something that you would like to use in the classroom. If you found a good source and previewed the podcast I'm sure it could be a great tool in some classes.
You could spend hours and hours on YouTube looking for videos to use. YouTube is full of endless material. Some of the material is not appropriate or correct but some is informative or entertaining.
I chose the Lego video to embed simply because my kids and I like legos and I thought it was cute!
The directions on how to embed a video were simple and easy to follow. That was sure a nice surprise!
TeacherTube seemed to be more user friendly to me. The material on the site was of course related to educational topics and I found it to be easier to find useful videos. YouTube is engaging to students because it is another resource that uses technology and other senses.
Video sharing and podcasts have made it possible for people all over the world to share information or thoughts with others. But it is only used by people that value or have access to these resources and means of communicating.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Thing 5--Wikis
I think this is a tool that could be used by students to create study guides, summarize understanding of topics, and share information about lessons or activities.
A blog is when a person creates post but others may comment but not create a post. A wiki is more collaborative and can be changed by others.
My favorite Wiki that I explored was the Flat Planet. You could tell that the students were engaged in learning and taking it to the next level. This was a fun and great way to help children learn through collaboration.
My least favorite wiki was the one that was the school newsletter. To me if just a couple of people are able to edit the information I would rather just visit a website than a wiki.
I have used wikipedia with my class to define words for them. It is a quick way to let the students find the information and share it with the class on the document camera.
A blog is when a person creates post but others may comment but not create a post. A wiki is more collaborative and can be changed by others.
My favorite Wiki that I explored was the Flat Planet. You could tell that the students were engaged in learning and taking it to the next level. This was a fun and great way to help children learn through collaboration.
My least favorite wiki was the one that was the school newsletter. To me if just a couple of people are able to edit the information I would rather just visit a website than a wiki.
I have used wikipedia with my class to define words for them. It is a quick way to let the students find the information and share it with the class on the document camera.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Thing 4...continued
I'm back and there are so many pictures to look at. I chose the sign because I thought it was funny in a weird way. I found the picture of the sign when I searched summer. I was expecting to see pictures of people having summer fun or vacation spots. I was not expecting to see a road sign with a picture of a car hitting a person. The other 2 pictures are bad pictures from my phone that show you what my children do when they are not being entertained.
Using flickr and the mashups could be used in class with students for all kinds of assignments. You could upload pictures of your students at the beginning of the year and create a memory game using pictures of their classmates. (Just a fun way to help you and the other students put a face with all the names of the students.) If you are learning about 3D shapes the students could take pictures of examples of the shapes they are learning about. The possibilities for using flicker and your own uploaded photos with your students could be endless. (Especially with older students.)
I would not have thought about the copyrights for the pictures on flickr. This would be an important detail to share with students so they can begin to understand copyright laws and the use of images they find on the computer. I got a little frustrated when I was searching for pictures on flickr because most of the pictures that I really liked were not pictures that I could use.
Using flickr and the mashups could be used in class with students for all kinds of assignments. You could upload pictures of your students at the beginning of the year and create a memory game using pictures of their classmates. (Just a fun way to help you and the other students put a face with all the names of the students.) If you are learning about 3D shapes the students could take pictures of examples of the shapes they are learning about. The possibilities for using flicker and your own uploaded photos with your students could be endless. (Especially with older students.)
I would not have thought about the copyrights for the pictures on flickr. This would be an important detail to share with students so they can begin to understand copyright laws and the use of images they find on the computer. I got a little frustrated when I was searching for pictures on flickr because most of the pictures that I really liked were not pictures that I could use.
Thing 4..
Hello! Of course I got a little late start after a 4th of July celebration and then I have been looking around flickr for a long time. I'm still working on the photo and will post it when I'm done. Searching the pictures is fun and interesting because of the different types of photos you find. I better go and get back to work or I'll still be looking and playing around next Sunday. Be back soon!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Kids and Blogging???
Okay, maybe since I'm not comfortable blogging and using social networks I don't know how I feel about kids using these tools. I don't let my own children do any of these things and don't want them to for many years. They do use the computer for educational games, resources, and research but that is a about it. I have to wonder if I'm the only mother in the world that feels that way. I know technology is a part of our world and it is a useful resource and tool in many aspects. Technology is not going away but in this area concerning technology I prefer conversations and face to face interactions over blogging and twittering. I guess I'm comfortable with emailing people because it is directed to someone or a small group and has a specific purpose. It cracks me up that they call it social networking because some people don't know how to interact with people in social settings...maybe this has something to do with personalities but for others it might be due to the increase of emailing, texting, and blogging. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind learning about these things or my children learning about these things but it is not a part of technology that I really see myself using.
Thing 3
Wow! Classroom 2.0 is full of information and resources. It is a lot of information. Definitely something you would need to refer back to. I also have a Facebook account that I opened and never use. I am not a fan of social networking in my personal life. I know it would be helpful to use something like this in a professional manner but I'm just not comfortable yet. I use technology to search for topics, lessons, and games but have never had the desire to join a professional social network. I guess I like to look at different things and sites and then make a decision about things that might be useful and fun in the classroom. And I'm lucky I worked on a great team that was full of ideas and valuable resources. But using a professional social network is something I could see myself using in the future.
Thing 2
Well, it looks like Web 2.0 is just a faster way for people to gather and share information. The only problem with this in an educational setting might be lack of support, interest, and equipment. Technology in a school setting is many times outdated and slow. Some students might not have access to a computer or interenet service at home. As for teachers using this it would be another way to collaborate like we do in team meetings. For people who do have access and enjoy learning with computers this is a great tool. This could be helpful to myself in learning about new topics, games, and research.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
First Post/Thing 1!
SumFun...as in summer fun! The first week of summer has gone by so fast. I have been having fun with my family. We have been staying busy bowling, playing baseball, going to baseball games, watching movies, swimming, staying up late, and sleeping later.
I finally sat down to do my Thing1 and so far it seems to be going smooth. I'm taking the 8Things for a comp day and to learn a little more about technology. Time will tell how well the 8Things will go for me.
Creating a blog is something I have never done but seems to be pretty easy. To tell you the truth I probably never would have created a blog if it was not an assignment. Technology is amazing and changing rapidly.
Creating the blog is the easy part and the hard part is what to say. I don't really have anything else I want to share with the world at this time. This just seems so random to me. If I need information from someone I usually call, email, or text that person. So...it might take a while for me to warm up to blogging! I'll keep trying!
I finally sat down to do my Thing1 and so far it seems to be going smooth. I'm taking the 8Things for a comp day and to learn a little more about technology. Time will tell how well the 8Things will go for me.
Creating a blog is something I have never done but seems to be pretty easy. To tell you the truth I probably never would have created a blog if it was not an assignment. Technology is amazing and changing rapidly.
Creating the blog is the easy part and the hard part is what to say. I don't really have anything else I want to share with the world at this time. This just seems so random to me. If I need information from someone I usually call, email, or text that person. So...it might take a while for me to warm up to blogging! I'll keep trying!
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