Richardson Chapters 5 & 6

In chapter 6, Richardson talked a lot about the benefits of social bookmarking. Social bookmarking is probably one of my favorite and most used tools right now! I joined Pinterest last summer and can't stay off of it. It's the perfect way for me to mix business with pleasure. I have found so many useful charts, activities and strategies for teaching, but I have also been collecting recipes, ideas for home decor, and exciting places to travel. It has been so simple and wonderful to be able to organize my internet findings in one place. I have created several different "boards" to store anything that peaks my interest when I am exploring the internet. If you don't have a Pinterest account yet, it's time to make one!

Pinterest vs. Diigo:
Diigo is a newer tool for me. It is similar to Pinterest because it is a place to store and organize useful materials found online. It isn't quite as easy to manage Diigo as it is to manage Pinterest, but I seem to be quickly getting the hang of it. I have found that I can make lists to organize my educational materials by subject (or any way one would prefer), and it creates quick links to saved websites. It is not as visually appealing as Pinterest, but Diigo definitely has a place in education. It is a great way for teachers to store and share their favorite websites.

Hands-On Creativity

I had such a great experience creating an Animoto this week, and I am excited for my students to try it out! I have been thinking about the different types of projects and subjects that Animotos could be created for, and the list seems endless. While reading Anne's blog, I learned about a great tool for students! Anne described Xtra Normal, a site that is easy to use to create videos. On her blog, she demonstrated what a video could look like. Check it out at Anne's Blog: Xtra Normal! I think my students would enjoy working with Animoto and Xtra Normal for different purposes. It's amazing how many useful tools are at my fingertips that I didn't know existed!

New York City Animoto

Wow! Animoto is really fun and easy to use, and I think my students will be intrigued by it. My fourth graders will be beginning a math unit learning about money and elapsed time. To meet our objectives, students will be planning an imaginary trip to New York City. They will be taking the train from Connecticut to New York for the day, and they will have a budget of $150 for their excursions. I created this animoto to give my students ideas of places they might like to visit while they are in New York. I plan to use it as an introduction for the unit to help them as they begin to plan their itineraries for their trips. I hope they like it!

Flickr!

I had no idea what Flickr was until today. I knew it had to do with picture sharing, but I didn't know that it was easy and useful! Flickr Creative Commons offers a wide variety of pictures that can be used in blog posts or for activities in the classroom. If you are unfamiliar with how to use it, definitely check out this blog post about Flickr!

While checking out Flickr, I found this picture of NYC. My students will be doing a project on it soon, and this is a great place to find pictures!

Richardson Chapters 3 & 4

I have been hearing about wikis for the last year, but I didn't really understand how they worked until last week. What a great tool for collaboration! I love the idea of students being able to work together to edit, change, or update a document. Richardson offered some helpful suggestions of how to use wikis with students, but I am still not sure how I would use them practically. I like the idea of using wikis for book reports, but I'm not sure how I could fit it into my schedule. I also liked the idea that students could help create or finish books using wikis. Although it is exciting, I am a little nervous about using wikis with my students and know they would need a lot of instruction on how to properly collaborate using them. Maybe the first step should be blogging before using wikis?

How would you use wikis with your students???

Blogging in the Classroom

I am really excited to start a blog in my classroom, but I'm not sure yet how I want to get started. I looked at some sample blogs from Blogs and Blogging on our class site. Mrs. Schmidt has a great blog that seems like it would be very effective for parent communication, but she doesn't seem to have her students comment on her blog. Mrs. Alaniz has a more student-friendly blog, but her students don't seem to reply to many of her posts.

I think I would like to use my blog with students instead of just parent communication, but maybe it would be better to start by using to to just share information since it is new to me? I began setting up a blog on kidblog. It seems really easy to use so far. I'm not sure if I should have my students create their own blogs or just have them log in to the class page to comment on posts. Does anyone know how that works or have suggestions for blogging with fourth graders?

Animoto

I have been checking out some sample Animoto's to get ideas for my project. I really liked the Frog and Toad sample and think this would be a great way to introduce new vocabulary to students. I haven't tried to create my own Animoto yet, but I have a feeling I will love it when I try it! I think my students will also love it, and it will bring something new and exciting into my classroom. I like how it can be fast or slow paced and put together with music. It seems like PowerPoint but better!

Richardson Chapters 1 & 2

Social media usage is changing for students and teachers. Students are using a variety of technologies outside of school with little instruction on how to use them, and most students are much more computer literate than most of their teachers. When students are in school, their exposure to technology is somewhat limited. This means that teachers need to create more opportunities for students to explore and learn using technology. Teachers must become more knowledgeable in using technology to teach, but they must also become more knowledgeable in teaching students how to appropriately and effectively use technology.

There are many useful tech tools for teachers to consider using in their classrooms. Blogs and Wikis are a great way for students to collaborate and interact with teachers and peers. These tools provide spaces for students to share information, form opinions, and express their ideas. Online photo galleries are an effective way to maintain communication with students’ families. Teachers can easily upload and share pictures to keep parents up-to-date with school news and classroom happenings. Social bookmarking sites such as Diigo.com and Delicious.com provide students and teachers with a space to save resource lists. This would be especially beneficial for students completing research projects in which they are using many online resources. Audio/video casting tools give students opportunities to demonstrate their creativity when publishing stories and projects. Their work can become public and shared with many people.

To keep students safe on the internet, teachers must begin by teaching them how to navigate safely and effectively. Responsible use does not only mean avoiding inappropriate sites, but also reacting appropriately when they do discover inappropriate information. Many schools set filters or blocks to help protect students from inappropriate activity at school.

Teachers should have blogs because it is an effective way to communicate with students and parents. Blogs make information easily accessible and more organized than paper. Blogs also provide students with opportunities for current learning and communication methods and increased opportunities for participation. Blogs make student work more relevant because their work is published beyond the classroom. They have a greater audience which is also a motivator for students. Through the use of blogs, students have opportunities to collaborate outside of their classrooms more easily. Blogs give all students the opportunity to participate and share their thinking. Some students who may be too shy to share their ideas in discussion may feel more comfortable writing on a blog. Participating in blog use also helps prepare students to function in an information society.

As I viewed a few of the blogs mentioned in Chapter 2 of Richardson’s book, I was especially inspired by Mr. C’s class blog. Right now it seems like it would be a daunting task, but what an amazing way to maintain communication and collaboration between teachers, students, and parents! Mr. C updates hisblog often to share what the class is working on. He provides pictures, videos, and links. This blog is awesome! I was also impressed with the Meriwether Lewis Elementary School blog. It is easy to navigate, and any important information parents would need is on the home page. Classroom websites are easy to find on the home page, and there is up-to-date information with pictures of students. This is a great model for any school wanting to redesign their website! 

New Literacies

To me, new literacies means students using the internet effectively to develop online reading comprehension, communication, and learning. The way that students read and learn is changing as technology advances. Information is now at students’ fingertips, but they need to be taught and given opportunities to explore how to navigate online resources. As teachers, we need to guide students to use online resources in a purposeful way and encourage students to expand their reading practice beyond books.

The NETS for Students are the standards for the skills and knowledge students need to develop to live and be successful in a digital world. Students need to not only be able to use technology, they must be able to use it to learn, explore, and analyze information. With the use of technology, students will be able to demonstrate their creativity, communicate and collaborate with peers, teachers and other people, research and analyze information, and use critical thinking skills to complete projects.

The NETS for teachers are the standards of skills and knowledge that teachers must possess in order to work and teach effectively in a digital society. Teachers need to be co-learners with students and colleagues around the world to improve their knowledge of and experiences with technology. Teachers must also feel comfortable allowing their students many opportunities to use and explore a variety of modes for learning with technology. In order to provide students with meaningful experiences using technology, teachers must use their knowledge of technology to guide student learning. It is the responsibility of teachers to design learning experiences for students that incorporate technology, and teachers must also teach students how to use these resources responsibly. In order to teach these skills effectively, teachers must participate in professional development opportunities and be active learners themselves.

In my 4^th grade classroom, my students are currently working on a research project about the changing Earth. After developing background knowledge and exposing students to many factors that impact the changing Earth, students have chosen topics they would like to research. They will be using books, magazines, and internet resources to research information about their topics. As a final project, students will have a choice in their presentation mode. Many students have chosen to use Glogster or PowerPoint to present their information. Students will use computers to research, type, and design a presentation about their research topics. 

Blogging Day 1

Welcome to my blog! Our first class was very overwhelming yet informative. We learned the difference between a Wiki and a blog. I learned how to post on someone's blog and begin to create my own blog. I am looking forward to developing my blog and learning how to effectively use it with my students.

This is a picture of me with my dog Matty on his 9th birthday.