So sad to see you go...

I know this class isn't "officially" over yet, but I'm a little sad that I won't be learning more with everyone. I've really learned a lot in six days and it's almost unreal. I have learned about so many tools and so many applications of those tools. I don't want to say I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information "thrown" at us in six days because I'm not; I'm more intrigued than ever. Quite a few of these tools are "game changers" and I'm excited to be at the forefront of it all. I'm excited to share these tools and the knowledge I gained with colleagues and friends (I know my mom is itching to see things I've learned). I just love the potential is is lying ahead of me. What an amazing teacher I can become if I stick with it. They always say that the possibilities are endless, well for once I can actually agree with that statement and truly mean it.

Your First Blog Reflection

I can see blog increasing students writing ability as well as a method to have review/reflect the day. I can see advantage to both private and public. Private blogs could be used when the student wants to keep a dairy-like blog just to promote writing. Public blogs allow the world to interact with students and, hopefully, in a positive fashion, which is why teachers have fears about using public blogs.

Students can blog about math problems, science experiements, compare and contrast writing styles or artwork and .... They can answer any type of question the teacher or another student asks.

My concern about blogging with students is that teachers need to be careful it does not become too personal or a counseling situation.

Tim's Day 5 Reflections

Although we again saw many tools, most of them were lower on Bloom's scale and not as relevant a tools for me in my job. I really enjoyed what we learned in Google earth which was more of a personal quest for me than a professional one as I am not sure what I could use it for professionally yet.

The videos for discussion tonight were a stark contrast to one another. On one hand, we had a video on 21st century skills which is one that I think a lot of teachers would agree with had they seen it alone. If they compared it to the balloon video, however, I think it would really help them to see what kinds of things they should be doing. Going from teacher centric, to student centric. Going from low level on Bloom's to high level. The 4th graders were doing things way more advanced than the middle school students.

I am hoping to use these videos together to create an "AHA!" moment for our staff so they can see what we need to move to.

Day 3 - Catch-up thoughts

By the end of Day 3 I was over-saturated and could barely remember what we had done on Days 1 and 2. So much info in such a short amount of time. Reading the book over that break was ideal as it helped reinforce what we had done in class by providing the "slow" explanations for everything. I went from never wanting to see another computer again to believing that I could integrate my lessons into the new applications and make things better for my students.

Day 4 Musings

What a great day! Time to tinker with the new toys, learn how to use them, and even brainstorm application ideas for the classroom. I was relieved to learn that others felt as overwhelmed as I was for the first three days and truly appreciated the slower pace.
GoogleEarth is fun, but I'm not sure what application I would have for that in an English composition classroom. Ideas anyone? The bookshelf was fabulous - what a great way to get book discussions going, both in and out of the classroom. Mixed Ink was also a nice little app, and the evaluation of apps portion of the day was extremely useful. It's nice to hear other's ideas on using things to improve student learning so that I can "steal" them or springboard from them. Thanks for sharing, everyone!

Day 5 Thoughts

The discussion on the apps today and how useful/useless they were in the classroom was helpful. Several years ago we had a tech teacher who sent us several emails a day with links to different sites and tools, but no application ideas. It's difficult to find time in the day to do all that is required and then spend several hours checking out websites and tools and trying to figure out how to use them. Discussions such as today's - what works, what doesn't - how others have used things to promote learning, was just what the doctor ordered.
I'm very excited about how I can use many of the apps in my new job without the same constraints of AUPs for 13 year old students! We're supposed to use WebCT, which is useful to a degree - but Google Docs and Mixed Ink have more possibilities. And the LiveBinderIt app was great - when my students work on a collaborative research project, they usually print out the web address to share with the other group members -- with this app they can just put it all in a binder and share it! How fabulous for them, but I want to do more than give them organization tools. At this point I'm anxious to just sit and play with everything, and figure out how to bring it into lessons so that it actually improves student learning.

Day 5 Reflection--More New Tools!

Google Earth is cool again. I'm so happy that I was able to create that tour! I think that will be interesting for my students to be able to create their own and include pictures and links for others to check out. I can't wait to see what everyone else created. Edmodo is excellent. I'm excited to set it up with my students and get them involved. I think it will make a great "historical" Facebook lesson not to mention all the other features.

The presentation didn't go so well. Actually, I was ready to nap. I know how important the legal issues are for all of us and our administration, but can't we sum it up in a way that is easy to understand and CLEAR? I'm going to check out the sites on the wiki and try to increase my understanding. I was looking forward to backchanneling. I hope we get to try that with something, I'm anxious to see that work.

As we were working this afternoon I found the StainedGlass site. That is so neat! I really liked Jim's idea of putting a collage of all the kids together and hanging it on the wall! I wasn't overly impressed with Animoto--I couldn't get it to work right, frustrating. Overall, it was another productive day!

It's good to be honest... right?!

Initally, after today's class I didn't feel like there was much to reflect on. I was too excited about my interview! But then I looked back and thought about all that we looked at. I absolutely LOVE the Google Earth tours; I'm still a bit unclear how to "get them" to where they need to go, but I'll ask tomorrow!

I think my favorite part about today was how I saw Jim use the Diigo tagging system to find tools for publishing. I always am looking for new tools and have never used Diigo before. I was surprised that this is all over the place and being shown to teachers everywhere. I love this tool and will definitely be using it in the future.

I was a little upset the copyright presentation was a bust, but what can you do. As my boyfriend always says, "It is what it is."

Reflection as of Now

The way in which the Web 2.0 tools are used is key to true learning. Any of these tools can be just an add-on and may excite kids but really no learning is taking place. The trick is use the tool in such a way that higher order of thinking is required. Also, we need to teach kids to plan, to storyboard, and not just "start" their project without all the necessary planning, up front work.

A teacher can also be Web 2.0 to death. There is so much out there you could drive yourself crazy trying to consume it all. It is best to find a few and work with them and become comfortable using them. Then start adding to your repertiore of tools.

Copyright and appropriate use of technology are two issues, I think, we need to teach. Ways to teach these two topics is something I would like to explore.

Lauren's Day 4 - Reflection

I think the virtual three-ring binders are a very valuable tool. As an enrichment teacher, I am looking for alternative methods for compiling student work. What better way to collect and document! This will also be a valuable tool for reflection. The second tool that seemed very useful was the timeline creator. I have many ideas of how student and teachers can use this tool for collaboration and subject specific exploration. I’ve explored many tools today and think that I will become more comfortable as I put each of them to use.

I’m pretty comfortable using Gloster. I’ve used Glogster to create opening sites for my personal teacher wiki and for our school wiki. My students have also used Glogster to create posters about subjects they’ve researched. I think that this tool is very user friendly. The students also enjoyed begin able to view and comment on each other’s creations. If you have questions, I’d be glad to try and help!

Day 4--I need more time in the day!

There are so many tools that are available for our use it amazes me. I am flitting from one to another to see which ones I feel will best suit my classroom goals. I've discovered that many of these goals have changed with my new insights and those of my classmates. Blogging still gets me--I can't seem to get into it without a struggle and Google Earth is killing me. I've used it many times, but this tour is making my head spin. I can't get it to start from where I want it to start from and I sound like a ... well I'm not sure but it isn't a good thing. Can I animate my voice for this?

My Netvibes site is growing and the OPML worked great on the first try--now I have much more to explore! I really liked Edmodo. One of my goals is to learn how to make that work effectively. I've been playing with it and I think I have a good basic grasp of what it can do--it seems to work like the moodle. Vocaroo is very neat. I can see the students recording "radio shows" for the 1920's. I also liked Historypin. This site is community built using historical pictures and stories while you navigate using a map of the world. I read and read so Shelfari was very interesting for me on a personal level.

Now that I have now figured out how to link things in the blog I'm feeling much better! I will add also that I am absolutely exhausted!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

I truly have enjoyed every class thus far. I am extremely comfortable with all of the tools hat we have looked at in class. I love the pace at which we look at the tools - enough time to look at them and digest a little bit, but leave some intrigue there to explore on our own. I can see how all of these tools can be incorporated into all different types of classrooms. Since I don't necessarily have a "class" right now, I'm trying to take a more "wide angle" at things.

Day 4 Thoughts

I like all the Web 2.0 tools; I am like a kid in a candy store and that is the problem. I need to get focused on a few and make a decision as to what will benefit most teahers. Then go from there. The mind mapping and visualization sites were of the most interest to me. Wikispaces and creating pages within pages and getting things to look "nice" on the page is somenhtintg I need to work on. However, I keep going back to Moodle.

Tim's Reflections Day 4

Today was a great day. I learned a lot of new tools and my other classmates showed me some great things from sites like Historypin, Wallwasher, Vocaroo, and Shelfari. We also had a great discussion on whether technology is too much of a distraction when not metered appropriately which is a major struggle I am having. When I see how focused my daughter is using the iPad, I see great value.

We wrapped up the day with Google Earth. I was not very familiar with this tool so it was a great introduction for me. I put the app on my iPad to see if it was as full featured, and I gotta tell you it's pretty close. I was also introduced to another new app for my iPad which is Flipboard. This app turns other web sites via RSS into magazine like presentations for easy browsing. It's free. Another great app.

Catching Up! (Day Three Reflection)

Today, we setup TweetDeck and I learned about a new tool called Diigo. Both of these new tools are new and challenging for me. I am new to twitter and have not yet gotten the hang of its uses. I think that this will be a great tool for gaining quick tidbits about what’s happening in the world. I’m a little concerned that it will be difficult to maintain. Diigo, on the other hand, seems like the social bookmarking site I’ve been waiting for. It is way more user friendly then delicious. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard about this tool until now. Revealing the public sticky notes showed me how many people were already taking advantage of Diigo.
In my district, students complete a fourth grade project where they choose a topic of their choice and research. Close to the end of the year, there is a day set aside for these students to present to a panel of teachers. Learning more about creative commons and the variety of research skills that were discussed in today’s class opens a new world for me. Right now, teachers seem bogged down and have the “hurry up and get it over with” mentality. While this is a disappointing point of view, I wasn’t quite sure how to turn the tables. These tools offer a solution. I now envision the fourth grade projects with excitement. I can picture students expanding their knowledge of more than just the subject they have chosen. This is what the project should be about! Learning and using technology to create an outcome. I think that these tools should be shared with all teachers. We truly have the potential to bring the world to our students.

Reflections since Last Class

I wish I had more time to further explore each of the many tools I have been introduced to. I had considered myself pretty knowledgeable when I signed up for this class but have in fact learned and enormous amount. This class has given me a new appreciation for what teachers need to learn to stay relevant. I hope to pass this along to as many staff members as possible.

Sorry for the late post, July was a a pretty rough month for me between my job and my wife's grandmother being ill. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Catching Up! (Day 2 Reflection)

In class, we reviewed and used tons of communication and collaboration tools. I enjoyed explore both synchronous and asynchronous tools. During the backchanneling/Sidechanneling discussion we used a Chatzy room. This tools seems like it would be easy to use in the classroom. The wait time and the limit were a little constricting both overall it was a good experience.

Today, I also discovered the potential of Skype. Being able to communicate to anyone in the world with audio and video broadens the horizons of communication and collaboration. This idea also can be followed with asynchronous tools such as Wikis and Google Docs. These tools provide collaboration and communication through a variety of media apps.

I am left wondering what exists that I have yet to experiences. It’s a daunting thought that I have been missing out on so many valuable tools. I have a lot of catching up to do!

~Lauren

Catching Up! (Day 1 Reflection)

I have been convinced that blogging is a valuable tool for our classrooms. I was amazed when I watched the “Authentic Audiences” video. It’s true that our students write for a very limited audience in their 12 years of schooling. That leads me to public vs. private. Obviously, private blogs are more secure. I think that most users turn to private blogs because they give us a warm fuzzy feeling inside that provides us comfort in knowing that our thoughts are only being read by the audience that we have approved. Therefore, we know who will be reading and responding to what we write. I don’t think this is necessarily a good thing! By opening blogs to the public realm, we expand the opportunity for growth. Gaining feedback from a variety of sources challenges our beliefs and forces us to think outside of our comfort zone.

Students are publishing for the public every day. When they leave school they check and update facebook, myspace, and other social networking sites. When they walk into a school building, there is no connection. If we are to prepare our students for their world and not the past, we need to keep up. Blogging is a way of doing this. I read recently that, we are preparing our students for the past and not the future. As a teacher, it seems to me that student blogging is a step in the right direction. Using blogs will help our students close the “digital-divide” that currently exists between their lives and school.

Taking blogging to the classroom is a unique opportunity. Giving students time to reflect, internalize, and expand their beliefs is exciting. I don’t think enough emphasis is spent on personal growth. I would like to create an atmosphere where students are constantly thinking about the global connection of what they are learning. What better way to this then to give them a world to share it with. Realistically, I would like to begin this transition in my own classroom by providing a weekly “required” response and reflection time. While student will be encouraged to blog daily, I believe it’s more feasible to begin with a weekly “assignment.”

As we are taught, I have a few concerns about safety. Before I implement blogging into my classroom, I need to find a good tool. While I am comfortable with helping my students publish to the world, I’m still a little timid about letting the world comment to elementary students! As I stated earlier, it’s great to have a global audience. However, I believe there needs to be monitoring at the elementary level. Once I find a great tool that lets me monitor and approve posts, I will be more than thrilled to include blogging in my classroom!

~Lauren

I'm getting it--finally

This is the one thing that I am finding very difficult. I have spent time learning all these neat new things and I can't get this one right--I keep deleting things I try to post or knocking myself off! With the whining out of the way--I'm really enjoying myself. I've found some great new music, read so many of the things on Twitter and have been working on new ideas for class. I've also spent time in Creative Commons just checking things out. I'm amazed at the amount of information available.