Thing 11 - Online Productivity Applications

With the little time that I have spend working with Google Docs, I love it! I often times get very frustrated because I have started to work on something at school but then do not have the document to work on at home. I either forget to e-mail it to myself or forget to bring my flash drive home. I've also left things on my home computer that I needed at school. Google Docs would eliminate this problem.

I think it would be nice for students also. Many of my students do not know how to attach a document to an e-mail, so they copy and paste their document and put it in an e-mail when turning something in to me. By working in Google Docs, they would not have to do this. They could also work on something at school and then work on it at home, library, mom's house, dad's house. It would elminate A LOT of excuses. I am going to encourage kids to use this next year.

Thing #10 - Creating a Wiki

Creating a wiki is very easy! I created a wiki for my classroom. I just listed supplies that are needed. I'm sure I will change the site but this is a start! http://slotsciencemath.wetpaint.com/

I can think of a few ways that I would like to use this in school. I was thinking that I could use this in Inspire for students to have book talks about books that they are reading. I think it would be really nice if we could do this school wide. I definitely will use it on our team.

I am not really sure how I would use it in math or science yet since we are using new texts next year. If there are labs & group work in in science, I would like to use a Wiki for kids to complete or share information on labs. I'm thinking it might be a good tool for kids in math also. They would be able to ask questions when stumped on a problem. They could also share various ways that they solved problems.

I think the ways to use this is endless...

Thing #9 - Wikis

After reading the information about Wikis, it seems like they are very similar to Blogs. The one thing I don't know that I like about Wikis, is that others can post. I guess that is one reason I would not use it to post important classroom information. Many of the wikis that I checked out were more like blogs. For example, I checked out this wiki where the science posted classroom happenings, worksheets, and informational videos. It didn't seem like there was any other postings aside from what the teacher posted. (http://bergmannscience.wikispaces.com/)

I loved this Wiki (http://booktalk.pbworks.com/). I could see how we could use this in our school. It would be cool to have kids discuss books through Wikis. We could give kids opportunity to do this during Inspire (out first hour during the day). I would be much better than doing a book report.

This is a great wiki also (http://scientificinvestigationsunis.wetpaint.com/), one that I think I would want to create for my science classroom. Often times in class, students do not finish their labs. They don't always have the opportunity to meet with their lab partners to complete the lab. A wiki would be a great way for kids to communicate with each other about their lab reports and completing them. I also like how the teacher says that you must have all your work in order because anyone in the world will be able to see your work. I think this would make some students put more time and effort into their work.

After seeing some Wikis, I have changed my mind about Wikis. Earlier I stated that I didn't like that others could post. Now I see how beneficial Wikis can be for students.

Thing #8-More RSS Feeds

I had a really hard time trying to locate feeds taht I wanted to follow. I guess because this is really my first experience with looking for useful news info on the web, I really didn't know what I was looking for. When I would search for things, I would come up with feeds that I nothing to do with what I was looking for. I need to spend some more time exploring this with someone who has more experience and can guide me to sites that I would enjoy following. Although all of this was a struggle, I though RSS Mountain was the easiest to use. (I actually found a few feeds that I was interested in following).

Thing #7 - RSS Feeds

I guess I signed up for a Google Reader account earlier because when I was going to sign up I was already following 3 Blogs! I added a few other things to follow, like Mlive.

This is a nice tool to have so you can keep up with local/world news. Since my husband is a sports FANATIC he would love this! Instead of continually watching various sports stations to find out scores, he could subscribe to some sports sites and receive updates without having to waste time watching TV.

This would benefit kids and parents. They could follow classroom blogs to keep up to date with recent posts. My teammate, who teaches World Studies, could have kids subscribe to mlive or other news sources to get articles for their current events. I'm sure there are many other ways that this could be used in the classroom but I will have to do some more exploring and more thinking!

Thing #6 - Copyright in the Digital Age

Wow...this is sure a lot of information that I don't know if I really understand. The only thing that I ever heard about copyright info and technology was that you could show a movie/video and charge kids to see it. Other than that all this fair use is new to me. It seems like a good thing, giving teachers the option to use cetain things without being penalized. I'm sure that I have broken a few rules that I'm unaware of! I don't think that I will incorporate instruction on media usage in my classroom. I think this would be an excellent topic for the computer teacher to add to her curriculum.

Thing #5 - Flickr Photo Mashup Fun

This is great. I am thinking of so many ways that kids could use all of these They could make vocab cards, trading cards for main characters in books, magazine covers promoting a book that they are reading, comic strips for topics in science, just to name a few. It is fun!!

I created a trading card/vocab card of The Necessary. While in DC for the Inauguration we visited Mt. Vernon. One of the many interesting sights we saw while touring Mt. Vernon was The Necessary.

Thing #4 - Flickr

North Shore Oahu
Originally uploaded by rick_goethals

Okay...I finally figured this out (I hope!) I started exploring Flickr 3 hours ago. It's so cool. I set up an account but I am hesitant to post my own pictures, especially of my girls. Anyway, I found a picture of a beach and tried to post it from my blog. Didn't work! I have now spent the last hour trying to figure this out. I read some help info and think I figured out how to post a picture from the Flickr site. Here's hoping it works...keep your fingers crossed. If it doesn't work, I might just throw my laptop across the room!!!

Thing #3 - 7 & 1/2 Habits

The easiest for me is Habit #1, Begin with the end in mind. I always set a goal for myself and try to achieve it. It doesn't always work in the time frame that I would like it to but the task is eventually completed. In my teaching I always look at the standards that need to be taught before I begin teaching a unit. This helps me stay on track and focus on the important concepts the students need to learn.

The hardest habit for me is #4, having confidence in myself as a conpetent, effective learner. I am always second guessing myself. I wonder if I'm doing things the right way. I'm continually worried about what people think about what I've done or created. Many times I look for reassurance from my coworkers when I am unsure of what I am doing. What I really need to work on is my confidence. Most of what I do is good. I just need to realize that I am capable of doing quality things without having to be reassured by others.

Thing #2

After looking at some blogs, I think that a good blog is organized, is easy to follow, and has a lot of interesting information. I really think that blogs enhance websites because it allows people to communicate giving their opinions and feedback to thinks posted on the blog. This is an excellent way for people to get free advice! I definitely think that Blogs are an easy way for people to self publish. For someone who has little experience using technology it is very easy...if I can do anyone can!!

After seeing the two videos I am amazed at how quickly education is changing. In order to keep up with the changing world we really need to change the way that we teach kids. If we are preparing them for the future we really need to evaluate what we are currently doing and make some changes. I always thought that kids could learn the way I did but I realize I have to change my way of thinking. I am so excited to learn new things so I can share them with my teammate and we can use them in our classrooms next year.

23 Things - The First Thing

There are so many things in technology that I'm unfamilar with. I hope to learn what new technology I can incorporate into my classroom to enhance my teaching and make learning more engaging for my students.