I really enjoyed this class. It did take a lot of time, but it was time well spend and definitely well worth it. My favorite parts of 23 Things were creating a blog, discovering Google Docs, and having my eyes opened to many incredible Web 2.0 tools. This program has helped me see the importance of life long learning and keeping up with technology. I have always thought technology was cool, but it was not until this class that I realized the importance of keeping up with technology.
This program has changed my outlook on technology and using it in the classroom. I would definitely participate in other classes like thyis one because I feel like it changed my mindset so much for the better and gave me a better perspective on why technology is so important. I have already found myself wanting to start a blog for my extended family so that everyone could post, comment, share, and post pictures and videos. It would be like an interactive scrapbook. We all know how important it is to document our lives through picture, videos, scrapbooks, and letters. How much more beneficial and enjoyable could it be to have an interactive documentation of your family's lives?
I have many greate ideas on how to use technology in my classroom this year, and I can't wait to try them! I have also fond myself saying, "I ned to share this with everyone at my campus!" I think that it would be good for a speaker to come and spend a whole day of staff development presenting a few key components of Web 2.0 and how it could be implemented in the classroom. Can you imagin if every teacher on campus was Web 2.0 savvy? What if every teaching team had a blog? a wiki? was a part of social networks? That is what would make a campus really stand out and push students to be successful.
Technology, along with our students, are always changing. If we don't change along with the times, we will lose our effectiveness as educators.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thing #23- Other Social Networks
I thought Classroom 2.0 was a great social network that could be extremely beneficial to educators. It connects teachers from all over the globe to share, motivate, collaborate, inspire, and offer ideas. I think this would be a great tool for me to use to get ideas from other experienced teachers.
I really liked the "groups" section. I can join a group that interests me, such as DigiSkills, which is another resource I could use, among many I have learned in 23 Things to implement technology in the classroom. I could get ideas from people all over the world on technology applications that work for different age groups and different subjects.
Social Networking is a great resource because it is not information or news that comes from the media, but it comes from real life experiences of real people that you can connect with. You can post messages in the group and people can respond with activities, procedures, projects, technology, and/or strategies that they have actually tried or seen others try. It is a way to get useful information coming from someone you connect with. That is cool.
I really liked the "groups" section. I can join a group that interests me, such as DigiSkills, which is another resource I could use, among many I have learned in 23 Things to implement technology in the classroom. I could get ideas from people all over the world on technology applications that work for different age groups and different subjects.
Social Networking is a great resource because it is not information or news that comes from the media, but it comes from real life experiences of real people that you can connect with. You can post messages in the group and people can respond with activities, procedures, projects, technology, and/or strategies that they have actually tried or seen others try. It is a way to get useful information coming from someone you connect with. That is cool.
Thing #22- Social Networking
I have been a user of Facebook for 5 years. When I first became a Facebook user, it was for college students to keep in touch with their friends from high school. You also had to have a college email address to get on Facebook. Soon after that, the Facebook creaters opened it up to anyone, which was a great idea. It allowed me to stay in contact with many other people besides the small group of friends whom I graduated with and also happened to go to college. It now allows me to stay in contact with and look at pictures, profiles, and status of many people (now including my mom, thanks to 23 Things!). See my Facebook Profile
Social Netwroking is a great way to keep up with others. Also, you must know that your students can see anything you have on your profile!!! Take home message- don't take pictures you wouldn't want your students to see!
I really do like that Facebook has connected people. It's neat to hear my mom talk about how she has connected with people since she got a Facebook account. It's also funny that she said, "It can be addicting!" It really can be addicting when you start to look at pictures of your friends, read their profiles, look at videos they have posted, and read their status. Moderation is a good thing.
I think a very useful application added to Facebook since it's creation is the News Feed on the Home Page. This is basically a Reader that sends you any status updates and changes made on the profiles of your "friends." This was you don't have to go to their profile to see updates. It's just like us using Goodle Reader for 23 Things.
Facebook is awesome.
Social Netwroking is a great way to keep up with others. Also, you must know that your students can see anything you have on your profile!!! Take home message- don't take pictures you wouldn't want your students to see!
I really do like that Facebook has connected people. It's neat to hear my mom talk about how she has connected with people since she got a Facebook account. It's also funny that she said, "It can be addicting!" It really can be addicting when you start to look at pictures of your friends, read their profiles, look at videos they have posted, and read their status. Moderation is a good thing.
I think a very useful application added to Facebook since it's creation is the News Feed on the Home Page. This is basically a Reader that sends you any status updates and changes made on the profiles of your "friends." This was you don't have to go to their profile to see updates. It's just like us using Goodle Reader for 23 Things.
Facebook is awesome.
Thing #7b
I came across something very interesting today as I was reading some postings on blogs that I follow, and it directly pertains to this class. While reading Technology & Teaching on David Warlick's blog, I started thinking, once again, about how important technology is in education (also the reason for 23 Things).
He posted a couple of questions he asked people about technology and teaching. The first question was asking if a teacher could still be a good teacher if they don't use technology, and many answered "Yes" but when asked the question if a teacher is actually doing his/her job if they aren't useing technology, most people answered "NO!"
I thought this was very interesting because a teacher's job is to educate a student so that he can be prepared for and successful in later stages of life. In this day and age, not using technology is not preparing students for the future!
He posted a couple of questions he asked people about technology and teaching. The first question was asking if a teacher could still be a good teacher if they don't use technology, and many answered "Yes" but when asked the question if a teacher is actually doing his/her job if they aren't useing technology, most people answered "NO!"
I thought this was very interesting because a teacher's job is to educate a student so that he can be prepared for and successful in later stages of life. In this day and age, not using technology is not preparing students for the future!
Thing #21- Google's not just for searching anymore
Google has done a great job about creating tools that are user friendly and VERY helpful! There are a ton of different tools, that serve many different purposes, and can make your life much easier.
I am usually pretty bad at keeping a calendar, but through this Thing, I created a Google calendar. I am very excited about this! I think it will help me be much more organized, and I can access my calendar wherever I can access the internet. My calendars in the past have always been on paper, so I had to carry the calendar wherever I was... which resulted in my forgetting to bring it. By having a Goolgle Calendar, I can keep all of my events in one place that is easy to access. This could be a great addition in my classes by posting a calendar online so that parents can see when assignments and projects are due, when tests and quizzes are, and any other important event that i publish.
I also looked into Google Sites. I have been wanting to create a website or blog for my classes so that students can access assignments, notes, study tips, videos, announcements, and pictures that pertain to my class on a website from home. This would also allow parents to get involved and feel like they are a part of their child's education. Google Sites might be the perfect tool for me to create this website!!!
I am usually pretty bad at keeping a calendar, but through this Thing, I created a Google calendar. I am very excited about this! I think it will help me be much more organized, and I can access my calendar wherever I can access the internet. My calendars in the past have always been on paper, so I had to carry the calendar wherever I was... which resulted in my forgetting to bring it. By having a Goolgle Calendar, I can keep all of my events in one place that is easy to access. This could be a great addition in my classes by posting a calendar online so that parents can see when assignments and projects are due, when tests and quizzes are, and any other important event that i publish.
I also looked into Google Sites. I have been wanting to create a website or blog for my classes so that students can access assignments, notes, study tips, videos, announcements, and pictures that pertain to my class on a website from home. This would also allow parents to get involved and feel like they are a part of their child's education. Google Sites might be the perfect tool for me to create this website!!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thing #20- Google Docs
WOW!!! I can't believe I have been missing out on Google Docs! It is easy and very practical! There are so many ways I can not only use this in the classroom, but also in my daily life. I created 2 Docs: one was a word document asking people to list their favorite movies and the other was a Science Pop Quiz I created by using a form.
I will definitely use this this coming year in my classroom. I am going to create some pop quizzes for the students to take at home by creating a Form in Google Docs. It will be SO easy to grade because it will send it to me in a spreadsheet format! I can't wait.
Another way I can use it is to ask other teachers to collaborate to create a parent letter to send home. By sharing a Word Document with other teachers on my team, we will be able to create a parent letter in a fraction of the time.
Another way I can use Forms at school is to quickly take a poll from my students to see what they would rather do as an extra credit projecteach six weeks. This would allow them to have input for their extra credit and make it very easy for me to see the results from the poll with a click of a button!
I love Google Docs!
I will definitely use this this coming year in my classroom. I am going to create some pop quizzes for the students to take at home by creating a Form in Google Docs. It will be SO easy to grade because it will send it to me in a spreadsheet format! I can't wait.
Another way I can use it is to ask other teachers to collaborate to create a parent letter to send home. By sharing a Word Document with other teachers on my team, we will be able to create a parent letter in a fraction of the time.
Another way I can use Forms at school is to quickly take a poll from my students to see what they would rather do as an extra credit projecteach six weeks. This would allow them to have input for their extra credit and make it very easy for me to see the results from the poll with a click of a button!
I love Google Docs!
Thing #19- Voicethread
Voicethread was really interesting. I don't think I have ever thought about having a picture, group of pictures, or slideshow and have the ability to leave auditory comments and draw or write on the pictures. There are and endless niumber of ways to implement this program in the classroom!!
In Math, there could be a problem posted and the students could add comments on how to solve the problem. In English, students could discuss various parts of the book such as the setting. In science, students could comment on functions of different part of an of an organism or cell. There are so many possibilities!
I really liked Voicethread and hope that I will be able to use it my classroom.
In Math, there could be a problem posted and the students could add comments on how to solve the problem. In English, students could discuss various parts of the book such as the setting. In science, students could comment on functions of different part of an of an organism or cell. There are so many possibilities!
I really liked Voicethread and hope that I will be able to use it my classroom.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
