The two resources that I have decided to use for STUDENT USE are two that I actually have used with my students. Actually, they have been the ones using these sites. They are not learning sites or sites with facts, but rather sites that they can go and create information.
The first one allows the students to actually become bloggers themselves - it is Kidblog.org. Here you can set up blogs for each one of your students and allow them to post to them. They can then comment on each others. I have to say that I was absolutely AMAZED how much my 7th and 8th grade students took to this. You could seriously hear a pin drop when they would get a chance to blog. If you use any type of journals, they this is a site you most definitely should check out.
The other is Glogster. What this is.. .is imagining instead of doing a poster-board on a certain topic, you would get your students to create that poster online. This is what Glogster can do for you.. to get a better idea, click HERE for some examples.
Again, these are two resources that I am currently using with my students and they LOVE it.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Essential #13 - Resources for MY Contnet Area
There are so many wonderful resources out there to share, the difficult part was trying to find two that I use and would think that other educators would be interested in as well. For this, I really tried to think "outside the box" and not put my usual favorites such as Internet4Classrooms or FreeTech4Teachers. I wanted ones that maybe went past just the educational realm.
For my first one I was going to do AllMyFaves. Yes, this is also one of my favorite sites, but the one I will decided on and want to share is the AllMyFaves - Educational version. Here you can see countless websites all categorized into separate groups which allows the user to better find what they are looking for.
For the next one I also went with an old favorite of mine that may not be as well known as the others and is NOT strictly for education, but has many, many educational benefits and that is GoWeb20. This site has the latest and greatest Web 2.0 tools, again all categorized so that they user can easily find what they are looking for. And what I really like about both these sites is that if you place the cursor over an icon, you will get a brief description of what the site is. This really helps when searching for new and exciting tools and resources.
For my first one I was going to do AllMyFaves. Yes, this is also one of my favorite sites, but the one I will decided on and want to share is the AllMyFaves - Educational version. Here you can see countless websites all categorized into separate groups which allows the user to better find what they are looking for.
For the next one I also went with an old favorite of mine that may not be as well known as the others and is NOT strictly for education, but has many, many educational benefits and that is GoWeb20. This site has the latest and greatest Web 2.0 tools, again all categorized so that they user can easily find what they are looking for. And what I really like about both these sites is that if you place the cursor over an icon, you will get a brief description of what the site is. This really helps when searching for new and exciting tools and resources.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Essential #12 - Social Bookmarking
Ok... I have to admit, I have had a Delicious account for quite some time now and haven't really used it very much lately. But I have been in the social bookmarking game for quite some time. I first started using social bookmarking when furl was still around. Furl has since been swallowed up by a larger site. So I went to Delicious and found it useful at first, but I guess it was just one of those things that I really never took to. I used it for a bit, loaded it with bookmarks but just never really stayed with it.
Looking back, I can't really give an explanation why that is. It is such a wonderful tool. I struggle every day with where to put links that I would like to go back and review/explore. It seems like Delicious would be perfect for that. I have recently started using the Google Bookmark tool to see if that is more helpful to me, so I can keep all my "stuff" in one place (Google). Either way, it seems to me that social bookmarking is a great tool that can be used for yourself, with colleagues or with students. I will make sure to give Delicious or the Google bookmarking tool much more of a chance to see if it can work for me this time through. Overall, it was great for me to go back and visit my Delicious account.
Looking back, I can't really give an explanation why that is. It is such a wonderful tool. I struggle every day with where to put links that I would like to go back and review/explore. It seems like Delicious would be perfect for that. I have recently started using the Google Bookmark tool to see if that is more helpful to me, so I can keep all my "stuff" in one place (Google). Either way, it seems to me that social bookmarking is a great tool that can be used for yourself, with colleagues or with students. I will make sure to give Delicious or the Google bookmarking tool much more of a chance to see if it can work for me this time through. Overall, it was great for me to go back and visit my Delicious account.
Essential #11 - Personal Learning Networks
Well, I have to say that this is one of the terms that has really, really been brought to the forefront as of late. My first question would be "haven't we always had some sort of PLN?" I would think we have, but with the increase in technology, PLN's that were once limited to your school or district now, your network can stretch all over the world!
I came across a good article about PLN's when doing research for this essential. Its entitled "PLN Blueprint in Five Parts. It gives a good description of what I learned PLN's are.
My PLN has exploded over the past year, mainly with the use of one tool. That would be Twitter. Twitter has allowed me to receive information, resources, tip, tricks and tools from a variety of professionals from around the country. As I have mentioned previously, I follow some educational professionals that offer a wealth of new resources and information.
In my opinion, PLN's are going to take on even more importance in the future as resources are cut or limited. We are going to be more on our own with regards to our Professional Development. PLN's can assist with this and allow us to have access to information that once was not possible. I am a true believer in Personal Learning Networks.
I came across a good article about PLN's when doing research for this essential. Its entitled "PLN Blueprint in Five Parts. It gives a good description of what I learned PLN's are.
My PLN has exploded over the past year, mainly with the use of one tool. That would be Twitter. Twitter has allowed me to receive information, resources, tip, tricks and tools from a variety of professionals from around the country. As I have mentioned previously, I follow some educational professionals that offer a wealth of new resources and information.
In my opinion, PLN's are going to take on even more importance in the future as resources are cut or limited. We are going to be more on our own with regards to our Professional Development. PLN's can assist with this and allow us to have access to information that once was not possible. I am a true believer in Personal Learning Networks.
Essential #10 - YouTube in the Classroom
I have been using YouTube in the classroom for awhile now. I show clips directly from YouTube, but I also use Zamzar to put clips on my website and then refer my students to the site for assignments that are centered around the videos.
You can view the videos that I have put on my website by clicking here.
I have found the YouTube is becoming a much more useful educational tool with each passing day. It used to be that YouTube was just a place to go watch a person falling off his bike and having a good laugh. Now it seems like just about anything that you would like to learn about or how to do, you can just look it up on YouTube.
I even had great success showing parents about YouTube at Parent/Teacher Conferences. I really think that it has gotten a bit of a bad rap and that more and more that we are seeing what a powerful educational tool and resource that YouTube can be.
You can view the videos that I have put on my website by clicking here.
I have found the YouTube is becoming a much more useful educational tool with each passing day. It used to be that YouTube was just a place to go watch a person falling off his bike and having a good laugh. Now it seems like just about anything that you would like to learn about or how to do, you can just look it up on YouTube.
I even had great success showing parents about YouTube at Parent/Teacher Conferences. I really think that it has gotten a bit of a bad rap and that more and more that we are seeing what a powerful educational tool and resource that YouTube can be.
Essential #9 - Using Online Tools to Communicate
I have been using many online tools to communicate with my students for quite some time now.
Let me start with a blog that I follow of a teacher that uses all the latest and greatest tech tools and then blogs about them. I have mentioned it before, but to me... its so good that it is worth mentioning again. That is FreeTech4Teachers. It is a great site for teachers of ALL subject areas to follow. He uses this blog to let others in the world of education know of great tech tools that educators can check out and see if they want to use in their teaching and learning.
As far as someone who is using these tools with students... for that I would like to discuss what I am doing with my students. I have used discussion forums, wikis and blogs with my students. I use the discussion boards on Moodle, which work great for having students turn in assignments. I have used Wikispaces, which was a nice way to basically have a class website where all could contribute to it. And now I am using kidblogs, where my students each have a blog that I monitor and they can post and comment on each others blogs.
If you haven't already... check it out.
Another tool I just started using that may have some potential is Edmodo... also one to look into.
Let me start with a blog that I follow of a teacher that uses all the latest and greatest tech tools and then blogs about them. I have mentioned it before, but to me... its so good that it is worth mentioning again. That is FreeTech4Teachers. It is a great site for teachers of ALL subject areas to follow. He uses this blog to let others in the world of education know of great tech tools that educators can check out and see if they want to use in their teaching and learning.
As far as someone who is using these tools with students... for that I would like to discuss what I am doing with my students. I have used discussion forums, wikis and blogs with my students. I use the discussion boards on Moodle, which work great for having students turn in assignments. I have used Wikispaces, which was a nice way to basically have a class website where all could contribute to it. And now I am using kidblogs, where my students each have a blog that I monitor and they can post and comment on each others blogs.
If you haven't already... check it out.
Another tool I just started using that may have some potential is Edmodo... also one to look into.
Essential #8 - Audacity and Podcasting
I have to admit, I have been Podcasting and using Audacity for quite some time. I find that there are so many uses, above and beyond even Podcasting for Audacity. I have had students use it for an assignment or project, I have had students use it AS an assignment or project and I have used it for myself for communicating with parents, students and/or staff.
When using Audacity for this assignment, I tried something different. I am using kidblogs with my students, something which I will blog about in a later assignment. I saw that I could add an audio file to a blog post. So I used Audacity and tried it out. Sure enough, it worked. The post now was done in audio form rather than written out.
As far as other ideas for using Audacity, I have to say that the one that I would find most beneficial would have to be having students record their notes using Audacity, essentially turning the notes into a Podcast, then downloading the finished product to an iPod or MP-3 player to be used to study with. I know I did that when I was younger, but it was on a plain old cassette. My gosh, how times have changed.
When using Audacity for this assignment, I tried something different. I am using kidblogs with my students, something which I will blog about in a later assignment. I saw that I could add an audio file to a blog post. So I used Audacity and tried it out. Sure enough, it worked. The post now was done in audio form rather than written out.
As far as other ideas for using Audacity, I have to say that the one that I would find most beneficial would have to be having students record their notes using Audacity, essentially turning the notes into a Podcast, then downloading the finished product to an iPod or MP-3 player to be used to study with. I know I did that when I was younger, but it was on a plain old cassette. My gosh, how times have changed.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Essential #7 - Uploading and Editing Photos
I do apologize for the delay in this post, but I had to wait until I was able to take pics of my classroom and put them up on my website.
I have used Picnik for quite some time now... I have to say that it is the simplest photo editing tool that I have ever seen or used. My wife uses it for all of the pictures that she takes and needs to edit. My students use it all the time as well, it really is a tool for all ages.
So... I took pictures of my classroom and made a "Classroom Tour" on my website. You can view the slideshow by clicking HERE. This really wasn't that hard to do and what a great way for parents to see exactly where there kids learn everyday! I really buy into that phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" and the more pictures that I feel I can have on my website, the less that I need to write or describe. Even just by posting pictures of student work can be so powerful. It has long been a practice of teachers to hang stuff around the room. It makes the room look GREAT! However, how many people will actually see it. Now, with these tools we can simply take a few snapshots, edit them (if needed) and post them on our websites... all within a matter of minutes. What a great tool!
I have used Picnik for quite some time now... I have to say that it is the simplest photo editing tool that I have ever seen or used. My wife uses it for all of the pictures that she takes and needs to edit. My students use it all the time as well, it really is a tool for all ages.
So... I took pictures of my classroom and made a "Classroom Tour" on my website. You can view the slideshow by clicking HERE. This really wasn't that hard to do and what a great way for parents to see exactly where there kids learn everyday! I really buy into that phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words" and the more pictures that I feel I can have on my website, the less that I need to write or describe. Even just by posting pictures of student work can be so powerful. It has long been a practice of teachers to hang stuff around the room. It makes the room look GREAT! However, how many people will actually see it. Now, with these tools we can simply take a few snapshots, edit them (if needed) and post them on our websites... all within a matter of minutes. What a great tool!
Essential #6 - All About MY Website
I really enjoy working with the website. To me, it is an essential part of communication with those outside your classroom. It is an "extension" of the classroom. You can view my website by clicking here.
I try to have a website that I do not need to keep up everyday. I add some things to my websites such as video clips (under My Resources) or student work. I recently added a "feed" from Twitter which will begin to allow me to post updates using Twitter in no time.
I also have my website linked to Moodle sites, blogs or chat rooms that I also use with my students. It is also a place where I will put surveys or assignments for students. I do not have a ton of pictures of my classroom or my students on my website, maybe this is an area that I could improve on.
Please check out my site...let me know what you think by adding a comment below.
I try to have a website that I do not need to keep up everyday. I add some things to my websites such as video clips (under My Resources) or student work. I recently added a "feed" from Twitter which will begin to allow me to post updates using Twitter in no time.
I also have my website linked to Moodle sites, blogs or chat rooms that I also use with my students. It is also a place where I will put surveys or assignments for students. I do not have a ton of pictures of my classroom or my students on my website, maybe this is an area that I could improve on.
Please check out my site...let me know what you think by adding a comment below.
Essential #5 - Google Docs
I have used Google Docs for quite some time, from many different perspectives. From that of a professional collaborating with colleagues, to that of a coach collaborating with players, parents and assistants to that of a teacher using it with students to foster collaboration between them.
I use Google Docs the most to collaborate on projects with colleagues. Whether its a PowerPoint, spreadsheet, or a word document, I have found Google Docs to be a very useful tool.
I also like two other features within Google Apps. I really like Google Forms and Google Calendar. Both of these can serve a purpose in education. Google Forms can gather information as good as any other tool that I have seen out there and Google Claendar is another example of how using Google Apps can foster collaboration among people. You can add/delete events and share a calendar with whomever you choose to do so.
It is a very, very powerful tool, there really are no limits to what you can do using Google Apps.
I use Google Docs the most to collaborate on projects with colleagues. Whether its a PowerPoint, spreadsheet, or a word document, I have found Google Docs to be a very useful tool.
I also like two other features within Google Apps. I really like Google Forms and Google Calendar. Both of these can serve a purpose in education. Google Forms can gather information as good as any other tool that I have seen out there and Google Claendar is another example of how using Google Apps can foster collaboration among people. You can add/delete events and share a calendar with whomever you choose to do so.
It is a very, very powerful tool, there really are no limits to what you can do using Google Apps.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Essential #4 - Skype
I have had a Skype account for awhile now. I first discovered Skype as a "fix" for the issue of living two and a half hours away from my in-laws. It was really a necessity once we had kids, I mean they really weren't that worried about seeing us when we talked, but with the kids, it was a whole new ballgame. Skype proved to be such a good thing that I remember that we looked more and more if we could incorporate into the district and use it for professional/educational use. Sure enough we did just that.
Skype is an excellent tool that I use every single day in my classroom. The first question some ask is why do you want to see everybody you talk to. Well, the short answer is... you don't. I really don't actually use the web-cam feature very much on Skype. By far, I use the chat feature the most. This allows me to ask a quick question of a colleague or to have them ask me a quick question, rather than send an e-mail, wait for it to be read, then wait for a response. Next, I would have to say that I use the audio call the second most. Here, I can just be talking to someone while I am still working on the computer. It is great for those meetings/calls where you have to look up information or work on a project as you are speaking to somebody. And finally, I do use the video feature, just not as much.
I have seen the video feature used to Skype in guest speakers or famous authors. In fact, if you are looking to Skype in an author, check out: http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/. Here, you will find many authors who are willing to Skype into your classroom for 15 minutes (longer costs money), but many of the 15 minute session(s) offered are FREE!
There are many uses for Skype, both professionally and personally. Try it out, Skype me sometime... my username is dmitch528. It truly is one of those tools, that the more you use it, the more it will become part of your everyday routine.
Skype is an excellent tool that I use every single day in my classroom. The first question some ask is why do you want to see everybody you talk to. Well, the short answer is... you don't. I really don't actually use the web-cam feature very much on Skype. By far, I use the chat feature the most. This allows me to ask a quick question of a colleague or to have them ask me a quick question, rather than send an e-mail, wait for it to be read, then wait for a response. Next, I would have to say that I use the audio call the second most. Here, I can just be talking to someone while I am still working on the computer. It is great for those meetings/calls where you have to look up information or work on a project as you are speaking to somebody. And finally, I do use the video feature, just not as much.
I have seen the video feature used to Skype in guest speakers or famous authors. In fact, if you are looking to Skype in an author, check out: http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/. Here, you will find many authors who are willing to Skype into your classroom for 15 minutes (longer costs money), but many of the 15 minute session(s) offered are FREE!
There are many uses for Skype, both professionally and personally. Try it out, Skype me sometime... my username is dmitch528. It truly is one of those tools, that the more you use it, the more it will become part of your everyday routine.
Essential #3 - Twitter
This is the post that I am looking most forward to. I understand that many of you out there really don't see 1) the need or 2) even the point of Twitter. Well, let me just tell you I am a firm believer of the power of Twitter. It has taken my learning to a whole new level. I mean the amount of information that I receive on Twitter each and ever day is truly remarkable.
I will say a few things concerning Twitter. First off, you have to give it 2-4 weeks to see the full power of it. I am serious when I say that I went a good month before I really realized that all of the information and resources that I could exposed to using Twitter. It is truly remarkable.
With Twitter by far and away the most important thing is who and how many do you follow. First, let me start with the how many. I think to start you may want to pick a low number to follow, as you don't want to get inundated with "tweets". The next thing is finding the RIGHT people to follow. Listed below are some good ones...
@web20classroom - Technology Educator from North Carolina
@bjnichols - Elementary principal from Virginia
@nmhs_principal - High School principal from New Jersey
@tinneyc - Supervisor of IT, Livonia Public Schools.
@rmbryne - creator of freetech4teachers.com
These are some top notch people in education that you should be following... feel free to follow me, I'm @dmitch528.
Thanks.
I will say a few things concerning Twitter. First off, you have to give it 2-4 weeks to see the full power of it. I am serious when I say that I went a good month before I really realized that all of the information and resources that I could exposed to using Twitter. It is truly remarkable.
With Twitter by far and away the most important thing is who and how many do you follow. First, let me start with the how many. I think to start you may want to pick a low number to follow, as you don't want to get inundated with "tweets". The next thing is finding the RIGHT people to follow. Listed below are some good ones...
@web20classroom - Technology Educator from North Carolina
@bjnichols - Elementary principal from Virginia
@nmhs_principal - High School principal from New Jersey
@tinneyc - Supervisor of IT, Livonia Public Schools.
@rmbryne - creator of freetech4teachers.com
These are some top notch people in education that you should be following... feel free to follow me, I'm @dmitch528.
Thanks.
Essential #2 - Blogs
Setting up the blog was pretty simple. I have set up a blog before using Blogger. I think that the process is straight forward. I do think that when posting it takes some getting used to as you are limited in your editing tools. I think that blogging serves a purpose and the use of blogs has exploded over the recent years. There are a number of blogs that I currently follow.
I am now looking at having my students blog. Three of my classes (two 7th and one 8th) use a tool called kidblog.org. This is a great tool. I am finding out that my students really look forward to writing when I allow them to blog about things. There are times when you could hear a pin drop in my classroom when the students are working on their blogs. I encourage all of you to check it out.
As far as which blogs are my favorite, I have a few. First, the one that has shown me the most in terms of tech resources for educators has to be freetech4teachers.com. This blog is run by a teacher up in Maine who does a whale of a job putting up resources for educators from all content areas. Another one that I check quite often and have a great deal of respect for is a blog by Karl Fisch entitled "The Fischbowl". Karl Fisch is an educator from Colorado who is best know for his series of "Did You Know" videos. His latest is "Did You Know 4.0".
These are just a few of the blogs that I follow. Twitter is a tool that has helped me follow a large number of blogs at once, as every time that a person "posts" to his/her blog, they usually "tweet" about the post as well and provide you with a link. Twitter is a great tool.
I am now looking at having my students blog. Three of my classes (two 7th and one 8th) use a tool called kidblog.org. This is a great tool. I am finding out that my students really look forward to writing when I allow them to blog about things. There are times when you could hear a pin drop in my classroom when the students are working on their blogs. I encourage all of you to check it out.
As far as which blogs are my favorite, I have a few. First, the one that has shown me the most in terms of tech resources for educators has to be freetech4teachers.com. This blog is run by a teacher up in Maine who does a whale of a job putting up resources for educators from all content areas. Another one that I check quite often and have a great deal of respect for is a blog by Karl Fisch entitled "The Fischbowl". Karl Fisch is an educator from Colorado who is best know for his series of "Did You Know" videos. His latest is "Did You Know 4.0".
These are just a few of the blogs that I follow. Twitter is a tool that has helped me follow a large number of blogs at once, as every time that a person "posts" to his/her blog, they usually "tweet" about the post as well and provide you with a link. Twitter is a great tool.
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