Thing 21

I LOVE PHOTOSTORY!! I don't have access to a microphone, so Audacity is something that I will have to check out and play with later. Here is my photostory!

Thing 20

I really liked teacher tube. Some videos are much more intersting than others, but it will be useful. I can add clips to my flipcharts and discussion boards. The video that I watched is below.



I will have to find better videos before I use them in the classroom. Hopefully, videos that are much more engaging. But, at least I learned how to embed the video in my posts! Yea me!

Thing 17

I have created a search roll, but it is not working very well for me. I also cannot seem to link it. Maybe its the exhaustion of having just given birth to a child, but this "thing" is frustrating me to no end. Maybe my husband can explain it to me and I can try again later.

Thing 19

Well my personal favorite of the sites is facebook. I have found it very useful for reconnecting with people that I have lost touch with. It is also easier to communicate with friends that live in other cities, especially since I have 3 little ones at home that make it very difficult to talk on the phone for extended periods of time. However, I have not figured out a way to make it very useful in my classroom. I am not even sure that it is a site that the district allows us to visit. The application I can see myself using daily is PBwiki. I love the site and the freedom that it allows for the students to be able to interact and collaborate. It is very easy to set up, and easy to use.

Thing 18

I really like being able to work on Microsoft without having to open the office suite. It is very productive and convenient when you are working on a MAC. It lets you use the technology that you are familiar with (PC) while still being able to take advantage of all of the WONDERFUL things that a MAC has to offer. It is also convenient when you are somewhere where the Microsoft suite is not installed. For example, when i need to check something at my in-laws house, it is very helpful because they do not have the office suite installed on their computer.

Thing 16

I absolutely love wikis! I used them this past school year with my 4th grade class, and it was wonderful. Now that I am making the transition to middle school, I feel that I will able to do much more with them. I love the idea about using them for group note taking; I think that I will try it when school is back in session. Overall, I think wikis are great tools that are not complicated to implement in the classroom.

Thing 15

I think that transforming libraries is a necessity if we are going to continue to keep our students engaged in the world around them. Often times, students do not explore more in depth about a subject that they are covering in class because they do not want to pick up an encyclopedia to find out more. Library 2.0 gives the students a way to dig deeper while remaining engaged in the subject matter. Transforming our libraries will also help students to use the library more to find out about subjects that are interesting to them: not necessarily just items they are studying in school. This will serve them better, and allow them to become more well rounded learners. It also helps to give them the tools they need to take responsibility for their own learning.