Starting a Delicious account was fast and easy- however, it will not allow me to add the 'add link' button to the toolbar. I think this will make adding links a little more time consuming than it should be, however, it will be worth it to ensure that I can accss my bookmarks from any computer.
I think that tagging your links is a great idea, because if you want to find a site about something, you can look for the tags and not have to rifle through a whole lot of sites that may not be useful.
I don't really have much more to say about this...it's a great resource and one that I am sure I will utilise both at home and school. :)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Module 6
Although I had heard of Flickr before, I didn't really know much about it. To be honest, I thought it was like PhotoBucket...or even like storing pictures on Facebook.I love the way you can group photos together on Flickr...I also like how you can tag your photos. Flickr is user friendly, and I was able to get in by using my Google account, which makes it all very easy to use.
I did not wish to put personal photos up, and I wanted to avoid copyright issues, so I uploaded the sample pics that were already installed on my computer.
Flickr can be used in the classroom to store photos taken by the children (Eg: Photo of the Day), excursion photos, concert photos- you name it. It is very important to ensure that the photos are not viewable by the general public, so ensure the security settings are set appropriately.
I will certainly be using my newly set up Flickr account- in fact I will set up a personal one as well as a school account. Flickr really is a great way to share images with the people you choose.
Module 5
While completing Module 5, I focussed on learning to use Glogster. This is a wonderul resource for making posters online and bringing them to life with video and audio.
I made a simple Glogster- not artistic in the slightest as I just wanted to learn how to put up the images, audio and video. It's not hard to use, and you are only limited by your imagination. I saved my mindmap from Bubbl.us and posted it to my Glogster, and added some video from TeachersTube and a sound file from my computer. I also put up a few images from my computer! This took me around 5 minutes, so it it really fast and easy to do.
My kindies could work with their buddies to make posters to present to their peers...I would have loved to have knowledge of this earlier, because I could have used it during our 'Living Things' unit when my students made life cycle posters. I could have had a group working on a Glogster along with our Teacher's Aide...or all of the children could have worked on a Glogster with their buddy. This technology opens up a whole new world of collating information and presenting it- absolutely amazing!
I made a simple Glogster- not artistic in the slightest as I just wanted to learn how to put up the images, audio and video. It's not hard to use, and you are only limited by your imagination. I saved my mindmap from Bubbl.us and posted it to my Glogster, and added some video from TeachersTube and a sound file from my computer. I also put up a few images from my computer! This took me around 5 minutes, so it it really fast and easy to do.
My kindies could work with their buddies to make posters to present to their peers...I would have loved to have knowledge of this earlier, because I could have used it during our 'Living Things' unit when my students made life cycle posters. I could have had a group working on a Glogster along with our Teacher's Aide...or all of the children could have worked on a Glogster with their buddy. This technology opens up a whole new world of collating information and presenting it- absolutely amazing!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Module 4
Storytelling...it has come a long way in the past 10 years or so! Digital storytelling- what a wonderous concept! While I have very fond memories of the picture books of my own childhood, I can't ignore the fact that there are new ways to tell a story.
Having a Smartboard in my classroom is a wonderful resource, and we view many stories in this way. Youtube is a wonderful resource, and one that I utilise daily in my classroom. There is a beautiful range of Eric Carle books and animations on Youtube which my Kindergarten class love.
Take one of the classics, Rosie's Walk. My Kindergarten students love the animated version available on Youtube (which incidentally was originally made in the 1970's on a film reel). I have a lovely story regarding this video. In my class I have a boy from Vietnam who has almost no English. His understanding of English is absolutely minimal, however, whenever he watches the Rosie's Walk video he laughs so hard. He loves it. This is a prime example of how visual little people can be. He gets a special enjoyment from the video that he would not get from the still pictures of the book. In this way "J" is included in the storytelling experience. We can build on his language by talking about the story.
I use Audacity to record myself reading the Benchmark readers for my children to listen to on an iPod. In this way, they can read along and listen to reading modelled by an experienced reader. I also use Audacity to record the children reading, so that they can listen to themselves and reflect on how they sound. I have found that this has assisted greatly with fluency and expression.
Having a Smartboard in my classroom is a wonderful resource, and we view many stories in this way. Youtube is a wonderful resource, and one that I utilise daily in my classroom. There is a beautiful range of Eric Carle books and animations on Youtube which my Kindergarten class love.
Take one of the classics, Rosie's Walk. My Kindergarten students love the animated version available on Youtube (which incidentally was originally made in the 1970's on a film reel). I have a lovely story regarding this video. In my class I have a boy from Vietnam who has almost no English. His understanding of English is absolutely minimal, however, whenever he watches the Rosie's Walk video he laughs so hard. He loves it. This is a prime example of how visual little people can be. He gets a special enjoyment from the video that he would not get from the still pictures of the book. In this way "J" is included in the storytelling experience. We can build on his language by talking about the story.
I use Audacity to record myself reading the Benchmark readers for my children to listen to on an iPod. In this way, they can read along and listen to reading modelled by an experienced reader. I also use Audacity to record the children reading, so that they can listen to themselves and reflect on how they sound. I have found that this has assisted greatly with fluency and expression.
Module 3
I am very excited to report that I can now create a Google doc, presentation and a form! I just created a form with multiple choice questions for our Staff Christmas Party! The possibilities with Google Docs is endless.
I would definitely use this in the classroom- homework tasks could be done online, comprehension activities, writing, Maths tasks...as I said before- endless.
Presently I have Kindergarten, so I would have to put a lot of thought into how this could be utilised, but off the top of my head, children could keep an online journal of what has been learnt, they could put their spelling words into sentences and answer simple mental problems.
I love the idea of children being able to work collaboratively on documents, however, I feel this is more suited to primary and high school students.
As a teacher, I am sure we could use Google Docs to create programs, units of work and even work together to update policies etc.
At the risk of seeming a little too keen, I will be actively searching for opportunities to appropriately incorporate Google Docs into my teaching. I have jumped on board a little late for this teaching year, but next year is filled with possibilities!
I would definitely use this in the classroom- homework tasks could be done online, comprehension activities, writing, Maths tasks...as I said before- endless.
Presently I have Kindergarten, so I would have to put a lot of thought into how this could be utilised, but off the top of my head, children could keep an online journal of what has been learnt, they could put their spelling words into sentences and answer simple mental problems.
I love the idea of children being able to work collaboratively on documents, however, I feel this is more suited to primary and high school students.
As a teacher, I am sure we could use Google Docs to create programs, units of work and even work together to update policies etc.
At the risk of seeming a little too keen, I will be actively searching for opportunities to appropriately incorporate Google Docs into my teaching. I have jumped on board a little late for this teaching year, but next year is filled with possibilities!
Module 2
I have just completed the 2nd module in the Web 2.0 course. As I said the last time I completed the 2nd module, I am not sure exactly what information I should put in this blog. I will start with some of my reflections on looking at the links provided...
The 21st century learner need to be engaged with a range of resources- with technology being extremely important because these children have been born into an age where technology is a part of our every day lives. Most children have daily access to computers, iPads, ipods...it is imperative that, as educators, we understand the best ways to intergrate these products into our everyday teaching,
Having taught Kindergarten for the past two years, I have seen first hand how much knowledge these little ones come to school with regarding ICT- the students in my class were more adept at using iPads than I was! Fortunately that has now changed and we are learning from each other.
Having access to the range of tools offered in Web 2.0 will be a huge asset to me as a teacher, and to the young learners in my class.
The 21st century learner need to be engaged with a range of resources- with technology being extremely important because these children have been born into an age where technology is a part of our every day lives. Most children have daily access to computers, iPads, ipods...it is imperative that, as educators, we understand the best ways to intergrate these products into our everyday teaching,
Having taught Kindergarten for the past two years, I have seen first hand how much knowledge these little ones come to school with regarding ICT- the students in my class were more adept at using iPads than I was! Fortunately that has now changed and we are learning from each other.
Having access to the range of tools offered in Web 2.0 will be a huge asset to me as a teacher, and to the young learners in my class.
Module 1 (Take two)
Hello all!
Here I am again, attempting the Web 2.0 course. I am looking forward to completing the whole course this time- bringing myself and my students into the 21st century.
Here I am again, attempting the Web 2.0 course. I am looking forward to completing the whole course this time- bringing myself and my students into the 21st century.
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