Reflection

I feel so much more informed after completing this online training! My favorite tools are: blogs, image generators and mashups, google tools, skype, wikis and the bookmarking sites. I would really like for my students to each complete a blog that displays their learning over the course of the year. It would be really powerful for them to see their progress and to be able to share it with others. I also plan on using google docs to have my students complete joint reports in science after a science lab. In addition, I am really excited about the prospect of working with other classrooms on a project using skype. This training really allowed me to see that I need to use technology seamlessly within the classroom. This training has made be look at the upcoming year very differently because I really want to use these tools within my classroom and become very comfortable with them. This has also made be realize that I need to be more proactive in learning about the new types of technology out there. The only thing that surprised me from this training was the incredibly amount of new technology that is being used by the digital community. I was amazed at all of the new ideas that I was introduced to.

Tool #11

Our world has rapidly changed into a digital world where information is shared instantly via the Internet. Because of this fact, teachers have to instruct their students on how to be productive members of the digital community. One the most important concepts I want my students to learn is how to be safe on the Internet. Students need to know what information is appropriate to share with others and what can can be potentially dangerous. Students need to know how to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate sites and pieces of information, and be responsible enough to report it. Another really important idea that students need to understand is how to be digitally literate. They need to feel comfortable navigating the many different programs and applications available to them in order to maximize their learning experience. A third standard of digital citizenship that needs to be met by my students is digital etiquette. Students need to know the proper conduct to have while using the web. Each of these ideas need to be taught before the students embark on a project or use the Internet. The expectations need to be clearly defined just like those used within the classroom setting, so as to ensure a productive learning environment.

Tool #10

The ipad, itouch software from mac has a lot of cool free apps than can be used by teachers in the classroom. For students, they can use the camera, photoshop and video apps. The planetarium app is really cool for charting the moon phases. Mobile google docs would be very useful is they had to work on a project outside of the lab. I like the measurement tools for math and science assignments. The nasa and planets apps could be very useful in science.
I don't have one of these devices but I have played around with ones from friends and colleagues. They are really good for professional uses to keep a person organized. I love the note taking and time keeping applications. In class, students can use these application while working on projects in the lab or out of the classroom. The mobile feature is a great way to leave the pencil and paper behind. I could see my students using the photo and video apps to add to their Photostory, blogs, or wiki pages.

Tool #9

Jing, Skype and Screencast are going to be really fun tools to use in the classroom. I already have used skype to communicate with my family in other states. It is really great because my daughter gets to see her grandparents 100's of miles away! For the classroom, I like the idea of interviewing authors or community leaders. I like the idea of collaborating with a class from another country using skype and then using google docs to work together on it. I thought it was also cool to go on a "field trip using skype" Jing and screencast can be used in many ways as well. Jing can be useful when creating a project and needing images that can be uploaded directly to your applications. Screencast can be very useful for classroom demonstrations especially if they need to be revisited. I can see students using screencast to display their learning of a particular subject or technology.

Tool #8

I use video in my classroom a lot primarily from united streaming, brainpop and NASA. Using Blinx was a bit frustrating because the amount of videos you get from a search is huge. I liked using Hulu and teacher tube. Videos are a great way to introduce a topic or expand on an idea. Its great for the students to have the visual representation of the topic to help them understand what they are learning. The videos I selected could be used to elaborate on the topics discussed in class.

Tool #7

Using Photostory was really easy. Photostory would be really fun for students to use within the classroom for projects. I could see them doing book summaries and science presentations and many other types of projects. They will have a blast recording audio and adding sound. This application is really kid friendly and easy to navigate. For some reason, my video never uploaded to my blog! It seems that a lot of people are having that problem!

Tool #6

Wow wikis are really cool! I was so impressed after visiting some of the wikis on the pbworks website! The possibilities for classroom use are endless! Mr. Boyer's class page on the PBworks site is really nice. Students and parents can create the site together to display completed projects. There are so many things you can do with a wiki, the problem is where to begin! I really liked the idea of completing group projects in a wiki like a group report on a science experiment where each student completes a part of the scientific process.