Today I decided to embed a tutorial video I viewed about using Edmodo, since I'm thinking about employing this web 2.0 tool with my fifth grade class next year.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Thing 16: Video Sharing
This afternoon I'm exploring all the great videos to be found on youtube and teachertube with regard to education, school libraries, and technology in the classroom. I've used these video sharing sites before when guiding my parents to a visual model of how some of our "new math" looks like and works in the classroom. The feedback I've received from them is that actually viewing a teacher using these newer models of computation has helped them assist their children with homework.
Today I decided to embed a tutorial video I viewed about using Edmodo, since I'm thinking about employing this web 2.0 tool with my fifth grade class next year.
Today I decided to embed a tutorial video I viewed about using Edmodo, since I'm thinking about employing this web 2.0 tool with my fifth grade class next year.
Thing 15: Podcasts and Vidcasts
Today I used photostory to create a vidcast of my students participating in a mock classroom debate between the Patriots and the Loyalists and later presenting colonial projects. The actual process of creation was very easy and really quite fun. I wish I'd had more pics and a better selection of music! Uploading the vidcast to my blog was the tricky part. And it does take a while once you've placed it in your blog to actually be 'present'.
Thing 13: Online Applications and Tools
I went to my google.docs page today and finally added a profile photo...and it shows up on my blogs too! I also uploaded a recent photo of my two youngest grandsons.
During the school year my district sponsored a google.docs page for every classroom teacher. I tried to find it earlier today, but wasn't able to locate it. My district's website is under construction, so I'll keep trying. My classroom page listed my daily schedule, upcoming events, assessment calendar and I had a featured sites spot for students and parents to link to free websites providing extra practice in math fluency, problem solving or vocabulary. I would also upload classroom photos throughout the year of special events or student presentations. I'll bring that link to this blog entry when I find it.
During the school year my district sponsored a google.docs page for every classroom teacher. I tried to find it earlier today, but wasn't able to locate it. My district's website is under construction, so I'll keep trying. My classroom page listed my daily schedule, upcoming events, assessment calendar and I had a featured sites spot for students and parents to link to free websites providing extra practice in math fluency, problem solving or vocabulary. I would also upload classroom photos throughout the year of special events or student presentations. I'll bring that link to this blog entry when I find it.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thing 14: More Online Applications and Tools
This evening's task was to explore online presentations with Prezi.
Six months ago my school's TIS introduced teachers to Prezi and other Web 2.0 tools for education during a half-day professional development course. I grabbed onto Prezi and then later used for presentations in a Young Children's Literature Class.
Really enjoyed learning about this artist/author and was able to present an author study using Prezi.
http://prezi.com/a6dgujxm_lew/lois-ehlert-author-illustrator-naturalist/
Six months ago my school's TIS introduced teachers to Prezi and other Web 2.0 tools for education during a half-day professional development course. I grabbed onto Prezi and then later used for presentations in a Young Children's Literature Class.
Really enjoyed learning about this artist/author and was able to present an author study using Prezi.
http://prezi.com/a6dgujxm_lew/lois-ehlert-author-illustrator-naturalist/
Thing 12: Microblogging
This afternoon I joined Twitter! My username is Gloria Miller@swikmiller, so readers of my blog can follow me. I'm only currently following three people: my son (who hasn't tweeted in 6 months), my media/technology instructor and a friend from church. I had the option of adding friends from my yahoo mail account, but that hasn't been weeded in years. I couldn't tell from the pop-up if I was going to be allowed to be selective in my choices of who to follow, so I opted out of that choice. I did search for various library/education related twitter accounts to follow. One of the seven high schools in my school district has an active twitter account. My school has a twitter account also, but it hasn't been used in almost four years. I have not downloaded Twitter to my mobile phone--I've blown up my data usage this past month and have to investigate unlimited date usage first. Am I catching up with technological advances or are they catching up with me? Stay tuned.
I know that twitter is all the rage among high-school age students; the question is whether they will follow a school or public library. Harris County Public Library has a tween twitter account and my local branch, Freeman Library, has its own twitter. I will investigate and perhaps follow as I become more comfortable with 'tweeting'.
I know that twitter is all the rage among high-school age students; the question is whether they will follow a school or public library. Harris County Public Library has a tween twitter account and my local branch, Freeman Library, has its own twitter. I will investigate and perhaps follow as I become more comfortable with 'tweeting'.
Thing 11: Play in the Sandbox
This morning I joined a professional group wiki--PISD's librarian wiki. I can definitely see worth in establishing and maintaining a group wiki for a select group of educators(e.g librarians) or educators at large. Information is shared and all in one place for any individual of that group to access. Calendars, questions, comments, etc. are consolidated and the collaboration/communication possibilities are improved among that group's members.
School Wikis
This morning I am investigating the use of wikis in the schools. Wikis are websites that let visitors become participants. In my media/technology class we are using a PBworks wiki for class discussion, assignments and follow-through. As students, we needed to be invited to join this wiki. PBworks seems to be more suited for high-school and college educational purposes. Another type of wiki that is more popular in K-12 education is Wikispaces.
As a fifth grade teacher and prospective elementary school librarian, Wikispaces would probably suit my purposes better. I viewed several wikis set up in elementary and middle schools; their sites included class calendars with hyperlinks, listings of safe web 2.0 tools with hyperlinks, parent-interest sites and virtual libraries. Other uses for a school wiki include student-generated study guides, discussion boards for lesson topics, and collections of research projects. As an educator, the first question before establishing a wiki is how it will be used to enhance instruction in your classroom or library. If inter-active student collaboration is intended, then a wiki is preferable to setting up a classroom blog or teacher's webpage on Google.docs. However, the security considerations of a school wiki are weightier than a classroom blog or webpage. A teacher/librarian must decide who may join and edit the wiki and who will moderate for appropriateness. In an elementary school there may also be district policy restrictions on the use of student names, photos, and security settings. District filters often set up a firewall preventing the use of wikis on district licenced computers.
Currently I have a google.docs page for my classroom which informs parents and teachers of calendar events, curriculum pointers, and featured sites. Owing to the many security issues surrounding wikis in an elementary school setting, this is the teacher/student/parent communication tool I will probably continue to use for now.
As a fifth grade teacher and prospective elementary school librarian, Wikispaces would probably suit my purposes better. I viewed several wikis set up in elementary and middle schools; their sites included class calendars with hyperlinks, listings of safe web 2.0 tools with hyperlinks, parent-interest sites and virtual libraries. Other uses for a school wiki include student-generated study guides, discussion boards for lesson topics, and collections of research projects. As an educator, the first question before establishing a wiki is how it will be used to enhance instruction in your classroom or library. If inter-active student collaboration is intended, then a wiki is preferable to setting up a classroom blog or teacher's webpage on Google.docs. However, the security considerations of a school wiki are weightier than a classroom blog or webpage. A teacher/librarian must decide who may join and edit the wiki and who will moderate for appropriateness. In an elementary school there may also be district policy restrictions on the use of student names, photos, and security settings. District filters often set up a firewall preventing the use of wikis on district licenced computers.
Currently I have a google.docs page for my classroom which informs parents and teachers of calendar events, curriculum pointers, and featured sites. Owing to the many security issues surrounding wikis in an elementary school setting, this is the teacher/student/parent communication tool I will probably continue to use for now.
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