Thing 5

Facebook is a site that I personally use to keep in contact with friends and collegues. I use it professionally in that, many of my friends are teachers from school. I feel chatting on Facebook allows us to get to know each other better.

I also have a Twitter account, however I do not use it very often. After watching the CommonCraft show, though, I will try to use it more.

I think that these sites are a wonderful way to communicate with people and a great way for students to get information (like the girl that created the group for the college). I am amazed at the multitude of uses for these social networking sites!

Thing 4

I uploaded a video on Austin...a trip we took this summer. It was super easy to do, and I think my third graders would have no problem posting a video. I think one of the advantages to having them post a video (or photo story project) is that they would be doing it for a larger audience. It could be set to no more than 25 viewers (to protect their privacy), but I think kids will look at a project differently if the audience is more than just the teacher. It is like publishing a piece of writing. Uploading to video hosting sites will allow their work to be viewed by more people, and it will give them more of a purpose for their project.

Thing 3

I love SKYPE! I think I've gone Skype crazy. I added it to my I-Touch and I chat (by texting) all the time now. In the classroom, it will take the place of me running back and forth to other teachers classrooms to get information. I can quickly "skype" them. I think it will also allow students to see that we collaborate with teachers in other grade levels. I would like to use it in my classroom to have an "ask the experts" session, where we (third graders) "skype" the fourth graders and ask about new material that we are learning (that they learned last year).

I also like the idea of using Skype for a homebound student (as mentioned in the blog). Its possibilities are endless!!!

Thing 2

I love Wordle! I would use it to introduce a new unit. i made a wordle for an intro to geometry. Word Sift is awesome too! I love the way you can click on a word! I did one with the scientific Method! But I'm bummed that you can't save it to use in future lessons.

Glogster would be a great tool for bringing a picture to life. it could be used to study a famous person or author, or as a way of presenting a report by adding text, sound, and or video to a still shot. i made one of my kids, and it makes me laugh every time I view it. I think the students would have a ball with this!

Animoto could be something students could use at the end of a unit to summarize thier learning through pictures and sound. I made one on a day in the backyard. It could also be used as a way to tell a story. It could be a form of prewriting...to organize a story. Like a virtual storyboard.

I really enjoyed Bookr. i was a little intimidated after looking at the archive, but I tried to think like a student and I just went for it. i realized you can make your book about anything! This makes for unlimited possibilities in the classroom! My Bookr:

My Summer Goals by Mrs. Lam

Thing 1

Wow! After that video I am hyperventilating! I am aware of how much there is to learn, but it just amazes me to think that my children and students will be getting information and learning in ways that i never did. I know as an educator, that in order to keep up with my students, I must learn the ways of the 21st century. I have a long way to go, but at least this is a start! And yes, I think a librarian can play a big part in helping students learn about technology and retrieving information in new ways. Our librarian is an excellent example of that!!! =)