Week 8 Thing 19
The question posed, "How can you use Google for Educators in the classroom?" is one that is difficult to answer; it's difficult NOT to be able to find an application for the information presented on this site! From this web site's suggestions, to its lists of references and tools, there's a wonderful smorgasbord of information for the educator. From my perspective, the difficulty lies in remembering to use what is offered. It takes time to become familiar with the tools and to get beyond the klutzy stage so that usage is smooth and second nature. I can see myself using Google Earth (found in Geo Education) during my unit on rocks and minerals. Locating diamond and silver mines throughout the world and then examining them closely would be an engaging way to allow my students to understand the impact of mining on our environment. Using the Book Search feature would be another tool, in addition to Amazon.com, when searching for a particular book. I have bookmarked several of the tools offered on this site and know that I'll get some mileage out of them.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, October 15, 2010
Rugrat-ical Technology: Five Truths of Teaching Tech to Elementary Students | Edutopia
Rugrat-ical Technology: Five Truths of Teaching Tech to Elementary Students Edutopia
This is a great article if you're looking for suggestions on how to incorporate technology into primary classrooms. I especially like the formula:
This is a great article if you're looking for suggestions on how to incorporate technology into primary classrooms. I especially like the formula:
Time + Exposure = Progress
As with all endeavors, the more time that is spent on it, the more facile with the task a user becomes. Several interesting web sites are given that can be used with kids. I had forgotten about one of them - PB Works. No passwords for students are needed to use this site. Tumblr.com and Prezi were new to me and definitely look like something to investigate. There are just SO many tools out there that it makes my head spin. My list of favorites is way out of hand.
Monday, October 11, 2010
On-Line Productivity Tools
Week 8: Thing 18
For this exercise, I chose to examine the capabilities of Zoho Writer - an on-line word processor. The difference between Microsoft Word and Zoho Writer is that on Zoho, I can save any document that I create and then view it at any time from any computer. When I create, for example, a spelling worksheet on my home computer, I have to send it to myself via e-mail in order to view it at St. John's. This is a regular step in the process of being able to access and use it. Au contraire, with Zoho, I can create the same document in its word processor, save it, and then view it from any computer. So, there's no need to send it to myself. The document sits in cypberspace waiting for me to retrieve it. Now, when my personal computer gets a virus and refuses to let me view my saved documents, it's not a problem IF I've used Zoho to create them. Very cool!
To test this tool, I thought that I would create a word document and then move it to my blog on Blogster. This is my second attempt to do it, and I'm not 100% sure what I did wrong; however, instead of typing
For this exercise, I chose to examine the capabilities of Zoho Writer - an on-line word processor. The difference between Microsoft Word and Zoho Writer is that on Zoho, I can save any document that I create and then view it at any time from any computer. When I create, for example, a spelling worksheet on my home computer, I have to send it to myself via e-mail in order to view it at St. John's. This is a regular step in the process of being able to access and use it. Au contraire, with Zoho, I can create the same document in its word processor, save it, and then view it from any computer. So, there's no need to send it to myself. The document sits in cypberspace waiting for me to retrieve it. Now, when my personal computer gets a virus and refuses to let me view my saved documents, it's not a problem IF I've used Zoho to create them. Very cool!
To test this tool, I thought that I would create a word document and then move it to my blog on Blogster. This is my second attempt to do it, and I'm not 100% sure what I did wrong; however, instead of typing
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy river.
a zillion times as a test sentence, I'm going to try to share with myself a childhood song that my sister and I found on the good ole internet. My sister and I shared a double bed as children, and we'd often sing once we were actually in bed. When Kathy, my sister, was in second or third grade, she brought home an April Fool's Day song that we both loved. Our elementary school music teacher had taught it to Kathy's class, and it became a favorite of ours to belt out at night. In a recent phone conversation with Kathy, we somehow began talking about that song, and since we were both on the computer, we began an internet search for it. I'd looked for it before on multiple occasions because I wanted to teach it to my second-graders, but had no luck. So, during that phone conversation, we both began to Google strings of text from the song - she in California, and I in Maryland. I was the first to get a hit, and we were ecstatic to find all of the words to the song, as well as an audio recording and the piano sheet music. It is interesting to note that the piano music referred to this song as a "folk song." When a song is a folk song, it usually means that its origins are unknown. Translate that: It's OLD. Boy, did we feel good about that little tidbit of information. Anyway, here's the song link that will allow you to experience one of my all time favorite kids' songs. I will share it with my students in March so that they will know it by heart by April 1, 2011.
It's a catchy little tune that makes me think of clean sheets, baby-doll pajamas, and many happy nights of singing with Kathy.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
New Discovery
In reading more of the educational wikis, I found one entitled, "Countdown to Christmas." I had to get permission to join this wiki, but after a short delay, was granted access. It turned out that this wiki is being used to post a stairstep of exercises designed to increase Web 2.0 tool knowledge - much like the 23 Things in which we are now engaged. One of the tools that I found interesting was called Wallwisher. This was a fun way to gather information in a bulletin board format. Since my K-2 group is having a team meeting on Tuesday, I used it to gather information for the agenda. Each invited participant was asked to post, on a virtual sticky note, her topic of discussion for the meeting. Here's how it appears:
This is only as good as the people who choose to use it, so if I don't get any responses, it was just an exercise in creativity - albeit a fun one!
This is only as good as the people who choose to use it, so if I don't get any responses, it was just an exercise in creativity - albeit a fun one!
Finding a Meaningful Educational Wiki
Week 7: Thing 17
I think I did it! I found an educational wiki extraordinaire - and it transitions so perfectly from my last post - accidentally, I might add. In my last post, I referenced the workshop that Alecia and Sarah had given during the last school year on Cool New Tools. Under the C's of the Educational Wikis, I came across a wiki of a very similar name and had a look at it. Wow, what a treasure trove of Web 2.0 tools! It is a reference site organized by type of tool and is complete with links. Love it, love it, love it! If you are not, as yet, a member of Wikispaces, you might have to create an account, but it's not as big of a production as is joining some web sites. Additionally, if you have been at St. John's for at least two years, I think that you already have a Wikispace account because of our Global Village Project. (I might be wrong about that, but I found that I already had an account while I was attempting to create a new one. Clueless!) The creator, I'm guessing, chose to place this on a wiki so that you or I could add missing tools to it, hence making it a collaborative effort. Here's the info:
I think I did it! I found an educational wiki extraordinaire - and it transitions so perfectly from my last post - accidentally, I might add. In my last post, I referenced the workshop that Alecia and Sarah had given during the last school year on Cool New Tools. Under the C's of the Educational Wikis, I came across a wiki of a very similar name and had a look at it. Wow, what a treasure trove of Web 2.0 tools! It is a reference site organized by type of tool and is complete with links. Love it, love it, love it! If you are not, as yet, a member of Wikispaces, you might have to create an account, but it's not as big of a production as is joining some web sites. Additionally, if you have been at St. John's for at least two years, I think that you already have a Wikispace account because of our Global Village Project. (I might be wrong about that, but I found that I already had an account while I was attempting to create a new one. Clueless!) The creator, I'm guessing, chose to place this on a wiki so that you or I could add missing tools to it, hence making it a collaborative effort. Here's the info:
Wiki: Cool Tools For Schools
Teacher: Lenva Shearing (Blog)
School: Bucklands Beach Intermediate School, Auckland, New Zealand
Description: A site to help teachers and students find web2.0 tools to suit their needs and purpose.
School: Bucklands Beach Intermediate School, Auckland, New Zealand
Description: A site to help teachers and students find web2.0 tools to suit their needs and purpose.
I've bookmarked it, and know that I will often refer to this site. Blimey!
So Much Fun!
Last October, I think, Alecia and Sarah held a workshop about Cool New Tools and Where to Find Them. I had the pleasure of attending the workshop, and now, because I joined many of the sites during that workshop, regularly get e-mails wanting me to use them again. I just received such an e-mail from the site, Xtranormal, and just for giggles began creating a really ridiculous political movie. It featured Ronald Reagan and Obama standing in front of a fireplace talking about a big chill in the room. I was Skyping with my daughter, Cerissa, right after that, and she shared with me that her professor often used Xtranormal to send out class information. "Well, dang," I thought to myself! "Why in the blazes don't I do that?" So, I created the following little field trip reminder for our second-grade trip to Crystal Grottoes.
Will this help to make the students more mindful of correct field trip behavior? I doubt it; but, the message is made more palatable by its delivery. That's really what the great part about the 2.0 tools is . . . they make our message - whatever it may be - more engaging, and thus more memorable to our students. My daughter's professor, by the way, is as old as rocks and minerals, and as far as I can tell from our conversations, gets kicked around in conversations just about as much. (She's a little anal retentive I hear). Anyway, I'd advise trying this site out for a good time - and yes, you can call me.
Will this help to make the students more mindful of correct field trip behavior? I doubt it; but, the message is made more palatable by its delivery. That's really what the great part about the 2.0 tools is . . . they make our message - whatever it may be - more engaging, and thus more memorable to our students. My daughter's professor, by the way, is as old as rocks and minerals, and as far as I can tell from our conversations, gets kicked around in conversations just about as much. (She's a little anal retentive I hear). Anyway, I'd advise trying this site out for a good time - and yes, you can call me.
Wikis
Week 7: Thing 16 Learning About Wikis
Wikis are a great tool, especially if you would like your students to be able to work collaboratively on a project. For the parents in my classroom, I maintain a Wetpaint Wiki that I primarily use for embedding videos and my Google Docs calendar. Now that I know about Vimeo, however, I will eventually give up the wiki as a communication tool. I haven't tried to use a wiki as a collaborative web site with my second - graders, but now that I know how technologically advanced they are (through weekly trips to the computer lab), I may give it a shot. Last year, I used a wiki for information sharing for our Christmas luncheon, and I think that it was helpful to our students and faculty. The best thing about a wiki is that it allows everyone to view information, to edit it, and to create a project comprised of multiple minds. I read Wikipedia regularly and am grateful to the contributors who took the time to add their knowledge to the site's myriad subjects. I also think about the poor encyclopedia sales people out there who need to find a new job. My set of encyclopedias from 1983 are still crispy and new - except for certain sections (dogs for example) - but they can't hold a candle to the information on-line. Ahhh . . . progress.
Wikis are a great tool, especially if you would like your students to be able to work collaboratively on a project. For the parents in my classroom, I maintain a Wetpaint Wiki that I primarily use for embedding videos and my Google Docs calendar. Now that I know about Vimeo, however, I will eventually give up the wiki as a communication tool. I haven't tried to use a wiki as a collaborative web site with my second - graders, but now that I know how technologically advanced they are (through weekly trips to the computer lab), I may give it a shot. Last year, I used a wiki for information sharing for our Christmas luncheon, and I think that it was helpful to our students and faculty. The best thing about a wiki is that it allows everyone to view information, to edit it, and to create a project comprised of multiple minds. I read Wikipedia regularly and am grateful to the contributors who took the time to add their knowledge to the site's myriad subjects. I also think about the poor encyclopedia sales people out there who need to find a new job. My set of encyclopedias from 1983 are still crispy and new - except for certain sections (dogs for example) - but they can't hold a candle to the information on-line. Ahhh . . . progress.
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