Thing # 14

I've had a little experience with wikis signing up for special events at school, but that's all. I had no idea there were so many different things you could do. I enjoyed exploring and seeing the collaboration between teachers, students and parents. I thought the sites were organized and easy to read and follow. I could see some the different personalities coming out of the people who created the wikis. Some were very organized and structured and some had cartoons to add a little to their wiki. I loved the site where students set up book discussions about required text. Students can make posts about the novels they are reading in class. There are also games on the site students can play to reinforce skills learned in class. The teacher also made a section for must see T.V. or video that she felt related to class. I think this would be something my son could use in his high school honors classes. Vicki Davis' blog post on her first wiki was great. Her students made places on their wiki for other students to make posts about their projects and assignment. This quickly led to students creating links to other websites. They worked together to study, review and help each other on projects. I plan on revisiting this post again to help me get started next year. I loved looking at all the student projects that were displayed. I think this will not only keep students engaged in learning, but give them a sense of pride and ownership in their work. I was very impressed by the gowest wikispace. The third grade students had to have learn so much. I love how they used thinking maps. They were very specific using the timeline. I think one thing I learned by exploring is that wikis can be used for any grade level and any content. Teachers from k-12th can make a wiki to meet the needs of their classroom.

Thing # 13

I found searching on Delicious easy and fun to use. It was hard for me to decide what to look for first. I searched and found several great sites for reading instruction that will be useful. Next year I will be working with students who struggle in reading, especially nonfiction text. I found several resources I plan to use. I really liked the sites sharing ideas with graphic organizers. These sites share lessons about textmapping and teaching nonfiction text I think Delicious will be a helpful resource at work and at home. I'm always looking for something new to read and was excited to see so many book recommendation sites. Several of my favorite books are books that I would have never picked off the shelf. But, with the recommendation of others decided to try something different and was pleasantly surprised. I look for to using Delicious.

Thing # 7 a

I have to admit that I haven't been as good as I should have about checking my reader. I think it seems like I have so much to read when I check it. But I have to realize that I can pick and choose and I don't have to read everything. I think this will become easier the more I use it. I did read some very sad articles about the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. I like to read articles from The New York Times when I can. The article that really got my attention was where a minister asked the members of his church to bring guns to a service. I am thankful that I live in America and have the rights I do. But I don't want to sit anywhere in a room full of guns, even a church.

Thing # 12

Wow! I feel like I have been living under a rock. There are so many things my students and I can do with these tools. I am going to start using the Tada List right away with the many projects I have planned this summer. I think it would be great to create list for the students to use and hold the responsible for checking off their list. I loved playing on Wordle. It could be used it so many areas such as science, social studies and reading. Letterpop would be a great tool to use for teachers to show pictures of their students working on newsletters that are sent home. I think Quizlet is a great resource for parents and students. I plan on sharing this with my son who is in high school for him to use. The site even has SAT vocabulary words with ways to familiarize yourself with the words, games to play and tests to take. These are just a few of my favorite tools that I know I will use now or in the near future. I can't wait to play more!

Thing #11

I couldn't believe all the images I found on the generators. I never new this was available for us to use. I had fun playing with the different Flickr mashups and generators. I could see how my students and my family could use both to make different signs, poster and logos. I made the trading card of my dog by using Big Huge Labs. The trading cards could be made into several types of games to reinforce objectives taught in the classroom. I had fun playing with the different images on Custom Sign Generators because there were so many funny and creative images.

Thing # 10

I really enjoyed making the slideshow and I can see how this would be a great tool for teachers and students to use. I know students would be very engaged when creating a slideshow to share their learning. Making the slideshow was easy, but I had problems embedding the video to my post.The pictures I selected show that people of all ages and backgrounds can use reading to escape into another world. I know I do.

The pictures selected are from
The Thomaston Library
The Graggs Family and
Read to Dogs by H.H.H. Ellen

Thing # 9

Well, I typed in several different words or themes and seemed to search forever trying to decided what to use. Then I decided that I should find something to do with technology in the classroom since I plan on using what I've learned from this class next year. I enjoyed looking at all the pictures from all over the world and didn't want to get off. I think this could be a fun and creative resource for students and teachers to use. I would like for my students to create their own blogs next year.
Picture selected is from Monique.2424's photostream.

Thing # 8

I have not heard of the Creative Commons until now. What a great idea! I know that as educators we are always learning and get some our best ideas from each other. Creative Commons really opens to door to unlimited materials. We really plan as a team, but our team resources expands so much by using Creative Commons. I think this is a great way for teachers and students to work together especially on projects using the internet. We are always concerned about breaking the strict copyright laws and this will really help teachers and students to have a clear picture of what they can use. I never used digital images or video clips from the web but I hope to next year.

Thing # 7

I have to say that I was a little nervous about commenting on a blog that was outside our class. I guess because this is new to me and maybe I was worried what someone would think. Several of the blogs seemed to help because most people really want to read comments from their readers. I think it is important to try to make comments meaningful so the author really understands what your point is. One thing I didn't think about is that they would want to know more about the person making the comments. When I was reading How to Comment Like a King or Queen it made me realize that information about our backgrounds and experiences would help them to know where we are coming from.

Thing # 6

I think I got a little carried away adding subscriptions to my reader. There are just so many wonderful blogs that I was interested in. I explored many blogs and found several great educational sites. I couldn't help but come back to coolcatteacher. There are so many things on her
blog I stayed on forever. I was excited to see many blogs on programs and mentors for at risk students. I'm hoping this will help me with my new position next year. I did find a scrapbooking blog to subscribe to for fun. I think the more I read and play with the reader the more comfortable I will feel and do a better job navigating.

Thing #5

I've never heard anything about the RSS before and I think it's great. Think of the time it will save you because you don't have to go to each site. I can't wait to share this with my friends. You can control what news you want to be sent to you reader. It really it is like Netflix. I love it! I have to say it is very overwhelming, but interesting. I read many specifics about the cap and trade from the Obama administration and the economic impact of the changing climate. I would have never heard from the evening news. It was an eye opening article from the New York Times that makes me very concerned about the future.

Thing # 4

I really enjoyed reading the different blogs and found them very motivating. I spent a lot of time just exploring each blog. It was fun just playing! Some blogs were very professional and others seemed to be more casual. I really got some wonderful ideas of things that I would love to try in the classroom. I think the thing that struck me the most was that you can make your blog what you need it to me. You can create it to meet the needs of your students. I loved reading the comments about using blogging in the classroom with old routines (self selected reading) but with a new twist. I was touched deeply when I read Patrick's Update. I thought this would be a perfect idea for my new job At Risk Coordinator. I felt this was something I could do with my students next year that could really make a difference in their lives. I can't wait!

Thing # 2

I am amazed at all the endless possibilities that the Web 2.0 can create in classrooms. I know my students and own children are more aware of current technologies than I am. These new technologies create a classroom environment that promotes critical thinking, problem solving, idea sharing, parent and community participation. What a great way for teachers and parents to communicate and keep up to date. It allows the classroom to be part of a global community where students, teachers, parents and community leaders can teach, mentor, solve problems, express and share ideas. This would be a great way to keep students engaged in learning and think out of the box.

Thing # 1

When I read the 7 1/2 Habits of Effective Lifelong Learners I had both positive and negative feelings. I'm very excited about taking this class, but at the same time a little nervous about getting everything done correctly and on time. I feel the hardest challenge for me will be scheduling a time
to dedicate to this class without any interruptions and the confidence in myself to accomplish it. The easiest challenge for me will be to take responsibilty for my learning and to play. I love learning something new and playing with it either with my students or my own children at home. The most important thing for me is to know how to use these new tools and not get frustrated when I come across a problem.

Hello friends,

Welcome to my blog. I know this is going to be a fun way to meet and learn from fellow educators.
I've been teaching for total 19 years in MISD. I taught first grade for 15 years and third for the last 4 years. I'm very excited about next year and my new position as the At Risk Coordinator at Wilkinson.