BP16_2009113_ReflectiveMediaAsset_Sketchfu

BP15_2009113_Web2.0_Yacapaca

YacaPaca! seems like a cool Web 2.0 tool to use in my classroom. It lets teachers create quizzes, surveys, tests, and more. I can set up something for my whole class and get it marked automatically. It also lets me analyze the information that I get. Plus, it is free.

The resource section is divided by country, and the UK seems to be the most prolific. However, there are some assignments for the US. Even without creating an account, it lets you preview the assignments. I think they would be very helpful for my tutoring in third grade. I am not sure how helpful they would be in Kindergarten because for the most part, they do not read yet. I can also see how the vocabulary section could be very helpful for not only the SAT, but also for the vocabulary sections of other standardized tests.

According to the FAQ, the authors intend to keep it free. They make their money by selling training and support. Any educator can sign up for a free account, but students have to be set up by a teacher. The teacher will give the students a code to set up their own account. The FAQ also includes several 5 minute screencasts to guide you through several different processes, including the question creatr and the whiteboard. It also lets you see how to set up your own quizzes for your students and how to use the quiz statistics page. Students can choose their own avatar to represent their account as well as see a list of their teachers.

(2009). Yacapaca wiki. Accessed November 15, 2009 from http://wiki.yacapaca.com/index.php/Main_Page

BP14_2009113_PeerReview_Babble

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2009

BP13_2009113_Web 2.0 Tool_Babbel

I, like most of you, have been in a situation where a little more knowledge of a foreign language would come in handy. Babbel is an online language-learning system that teaches conversation skills for different languages. The languages that users can gain knowledge of are Spanish, French, Italian, German and English. With Babbel, users can learn words and phrases in foreign languages and connect with people from all over the world. Students and teachers can practice on their own with the intuitive online lessons or find a study partner in the international Babbel community.

Babbel contains a bunch of vocabulary (around 150 Vocabulary Packages, 3000 words), grammar exercises and explains how to put it all into practice. Whether the user wants to learn the basics or they are looking for special exercises for travel or for work, Babbel’s extensive collection of learning material offers lots of interesting and high quality content.

I am actually going to be using this site to see if I can learn a little Spanish seeing as how that is the popular language down here in Florida.

Video was taken from Babbel home website: http://www.babbel.com

BP13_2009113_PeerReviewEduslide

Monday, November 2, 2009

BP4_2009111_web_2.0_tool

The Web 2.0 tool that interested me is Eduslide. With Eduslide I can create my own e-learning modules, tutorials, videos, etc. These multimedia assets can also be password protected allowing me to invite whoever I like. It allows anyone to create educational content and deliver it online for free. The content can be testing modules, wikis, chat, blogs, slideshows and more.

After completing some of the tutorials, I began to work on developing material on Digital Storytelling, which is part of ARP. I have developed a simple slide show for teachers to share with their students explaining Digital Storytelling and how they can use it to share and learn from other students across the globe.

If I want to share Digital Storytelling, or other media asset ideas with teachers, Eduslide will allow me to keep all of my material in one space, accessible to teachers, etc., without them having to store it on their computers or servers. I would not have to keep all my material on my laptop to take from school to school. All I have to do is log in to Eduslide.

Another great feature of Eduslide is that it is available in English, German, Spanish and French. This would allow for cross-cultural collaboration between students that might speak a different language.

In reviewing the courses that I could access on Eduslide, I was surprised to see that there were not only courses for adult learners but also that there were also some classes I could access for younger students, as well.

Another possible use for Eduslide would be to use it to make some of my onground classes more hybrid in nature. With ease I could create accompanying materials on my own without having to bother my institution for the storing of the information.

All in all, I am excited to use this tool in my existing courses as well as using it in my ARP.

For more information on Eduslide

http://www.eduslide.com

BP12_2009113_PeerReviewJaycut

BP12_2009113_Web 2.0 JayCut

JayCut

The focus of my Action Research Project is Digital Storytelling, and so as I browsed through the various Web 2.0 tools and applications, I was on the lookout for tools I could use for my Action Research. Although there were several different sites I visited, none of them fit what I was looking for until I came across JayCut.

JayCut is a video-editing program similar to iMovie or Moviemaker, and it is free. However, there are several features this site offers that I found to be beneficial for educational purposes. First of all, you can work on videos collaboratively through JayCut. If you began the video, and you want others to work on it with you, all you have to do is sent those people an invitation (email) to collaborate on the video with you. The other aspect of this site that I found advantageous is that all of the videos you upload are saved on the site, once there you do not have to continue saving them on your hard drive. I know having the hard drive space for videos is a problem at my school, so JayCut could be a decent solution for the problem.

I know there a numerous uses for video editing tools, but I am going to focus on a few ideas I would have for my classroom, which is 7^th grade Language Arts. There are several projects I complete with my students that could profit from video storytelling. One of those projects is a Science Fiction movie that the kids write, edit, record and produce. In the past, only one or two students could be involved in the editing process because of the number of students who could access the video at one time. Also, the videos had to be very short because of the hard drive space. JayCut should allow for longer movies and more student involvement in the editing process. The second project is a historical fiction research project. The project itself is extensive, but currently culminates in presentation of different historical eras. I think it would be great to add a video reflective piece to the end of this project. I could film the students during their presentation, then upload the video to JayCut and make it available to the students, who could then create a video reflection of what they learned.

BP11_2009112_ReflectiveMediaAsset

BP10_2009112_PeerReviewWeb2.0Tool

BP6_2009112_Web 2.0 Tools

Sketchfu

Ever asked a Kindergarten student to tell you about a favorite activity, a pet, or anything specific? Answers will range from telling your every specific detail, to telling you every detail about anything and everything in their life, to the deer in the headlight stare. How then do you begin to introduce writing skills related to a specific prompt, yes we do that in Kindergarten now too. One of the best ways I found was to draw with my students first. The visual helps them to focus on a specific topic and it doesn’t hurt their fine motor skills either. The problem with this is finding the time to squeeze it all in the school day, well maybe not anymore.

The Web 2.0 tool I discovered offers the teacher an opportunity to create custom drawing lessons that kids can follow from the computer. Students would need to practice with the teacher at first to build their confidence, but once they understand the concept of following the simple step-by-step directions it could easily become an independent pre-writing activity for centers. The tool is called sketchfu and you can use it to draw simple step-by-step kid friendly drawings like the dog pictured below. The speed of drawing is adjustable which makes it great for little ones to follow or the project can be stopped completely and restarted if necessary. Couple this simple drawing with a thinking map containing some key words and you have two centers that work together to create a skill based lesson in writing that students can complete without you having to worry about where to squeeze it in and even better it's fun.

The website for the fun tool is http://sketchfu.com and while you’re there check out my fun puppy http://sketchfu.com/drawing/421704-dog

BP9_2009112_busuu

I enjoy learning languages, but I can never seem to find the time to enroll in an actual class. Before I taught in Memphis, I had students who spoke languages other than English. Now, though all I have is native English speakers. As of this year, my class has been the inclusion classroom for the multi-handicapped class next door. One of the students is a native Spanish speaker. The other teacher and I have been working on ways for the students to communicate, including teaching my class Spanish. I haven't had a formal Spanish class since college, and I am very rusty so I was excited to see this Web 2.0 tool that teaches different languages, Busuu.com.

You learn directly from native speakers around the world. The site also has free interactive learning materials, which are currently available in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. You have two options for your account: 1)Free or 2)Premium. The free account includes a picture based vocabulary, writing exercises, reading comprehension exercises, video chats, and interactive exams. The Premium account right now costs about $45 for a 3 month membership. The prices are given in Euros, but luckily, there is a personal currency assistant for you to use to change it into dollars. The premium account also lets you hear audio for more than 3,000 key phrases, listening comprehension exercises, printable pdf's for more than 150 units, access to more than 35 grammar units, audio podcasts for more than 150 units, video units, and no advertisement is shown.

Since I never know how much free time I will have, I am going to begin with a free account, but the pricing seems to be less than a continuing education classes that last about 3 months. The format seems pleasing and easily usable. I think that I can use this website to improve my Spanish. It seems like it would be a viable option for anyone wishing to improve their knowledge of a language.

BP8_2009112_e-learning

I was very excited to find this Web 2.0 site. The internet has lots of educational games, but sometimes kids get bored playing the same ones over and over so I like to find different ones as much as possible.

The people at the e-Learning for Kids site have met two of my requirements. It is pleasing to look at and play, and it is free. Since my school budget never goes far enough, free is very important.

I also like how the games are separated by subject and age level. There are games for children ages 4-12 as well as information for parents and teachers. The subjects include science, language arts, English language, math, health & life skills, and computer skills. The topics are relevant to the things that students should be able to do at each age level. The games are clear and easy to play. They are not too simple nor too difficult. They are easy to navigate and check to make sure that you didn't accidentally choose to quit the game. Additionally, it is available in 5 languages if you have a need for a different one.

In my classroom, I would differentiate the activities based upon need. For example, in the language arts courses, I could place my Tier III children on Learning Letters because they need to work on recognizing the alphabet. My Tier II children could work with the Word Recognition game to practice short and long vowel sounds. My Tier I students are pretty advanced this year so I could let them go to Putting Words Together first. When they get proficient at that game, I could move them up to Pronouns or Similar & Opposite Words.

In math, we have the option of reviewing counting, sorting and classifying or money. I would probably introduce these games as a form of review after I knew the students were fairly proficient.

BP7_2009112_DIIGO

As I was researching social bookmarking, I came across several references to Diigo (http://www.diigo.com). I decided that I definitely wanted to find out more about this Web 2.0 tool.
I like using Delicious, but it seems that Diigo may have even more to offer.

One of the aspects of Diigo that appeals to me is the ability to highlight portions of the web page that I bookmark. Sometimes I am reading through something, find something really interesting, bookmark it, and then when I come back, I have no idea why I bookmarked it in the first place. The ability to highlight portions of the page or to attach sticky notes to specific parts of web pages will solve that problem. Even more importantly, these highlights and sticky notes are persistent so whenever I go back to that page I will see them. Not only can I see my thoughts on Diigo, but I can also share these with others. I can easily collaborate on research with my colleagues while getting their thoughts and feedback as well.

Plus, if I have a topic that I want more information on, I can search Diigo to find out what other's have tagged. Not only will I get the site, I will also gain insights by seeing who else has bookmarked it as well as other similar pages and sites that they have bookmarked.

Diigo also allows you to find people like me--those people who share your same interests. Once you find them, you can connect in lots of ways: invite them to add you as a friend, send messages, invite them to a group, or add them to your watchlist. These similar people may be able to point you in the direction of some great resources that you just have not discovered yet. I also know that when I get on a roll of finding new information, I often do not have time to fully explore it right then. Diigo also has a handy Read-later feature just for times like that.

I can see some great advantages to using this tool for organizing not only my websites but also my thoughts.

BP6_2009112_Flickr

When I searched the web for lesson plans using Flickr, I got a bit frustrated. I did find some lessons that looked promising, but I also found a lot of pages that just had Flickr embedded somewhere on the page. I am going to have to find a way to search smarter.

During my search, though, I found a few blogs discussing the use of Flickr in the classroom. One of the concerns was the fact that anyone can use Flickr. There are no safeguards in place that protect the children who are trying to use it. I believe this is why my school district has blocked the Flickr website. At the same time, most of the discussion centered around students who were old enough to type in the search function by themselves. I did find some interesting links to Flat Stanley type lessons, but the links would not work. I think a Flat Stanley type lesson or geography based lesson would be wonderful if you could control the kinds of images that the students were able to see.

I decided to post about an idea that I would like to develop for a lesson to use in my classroom instead of one that had already been posted to the Internet. One of the lessons that we do in math concerns symmetry. My idea is to take pictures in Flickr that have been tagged with the word symmetry and decide if they are truly symmetrical. We could discuss how we know something is symmetrical, etc. In order for this to truly work, I would have to find a way of getting the pictures to my class. Since Flickr is blocked by the district, I would have to work around that problem either by bringing in hard copies of the pictures or digital copies.

BP5_2009112_SocialBookmarking

The Internet contains a wealth of information--so much that no one person can access it all. It seems like almost every time that I look for information about a topic, I find what I am looking for and more. In the beginning, I began to bookmark pages on my browser. However, I got very frustrated because I couldn't access these links from all the computers that I used. I could never seem to remember that perfect site when I wanted it or the computer where I first found it. If I could remember which computer I was on, I would have to search through seemingly infinite lists of sites. Then I got better about organizing the sites in my bookmarks, but then my problem was that I couldn't remember where I put what.

This past summer at technology camp, I was introduced to social bookmarking tools such as Delicious. Now many of those problems that I had are solved. I can access my links from any computer. I can tag my entries so that I can find them more easily later.

This week, though, during my research of educational uses for social bookmarking, I have found out even more. I had never thought through the ways that I could use my social bookmarking account. Up until now, I have just scratched the surface of this powerful tool. Here are some ways that educators can use this tool.

Collaboration

1. Teacher to Teacher

Fryer (2007) states, "Grade-level teacher teams can collaboratively find and share resources." I have bookmarked things with people in mind, but it never occurred to me to collaborate with others on my grade level or even in my school using Delicious or any other bookmarking tool. My challenge here would be to "encourage" other teachers in my building to sign up and use a tool such as Delicious. We have varying levels of competency in using technology as well as the desire to do so.

2. Professor (Teacher) to Student

Christine Greenhow (2009) states, "Teachers can collectively assemble, annotate, recommend, and share scholarly resources, such as books, journal articles, websites, and contacts." I can remember my professors placing information in a file in the library for us to access to provide extra information about whatever we were studying. Using a tool such as Delicious would be much more efficient.

3. Library Media Specialist to Teacher (or student)

According to Baumbach (2009), on Delicious, you can "create a tag for each subject area, each teacher or each project and then generate a URL that will show only the links with that specific tag." Therefore, finding resources for specific teachers or topics would become much more efficient.

4. Student to Teacher (Professor)

Students can show their teacher where they read something online. Using Diigo, the students can bookmark it, share it with their teacher, and highlight the parts they think are important. Then the teacher can go back and assess their choices. In Hargardon's (2007) article, Dave Erhart states, "Diigo allows you to differentiate instructions starting from a basic level, where students must find a main topic or vocabulary words by highlighting and making comments to more sophisticated skills, in which the might be asked to highlight and discuss bias in an editorial."

5. Reasearchers at all levels

Cannata (2009) states that researchers at all levels, including students and faculty, can quickly set up a social bookmarking page for their research studies. Baumbach (2009) stated that you can "contact others who have similar interests to collaborate on ideas, projects, papers, publications, and/or presentations."

Baumbach, D. (2009). Your new BFF. Florida Media Quarterly, 34(2), 9-13.

Cannata, C. (2009). Folksonomy, tagging and taxonomy for effective learning: Perspectives of learning 2.0 in the XXI century. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 4(2), 26-32. Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=42309028&site=ehost-live

Fryer. W. (2007). Social bookmarks 101. TechEdge, 27(1), 22-23. Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=27680230&site=ehost-live

Greenhow, C. (2009). Tapping the wealth of social networks for professional development. Learning & leading with technology, 36(8), 10-11. Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ842796&site=ehost-live

Hargardon, S. (2007). A little help from my friends: Classroom 2.0 educators share their experiences. School Library Journal, 53(10), 44-48. Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ786410&site=ehost-live

BP4_2009112_Storybird

Web 2.0 tools abound, but the tricky part is finding one that can be used in Kindergarten. The really tricky part is finding one that can be used in Kindergarten and that is free. I came upon Storybird, which is designed to let friends and families collaborate on a story. Two or more people can create a Storybird by writing text and inserting pictures that are uploaded to the site. One starts it; then the other writes a bit or picks out a picture; then the first one takes over again. Then you can share your Storybird privately or publicly on the network. Right now making, sharing, and reading Storybirds is free. According to the site, they will always be free. However, later in the year, the site will introduce new options such as printing and premium services, which will not be free.

I am still exploring the site and reading different stories. I have not created a Storybird yet, but I would like to make one with the students in my class. Initially, what I would do would be to read a story from Storybird to them. Then we would reread it and pay close attention to the elements of the story--how the pictures relate to the words, is the grammar correct, etc. Then I would read the following story, my town. It is a great story, but it has grammatical errors, which could have been purposeful. First, we would read the story. Then we would reread the story and begin to analyze what needs to be corrected grammatically. Finally, we would collaborate on a story together making sure that the pictures match the words and that our grammar is correct. Using the site to collaborate on a story would allow us to begin to learn the process of writing and editing in a simple way. Since it is collaborative, the children would all be involved in the writing and editing and have a sense of ownership. One story is much quicker to edit than 20 stories so they wouldn't get so incredibly tired before the process is over.

my town by purplebeckyv on Storybird


purplebeckyv. (November 2, 2009). my town. Retrieved November 2, 2009 from http://storybird.com/books/my-town/.

BP3_2009111_RSSFeeds

I chose six different feeds to include on my RSS reader.

1. Educational Technology by Ray Schroeder, University of Illinois at Springfield--It includes, "news, techniques, and theories of effective use of technology in education." http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/et/blogger.html
I thought that I could always use ideas about new technology and how to use it in the classroom.

2. NPR Topics: Education--It includes, "NPR news and commentary on education, schools, colleges and universities, and emerging trends in learning." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1013&ft=1&f=1013
I thought that NPR would have a different perspective than what I usually get on education and should have some relevant content.

3. Free Technology for Teachers--It includes, "a review of free technology resources and how teachers can use them; Ideas for technology integration in education." http://www.freetech4teachers.com

I can never have too many ideas and resources. The fact that they are free is just an added bonus.

4. Hoagies Gifted Education Page--"the all things gifted resource"
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/whats_new.htm

I like to see what is new in gifted education just in case I can adapt it to some of my students. Gifted educators often think outside the box more than regular educators.

5. Learning Now--"Learning.now is a weblog that explores how new technology and Internet culture affect how educators teach and children learn. It will offer a continuing look at how new technology such as wikis, blogs, vlogs, RSS, podcasts, social networking sites, and the always-on culture of the Internet are impacting teacher and students' lives both inside and out of the classroom."
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/info/

This site looked wonderful. Unfortunately there have been no posts in almost a year. Since I am an optimist, I went ahead and chose it just in case.

6. edublogger--Sue Waters talks "about emerging technologies on edublogs."
http://theedublogger.com/

I went ahead and added this last site just in case Learning Now never posts again. I think that I can learn a lot of useful information from Sue Waters as well as from the links that she posts.

BP2_2009111_Blogging

Blogs can be used in a variety of educational settings and encompass a variety of uses. Blogs can be used by teachers to let parents and students know new information. They can be used by teachers to inform other teachers. Teachers can also set up blogs for their students to use and can manage those blogs to make sure that the content is appropriate. Learning also occurs when people search the internet for information on certain subjects. By subscribing to a blog, one can keep abreast of the new posts and information. One of my critical friends uses his blog to tell about cool new technology, including digital photography. Here is a screenshot of his blog: just a techie teacher 3.0

BP1_2009111_iGoogleSetup

My iGoogle home page

My iGoogle AR page

My iGoogle ETC page