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

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.

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