While I loved learning about all 11 tools, I think Wordle and Blogging are my two favorite. As a culminating project for our author's study on Eve Bunting, each on my students is going to create a wordle focusing on one of her books. The kids will need to include words about setting, characters, themes, and major events from the book. I'm so excited about this project because I feel like it is a great way for the kids to study one of her books and I feel like every child is capable of creating their own. I can't wait to see what they come up with!
After our author's study, we will begin a novel study on "Number the Stars." I plan on setting up a blog for all of the kids to respond to after they have done their weekly reading. Each week they will have a question to focus on and blog about. This will be my first class blog so I'm very anxious to see how it turns out.
I feel like 11 tools has transformed my thinking about technology in the classroom. While I've always loved incorporating technology in the classroom, sometimes I would feel discourage because of the difficulty of the programs available and the time commitment required. However, now I feel like I have learned about a ton of resources that I didn't know about and that can easily be used in my classroom.
Before beginning 11 tools, I thought this was going to be a good learning experience. However, this completely surpassed my expectations. I've learned more than I ever thought I would. I can't wait to get out there and start applying my knowledge in the classroom!!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tool #11
With technology being such a huge part of our world today, I believe digital citizenship is a topic that should not be over looked in the classroom. Kids need to learn the proper etiquette for emailing, chatting with friends online, and whats appropriate for various social networking sites. I believe BrainPop has some good videos on digital citizenship, and I also think discussing and role playing will give kids the ability to know how to deal with these types of situations. Knowledge is power!
1. First, I think kids need to know how to write an appropriate email or respond to a blog appropriately. With texting and Twitter, slang is used frequently (i.e. gr8 or def); however this type of language isn't appropriate in professional situations. They need to learn this at a young age, in order to give them a bright future.
2. Second, they need to be aware of cyber bullying and how to deal when/if they are put in this situation. I feel like I hear of a new victim of cyber bullying too often, and I want my students to be prepare to stand up for themselves and know who to avoid on the Internet.
3. Finally, I would like my kids to learn what kind of pictures are appropriate to upload on the Internet and who these pictures are appropriate to send too. Kids need to be aware that certain pictures they post online could prevent them from getting into college or getting their dream job.
1. First, I think kids need to know how to write an appropriate email or respond to a blog appropriately. With texting and Twitter, slang is used frequently (i.e. gr8 or def); however this type of language isn't appropriate in professional situations. They need to learn this at a young age, in order to give them a bright future.
2. Second, they need to be aware of cyber bullying and how to deal when/if they are put in this situation. I feel like I hear of a new victim of cyber bullying too often, and I want my students to be prepare to stand up for themselves and know who to avoid on the Internet.
3. Finally, I would like my kids to learn what kind of pictures are appropriate to upload on the Internet and who these pictures are appropriate to send too. Kids need to be aware that certain pictures they post online could prevent them from getting into college or getting their dream job.
Tool #10
Wow I had no idea how many great FREE apps there are out there! Yay! One that I really liked was called "Read Me Stories." It has an endless about of picture books for kids to read and listen too. This will be a fabulous tool for my ESL kids!
Also, another free app I've found is called "4 Letter Words." This app basically unscrambles words for the kids, and then reads the four letter word aloud to them. Again, this would be great for ESL kids. However, I've also been using this app in my classroom for a special needs student. It has been a great resource!
Also, another free app I've found is called "4 Letter Words." This app basically unscrambles words for the kids, and then reads the four letter word aloud to them. Again, this would be great for ESL kids. However, I've also been using this app in my classroom for a special needs student. It has been a great resource!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tool #9
I'm excited to use Screencast in my classroom! I think it would be great to use to teach the kids how to use Photostory or Wordle. As a culminating project for our author's study, the kids are going to create a Wordle on one of Eve Bunting's books. It would be great to use Screencast to show the kids how to use the program.
I prefer to use Screencast over Jing because I don't have to download anything to use Screencast. Also, I don't feel like Jing is as user friendly as Screencast.
Skype is fantastic!! I was hoping to Skype with Eve Bunting, but after our SIS emailed with her we realized she doesn't Skype :( Therefore, I'm thinking we can maybe Skype with another school or group of kids that have studied Eve Bunting. Also, I'm going to look into Skyping with the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. So fun! I love Skyping!
I prefer to use Screencast over Jing because I don't have to download anything to use Screencast. Also, I don't feel like Jing is as user friendly as Screencast.
Skype is fantastic!! I was hoping to Skype with Eve Bunting, but after our SIS emailed with her we realized she doesn't Skype :( Therefore, I'm thinking we can maybe Skype with another school or group of kids that have studied Eve Bunting. Also, I'm going to look into Skyping with the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. So fun! I love Skyping!
Tool #8
Wow! I had no idea You Tube has such great videos for teachers! I found a a video on Eve Bunting's book "In the Haunted House," which I was already planning on reading to my kids the week of Halloween for our author's study. It will be wonderful to have a read aloud on video! Below is the link.
http://www.blinkx.com/videos/eve+bunting
I also found a great video clip on King Christian X of Denmark. We study him in social studies when we study WWII, and during our novel study of Number the Stars. During our novel study we also read a picture book called The Yellow Star, which talks about King Christian's role in Denmark during the war. After the read this story, I think it would be great to show this video clip to the kids. This allows them to see a live video of the king! How cool!! Below is the link.
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/christian-x-of-denmark-christian-10-dansk-konge/Y33Ki9xuzpKBKQnrcnxQyg
http://www.blinkx.com/videos/eve+bunting
I also found a great video clip on King Christian X of Denmark. We study him in social studies when we study WWII, and during our novel study of Number the Stars. During our novel study we also read a picture book called The Yellow Star, which talks about King Christian's role in Denmark during the war. After the read this story, I think it would be great to show this video clip to the kids. This allows them to see a live video of the king! How cool!! Below is the link.
http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/christian-x-of-denmark-christian-10-dansk-konge/Y33Ki9xuzpKBKQnrcnxQyg
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tool #7
Wow! Photostory is great! Luckily, I've had the pleasure of working with this program the past. To wrap up our author's study on Eve Bunting last year, my students created a photostory focusing on one of her fabulous books. As a group the kids were instructed to examine how the characters/events change over time, as well as include various statistics about the important issue discussed in the book. The kids loved the project, and they were proud to show of their hard work!
Photostory could be in used in all subject areas, and it really is an easy program for the kids to use. I encourage everyone to use this in your classroom this year!
*I've had some technical difficulties getting my photostory loaded, however I'll try again later :)
Photostory could be in used in all subject areas, and it really is an easy program for the kids to use. I encourage everyone to use this in your classroom this year!
*I've had some technical difficulties getting my photostory loaded, however I'll try again later :)
Tool #6
I think the most effective way to use a Wiki in my classroom would be to have the kids write an ongoing story using new vocabulary words. This would be a great way for the kids to apply their knowledge of the vocabulary words, and I would be able to easily access wheather or not they understand the meaning of the word.
I'm a little concerned about using a wiki when editing papers in class. Does anyone have any experience using the wiki for editing? Did you have each kid create their own wiki? I would love some suggestions on how to make this work effectively. I'm open to any ideas!
I'm a little concerned about using a wiki when editing papers in class. Does anyone have any experience using the wiki for editing? Did you have each kid create their own wiki? I would love some suggestions on how to make this work effectively. I'm open to any ideas!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tool #5
Diigo is awesome! I found two great websites to add to my online bookmark. One is a Scholastic website that has numerous books that are leveled according to DRA level. This is great way to find a variety of books for kids to read on their appropriate reading level. This is also a great site to share with parents who are looking for books for their children to read at home.
Next, I found an awesome Vocabulary website. Crossword puzzles, games, and word webs are only a few of the amazing activities this website has to offer! Not only would this be great for ESL students to use when learning new vocabulary words, but it would also be great for kids to use when looking for definitions or synonyms of words when reading or writing. Wow!! This is wonderful!! I've never seen a site like this before :)
Next, I found an awesome Vocabulary website. Crossword puzzles, games, and word webs are only a few of the amazing activities this website has to offer! Not only would this be great for ESL students to use when learning new vocabulary words, but it would also be great for kids to use when looking for definitions or synonyms of words when reading or writing. Wow!! This is wonderful!! I've never seen a site like this before :)
Tool #4
Google Reader is wonderful! I'm so excited about being able to see everyone's blog on one page. This will make it super easy to monitor my students blogs.
Also, Google Docs also makes it very easy to share documents will my teammates and my students. I've created two groups from the subjects that I teach, Language Arts and Social Studies. Therefore, I can create activity sheets, notes, and homework assignments in my Google Docs and share them with my students. Yay! I can't wait to get my students involved!
Also, Google Docs also makes it very easy to share documents will my teammates and my students. I've created two groups from the subjects that I teach, Language Arts and Social Studies. Therefore, I can create activity sheets, notes, and homework assignments in my Google Docs and share them with my students. Yay! I can't wait to get my students involved!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tool #3
Making my Wordle was so fun! What a great, easy way to have the kids really focus in on a particular idea/topic in any subject. I decided to use words associated with the class novel, Number the Stars, that we read in 5th grade. It is one of my favorite books!
There are endless ways to use this in my classroom. Spelling words/spelling patterns, book clubs, or when we are focusing on various time periods or wars in social studies class. I can't wait!
Spell with Flickr, the second image generator I created, not only provided a quick, easy way to spell various words, but it was also a great way to "jazz" up the words. This would be wonderful for kids in my classroom to use when creating a powerpoint or a photostory. It would allow them to add color and creativity to their project in just a few, simple steps!
There are endless ways to use this in my classroom. Spelling words/spelling patterns, book clubs, or when we are focusing on various time periods or wars in social studies class. I can't wait!
Spell with Flickr, the second image generator I created, not only provided a quick, easy way to spell various words, but it was also a great way to "jazz" up the words. This would be wonderful for kids in my classroom to use when creating a powerpoint or a photostory. It would allow them to add color and creativity to their project in just a few, simple steps!
Tool #2
I'm very excited about building an online education community! I work with such great people who all have amazing ideas to share, and I know we can all learn from each other. Also, I'm excited about incorporating this into my classroom, and I know the kids would love it!
After reading through the article, I believe asking questions and leaving open ended statements are great ways to elicit more comments/responses on your blog. It was fun commenting on other people's blogs, and I look forward to commenting more in the future!
Finally, the five blogs I'm following are:
Dorothy Bean- http://dorothybean.blogspot.com/
Math Rules- http://seracentanni.blogspot.com/
The LA Lowdown- http://laladylowdown.blogspot.com
Journal That BHE- http://journalthatbhe.blogspot.com
The Book Nook- http://thebknook.blogspot.com/
After reading through the article, I believe asking questions and leaving open ended statements are great ways to elicit more comments/responses on your blog. It was fun commenting on other people's blogs, and I look forward to commenting more in the future!
Finally, the five blogs I'm following are:
Dorothy Bean- http://dorothybean.blogspot.com/
Math Rules- http://seracentanni.blogspot.com/
The LA Lowdown- http://laladylowdown.blogspot.com
Journal That BHE- http://journalthatbhe.blogspot.com
The Book Nook- http://thebknook.blogspot.com/
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tool #1
Learning about blogging has been so fun! I love Blogger! This is my first time to blog, and it is a lot easier than I thought. Our school librarian, Tammy Holley, has been so helpful! She is so knowledgable about the program, and she has done a great job of walking us through blogging. I look forward to learning more about blogging!
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