Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thing #21- Podcasts, Smodcasts

http://odeo.com/channels/2117378-Science-Experiments-for-Kids
I found this Podcast that I would really like to hear, but for some reason I can't view or hear it. I will keep trying to find out why it isn't working for me!

Lots of Podcasts if one is interested in learning a foreign language!

Thing #20 - You Tube

I found many You Tube videos on teaching multiplication facts. There were a lot of multiplication Hip Hop songs and even one that had a country theme. It could be a powerful tool to use for that student who is having difficulty memorizing their facts. Sometimes all it takes is a cool beat and some visual effects to help aid a student in learning his/her multiplication facts.

Thing #19- Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

I came across a site called, Yahoo! Answers. Basically, you post a question about anything you want. For example, How much should you tip at a sushi bar? to How do you keep swim-goggles fog-free? It could come in handy when students ask questions that I don't have an answer for. They could go to Yahoo! Answers and get connected to the world's largest think tank!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Thing #18- ZOHO

Very cool! I did have some problems deleting untitled docs. I think if you worked with it a lot it would be very beneficial! I'm going to tell others about it. No need for a flash drive!

Zoho Writer - Online Word Processor

Zoho Writer - Online Word Processor

Thing #17-Playing with PB Wiki

After setting up a log in and playing around with PB wiki I found that it would be a great way to collaborate with others. I really liked the academic part where students are able to post their papers not only for the teacher, but everyone in their class. I think they would work a little harder knowing that their peers would be reading their paper too.

For some reason, I could not find the Rocky Mountain 23 things wiki. I'll keep looking.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Thing #16-Wiki

What a great tool for teachers. I think it would be so beneficial to create one for (in my case) third grade teachers ! Teachers at that grade level could share ideas and best practices. Behavior management techniques, great read alouds, test preparation etc.
Teachers are some of the best sources of information and ideas. What a great way to pull all of their resources and expertise in one little Wiki package!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Thing #15-Library 2.0

After reading several articles about library 2.0 I got the feeling that it was imperative that librarians get familiar with and have expert knowledge of what types of learning and informational tools are now available. Up until now, I had no idea what del.icio.us was or how to create a blog. The power of just knowing about these tools is awesome. It has broadened my knowledge about how to get information, not just doing the same old Google search. I now have a way to get information I want and in a very organized and simple manner. Teaching our students about these search techniques and how to use them effectively would be the next step in a 2.0 world. Just by taking this class, I feel that I am just now skimming the top of the library 2.0 mountain.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Thing #14-Technorati

This one seemed really easy to use. I liked what they did to improve the look of their home page. It had many layers to it. I liked the top blogs feature. Sometimes you just want to see what others are interested in at that particular time. Adding tags by clicking on the heart seemed easy enough.

Thing# 13-Del.icio.us

What a great way to organize! I could generate many different URLs for a project I do with my students and have them organized by del.icio.us. Very convenient. I also liked the idea of looking at other del.icio.us tags to see what other people have tagged on similar subjects.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Thing #12- Rollyo

I added some running sites to my Rollyo account. It did take a little time to figure out how to do it, but after a bit of "working with it" I was able to post some of the links I wanted. This would be a great tool for a teacher to set up ahead of time for their students. Research projects would be a breeze. Teachers would be able to relax knowing that the sites their students are on are credible!

http://www.rollyo.com/index.html

Thing #11- Library Thing

I created some books that I could use in my class. I have several kids who are interested in mysteries. It was very convenient to just type in some key words and I was on my way. What a great site to share with my team.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/racheln

Thing #10

My friend recently ran the Boston Marathon and I had created a little inspiration word document to celebrate her accomplishment. I simply copied it into this website called wordle.com and it created the following!

I thought this would be great for the kids to create words about themselves and then create a wordle. I would then place their picture under it and send it home with them at the end of the year along with their other projects. Very cool!


http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/286495/Boston
Check out my Wordle!