Topic 16

Web 2.0 part II - Wikis & Podcasts.

In tonight's class, we discussed wiki's. I had heard of wiki's before, but never really knew what they were. A wiki is a website where a group can edit and save information. It is a helpful tool for those who are trying to plan something. Wiki's are different than blogs in that wiki's can be altered by many users where a blog has only one author. I can see using a blog and a wiki in my classroom. As a teacher I may set-up a blog where students and parents could view information about my class. I may also use a wiki to allow students to collaborate on projects and they could all change the information.

We also discussed podcast's in tonight's class. A podcast is either a video or audio file that can be downloaded via the web. People usually download them onto an ipod or other device of the same nature. However, they are not always done this way. Podcast's make it easy for student's to hear lectures that they may have missed in class or to listen to a lecture that they would like to refresh in their minds. I would like to use this feature in my classroom as long as it was quick and easy. I think the response from students would help me decide if I would use this or not. I know from being a student that I would like to use a podcast to refresh my memory before a big test. I think podcast's are great and I hope that I can find them useful in my classroom.

Topic 11

In class we discussed the importance of showing children credible websites. If a website does not have an author, it is probably not as credible as one with an author. Even if there is an author, the author can be biased. As an educator it will be my job to steer children in the right direction when it comes to websites. I used the evaluation form found here: http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/tutorial/WWW.eval.html, to evaluate some websites. I found this one to be the easiest to work with. After evaluating some of the websites that our teacher assigned to us, I found that many websites have a flaw of some sort. As future educators, we need to carefully choose the sites that we recommend.

Topic 10

We also used the Google Docs to look at spreadsheets. I am a huge fan of spreadsheets, if it can be typed and printed, I can usually spreadsheet it. I like that students and teachers alike can use spreadsheets. I can use them for keeping grades, and students can use them for graphing data. I never realized that the www had free spreadsheet creators, but this in nice for people who don't have one. I really liked http://www.zoho.com/. Also this website showed some great ways on how to incorporate spreadsheets in the classroom. http://www.alicechristie.org/edtech/ss/index.html

Topic 9

In class we used a program from Google called Google Docs. As found here: http://docs.google.com. I really liked this program because all of the students in class could edit and share documents within this program. We looked at different word processing ideas and how to incorporate them into our classroom. I really liked Microsoft's Educator site, but found it to more of an all around resource and not just one for word processing. I also liked how Google Doc's showed how to use collaborative revision. I think this would be great to do with students. I also really enjoyed the switchzoo website. As found here: http://switchzoo.com/. It allows students to learn about animals in a fun way!

Happy 4th

So Independence day was great. We loaded up in Danny's truck and headed for Scofield. We had no specific plans (which is always nice). Little Danni wanted to go to the park and play the games, and then she wanted to watch the Kiwanis duck race. The park was entertaining for her and she won some prizes. Then it was off to the duck race. We sat in the sun, but luckily for us, it wasn't that hot. Once the race was over, we helped the guys from Kiwanis load the trailer and we were headed home again. Little Danni and I slept while daddy drove.
We got home and decided to have a small get together. So I went to Winger's and got some wings. When I arrived home it was time to party! We watched the fairgrounds fireworks and then lit our own. Although I think the guys had a greater time with the fireworks than the kids did.
All in all it was a great day:)

Topic 8

In class we discussed WebQuests. I had never heard of a WebQuest until this point. So what is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is an "inquiry-oriented online tool for learning". It is a lesson that allows students to gather much or all of the information needed for the lesson on the World Wide Web. WebQuests usually allow students to work in groups. Students use the information that they find on the web, they don't spend their time looking for information. I am sure that once I have seen these used in a classroom and I spend more time learning about them, I will implement them in my own classroom.

Follow this link for an example of a webquest:
http://www.lubbockisd.org/webquests/MeetImmigrants/index.htm

Skype

Skype is an internet phone software that allows you to make free calls to others. My teacher used it in class and it seemed pretty neat. It allowed her to speak and see who she was talking to. You can call land-base lines as well as mobile ones. You can also place conference calls. It even has better sound quality than a regular phone, and best of all it is secure. This is something I would love to have so that when I call my mom in CO., she can see her grandchild and we could converse at the same time.

I really enjoyed the Skype presentation!