Thing 23

What can I say?? Well, I'll start out by saying I really didn't know what to expect with this class. Was it going to be interesting? Challenging? Useful? Fun? I can honestly say I can answer yes to all of them! I am overwhelmed, in a good way, with all the fantastic things you can do online....blogs, RSS, videos, pictures, wikis....the list goes on and on. I can't wait to implement some of these in my classroom this year!!

We've come a long way from when I was a kid and the only thing we did in school with computers was play Oregon Trail...fun but, not this fun!! There is so much possibility! I'm most looking forward to sharing all that I've learned with my fellow sixth grade science teacher. The knowledge I've gained is going to make our classes so much better and much more efficient!!

The only question I have is...will we be able to access all of the links after the class is closed? These are such awesome resources but, there are so many that I would love to be able to come back and see the list from time to time. I plan to apply each item one at a time as to implement them fully and accurately and not to be overloaded.

Thank you so much for this wonderful class. It truly will improve my teaching experience!!

Thing 22

How does a wiki differ from a blog?

A blog is a communication from one person to others. The "others" may comment on the blog owners blogging but, not edit what a person has. Basically a blog belongs to one person

and others are merely visitors and "commenters".

A wiki is a document created by one person which turns into a collaborate document. All the contributers become authors of the document not just commenters of the original author's work.

When is one more appropriate to use than the other?

I think a blog is better when you want ownership and want to share your thoughts, information, etc with others. A wiki would be better if you want a group of people to contribute to the final project. Hope this makes since??? I get it but not sure I explained it well??

Here is my wiki...

http://sixthgradereflections.wikispaces.com/

Thing 21

Describe a wiki you found that inspires you to create one of your own.

I found one where a second grade class was sharing their learning...a journal of sorts. I think this would be a great extra credit assignment for my sixth grade students. They could share and discuss what we had been learning in class. Also, it would be a great place for me to post class news and homework assignments.

What hurdles might stand in the way of your using a wiki?

Kids would have to have access to a computer (which many of mine don't). Aslo, I would have to constantly monitor for inappropriate postings.

What would it take to remove the hurdles? Is it worth the fight?

Well, the kids could use computers in the library. This would solve both of the problems for the most part.

Thing 20

I kind of did thing 19 and thing 20 at the same time. When I hit subscribe while watching a podcast I liked, it immediately took me to my itunes playlist on my computer and I was able to add the podcast directly to my playlist and now can listen to podcasts from my ipod! So easy if you already have itunes and an ipod!!

Podcast Alley is a great way to find podcasts that will help in my classroom. A couple that I found that I might like are:

This week in Science and Science on the Wild Side.

They seem to cover topics that would be helpful to me in my classroom. I especially like the idea of This Week in Science because it would keep me up-to-date on what's going on in the world of science and technology. Not being a big news watcher, I need all of the help I can get!!! With all of the podcasts out there though and the ease of their creation, I think it will take some time to find out if these podcasts are valuable or not. But, if they aren't, there are so many more to choose from!!!

Thing 19

I could see using podcasts in a variety of ways in my classroom. I like the idea of using podcasts as a study guide or review. This would be great for kids who may have missed the in class review, missed some notes or review better by hearing the information. I could actually record the material while doing the review in class the first time. This would be great because I would be able to go at a somewhat normal pace with my review and if some kids had missed something, I would let them listen to the podcast.

I really like the idea of the kids creating their own podcasts. Even sixth graders love making things and it would be a great incentive for them to learn if they knew that they would be able to make their own radio show. : ) Years ago when I was teaching ancient Egypt, the kids turned the classroom into a haunted house. The different rooms were each a topic of egypt....mummies, pyramids, the Nile river, etc. The kids in my classes got to be tour guides for the rest of the kids and as the visitors went from room to room, there was a tour guide in each room to tell them about the topic. Not only did the kids have a blast but, they learned all of the information they were given!! I could see the same happening with podcasts!!

One podcast I could see my self using is the k-12 Science podcast. The gentleman who creates this podcast, Dave Bydlowski, is exceptional with teaching science and has some great ideas! Here is the link...

http://k12science.net/Podcast/Podcast/Podcast.html

Thing 18

What did you like about the presentation you embedded? How might Slideshare be useful in the classroom? out of the classroom?

It's something I can use in my classroom. I love this site! It will be a quick way to find a presentation to show my class or use as an example when I want the kids to create a presentation. Before finding this site, I had to spend time creating my own presentations, this will help free up time to do other things in the classroom. Also, when I create a slideshow to use in my class, the other sixth grade Science teacher will be able to gain quick access to it rather than having to email it to her.

Outside of the classroom I could use this site to gain information on topics other than education. What other uses might I have for it? I'm not sure. : )

Food Chains & Webs

View more presentations from reaofsun.

Thing 17

I'm amazed how such small things in life can bring so much joy. : ) That's how I feel about Remember the Milk. I cannot express in words how much I love it....but, I will try! First, I need to start out by letting everyone know what an organizational freak I am!! For example, I have color coded boxes for all of my halloween stuff, Christmas stuff, etc. So in addition to my personal items, I love to organize all of my tasks into to do lists. Not only is this part of my organizational obsession but, it also reassures me that all tasks will get done and I won't forget any! The problem becomes when I make multiple lists that I have all over the place! So, you can only imagine how great I thought this site was!! As a matter of fact, I have three paper "to-do" lists sitting right next to me now which I entered into Remember the Milk. I especially like when you click that an item is completed, it disappears from the to-do list and enters a completed list. Much better than a hand written one which has items scribbled out left and right. I just had a funny thought...I now have a better way to organize my organization!!! Too funny!!