This 5 day course went by so fast, but there has been a lot to think about throughout our time together. Every minute of the day was filled with learning about useful tools that we as teachers can use in our future classrooms. I think that I will use a lot of the things we learned about in my future career. One of the things we learn about a lot in Palmer is how important it is for us to be adaptable, evolutionary librarians in this age of technology. I definitely think that this course is a valuable part of the curriculum and a valuable step in our preparation to be librarians. Without an understanding of technology and it's place in the library, none of us would be successful in our career aspirations.
Before this course started, I definitely didn't consider myself tech-saavy, but I knew my way around the Internet. When I read the pre-course assignment, I agreed with the author and I thought I understood everything in the article. However, after completing this class, I now realize that I did not understand just how much there is out there. I now understand that in order to stay up to date with the Web, we must collaborate with other teachers and professionals from all over. It is impossible to know or learn everything, but with help we can definitely find and use Web 2.0 tools effectively in the classroom.
Out of all the tools we learned about, there are quite a few that I would like to continue to use. I have used Wikispaces.com before, and I think that it is a good way to organize information for us beginners who need an easy and fast tool. I will hopefully use this again in the future. I loved the features of Big Huge Labs and Wordle. I think they are really fun and again easy for a teacher or student to use. I would definitely use PhotoPeach again for a quick slideshow, but I would also use Prezi if I was looking for something a little nicer. I also had a lot of fun with the ToonDoo site, so I think I would definitely use that with students. Glogster is also a tool I would definitely use for all sorts of things.
Out of all the tools we learned about, there are a few that I am not sure if I would use again. Twitter is something that I'm not sure will grow on me. I realize that people are constantly posting great resources on it, but it is so overwhelming to look at all of them! I like to read blogs, so RSS feed is a good alternative for this. I will also probably not use Mindomo again, because Webspiration was much easier to figure out.
I have only just scratched the surface of the useful Web 2.0 tools that are available, but this class has definitely given me all the knowledge I need to keep exploring and learning.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 5 -- The Last One!
Today we looked at some websites that help organize information. Live Binder is a really interesting and helpful site. It is arranged in an easy to follow way and can hold a lot of information without getting really confusing.
It was really nice to learn about the Google forms and documents, since they are not only easy to use, but easy to make as well. Google forms are really useful for all ages and for many different reasons. I really like the idea of using a "survey" on Google forms instead of a quiz in order to assess learning in a class. This is better for both the teacher and the students, since the survey is fun and the results are all recorded right away.
Creating a Google site was really easy. Although I definitely need to explore it further, I feel confident enough with the skills I learned to be able to figure it out later on my own.
I thought it was really important to talk about the web evaluation, safety, and copyright issues. It is easy with all the resources on the Internet to forget about any one of these things. When doing research or exploring the web, both teachers and students need to remember to evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of a site. Also, safety is easily forgotten sometimes as well. Students need to be educated in safe ways to navigate the Internet. Lastly, teachers and students need to realize that things they find on the Internet are the property of owners, and not necessarily free to use however you want. I'm glad we went over this in class and I hope I remember it all in the future!
Whew! We made it!
It was really nice to learn about the Google forms and documents, since they are not only easy to use, but easy to make as well. Google forms are really useful for all ages and for many different reasons. I really like the idea of using a "survey" on Google forms instead of a quiz in order to assess learning in a class. This is better for both the teacher and the students, since the survey is fun and the results are all recorded right away.
Creating a Google site was really easy. Although I definitely need to explore it further, I feel confident enough with the skills I learned to be able to figure it out later on my own.
I thought it was really important to talk about the web evaluation, safety, and copyright issues. It is easy with all the resources on the Internet to forget about any one of these things. When doing research or exploring the web, both teachers and students need to remember to evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of a site. Also, safety is easily forgotten sometimes as well. Students need to be educated in safe ways to navigate the Internet. Lastly, teachers and students need to realize that things they find on the Internet are the property of owners, and not necessarily free to use however you want. I'm glad we went over this in class and I hope I remember it all in the future!
Whew! We made it!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 4
Today we learned about digital storytelling. We used VoiceThread to see how several people can see one picture or video and all comment on it using either text or their voices. It is a good tool that can be used by people from everywhere. It is a great way to collaborate with others on the Internet.
We also used Photostory to make a book trailer about Beverly Cleary's Beezus and Ramona. It was easy to use and has a lot of cool options for motion and sound. I had trouble with my microphone volume, but this could be fixed easily with a better pair of headphones I think.
In the afternoon we worked with Glogster and Wix.com. They were both really easy to figure out, but both had problems when we were working with them. Glogster is very eye catching and fun to look at. Wix is a little different, but still useful for the same purposes. In the future, if I am working with either of these sites I will definitely have a backup plan since they were a bit unreliable on these computers.
We also used Photostory to make a book trailer about Beverly Cleary's Beezus and Ramona. It was easy to use and has a lot of cool options for motion and sound. I had trouble with my microphone volume, but this could be fixed easily with a better pair of headphones I think.
In the afternoon we worked with Glogster and Wix.com. They were both really easy to figure out, but both had problems when we were working with them. Glogster is very eye catching and fun to look at. Wix is a little different, but still useful for the same purposes. In the future, if I am working with either of these sites I will definitely have a backup plan since they were a bit unreliable on these computers.
Day 3
Friday our class was full of information!!
I really likes Big Huge Labs as a tool. Making an inspirational poster was not only fun, but it could be very useful in the classroom. I look forward to trying out some of the other things that Big Huge Labs offers.
I had a hard time making my ALA Read Poster. My photos became blurry, my aviary.com kept freezing up when I tried to upload, and I had trouble getting it into my wikispace....After a while I gave up and kept the blurry one. I can definitely see the usefulness of this tool, but I can probably achieve the same effects in the classroom with the tools from Big Huge Labs.
In the afternoon we learned how to use some presentation tools, which was really fun. Our tool was PhotoPeach, and it was really easy to use! Not overly sophisticated, but we were able to import pictures, move them around, add background music, and add text on whatever slides we wanted to. At the end we had a nice little slideshow that only took an hour or less to make.
The last thing we did was use Webspiration as a tool to help us take notes on other people's presentation tools. It is a very helpful and easy tool to use. I would definitely use it again to help with note taking or other projects.
I really likes Big Huge Labs as a tool. Making an inspirational poster was not only fun, but it could be very useful in the classroom. I look forward to trying out some of the other things that Big Huge Labs offers.
I had a hard time making my ALA Read Poster. My photos became blurry, my aviary.com kept freezing up when I tried to upload, and I had trouble getting it into my wikispace....After a while I gave up and kept the blurry one. I can definitely see the usefulness of this tool, but I can probably achieve the same effects in the classroom with the tools from Big Huge Labs.
In the afternoon we learned how to use some presentation tools, which was really fun. Our tool was PhotoPeach, and it was really easy to use! Not overly sophisticated, but we were able to import pictures, move them around, add background music, and add text on whatever slides we wanted to. At the end we had a nice little slideshow that only took an hour or less to make.
The last thing we did was use Webspiration as a tool to help us take notes on other people's presentation tools. It is a very helpful and easy tool to use. I would definitely use it again to help with note taking or other projects.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Day 2 of Tech class
Well today has been another really crazy class.
Google can do so many useful things that most people don't even know about. There could be an entire semester class dedicated on how to use all the tools on Google. I never knew that GoogleLabs existed, but it is really helpful when searching for news and images. My favorite little tidbit about Google is how typing CTRL + F will bring up a little search bar on the bottom of the page where you can search for specific words. So useful!
Delicious was the next tool we signed up for and I like that idea a lot. Bookmarking all of my pages saves time and memory space as well. And now I can find my pages from any computer too!
I'm not sold on twitter yet. I suppose I understand the professional benefits to networking with others in your field of expertise. However, I'll have to feel it out a little more before I decide if I like it or not.
I really like wikispaces as a tool for teaching and also for learning. Although the site may not be the prettiest of websites, it is very functional and easy to use. I would like to spend some time looking around at other people's wikis and see what types there are out there.
I'm learning a lot in this class, but my brain needs a break!
Google can do so many useful things that most people don't even know about. There could be an entire semester class dedicated on how to use all the tools on Google. I never knew that GoogleLabs existed, but it is really helpful when searching for news and images. My favorite little tidbit about Google is how typing CTRL + F will bring up a little search bar on the bottom of the page where you can search for specific words. So useful!
Delicious was the next tool we signed up for and I like that idea a lot. Bookmarking all of my pages saves time and memory space as well. And now I can find my pages from any computer too!
I'm not sold on twitter yet. I suppose I understand the professional benefits to networking with others in your field of expertise. However, I'll have to feel it out a little more before I decide if I like it or not.
I really like wikispaces as a tool for teaching and also for learning. Although the site may not be the prettiest of websites, it is very functional and easy to use. I would like to spend some time looking around at other people's wikis and see what types there are out there.
I'm learning a lot in this class, but my brain needs a break!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Using Blogs in the School Media Center
Blogs are a really good way to get students to apply many skills they are learning. When blogs are used, students are using writing skills, typing skills, and critical thinking skills at the very least. Specifically, the school media center can use blogs to inform parents and community members of recent ongoing in the library classes and to teach students lessons. I can definitely see blogs having a place in my school media center. I really like the way that students are not only challenging themselves to complete the assignment, but also reading others' work and getting and giving feedback. This is a useful tool for the collaboration between students and it can really be valuable in the learning process.
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