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Podcasts...where to even begin. I love 'em. I've used a Spanish Podcast in my classroom a few times. My students have been interested in learning some Spanish, so I found one on iTunes. (By the way, I was able to download iTunes onto my computer at school without needing administrative passwords.) My students thought it was pretty fun to learn from someone other than me...(still not sure how I feel about that...) I've also used a Promethean Planet podcast myself. There is one on iTunes that has every video on the PP website. I've used it to assist me in making different flipcharts. Very good information can be found on these videos. I've used several different ones. I have them on my computer in my classroom if anyone is interested in looking at them.

As far as using podcasts in the classroom, that is a 100% YES! I think they are great tools for both teachers and students. This summer I am hoping to have the time to find some great informational podcasts to use with my Social Studies curriculum next year.

Audacity seems like a wonderful tool to incorporate into the classroom, once students are familiar with podcasts and how they work. It is obviously not something I would start the year out using. It could be a tool we work towards using during second semester.

VoiceThread also seems like a fun too to incorporate, but again, once the students find some familiarity with it. This all stems on the computer lab situation. If I'm not able to get my students into the lab multiple times a week or at least weekly, these tools won't become second nature to my students. Hopefully, by working with these tools on my own now and over the summer, I'll be better equipped to use them with my students.

Thing Numero 7

Wikis....how fun! :) I loved the video first of all. That guy has a way of explaining things that makes it all seem very clear! I love it.

I can envision using Wikis in the future for planning things like Red Ribbon Week or Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Heart. Teachers can make a list of the things we'll need for snacks or drinks on a Wiki and as parents decide what they want to bring in, they can edit the Wiki and move things from one column to the next and so on. Somewhat like the video showed...well, exactly like the video showed. ;)

I can also envision student groups using it to coordinate projects. For example, my students are writing up a dramatization for a Social Studies skit. To organize who is bringing what props, costumes, etc., they can use a Wiki.

I'm not so sure I see much difference between Googledocs and Wikis except that you can create extra pages/links attached. I'm sure I'll see more differences as I become more in tune with each of them.

I'm really digging the whole Wiki idea...any other suggestions?

Thing #6

To be quite honest with you...I'm not a huge fan of the diigo site. I like the idea behind it and feel as though it could potentially be quite useful. What I dislike is that one some pages...like Facebook for example...people will stick public post-it notes. I don't like this...I haven't quite figured out how to turn them off.

I can see using it for my master's course work. I also will use it when I'm reading online articles or things of that nature. I am a "finger reader". I like to follow along with my finger when reading an article or magazine. When I read things on the computer, I often highlight using the mouse to read something, so using the highlighting feature with diigo will be more useful for me. Another thing is that I don't like reading black text...it hurts my eyes...I'm sensitive. :) So, if I were to highlight it with a different color, that takes away from the black text.

I also like that I can "tag" articles and such so I can find them based on words I've remembered from the article. It never fails that I find something of interest, but never find it again because I've forgotten what I typed in the first time to come up with that article.

Overall, Diigo will be a useful tool. It may take some time to adapt, but I'll get there. :)

Thing #5

OK...here goes nothing. I'm trying out the custom search. I've been thinking all week, "What can I use?" I'll be the first to admit that I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be for the next chapter in SS, so I can't exactly create a custom search for that...if only I had grabbed that SS book on Friday...too bad the building is locked tomorrow. :(

I decided to try out a "Classroom Ideas" search. My search has websites I often use when trying to find ideas to enhance a lesson or videos to use or something along those lines. I use Pro-teacher, Scholastic, Learn360 and Promethean Planet mainly. I incorporated those into my search. I hope it works the way I want it to work...

Thing #4

Hello Googledocs...you are my new best friend! :) I can't tell you how many times I've created something at home and either e-mailed it to myself only to get to school and find out that I didn't wait for it to attach or forgot to attach it altogether, put it on a jump drive and forgot it at home, or the file was too big to attach to the e-mail or fit on the jump drive. Googledocs has solved my problems! I will definitely be taking advantage of this free service. Now, not only will I have access to something both at home and at school, but if I change it once I get to school, I'll have the new file at home too! Googledocs has opened up a whole new world for me! :) Thank you Mrs. Yoder! You are the best!

Thing #3

On the 13 Things blog there is a link to another blogspot called Speaking of History. This is a blog written by an 8th grade history teacher in Missouri. On this blog, I found a slideshow entitled "A Dozen Ways to Incorporate Technology Into the History Classroom." In this slideshow I found the idea of taking the kids on a "Virtual" field trip! This sounds like such a fun idea! I can't wait to explore this idea. The next chapeter in Social Studies has the students taking a tour around my classroom using pictures. I think I'm going to explore the internet and see what I can find. I might be able to use the idea of a "virtual" field trip for this chapter! :) I can't wait!



Here is the Link to Dozens of Ways to Integrate Technology into the History Classroom. Just click on the word "dozens". Enjoy! I know I did!

Getting closer...

I need your help followers! :) Here is what I'm thinking. This chapter my students will be going on a "tour" of four different sites in Egypt. They are going to write postcards to "friends" describing the things they saw, why those things are important to the Egpytians, etc. What if I had them make a blog entry of their postcards? Then asked them to respond to someone elses blog postcard. What do you think? Any other ideas? I'm just bouncing ideas around, I'd love to hear your ideas!