Learning Web2.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this class and now I have a so many tools to use and share in my classes. I spent many hours getting lost in the world of Web2.0! I will definitely be adding to my Google Reader now that I know how to SKIM.

Thank you Jerrie for a wonderful journey.

I joined NING last year when Sandi introduced it to our department. We had great plans for our Technology department to use it to collaborate and share troubleshooting tips and tricks. As soon as several of us joined and we set up our sites… it was BLOCKED! Since NING was blocked I must admit I did not use it again for the other resources it had to offer, so this task was almost like starting over. The networks have really increased and I also found two on Scratch, but one was private.The other networks I searched for were on Podcasting and Screencasting… lots of great links and discussions. I can see real value for the use of this tool in the classroom and I really liked the example in the EDUCAUSE article 7 things you should know about…Ning. I spent more time in Classroom 2.0.

It seems that I add to my reader on weekly basis, which means that I have a lot of skimming to do! Everytime I check out my reader I learn something new.

I found a site designed primarily for high school and college students to help them keep organized with their schoolwork. This site is Soshiku and it is free. A 17 year old student (Andrew Schaper) created it because he could not find anything to help him keep up with his schoolwork. Soshiku is very easy to set up and students can use their cell phones to post assignments. They can also receive text messages on their cell phone of upcoming  for due dates. Sochiku also is collaborative… they call it Partner Up.

I have never used Pageflakes before this class, but I have set up an iGoogle page. The sample pages you listed were excellent examples of how teachers could use one. A site could be set up for training or subject specific content with appropriate links, pictures and podcasts… kinda like a one stop shopping site. I have to admit I never thought about teachers using this for their students, I only thought of mashups as a personal thing.

I’ve had a Gmail account for years, but only used Google Docs once before this class. The one time I used it was to show a teacher that they did not have to purchase Microsoft Office if they only needed simple word processing. The best part of Google Docs is that it is free and easy. This is a great option for students that do not have Microsoft programs at home. Collaborating in real time is a feature that teachers and students could use for project based lessons. It was super easy to create a form and I really liked how the responses were managed in a spreadsheet… that’s my favorite doc option. I created a form similar to Jerrie’s.

Photo Attribution: muammerokumus

YouTube is a great tool to use in the classroom… it’s like Google in video! I am teaching a Scratch class, which is programming made easy. The folks at MIT created it and they got the name for scratching DJs. So, you will understand why I embedded the video below. It made me laugh… I hope you enjoy it.

You can do so much with the videos on YouTube and now with Zamzar we can modify them for the classroom. I also found several videos showing how to program with Scratch.

My thoughts on podcasting.

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I love podcasting! I have taught a few podcasting classes to our Teach 21 teachers. Every teacher that has incorporated podcasting in their classroom reported their students truly enjoyed the process and creativity. During the podcasting process the students usually learn more about their subject than they expected. The students are motivated by an authentic audience in iTunes and since most teenagers are already using iTunes… it’s even cooler to be podcasting! Teachers have reported their parents and grandparents also enjoy hearing their children’s podcasts. We have several teachers in Cherokee County that are producing excellent podcasts. Currently, my favorite podcast is TEDTalks.

This Web2.0 world is so cool!

I certainly do not read as much as I should or would like, but I can see where this could be a book lovers favorite site. I’m not sure I would use this site very often, but I can see where a literature teacher would find it helpful for their students. I wonder if our media specialists use this site… I will have to ask Esther she would know for sure. I entered one word in the tag search field and a it lead me to the book I wanted. I also like the Q & A section with the author.

I set up a Delicious account last year and imported all my favorites, but never really used it since. This task was a little like Flickr… I got lost following link after link. I added several sites to my account, but I need to spend more time tagging the sites I imported. The social aspect of this is great. I added several people to my network and will keep adding them as I find more people to follow.