Thing 23: The End

I thought that Web 2.0 was an incredible course.  At the beginning, I was so scared of the course.  I was nervous that the workload would be overwhelming, and that I would find myself “failing.”  I was pleasantly surprised to see how user-friendly the course is.  I learned so much through this course, and I can’t wait to begin to use it in the classroom.  I believe that one is never too young to use these resources, and it is important to use the tools that are available to us.  These tools truly make learning more fun!

Thing 18: Podcasts made easy!

During this past school year, we made numerous podcasts using Audacity.  Making a podcast not using Audacity was very different.  I don’t know if it was because I was not used to the other program, or if I just couldn’t think of anything to talk about, but I found it a bit harder.  When we made podcasts this year, I found them fun and interesting.  The students loved making them and by the end of the year, it became second nature to “podcast.”  I love that podcasting can be used to talk about anything; the possibilities are truly endless.  I will continue to create podcasts this year because I think it is a great tool that helps to reinforce the information that the children have learned.

Thing 22: Social Networking

Being a recent college graduate, I am MORE than familiar with Facebook.  At one point, I truly thought I was addicted to Facebook and contemplated taking myself of of the site.  I have now curbed my addiction and only go on it 3-4 times a week (a HUGE improvement).  Needless to say, when I saw that the subject was social networking, I was very excited.

I was very impressed with Classroom 2.0.  What a great and informative website!  It is so similar to Facebook, but it is for implementing technology in the classroom.  I like that you don’t necessarily have to sign up, but you are able to “search” around.  I could lose MANY hours on this website.  There is so much information; I would truly have to set a timer so I wouldn’t lose a few days!

I thought the Nings were also extremely cool.  There was one in particular that led me to so much information for teaching.  It seems that Nings truly let you share information with other teachers in an easy and fool-proof way.  I already saved this Ning, and I will definitely refer back to the site.  Lastly, we just talked about Nings in my grad. school class and how beneficial they can be for teachers.  I will definitely be telling my class about the one I just found!

Task 21: Pageflakes (ADDICTIVE)

Ok, so I kinda knew about Pageflakes from another teacher.  She made one for all of Second grade to use over the summer.  When she was telling me about it, I was just like..”oh, ok.”  Well…WOW!  Pageflakes are so cool.  I signed up for the teacher edition and used their template.  Immediately, I started playing, editing, etc.  I literally had to stop myself!  This is such a cool tool, and I can definitely see myself using it.  I love that anyone can access it, and that it all makes sense!  Additionally, I think it is great that it is organized into sections.  Ths helps it be more “user-friendly” and not so overwhelming.  I can’t wait to use this again this year and hope to be able to expand more by putting more “bookmarks” and keeping it up to date.  It is almost like a blog, but even better!  There is so much that not only the students, but also the parents will get out of this tool.

7c:More Google Reader

There was one article that I saw on my Google Reader that I just couldn’t ignore.  It is from a teacher blog and was titled Fatigue.  Now, since the summer began, I have found myself sleeping later and “needing” to take naps.  I clicked on the article and instantly felt better!  It talked about how teachers hit June and are just beat.  This describes me so well.  During the school year, I feel like I am running in fast forward and only sit down when it’s time to go to bed (technically, I guess that’s not sitting, but really sleeping).  I then wake up the next morning (at 6!) and start over.  So, it makes me feel much better that I am not alone.  I guess that lack of sleep is finally catching up….

Thing 20: Google Docs…

As I was reading about the task, I had an interesting feeling that our course “checklist” was in Google Docs…how appropriate!  I was able to write a document that I had for homework in my grad. school class, and I found it just the same as writing it in Microsoft Word.  I was surprised at how similar the programs were and did not have to “search” around for anything.  I could definitely see using Google Docs for many things.  One would be for a group project.  If there was a final “document” to be turned in, you could originally type it in Google Docs, and then everyone from the group could make corrections/changes from their own computer.  Second, another idea would be for a letter to send home to parents.  If you wanted to letter to be from let’s say….all the second grade teachers, one person could start it in Google Docs, and then each person could go in and fix/edit the document.  Lastly, I realized how great it would be to put a class list in Google Docs, but as a spreadsheet.  I find myself putting the names, parent info., birthday, etc. into an Excel document and then a. not being able to change things easily (I am NOT an excel fan) or b. not being able to find it when I need the sheet.  How great would it be for me and another teacher to make changes and/or find it from our home computers?!?!  It makes me excited just thinking about it!  I can’t wait to use Google Docs in the future!

Thing 19: YouTube and TeacherTube

I already knew what a wonderful website YouTube is for watching videos.  I never thought of how many educational videos would be on there.  When given this assignment, I began to research different teaching topics.  Wow!  I could not believe how many videos there were just on “Second Grade.”  I would definitely use YouTube to find a video for a lesson, bookmark it to my Delicious account, and then show my class.  This way, I would not have to worry about what would come up on the screen since I already would have viewed the video.  This takes the “fear” out of using an internet search engine in front of a class! I found a wonderful Spelling Lesson when searching on YouTube.  I already saved it to my Delicious account and will likely use it this year.  When looking on TeacherTube, I was not as impressed.  I did find a fun phonics video, but it seemed extremely outdated.  Additionally, the quality was not so great.  Lastly, the site was slow and there were so many ads that I could hardly figure out where the videos were!  With that said, I could most definitely see myself using YouTube as a resource in the classroom.

Thing 17: The Joy of Podcasts

Podcasting is such a fun tool that can be used in the classroom.  This past year, we did many podcasts in 2nd grade.  We did one on Penguins that turned out to be very cool!  I liked looking at the different Podcasts.  I consider myself a “technology savvy” person, and even though I own and swear by my MacBook, iPod, and iPhone, I had NO idea I could download EDUCATIONAL podcasts onto my computer/iPod/iPhone.  How cool is that?!?!  While working out, I could listen to a podcast from another classroom across the country.  It is even cooler to think that one could subscribe to a podcast feed, and once it is updated, it will immediately go onto your device.  I listened to a podcast by David Warlick.  It discussed the purpose of teaching and how educators affect the future.  I thought it was extremely interesting and subscribed to his feed.  There was a podcast I wanted to listen to about using Macs in the classroom but couldn’t get it to work.  I will definitely check back later to see if I can hear it.  Overall, I think podcasting is an awesome tool that allows students to effectively work together.

Thing 16: LibraryThing

I had never heard of LibraryThing before reading about it on our 23 Things site.  I then went and took a “tour” of the LibraryThing website and thought…wow, how cool is this!  I don’t know if this is something I would use everyday in the classroom; however, I did think it would be a great tool to use for summer reading.  Additionally, it could be used in conjunction with AR to help both the children and parents be familiar with what the student is reading.  As a teacher, it is hard to be know everything about every book your students will want to read.  This will help make your life easier!  You can have all your students put their books into the “catalog;” therefore, you will let them have their freedom while still knowing that they are reading appropriate material.

I also thought that this would be a great tool for a book club.  This could help organize the books that they have read, want to read, and are planning on reading.  This website truly does all the “work” for you and let’s you enjoy reading!

Thing 15: Delicious!

What a great site delicious is for everybody!  I don’t know if I would necessarily use it for personal reasons, but I would DEFINETLY use it in the classroom.  It makes it so easy to organize the sites you feel are important and would possibly want to get back to at some point.  There is no need to worry about wasting time trying to find a website.  By going to your “My Delicious” tags, you will immediately be able to find what you are looking for.  This is a great tool, and I will most definitely use it in the classroom.

My Delicious!