Week 9- Thing 23

It was not my intention to complete the remaining exercises in two days. I warn my students of the pitfalls of procrastination, but this year got away from me. I would have to say my favorite
exercises included the exporation of: flickr, eAudiobooks, Library Thing, setting up my blog, and and online productivity. I would like to explore podcasting further as an enrichment project for my 4th graders (but I could use some help). I feel this program has enhanced my lifelong learning goals by opening my eyes to the different technological tools on the web.

Their is so much information to process. My goal is to review the different exercises I have blogged about this summer. I would recommend this program for others, and I would gladly participate in another discovery program.

One word: enlightening

Week 9- Thing 22

I marked the site for places to get free Audio ebooks so I can utilize this site this summer. My husband bought me an IPod for Christmas and I absolutely love the different things I can download, one being audio books.

There are gifted students who have trouble passing AR tests after reading a novel. I have found if they can listen to the book while reading, they are able to pass these tests. It improves their vocabulary and strengthens their comprehension.

Week 9- Thing 20 and 21

TeacherTube was yet another great resource teachers. Podcasting does have potential in the classroom and would meet language arts standards. The problem is finding the time and access to the technology needed to implement such a project.

Week 8- Thing 19

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/dklein
This was a cool site. I could see how I could use something like this with my students. The books I chose were very popular and I like how reviews are included. It would be a neat project for students to compile the books they read all year with their own personal reviews.

They would love finding the book covers and reading other reviews.

Week 8- Thing 18

I was having techno-difficulties with the Zoho site. I browsed the different templates you could use to create a variety of documents. I am thinking about having my teaching partners use Zoho for the purpose of building our newsletters next year.

Week 7- Thing 16 and 17

I reviewed the Book Lovers and Literature Circle wikis and found them interesting. I particularly liked how the teacher of english set up his wiki for students taking his class. I am not sure how I would utilize this with 4th grade, especially with those who are without computers at home.

Week 6- Thing 15

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/

I really liked this comic book. I could see using this as a tool for teaching the ethics of gathering and sharing digital information. With the ease of getting digital information (pictures, cartoons, information, videos, etc.) from the web, it is important for students to understand at an early age copyright ethics.

Week 6- Thing 14

Wow! I found an interesting blog after searching for Gifted and Talented blogs about the Gifted Kids Network which encourages student activism. Technorati is more user friendly to me than some of the other things I have reviewed since beginning this Web 2.0 journey.

Week 6- Thing 13

I reviewed the Del.icio.us site assigned for this week. I plan on researching it more when I have time this summer. I like the idea of having a location students can access from home for quality sites regarding classroom studies.

Week 5- Thing 12

My students research life in the middle ages when we read, The Castle in the Attic. I created a ROLLYO account using different sites for this unit of study. I really liked this tool and will try to utilize it more next year.

Week 5- Thing 11

I really liked the Traveler IQ. That would be a useful tool in the classroom for teaching geography. I had a hard time focusing on the Web 2.0 sites. Too much information can be overwhelming.

Week 6- Thing 10

I love this! What a way for students to practice
dialogue, especially with characters they are familiar with from
cartoons or the newspaper.

Week 5- Thing 8 and 9

The one thing I like about RSS and newsreaders is the ability to group information of interest. I am not sure how I would use this in the classroom, but I know it would be helpful with research assignments. I really enjoyed learning how to add RSS feeds to my blog.

As for my personal life, I do not feel I would use this particular tool. It was interesting, but not my cup of tea.

Week 4: Thing 8

I just set up my newsreader account with Google. I do not know if I will utilize this tool, but I will be reviewing it this week to see if I find it useful. Setting up the account was easy, but it isn't something I would have done for myself.

Week 3: Thing 7

I really like the idea of using a Flickr account for parents to view pictures of special school happenings.

Week 3: Thing 6

This picture was taken by my husband's camera at his deer lease. Sadly, the only pictures on my computer at this time are from the property (I had to clean off the hard drive). I used Poster Maker to play with this picture. I was supposed to add something inspirational, but

I was at a loss.

Week 3: Thing 5

I have heard of these types of sites, but I have never actively explored one. I really think it would be neat to set up an account for posting pictures of students in the classroom and during special events. Many parents work and attending school events can be difficult. This tool would give them a way to view their child's special events.

Week 2- Thing 2

The easiest habit for me is creating learning toolboxes.
I think the most challenging habit is to stay positive when obstacles or problems arise.

Week 1- Thing 1

I lost my first blog somewhere.