Reflection of Web 2.0

This class came highly recommended to me by my classmates and I can honestly say I am not the least bit disappointed that I decided to embark on this journey. I knew before taking this class that I was extremely illiterate when it came to technology, but I had no idea I was this far behind! I have watched some of my classmates pull up their amazing blogs in the classroom like it was no big deal. I envied them because it seemed like something I would never be able to do. After taking this class I realized that with a little more practice I too can create a blog/teacher page just as noteworthy for my future students and parents.

I really enjoyed everything about this class, but I think my favorite exercise was the portion on blogging. I took this class to learn how to create and implement web tools that would be beneficial in the classroom, and I feel that blogging is the most valuable for me personally. I see blogging as a way to connect with the parents of students and help keep them informed about what we are doing in the classroom. I can post topics of study, class activities, homework assignments, upcoming field trips, study guides for tests, and links for various websites which will help parents stay up to date on what their child is doing while they are away from home. A classroom blog is also another way for parents and me to communicate with one another. In most cases when parents have a concern about something, there is another parent who has the same concern. By posting their comments and concerns on the blog all parents can see my response. This could make communication quicker and easier.

I think a classroom blog is also helpful to students because they can check what their assignments are and when they are do. I can also set up class discussions on the blog which will make it so every student has a chance to participate in the “discussion.” There are just so many things I can do with my own blog, that I don’t see myself not using this tool in my classroom.

Like I have previously stated, in every module I learned something that I did not know before either from my classmates or by viewing the material posted. However, I cannot say that these new discoveries have changed my overall learning goals, but it will most certainly assist me in achieving my learning goals. As a teacher, I want my students to be able to effectively work together as a group to complete certain tasks. This class has taught me that the proper implementation of wiki’s can help make group projects easier for students because it enables members to communicate more efficiently. Wiki’s are an easy, convenient way for students to share thoughts and communicate ideas to their classmates. As a teacher, I can view the students’ wiki and see who has been contributing to the assignment in addition to how the students’ ideas have developed and improved over time. WebQuests will also be a useful tool to incorporate because they capture students’ imagination and allow them to explore issues and find their own answers in a guided, meaningful manner.

I was very surprised about the social bookmarking module when I first started the class because for one, I had never even heard of it, and two I had no idea how it connected to the classroom. Once I started to read up about it however, I realized that it would be very beneficial to both educators and students. I like that I can keep all my favorite websites in one place and not lose them when I move from my home computer to another computer. I think this is an important component for students as well because they too are never on the same computer all the time. This tool can help make finding and returning to websites less of a hassle for everyone, which can cut down on class time.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed participating in this class. The information provided was very informative and really helped me through the online learning process. One of my fears with taking an online task is the thoroughness of the information provided. This class was very easy to navigate through and the information provided to learn more about the topic was very appropriate and helpful. The discussion portion of this class was extremely valuable. It was very interesting to read other people’s ideas and see how they will or have used these tools in the classroom. One thing that was a little challenging at times was finding where I had responded to other’s ideas. Is there a different way to set up discussions so it is easier to follow what I commented on? After lots of people responded it became somewhat confusing tracking what I said and who responded. Having something set up where you could more easily find what you specially wrote would make things much easier.

If another discovery program like this is created in the future I would definitely participate again. I feel much more knowledgeable now and would love to continue learning about useful technology tools to use in the classroom, especially because it seems to change so quickly.

Name of Resource: BrainPop-Animated Educational Site for Kids
URL Address: http://www.brainpop.com/
Summary: This website touches upon every subject. It provides animated movies relating to each topic and it also has quizzes.
Commentary: BrainPop is very useful in the educational setting. It is easy to follow because all the subjects are broken into various links, which then leads to more links relating to a specific topic within the chosen subject. The videos are informational and seem accurate. I think younger students will be able to understand the information depending on their grade level and the content. Educators will be able to decide if the content is relevant to the grade level they are teaching by using the State Standards Tool. A downfall with this site, in my opinion, is the fact that you must be a member in order to access a lot of the links. The website also seems a little outdated in regards to the videos shown. They are not very exciting and the voice doesn't always match up with the character speaking. I give this website an 8 out of 10.

Name of Resource: Great Site for Kids
Url Address: http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/animals.htm
Summary: This website designed for kids contains links to both educational and fun activities. There are also links for parents and educators to check out about topics that may interest them.
Commentary: The website allows you to look at a variety of links by selecting a category you wish to explore. Then a list of numerous links pops up and each one has a title followed by an explanation of what will occur once you enter that site. This gives the user the chance to filter out what will be useful and eliminate going to sites that may not be needed at the time. Some of the links seem a little difficult for younger students to follow and involve a lot of reading while other links are interactive. However, you cannot determine these sites unless you click on the actual link and find out for yourself. I give this site a 7 out of 10.

Name of Resource: Kids' Games, Animals, Photos, Stories, and More- National Geographic Kids
URL Address:http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/
Summary: This website provides games for children and gives them access to different blogs about current events occuring around the world. Students can learn about different places throughout the world in addition to information about numerous animals. There are also informational videos and fun crafts for children to do.
Commentary: The information on this website seems to be very accurate and updated often. Students can view what's popular in each category and see detailed pictures of what is being discussed. The games and videos are fun and easy to follow. I think this site is appealing to kids and has the potential to gain and keep students attention for long periods of time. Therefore I give this site a 10 out of 10.

Name of Resource: Talented and Gifted Resources for Students
URL Address: http://www.redmond.k12.or.us/14541051515300390/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=55754
Summary: This website is affiliated with Redmond School District and supplies links for students to websites revolving around various school topics (math, science, social studies, language arts, etc.). At the bottom of the site there are links to help practice studying for the ACT and SAT tests, which may be useful for older students for are preparing for these exams.
Commentary: There are so many links and games to play that I can see this website being a little overwhelming for younger students. However, the various links do add to the excitement of discovery and each link does have valuable information relating to the topic at hand. The variety of resources will help teach students of all learning abilities. I therefore give this site a 9 out of 10.

Name of Resource: Merriam-Webster's Word Central
Url Address: http://www.wordcentral.com/games.html
Summary: This website allows students to build their own dictionary, explore daily buzzwords, and play various games that deal with language. It supplies educators with a list of links that relate to company information, educational resources, or other Merriam-Webster resources online.
Commentary: I really like the build your own dictionary aspect of this website. I think kids will enjoy exploring words and creating their own dictionary with their own definitions. This website is great for learning unique words and its definition. The games are also educational and help students with concepts such as antonyms, synonyms, and spelling. The thesaurus and rhyming tabs at the top where not working for me however. Therefore I would give this website an 8 out of 10.

Name of Resource: Storyline Online
Url Address: http://www.storylineonline.net/
Summary: This website provides a variety of books that are read online by various actors. While the story is being read, students can view the illustrations and listen to the actor read the story. Each book includes accompanying activities for students and lesson plan ideas for teachers.
Commentary: This site is wonderful! It lists a variety of books that younger students will enjoy and even tells who will be reading the story to them. This way students can also choose a book based on who will be reading them the story (so they can pick someone they really like). The activities that follow are also nice because it allows students to discuss what they have just heard read to them. Most of the activities show some online sites students can visit to learn more about various aspects they read about. The only downfall I really noticed with this website is the fact that a lot of the actors reading the books are probably people the students don't really recognize which may like this activity less interesting to students. Overall I rate this site a 9 out of 10.