Module 3: Assignments 1 and 2 "Photopeach"

I have fallen in love with Photopeach!  It was indeed extremely easy to make a slideshow and share.  I am currently waiting to see if my slideshow was successfully sent.  I received one email from Photopeach that was all in html code, so I'm anxious to see if I can view my slideshow in a future email.

My husband has often made slideshows of our pictures, but the last year he completed was 2007!  This would be a practical way to share special occasions, holidays, and other events that you may not want to post to Facebook or Twitter.

Educationally, I would like to use Photopeach to share pictures of field trips, classroom activities, etc.  Another new technology friend!

Little Doesn't Last! on PhotoPeach

Voice Thread

Liz Motley and I created the following voice thread today!  It is about measuring tools that first graders need to know.

Module 2 Assignment 7 "Pinterest"

Time!  That's all I need to really get into Pinterest!  I am enjoying "pinning" things, especially educational ideas.  Now that's the end of the year is here, I am so busy that any new ideas just get put aside.  With Pinterest, I envision myself pinning things of interest now, and making it "happen" this summer.

I also like being able to take a home project (my little girl's room, for instance) and save ideas to Pinterest.  This is much easier than bookmarking or retyping web addresses.

To see all the ideas I have thus far for my daughter's bedroom, click HERE.

As I find more TIME to explore and use Pinterest, I think I will continue to use it often.

Module 2 Assignment 6 "iPad"

Well, I am getting better at finding educational apps!  I love reading the reviews to see if it's worth my time to download a specific app or not.  I downloaded 3 different apps this evening:  Mad Libs, StoryKit, and Khan Academy.

I found all three to be useful in different ways.  We in Henry County are fortunate that many, many apps have already been downloaded onto our iPads so we don't have to wait for the downloads.  All we truly have to do is open different apps to see if they suit our needs.

As I continue to become more comfortable with the iPad, I plan to use more specific apps to supplement my instruction.

Module 2 Assignment 5: "Wordle/Tagxedo"

Using Tagxedo proved to be easier than Wordle.  I liked that Tagxedo repeated words to make the image fuller and more interesting.  It was also convenient that I could save a Tagxedo file as a JPEG and copy it where I would like.  Below is one image I made this evening.  Using the names of the family's grandchildren, I created what I think would make a neat gift for my dad, their grandfather.

Of course, I would like to discover ways to use Tagxedo with my students.  Ideas I have include using it with spelling words, science/social studies vocabulary, and math terms.  I think some students could handle typing in their own spelling words to create their own "Wordle."

This was definitely one of the most fun activities simply because I felt like I was "playing a game."  I can't wait to use this in the future!

Module 2 Assignment 4 "Twitter"

I'm still a little in the dark about "Twitter."  Because I'm a fairly private person, "tweeting" about mundane things in my life seems pretty useless.  I enjoyed, however, the videos about how to use "Twitter" in the classroom.  If I were a teacher of middle or high school students, I could definitely see the benefits of using Twitter as a message board.  Students that normally would not speak out in class felt more confident to "tweet" their thoughts and answers.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to use Twitter in such a way with first graders.

I do believe that Twitter could be a way for parents, other teachers, and community members to follow the happenings in my classroom.  Could Twitter be used as a mini-blog?  My only reservation continues to be the lack of parents with the technology to follow me and the classroom on Twitter.  I also would want to be sure I had permission to post pictures of the children.  (no names, of course!)  Something to think about as I prepare for next year!

Module 2 Assignment 3 "Blogging Just for Fun"

Taking this "Web 2.0" class has required me to catch up with the latest technology and trends.  Blogging is something I haven't done much except for a few book studies required by our principal.  I am actually enjoying it!  It reminds me of journaling, but I love the "blog" template.

Our instructor told us to blog just for fun; well, below are the reasons I do everything I do!  While I've enjoyed the homework I'm doing, I still miss any time away from my family!  I'm always a wife and mom first!

Module 2 Assignment 2 "Delicious"

Adding websites to Delicious continues to become "second nature" as I do it more often.  I like the convenience of having the "Add to Delicious" choice in my toolbar.  This process is much easier than copying and pasting.  I believe my next step in using Delicious will be to learn how to group my websites together according to their tags.  Folders work well for me, and I like to have things organized and easy to find.  If this task isn't part of a future assignment, I will definitely explore how to do it on my own!

Module 2 Assignment 1 "Adding a Page to My Blog"

This was definitely one of the easiest assignments.  It was very similar to adding a page to my webpage.  I like  the fact that I could add pages at the top about specific topics rather than continually "stack up" entries.  This would be very useful with a classroom blog to make pages about classroom activities, field trips, helpful links, etc.  I hope I can start a classroom blog in the fall!  Blogging seemed more interesting than creating a web page!

Module 1 Assignment 9 "Pinterest"

Pinterest has been mentioned in a lot of conversations during my grade level's planning meetings.  Most of the  "cool" ideas that my colleagues bring to the table are from "Pinterest."  Now I am a part of that!  At first I was a little confused about the difference between Delicious and Pinterest, but I think I now know how I can use both.  

I would use Delicious for specific websites that I don't want to lose...my favorites, or just websites that I need in the future.  I would use Pinterest for specific "parts" of websites I would like to use.  For instance, I have 2 boards on Pinterest, one for "Daily Five" and one for "Ideas for Little Girl Rooms."  I think one benefit of Pinterest is the way I can group my interests into "boards," much easier than having to navigate through a website.  I also like the image coming with your "pin."  That helps as well when looking for a specific idea.

  

Pinterest is also useful in that I can access it on any device, something I can't do if I just save things to "My Favorites."  Plus, "My Favorites" doesn't get full of temporary websites.

I plan to continue to become acquainted with Pinterest even after this class!

Module 1 Assignment 7 "Using the iPad in the Classroom"

First of all, I truly wish iPad technology was available when I was in high school and college!  The three videos were very informative for a beginner iPad user such as myself.

As a first grade teacher, I am always wanting to be able to apply what is available in educational technology to 6 and 7 year olds.  Some of the apps he describes are wonderful for older students and adults, but it's up to me to find ways to use them with my younger students.  Below are some ideas I thought I could adapt for little ones:

• Dragon Dictation:  This app would be great for helping little words understand concept of word.  They could say a sentence and see it in print.  I would not have them say the punctuation but see if they could figure out where periods would go.  It would be a great tool for my struggling writers.  
• Read aloud books:  Next year, our K-2 classes are beginning the "Daily Five" which is center-based literacy instruction.  One of the centers is "listening" to books.  Some of us still have the old cassette tapes with books, but I would hope to be able to use the iPads for read-alouds.  This would be much easier to use than a cassette player!
• Drawing apps:  I think using a drawing app during a read-aloud story would help keep students on-task and attentive.  For instance, I could stop at a point in a story and have the students draw to predict what would happen next.  Also, I could have the students draw what was their favorite part of the story.
• Music apps:  I'm not a music teacher, but I would love to talk with our music teacher about using the iPads during our music class.  There appears to be some great music apps that would foster more appreciation for the arts!

Dragon Dication screen
Used primarily for business, I believe it could be useful for struggling writers.

Module 1 Assignment 6 "iPad App Evaluation"

In Henry County Schools, teachers are fortunate enough to have access to state of the art technology.  Each grade level at my elementary school has an iPad cart to share.  The students absolutely adore using the iPads.  The app (Math Kid) that I reviewed is actually an app that one of my students discovered.  We've used it in the classroom, but completing the evaluation encouraged me to take a closer look at the settings and options the app has.  Of course, many of the features are not available in the free version, however, the "lite" version did come with useful options for my students and even my 3 year old daughter.

I am continually amazed at what technology has to offer teachers and students.  I only wish I had more time to discover new things!

Module 1 Assignment 5 "Twitter"

Well, I sure am behind the times!  I just joined Twitter last weekend, and while I've "tweeted" daily, I still don't understand it all.  I did enjoy searching for people (both famous and not famous) to follow and have chuckled whenever I received notification someone new was following me.  (Not that it's been that many!)

I look forward to learning more about Twitter and how to use it correctly.  A coworker who is also taking the class "Web 2.0" gave me a laugh when she told me she began to follow "Elizabeth Joyce" on Twitter and how she sure was surprised at all of my profound "tweets."  Little did she know that she had the wrong person.  The picture even looked like me!  We straightened out her error and now she gets to see all of MY profound "tweets."  She might want to go back following the other Elizabeth Joyce!

Module 1 Assignment 4 "Google Docs"

Google Docs, in my opinion, is a great way to share files with others.  It seems easier to use than Dropbox, and I like that changes are saved automatically.  After watching the video on Youtube, I learned how simple it is to download a Google document to Word and to download a Word document to Google Docs.  In our division, administrators often use Google Docs to share documents such as benchmark tests, school improvement plans, and even an iPad checkout form.  

I was not able to open the video about how teachers and students can use Google Docs. (The link did not work.)  However, I feel it would be a good way to for teachers to help upper grade students revise and edit writing assignments.  Google Docs could also be used to share information with parents, and I like the idea of creating a "form," which is like a survey.  The only caveat would be that some parents do not have a Gmail account.  

I do think that the home (Drive) page is a little confusing, and I sometimes have trouble finding my documents.  I think I just need to spend some time organizing and creating folders.  Overall, using Google Docs is easy and practical.  It just makes sense to use it to share documents.  

Module 1 Assignment 3 "Dropbox"

"Dropbox" is my new friend!  Actually, I've been using Dropbox for about a year, and I love its usefulness.  There are three first grade teachers in my school, and we love to share files and collaborate on lesson planning.  Many of the files are "Notebook" files for the SmartBoard and are too large of a file to email.  Thus the necessity of Dropbox!  I also find useful the "check mark" on the icon to inform me everything is up-to-date.  

In addition, all Henry County elementary teachers are awaiting their new laptops.  Having Dropbox will allow me to transfer files easily to my new computer this summer.  I normally save most of my own files on a flash drive, but Dropbox allows me to quickly save important files until I have time to that.

Now that I'm comfortable with Dropbox, I plan to invite folks in my family to begin using it.  Not only would inviting others allow me to share pictures of my two children, but it would also provide me with extra storage on my Dropbox account. 

Module 1 Assignment 2 "Classroom Blogs"

Classroom Blogs

As a teacher in Henry County Public Schools, I am required to maintain a webpage that lists general information about my classroom.  The only thing I change is the weekly homework section.  After reading the article "Ten Ways to Use Your Edublog," I am convinced a classroom blog would be more beneficial than a website.  Out of the ten ideas the article provided, I chose 3 that I believe I would utilize if I had such a blog.  

1.  Replacing my weekly newsletter.  Updating a blog would be faster and much more practical than a newsletter that has to be copied.  (Plus it would save paper!)  I like that a blog is interactive, so that parents and students could respond, comment, and add to what I post.
2. Sharing news, links, downloads, and more.  So many of my parents ask for the websites that we use in the classroom.  If they are all listed on a classroom blog, these websites may be used more frequently!  Also, I would like to be able to share power points, Word files and other data that I use in the classroom.  A classroom blog would make that much easier than sending an email!
3. Getting my students to "blog."  I admit getting first graders to "publish" their writing using technology is quite the challenge.  However, if students knew their writings were going to be read on the classroom blog, I think they would have more motivation to do well.

One classroom blog that I visited that I found to be representative of a "good blog," was Mrs. Levy's blog from California.  This blog is maintained by a first grade teacher and illustrates some of the best reasons to have a classroom blog.  Parents could easily go to the blog and discover what their children did THAT day.  No more asking your child "what did you learn today?" only to be answered with "nothing."  On the side bar were links that parents and students could use--another advantage to classroom blogs. 

The only concern I have is posting all of those student pictures on the blog.  I realize the importance of having parental permission, but I still am leery of anyone being able to view the blog.  Otherwise, I'm all for "blogging" and find myself enjoying the experience!

Module 1 Assignment 1 "Adding Websites to Delicious"

I just added 5 new websites to Delicious.  These are websites that I already use, but after adding them, I enjoyed seeing how many other people have also saved them.  Delicious seems like a fairly easy way to manage your favorites.  With new laptops coming soon for elementary teachers in Henry County (I hope!), using Delicious would be a very simple way to save your favorites and have them ready to transfer to a new computer.  Since I am having to switch back and forth between browsers, I truly am enjoying the practicality of Delicious!

Below are my newest links I just added; simply click on the image of the website:

      

                                        

  

        

 

A Really Good Site for Disney Lovers!

I found this really good website about Disney Resorts.

I saved it to Delicious, but you can also get to it by clicking HERE.

Delicious

I used "Delicious," which is a social bookmarking website in my Web 2.0 class.  I think I will use it to save websites that may not need to be in my permanent "favorites."  I plan to share it with my family to help with finding websites!

Tagxedo

I was really impressed with how easy it was to use Tagxedo.  I think even my first grade students would enjoy using this with their spelling words.  Also, I would use it with science and social studies vocabulary.  I like the fact that we could save the image as a JPEG file.

Here is my first Taxedo picture:

My First Post

I am taking the Web 2.0 class from UVa.  This is my first post on my blog.