You were right, one could spend hours and hours on YouTube and TeacherTube. It is really easy to get lost in the abyss of videos. I guess I think it's fine that there is a venue for people who want to be performers to post their products but I have seen email after email fly around with links to youtube videos that really make fun of people. Maybe that was the creator's intent, to get noticed. I hadn't really experienced Youtube as educational until we started watching them in One Tech Tutorial. I must say I prefer TeacherTube over Youtube just because the inappropriate stuff is filtered out.
I watched several, in one, the premise was good but it was boring to watch. It was How To Correct Common Reading Problems in Children: Robotic Reading. I didn't even copy the address I clicked off of it! I do think with a little digging I could find some that would work for teachers. Again, what a great, short staff development. Why recreate if someone has already created?
Of course there are funny ones. I watch Very Funny Cats. However, I didn't realize that there were so many how-to videos. Since I run, I watched one on breathing.
My favorite was on TeacherTube, Why Read Stories. It's a little heavy but good.
On a lighter note - Reading Everywhere
I have to fix my videos. They show up in the preview but when I published I got an error. I thought it had to do with a different one so I deleted that one. Hummmm.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thing 17
I have been anticipating this Thing for some time. (I know, how silly, I could have jumped right to it first, but since I am an educator and they were listed sequentially, I followed them sequentially!)
I listened to several podcasts on The Education Podcast Network, Miette's Bedtime Stories, for one. I was disappointed the The Daily Idiom wouldn't open. Author's in Your Pocket and The Rob and Bob Show were good too.
I actually subscribed to: Authors in Your Pocket, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips, Just One More Book. In fact I learned when to use a colon as opposed to a dash on the Grammar Girl's podcast. Pretty funny. Kids would love listening to them. It's a lot more interesting than a worksheet.
I loved the Jamestown Elementary podcasts. Now there is an example of incorporating technology into the classroom! Wow, the podcasts the 2nd graders created using every genre from poems to songs to depict life in early Jamestown were unbelievable!
There are so many uses for these. Obviously in the classroom but I think I am going to create some quick ones for curriculum. Teachers don't have time to sit and watch a 30 minute video, but everyone can squeeze in 3 minutes.
I listened to several podcasts on The Education Podcast Network, Miette's Bedtime Stories, for one. I was disappointed the The Daily Idiom wouldn't open. Author's in Your Pocket and The Rob and Bob Show were good too.
I actually subscribed to: Authors in Your Pocket, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips, Just One More Book. In fact I learned when to use a colon as opposed to a dash on the Grammar Girl's podcast. Pretty funny. Kids would love listening to them. It's a lot more interesting than a worksheet.
I loved the Jamestown Elementary podcasts. Now there is an example of incorporating technology into the classroom! Wow, the podcasts the 2nd graders created using every genre from poems to songs to depict life in early Jamestown were unbelievable!
There are so many uses for these. Obviously in the classroom but I think I am going to create some quick ones for curriculum. Teachers don't have time to sit and watch a 30 minute video, but everyone can squeeze in 3 minutes.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thing 16
Although overwhelming, this one was easy. I can see a lot of uses for me personally. When I have time I would like to add my professional books. That way teachers in the district could look and see if I have the book without emailing. Just cut out the middle man. Also, with the tags, they could see other books that they might like. For my fun books that may have to wait.
Library Thing was really a wealth of information. I think kids would love to join the 50 Book Challenge. I think being part of a group would excite them. Much more fun than keeping track on a list. Plus, not as easy to lose. They could see other books by the same author or topic.
I was blown away by all the groups. That should have been a burning quesion! Who thinks of all these groups. The Tea Group...really, it made me laugh.
I do think the groups would be good in upper elementary, middle and high school. I think it would be a good example for boys. They could even start their own group. It seems like it could almost be a support group for kids who need 'permission' to read.
I wasn't impressed with the Suggester. Each time it just listed different editions of the same title. I tried several and got the same thing. I did find the Unsuggester kind of cool. It was interesting to see what they thought one wouldn't enjoy. Sometimes I read completely different books. But I have friends who will only read one type of books. For them, this would be helpful.
So this is one more bookmark for me to go back to and explore in much more depth!
Library Thing was really a wealth of information. I think kids would love to join the 50 Book Challenge. I think being part of a group would excite them. Much more fun than keeping track on a list. Plus, not as easy to lose. They could see other books by the same author or topic.
I was blown away by all the groups. That should have been a burning quesion! Who thinks of all these groups. The Tea Group...really, it made me laugh.
I do think the groups would be good in upper elementary, middle and high school. I think it would be a good example for boys. They could even start their own group. It seems like it could almost be a support group for kids who need 'permission' to read.
I wasn't impressed with the Suggester. Each time it just listed different editions of the same title. I tried several and got the same thing. I did find the Unsuggester kind of cool. It was interesting to see what they thought one wouldn't enjoy. Sometimes I read completely different books. But I have friends who will only read one type of books. For them, this would be helpful.
So this is one more bookmark for me to go back to and explore in much more depth!
Thing 15
Creating a wiki was a blast. I can see a lot of potential for using it not only personally but professionally as well. It was very easy to create and add things to mine. It's Running Reader. I would like to go back and really take some time and create a unique one since we were all using the same template.
I was a little confused about the title. I noticed some people called theirs practice page, etc. I guess I thought the title of the wiki was the main thing, then each page would have a sub-title. Maybe I am wrong or maybe it doesn't matter.
Adding the Voki was a tad frustrating only because I didn't read carefully enough (go figure). Once I went back through and realized I was to use the widget button it was great.
In addition to creating a Voki I also used the billboard feature. That was fun. I can see kids having fun creating billboards maybe with persuasion or a character study.
Trying to get my page added to the others is still frustrating. I can't seem to do it or even find where I am suppose to do it. One comment I found was that the link was on the bottom of the homepage. Didn't see it. My page does show up in orphans. It was comforting to see that there are some other orphans. Perhaps we will be fostered out soon and have a home. Actually I think if I leave this for a while and come back to it, I can figure it out.
I was a little confused about the title. I noticed some people called theirs practice page, etc. I guess I thought the title of the wiki was the main thing, then each page would have a sub-title. Maybe I am wrong or maybe it doesn't matter.
Adding the Voki was a tad frustrating only because I didn't read carefully enough (go figure). Once I went back through and realized I was to use the widget button it was great.
In addition to creating a Voki I also used the billboard feature. That was fun. I can see kids having fun creating billboards maybe with persuasion or a character study.
Trying to get my page added to the others is still frustrating. I can't seem to do it or even find where I am suppose to do it. One comment I found was that the link was on the bottom of the homepage. Didn't see it. My page does show up in orphans. It was comforting to see that there are some other orphans. Perhaps we will be fostered out soon and have a home. Actually I think if I leave this for a while and come back to it, I can figure it out.
Thing 14
I have heard about wikis for a year now ( I am sure they have been around for a while but remember I just joined Facebook!) They are an incredible tool that we should be using in the classroom. I enjoyed visiting the 1001 Flat World Stories. Wow, talk about connecting around the world. I liked the fact that not only did they share, add to stories but I loved the running clocks to show the time in Hawaii, Seoul and Colorado.
The Code Blue wiki was very well put together. I loved how they added the feature of actual patients with different problems. I can see how students would love to work on that. It was very thorough.
My least favorite was the K Counting Book. I am not sure what I was expecting but not that. I didn't think the pictures were good and in some it was hard to really tell what number was being represented. I should go easy as I haven't created one yet. Mine may look very similar.
I actually joined wiki, Primary Math The homepage was good but what was phenomenal were the links to teacher's blogs or wikis. One in particular, Kindergarten Tales, was outstanding. The teacher chronicled units of study they had done complete with videos, mosaics etc. It seemed she may have taken a class and really implemented. I want to use it as an example for teachers.
My absolute favorite was Go West. I think the teacher summed it up when she said, the excitement of the students never waned; they were eager to work on it at every opportunity. that's why we need to incorporate wikis and really all the tools into our teaching.
The Code Blue wiki was very well put together. I loved how they added the feature of actual patients with different problems. I can see how students would love to work on that. It was very thorough.
My least favorite was the K Counting Book. I am not sure what I was expecting but not that. I didn't think the pictures were good and in some it was hard to really tell what number was being represented. I should go easy as I haven't created one yet. Mine may look very similar.
I actually joined wiki, Primary Math The homepage was good but what was phenomenal were the links to teacher's blogs or wikis. One in particular, Kindergarten Tales, was outstanding. The teacher chronicled units of study they had done complete with videos, mosaics etc. It seemed she may have taken a class and really implemented. I want to use it as an example for teachers.
My absolute favorite was Go West. I think the teacher summed it up when she said, the excitement of the students never waned; they were eager to work on it at every opportunity. that's why we need to incorporate wikis and really all the tools into our teaching.
Thing 13
Delicious has been the best so far as getting everything organized. I did set up my account. It isn't as organized as I want it to eventually be but...I had to move on. I enjoyed tagging things and realized that you really have to be careful how you tag things. For instance, when I went to bundle my tags I couldn't remember if 'articles' pertained to professional articles or running articles. I guess it doesn't matter in the long run. Just more I would have to sift through.
I think the feature of being able to see other people's sites is great. It really is a time saver in that I can log on, look at mine and then check out what the people in my network are reading. Since we are all educators, as far as profession goes, we are interested in similar topics.
I can see value with this in sharing articles with teachers. The one concern I have is that some of the links some teachers have tagged aren't ones that we really want them replicating the activities. Some don't follow best practices. I guess that's where a blog response would come in?
I need to go back and try to tag misd23things on one of mine. I tried a few times but it didn't show up on the wiki.
I think the feature of being able to see other people's sites is great. It really is a time saver in that I can log on, look at mine and then check out what the people in my network are reading. Since we are all educators, as far as profession goes, we are interested in similar topics.
I can see value with this in sharing articles with teachers. The one concern I have is that some of the links some teachers have tagged aren't ones that we really want them replicating the activities. Some don't follow best practices. I guess that's where a blog response would come in?
I need to go back and try to tag misd23things on one of mine. I tried a few times but it didn't show up on the wiki.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Thing 22
I know I skipped a few but I could do this one easily, or easier than some of the others. I decided to save them until I am fresh!
I have dabbled with social networking for a few months although not Facebook. I joined RaceNation when I started running with the Dallas Running Club. They made it clear that it would be their mode of communication. I just got a profile and basically checked notifications and messages. I haven't really used it too much for 'talking' back and forth. I am part of a few groups, again that deal with running. It is a network for athletes ( and I use the term loosely for me). When I read comments people post or blogs I do find them interesting and people have gotten quesions answered etc.
I was hesitant to join Facebook, not because of any thing bad but because my kids were on it. Since I knew it had began as a way for university kids to communicate my own children were irritated when everyone in the world joined. I listened to them go on about how this 'old' person or that 'old' person had joined. I really felt like I was treading on their territory. I think they had this illusion that people over thirty, and certainly well over 30 shouldn't be into social networking.
Well, I joined.Right now Race Nation is easier for me to use. I am sure just because I am familiar with it. On Facebook while trying to set up my profile, I inadvertandly posted my three children as mother! Thankfully they are my 'friends' and called it (albeit publically)to my attention. I guess I am not as techno savvy as I thought.
I do think these have merit. Of course there is the reconnecting part which is cool. I have friends however, that say if they haven't kept up with them till now why start. Well, life gets in the way and if we now have an easy way to reconnect, why not?
Educationally, the different groups you can join is great. I haven't joined any yet, I was ovewhelmed with the search. I am thinking about making a group for the people in my literacy class. I think it would be a great way to stay in touch with current and past members.
I did look up friends and request to be friends. I like the feature 'mutal' friends. It makes it easy to link to them.
It can be a huge time sucker. But really what isn't? I know some people that will hole themselves up an entire weekend to read a book. What else are they getting done? Frankly, I would rather people spend time chatting and reconnecting then playing video games. Plus, you can control and set all those settings so that you don't get everything.
I also think there is merit for communicating with parents. This would be easier than 22 individual emails.
I have decided that facebook isn't the spawn of the devil that maybe we "older" folks had made it out to be. It's kind of fun see who is friends with whom, I look at some of the connections and just think wow how do they know each other. I think it's a great tool. If you don't want to alert the world that right now I am drinking coffee - then don't. I personally don't think anyone else is interested in my minute by minute activities. But hey, if others want to...some of them are sort of funny to read!
I have dabbled with social networking for a few months although not Facebook. I joined RaceNation when I started running with the Dallas Running Club. They made it clear that it would be their mode of communication. I just got a profile and basically checked notifications and messages. I haven't really used it too much for 'talking' back and forth. I am part of a few groups, again that deal with running. It is a network for athletes ( and I use the term loosely for me). When I read comments people post or blogs I do find them interesting and people have gotten quesions answered etc.
I was hesitant to join Facebook, not because of any thing bad but because my kids were on it. Since I knew it had began as a way for university kids to communicate my own children were irritated when everyone in the world joined. I listened to them go on about how this 'old' person or that 'old' person had joined. I really felt like I was treading on their territory. I think they had this illusion that people over thirty, and certainly well over 30 shouldn't be into social networking.
Well, I joined.Right now Race Nation is easier for me to use. I am sure just because I am familiar with it. On Facebook while trying to set up my profile, I inadvertandly posted my three children as mother! Thankfully they are my 'friends' and called it (albeit publically)to my attention. I guess I am not as techno savvy as I thought.
I do think these have merit. Of course there is the reconnecting part which is cool. I have friends however, that say if they haven't kept up with them till now why start. Well, life gets in the way and if we now have an easy way to reconnect, why not?
Educationally, the different groups you can join is great. I haven't joined any yet, I was ovewhelmed with the search. I am thinking about making a group for the people in my literacy class. I think it would be a great way to stay in touch with current and past members.
I did look up friends and request to be friends. I like the feature 'mutal' friends. It makes it easy to link to them.
It can be a huge time sucker. But really what isn't? I know some people that will hole themselves up an entire weekend to read a book. What else are they getting done? Frankly, I would rather people spend time chatting and reconnecting then playing video games. Plus, you can control and set all those settings so that you don't get everything.
I also think there is merit for communicating with parents. This would be easier than 22 individual emails.
I have decided that facebook isn't the spawn of the devil that maybe we "older" folks had made it out to be. It's kind of fun see who is friends with whom, I look at some of the connections and just think wow how do they know each other. I think it's a great tool. If you don't want to alert the world that right now I am drinking coffee - then don't. I personally don't think anyone else is interested in my minute by minute activities. But hey, if others want to...some of them are sort of funny to read!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
