The Final Countdown

Week 5 is coming to an end and with it goes ED620. Module 5 did not include  an exploration section, but focused on creation. I developed a website (which I havenot done since 8th grade) to use for a Professional Development Day. My Final Project introduced Blogs&Blogging to teachers at the Elementary Level. It allowed teachers to browse supporting literature, as well as ,specific blogging platforms. Often teachers do not include technology into instruction as they feel it is not always worth the hassle. Yes, technology can be a pain when it doesn't work or gives you a hard time! But, there are so many amazing benefits to integrating the slightest bit of technology into instruction. Blogging can be an opportunity for teachers to ease technology into their instruction at their preferred pace.

The World of Digital Storytelling

This week I had the opportunity to explore Digital Story tools, as well as, create my very own Digital Story! At first, the thought of creating my very own story felt overwhelming! However, using the resources developed by Alan Levine, I was able to decide on a topic and get to writing! Creating a Digital Story was both enjoyable and at times frustrating. The pro of Digital Story making,  is that it really allows you to be creative as you make the story your own. For my assignment, I decided to use Storybird. I was introduced to Storybird during a Professional Development day. We were provided with little time to truly explore the website in depth. I figured this was the perfect opportunity to revisit the site and learn about it by “doing” (creating my own Digital Story). In order to incorporate this tool into my classroom, I will need to create several more example stories, to further my understanding of the specific Digital Tool I am using. Digital Story tools offer the opportunity for educators to liven up their everyday instruction.

Storybird

Wikiquotes

My favorite new source from Module 3 is the Wikiquotes! I am absolutely OBSESSED with quotes. I have apps on my phone that provide daily quotes, websites bookmarked on my computer, am following quote accounts on twitter, have quotes written in my planner, journals and notebooks! Quotes can relate to situations in our everyday lives and are one of my favorite forms of inspiration. I am not sure how I was unaware of Wikiquotes until this week! The site is bookmarked and I am certain I will be taking many quotes from it and transcribing them elsewhere :).  

Quotes about Quotations

Team Work Makes the Dream Work

As we begin our first group project for the course, having time to explore web resources that support group collaboration was extremely beneficial. PiratePad and TinyChat were both resources I was not familiar with prior to the Module 3 Exploration. Both are easy to access, set up, and most importantly are Free.99!  Although we are not required to use the resources from Module 3 for our group collaboration, being introduced to new resources, and testing them out, allows us to see how easy it can be to include Internet resources in our graduate education as well as our very own classrooms.

Information Overload!

The amount of information we explored in Module 2 has my head spinning! The majority of the information was brand new to me and will definitely be revisited to further my knowledge and skills. The “Googlemania” section was extremely beneficial, as I’ve had a Google account for many years and was completely unaware of all the resources readily available for my use.  I appreciate that this course forces you to explore topics, you think you are familiar with, only to discover how many tools and resources you have been missing out on!

As I continue to familiarize myself with the Web 2.0 resources, I hope to gradually incorporate the resources in my lessons. I have both sites bookmarked and plan to continue exploration to further understand the benefits and resources offered by both sites!  

The exploration topic that received a strong reaction from me was the Twitter section. I use my Twitter account as recreational social media. I tweet and follow friends, celebrities, news accounts etc., But I had never considered that I could be following education-related accounts. My favorite section of this exploration topic was reading about how teachers used Twitter with their students for instructional purposes. I LOVED the teacher that began a story by tweeting a line and allowing his students as well as students across the world to add on to the story via tweets.  Seeing how social media can be beneficial in the classroom, allows teachers to open their minds to technology and all the resources it offers.

My 35 Favorite Free Apps for Teaching | Scholastic.com

Genia Connell, a third grade teacher, shares her favorite educational apps! She provides a brief explanation of each app. Many of the Apps she posts are new to me. There is even a Common Core App...who would of thought?!



My 35 Favorite Free Apps for Teaching | Scholastic.com

Top Teaching Blog from Scholastic.com

I LOVE Tech-Integrated Student Work Displays | Scholastic.com

Blogosphere

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have never blogged. Before ED620 I have viewed blogs, heard about the use of them in classrooms, but my knowledge of how to blog was limited. Honestly, this blog experience has already tested my patience (several times) and continually has me questioning my prior knowledge and skills of working with technology. I am still not even sure if I am doing this whole thing right! But, like all knew things, it will take some getting used to. As I slowly get the hang of this, I am sure I will grow to enjoy and appreciate what the blog world has to offer.

Invisible Web

Prior to beginning this course my knowledge about the Invisible Web was nonexistent. It was crazy to discover that there is more information on the Internet than what is seen on the surface web. As technology continues to grow and play a major role in education, it is important to further my knowledge on the availability of high quality web sources. Learning about and exploring the Invisible Web opened my eyes to a vast source of information that search engines will not lead me to.

Going Beyond Google Again