Thing 11

Ok, here is my final thing. It got a little slow for me, but I think if i had a faster computer I could really have some fun here. My mom and dad as well as my sister are considering the train for long trips soon and I could share my experience at various stops sharing food tips and such. For education it has awesome abilities, kind of like putting the name with a face its the name with the space. I know as a learner it would benefit me to not just read, but visualize on a grander scale such as this where it is in location to something familiar to me.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111552882849194906605.000484e77c86c25e208e0&z=5

Thing 10

I have already been subscribing to some rss feeds without a full understanding of what they were. Well I dont have a full understanding, I do have a better appreciation for how they work and can free up hunting expeditions of the internet which I do frequently.

Personally I love to craft, or dream of crafting because my schedule will not allow it right now. These feeds can free up more of my time by putting my favorite feeds in one place. Maybe enough time to even do some crafting.

For work and professional affiliations they will help keep up on what is going on currently. As I said previously, in a graduate class a fellow student was commenting on Web 2.0 benefits in the public school system. I felt so good that I not only knew what he was talking about but could draw from personal experience and knowledge even a little. Things are moving so much faster these days and the speed will only continue to grow exponentially as our technology increases as far as information is concerned. These RSS feeds will help weed out what is not important to our individual needs and offer a one stop shop on your favorite reads.

Thing number 9

I joined the KPS NING and saw the familiar cardinal red and black to herald me in. I joined the whiteboard and introdued myself in Todds Who are you section. I also joined the classroom 2.0 so I can continue to hone my new skills now that I have discovered them : )

Thing 8

These sites continue to boggle my mind. There is such amazing possibility out there for so many different ways to use technology and to collaborate with others. My first stop was to TED where there is a whole catalog of speakers. I of course bookmarked that one. I watched a 12 year old prodigy discuss, with a very big vocabulary, what adults could learn from children.

I then visited SchoolTube. I watched a video about a survey called technology at 10. It was a very well done documentation of a survey that children took of their parents comparing how technology has changed our culture of thinking, expression, communication, and the way we retrieve information. I was very impressed with it. In comparison to teacher tube, I found this site to be more appealing to the eye and my patience. The amount of commercials was bothersome, but I appreciate that is how they can maintain their space.

I have the opportunity to sit in on many classes throughout the years. During that time I have observed some teachers really taking advantage of You tube as a source to use to emphasize a point they are making. For the most part when intentionality is used, and the video carefully screened, the tactic has hit the mark spot on. I have noticed that students seem to appreciate this type of lecture because it not only works to highlight a point, but reaches the children in a language they understand. I find most often in these classes where teachers are utilizing many technological resources, the effect of an orderly class room seem to follow. I chalk this up to raising the bar and expectations for students, and a mutual respect. I hope that makes sense.

I was very happy to see that the first video I watched, the 12 year old prodigy, was using prezi as part of her presentation.

Thing seven Wiki's

Okay....the plot thickens. Wikis are really intersting. I kind of saw them as a grown up google document. I visited several from our home blog and was impressed with the efforts of classes and teachers alike to compile information in collaboration. I have always been a hands on learner so this was a stretch for me. If I need to read a long article, like journal off the internet I print it. I know, don't tell the earth day people or my name will be mud. I am trying with this course to save information online, and "trust" the system of technology. It will eliviate the stack of papers growing around me.

As i grazed the sites I found some to be personally more appealing. There was a teacher resouce site that especially caught my eye. Mousing over a spot highlighted the topic and the information was a click further. The author(s) utilized bright pastel colors that were easy on the eyes and contrasted enough to easily discern the categories. I liked the layout all around because in comparison other sites seemed like a term paper with holes in it. Like the template was there but they were never completed. I can see this may be the fate for many a wiki once there use is done, or like an incomplete thought, moved aside for the next thing.

Like google docs, I can see this being very helpful with group collaborations. In my college courses we often try to network collectively to share in the richness of experience in early childhood. Everyone brings so much to the table. This would be a neat way to build information throughout a trimester that then students could build on like the History one in segments, and utilize well after the semester ends.

Thing number 6

http://prezi.com/hmpbumubnfca/edit/#19 I worked on this one as an interactive presentation to do with early childhood staff. Many of them are visual learners and the inter activity will help them retain more of the information I believe.

http://show.zoho.com/document.do?p_id=764164000000004015&a_t=EDIT_DOCUMENT

I just had to try this. I taught for a number of years at a post secondary level and power points were my life line. This was a little difficult for me but I think it is because my computer is slow moving on many of these sites. Needs some sprucing up to be sure.

I really like that all you need is a computer and internet to access these. No particular computer where your work is saved and such. I had an opportunity to work on this project while I was in
Colorado over spring break and never brought any papers or pens with me. Mind blowing.

Thing Five

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AlenWpxxyI87dGdFbXNOV0tuTkhDVnJ6SmlIaElVM2c&hl=en

Here is a copy of the google doc I created for the student I work with. This application was a little more confusing to me, but I think by using it more, it may get much easier and I could use tools more efficiently. This would be a great tool to share information for Collin. So much needs to be discussed sometimes at a moments notice, and most definitely daily. With his unique condition and limited time to share among the many stakeholders this sheet could inform and allow for input from mom to teachers and caregivers.

http://griddlecakes.com/ this was a fun podcast that reenlivens the lost art of storytelling. I am fascinated with those individuals that are able to keep others on the edge of their seats through this type of medium. This was how all our stories originated and it is nice to see a resurgence through this medium.


http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory This one was a neat one with many different items to choose from. This would be nice to download to listen to on a long car ride. The topics ranged from stories for young to famous speeches from past Presidents. I could see using this type of podcast either in my early childhood center for nap time or specialized story time...but even more effectively for the junior I work with. He has the possibility of becoming medically fragile, and when circumstances like the harsh flu that went around this year, he may need to miss school. I can see many opportunities for him here to provide alternative assignments with similar content as in school. One that he would readily accept.

http://voicethread.com/share/1067800/
Here is my voice thread. Very interesting tool and easy to use web site. Again something that I could use to distance teach as well as personally stay in touch with others.

Post Three

I visited Piacasa (sp?) and that was a fun site. I do most of my online sharing through shutterfly pages. I like that relatives far away can be a part of our every day events by posting pictures here. I think ease of use has to be very important for me and for potential students to use. I do see the possibilities for a lot of creativity by using these sites to view projects and classroom happenings. It would also be meaningful for parents to understand some of what is going on in todays classrooms vs. the old handouts and paper pencil activies.

First Day

Here we go into the big new adventure of blogging. A little daunting but fun and exciting way to share information in this new tecnological age. I can see this as a very helpful way to get students talking about topics of discussion relevant to class. The nice thing is shy and quiet kids won't have to fight for the floor, and they will have an stage to work on so to speak.