Thing 23 Congratulations!

I finally finished!

It was a long, bumpy road; but now I have a clear understanding of this process. I have a better understanding of web 2.0 tools to use in the classroom and how they can improve student's achievement.

My favorite discovery from this project was learning that technology does not have to be scary. I believe that I am tech savvy, but I had shied away from using it in the classroom because its not always predictable. It requires that the technology be previewed and the teacher needs to be knowledgeable. I have learned that it can seamlessly be brought into the classroom to impact student achievement.

This program has helped me understand how important life-long learning is to an educator. Technology and teaching practices change quickly. To educate our students to the best of our abilities, teachers must constantly be learning and growing themselves. This has been a bi take-away for me. I recently graduated from college 5 years ago. I was introduced to Web 2.0 tools and their importance in the classroom. However, everything that was introduced in this class was new to me. This showed me how fast technology tools are being created and updated.

To sum it up, my bookmarks folder is now a little fatter. :)

Thing 22 Your Turn

I choose Kerpoof Studio. This website allows the user to create plays, comics, catds, drawings, pictures and tell a story. This would be great to use to retell a story. I love the plays. Kerpoof has pre-selected play templates. I chose to play around with the fairy tale play. It was modeled after the three little pigs.

Here's my scene

This is a great resource in the classroom especially for ELL students because you can add text or just use movements and actions to illustrate a message.

Thing 21 Online Image generator

Make Beliefs Comix

I liked this website and used it in my final collaborative lesson. The best part is that it can be used 1st-12th grade will all students; especially ELL students. This program is available in 7 languages. You can also download and print pre-made worksheets.

Here's what I made to help teach idioms. Students will have to illustrate the idiom correctly on the second slide.

I've already mentioned Trading Card Maker and how much I love it. Voki is a cute way to get out a message; although it is timed. ImageChef is a great site to use to create small electronic posters. Here's what I made. Its my montra this summer.

Thing 20 Recess

I looked around at LiveBinder and then immediately send an email to my literacy coordinator. As I have mentioned, we are compiling a list of web 2.0 tools that can be taught during staff development. I love the concept of Toontastic. I do no have an iPad yet but I will in about 2 months! It is on my list. I love all the lessons shown in class that have utilized Glogster. Storybuilder, Skrappy, Voki, Zooburst…oh my gosh there are so many amazing resources.

Look for more information in Thing 22.

Thing 19 Mashups

I love the trading card maker! Lupe hit the nail on the head with her collaborative lesson using historical figures. Is would work with any biography or even geography classes, use cities or countries instead of people. This would be a great beginning of the year activity for the staff to complete. On my trading card I used the icons to put my room number. Every year the teachers on my campus fill out favorites cards (favorite drink, candy, snack, etc…). This would be a cute way to get this information. The pictures help identify new teachers. I loved looking through Big Huge Labs. I have bookmarked this page to share with other teachers.

Here’s my card!

Thing 18 Shelfari

I love Shelfari! I use amazon for everything but I had not heard about Shelfari. I love the ability to connect it with amazon. So as I am checking out new books, I can see my book shelf.

Shelfari is like Goodreads which allows the user to manipulate a list of books they have read. You can review your books and find new authors. This can easily be used in the classroom, just as Faith has create the school-wide Goodereads lesson.

Check out my shelf! (See widget on the side.)

Thing 16 Video Sharing

I searched for “web 2.0 tools in the classroom.” I feel that you can never learn too much about this topic because the technology is changing at a rapid pace. I found this video from Mr. C. It was very informational. Some of the tools I was familiar with but I was very impressed with how he explained how to use each tool. This would be a good video to show to other teachers to educate and entice them to be more technology literate.  

I love TeacherTube. I use it in the classroom frequently. The students love the short, educational clips. I looked at videos about web 2.0 tools and then I started looking at reading and fluency. Oh my gosh…I could look here forever! I have added this website and SchoolTube to my check out after class ends!

Thing 15 Podcasts and Vidcasts

I am familiar with creating and uploading podcasts. I have done this a couple of times for previous classes at UHCL. Next school year my campus will be receiving 1 iPad for each classroom. To prepare for this technology, I have paired with the literacy coordinator to compile a list of web 2.0 tools, apps and websites that can be used in the classroom. We paired with a 4th grade class last year to create book trailer podcasts. The students were able to complete all the work and had a blast sharing their opinions.

Check out my summer reading list created using PhotoStory. (After much frustration!! I did it!!)

Thing 14 More Online Tools and Applications

I like how many premade templates there were to choose from. Student will have an easy time learning how the program operates. I used my final collaborative lesson PowerPoint to create a prezi. To do this you first need to select a template or use a blank template. Then I clicked the drop down box on the top titled “Insert” then “PowerPoint”. I was given the chance to insert all or some of the slides. Then I realized that I needed to use a blank template, and started over. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I was able to move text, add slides or text, insert images and more quicker than I thought I was going to.

Check out my presentation on Make Beliefs Comix.

Thing 13 Online Applications and Tools

I love the cloud. We have a cloud through my school district. This cloud allows me to see everything if it is saved to my personal U drive. It has saved me from going to school at night or on the weekend more than once. I love that I am able to access my documents quickly and effectively.

A helpful tip when using the cloud on computers other than your own:
Always save a copy to the desktop and resave it in the cloud. I have been working on something at home but for get to upload it back to the cloud. If you do not do this then you will not be able to see the most current edition of your work.

When I started grad school, I was always with a flashdrive. Through my academic career I have been able to stop carrying it around. I have most of my personal documents for school saved on my Google Drive. This really helps as all classes rely on technology applications to complete assignments. I am usually on more than one computer a day. Google drive allows me to have easy access to my school work no matter where I am.

Image from: http://www.dvice.com/archives/2012/04/googles_drive_c.php

Thing 12 Microblogging

I looked for my school library, Mark Twain Elementary, in twitter but they did not have a searchable account. I did find Alvin ISD and Alvin High School and started following them. Then I searched around for other library pages and library associations, such as: TLA and ALA, and joined in. I like that twitter allows for instant communication. I will be using this to stay current professionally.