Tool #11 Reflections

1. I think my favorite tools are the image generators and mash ups. I had a lot of fun looking through all of the options available for making creative projects with pictures. I could see myself using this in my Geometry class by having my students create different pictures that explore the types of transformations we discuss in class. I also enjoyed the digital storytelling. Imovie and photo stories can make any project more interesting!

2. I'm excited about the opportunity we will have in class this year to use netbooks in the classroom. I think this will allow me to incorporate technology quite a bit more than I have in the past. The students are so gifted at using technology, and I know it will keep their interest if it is used more. At this point, I'm not 100% sure how I will implement all of these tools, but I'm excited to have all the options.

3. I wouldn't say I was surprised by anything in this program. I enjoyed looking at all the different applications out there that are available to educators. I knew there were a lot, but had never really taken the time to explore them in depth. Completing this program allowed me the opportunity to see what is out there and look at ways to incorporate them into my classroom.

Tool #11

I would want my students to understand many things about digital citizenship. First of all, they need to understand that everything they find on the internet is not fact. It's easy to find a web site and take the information at face value, but students need to know how to verify that information. I would also want my students to understand the atmosphere of respect that needs to exist when making comments on people's blogs or works they have created. I think sometimes people feel the freedom to write comments that they would never say out loud to a person simply because it is not face to face. I would encourage my students to not post any comments to people that they would not say to their face. Finally, I would caution my students about safety on the Internet. Many students freely give away information because they think they are safe and somewhat anonymous. Students need to understand the risks involved with making too much information public and realize that once their information is out there, it is out there forever.

I would teach the ideas of digital citizenship through basic conversations in class. I think getting students to dialogue about what can happen on the Internet is the best way for them to understand what can happen.

Tool #10

I have an iphone and love all the apps available! I can see where the ipod touches and ipads could be very helpful in the classroom. I know several of my students used their ipod touches this past school year to access a calculator that has trig functions. There is a free app with an extended calculator outside of the one that is provided on the device. I like the sudoku app as well as the ken ken app. They are great practice for students with numbers when they have a little down time.

Tool #9

1. I have never heard of Jing before, but it seems like a great program. I love that you can take screenshots and save them on your desktop and be able to send to other people. It could be very helpful for students who need to send pictures that are sometime difficult to extract from a webpage.

2. Skype is a great program that I have had a lot of experience with. It makes it so easy to be able to talk to people outside of our immediate school. Skype could be used for guest speakers in the classroom as well.

Tool #8 Part 2

This is another youtube video. I would love to show this to my kids and then have them try to explain to the guy in the video why his calculations don't make sense. This will make them have to think about the very basics of why they do the operations they do, even for simple problems like division, multiplication, and addition. It's fun to use entertaining videos like this to get kids more involved and interested in the content being taught. I came across quite a few videos that I would love to use to make learning more interactive and applicable to real life situations!

Tool #8

This video from youtube has a song for the Quadratic Formula. This is always a difficult concept for students to remember, and I think putting it to a familiar tune will help them. I like how this video has the formula on the screen as well so students can make the connection visually and orally.

Tool #7

I made this imovie this summer for some friends of mine who have a non-profit organization in Romania. It highlights the work they are doing there and all of the aspects of the project they run. I have used imovie before and find it fairly easy to navigate.

I think imovie and photo stories are both good resources for students in presenting projects. It allows them to add a little more to the presentation than just a video.

Tool #6

Wikis seem like a very useful tool for both teachers and students. I like the wikis where teachers are able to collaborate and share information about a subject. They are very useful for creating ideas and being able to get input from other professionals on a topic.

Wikis will also be great for students to use if they are working on a project. It will allow them to work from different locations, but still be contributing to the same task.

I'm excited about all the different venues we have explored through the 11 Tools that will allow students to collaborate and work together more easily.

Tool #5

I enjoyed looking at Delicious. I typed in the tag Romania and found this site www.lonelyplanet.com/romania that talks about various activities to do around Romania. I visit this country frequently, and it's always fun to have new activities to do while I am there!

On Diigo, I explored the groups area and found this site wvde.state.wv.us/pbl.html that gives examples of lessons to use with problem based learning. I feel

like this site will be helpful as it promotes the ideals consistent with MYP and CCP that we are using

at our school.

I think social bookmarking can be useful in my classroom because I will be able to keep all of my

bookmarks organized. This will allow for easier navigation of resources and make them more

accessible for my students.

Tool #4

I really enjoyed looking at googledocs! I think this is a very helpful forum for collaborating on documents. I could see it being very useful for planning purposes by posting a calendar for a class and having Kathy and myself both be able to modify events for our classes. I also think it would be a great asset for my students if they are working on projects together. This program allows them the freedom to work together while at home and not have to meet up outside of class for projects.

The googlereader program will be helpful for me when I find blogs that relate to my content area and want to stay updated on new posts. I forget to check blogs regularly, but know of several that have useful information on them. Googlereader will allow me to just have to log in one time and be able to see all of the updates that are available on each site.

Tool #3

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I chose to use Wordle and Animoto. I think Wordle would helpful in my class if students are doing projects and need to make a creative title, or if they need a creative way to display vocabulary words we are studying.

I liked Animoto as well, but don't like the fact that you have to pay if your video is longer than 30 seconds. The site allows you to easily upload your own photos and arranges them in a fun format for a video. Students could use this as a presentation style if they complete a project involving pictures or videos.

Tool #2

1. I think the idea of PLN's is great! It's always so helpful to be connected to other teachers in my same grade level and subject and be able to get feedback on ideas I have, as well as to get new ideas. The networks create the opportunity to gather information from a multitude of sources and expand my interactions to include people outside my immediate circle at school.

2. I thought it was interesting when they gave the 10 tips for improving commenting on a blog. I'm not sure that it would be my goal to have tons of comments, but I can see where this could be helpful if students are setting up blogs and I want them to interact with one another.

3. I commented on Kathy Oxpring, Jesse Waltman, Catherine Hanna, Sara Sebesta-Camano, and Tracy Williams