Reflection: Classroom 2.0

Classroom 2.0 is a social networking site for teachers.  It is very useful because you can connect with your colleagues right there.  This is great if you are stuck on a lesson and need some help, you can just go to their page and ask them what you want. At the bottom of the page there is a chat button, so you can chat with other educators that are online.  SO COOL! There is also groups that you can join.  Each one is different so you can go through and choose what group you want to be a part of.  There are photos and videos that you can look at and watch.  All of these pages on the site are very resourceful.  I love all the interaction with other teachers that is avaliable on this one site.  Just having other teachers avaliable to talk to when you need them is awesome.  You can share ideas and get feedback so easily.  This is a great resource for teachers to use.   

Reflection: EduTecher

EduTeacher is a site that contains so many ed tech resources for teachers.  There are 3 resources that I will definately use.  1- eduTeacherTV page.  This page has a bunch of web tutorials for different web tools.  That is great becaue most sites have links to awesome new websites and when you get to them you have no idea how to use them.  Well, these tuorials teach you how to navigate new sites and use their tools.  I can use this any time I need some help on a new site.  2- blog page.  I liked this blog because I actually wanted to read the posts.  They are interesting and educational, once you start reading you do not want to quit.  Helpful hints are also posted on the blog.  3- links opage.  I liked this page because it is full of resources.  You can put what subject and what grade you want, then a bunch of links to sites with what you searched for show up.  I searched Math and Elementary School and got a link to Aplusmath.  This site had flashcards, homework help, worksheets, and a game room.  All of these resources can definately be used in the classroom.  I really liked this site because I know I am going to use it!

Reflection: Kan-ed Reflection

Kan-ed is a site full of resources for teachers.  I can definately see myeslf using it a lot.  I love all the extra sites that are available off this one site.  I already have used the Kansas Education Resource Center a few times.  It is great because it has so many tools to help align your lessons with state standards.  NetTrekker and Thinkfinity are also very useful.  They have search engines on their sites that allow you to search through lessons by grade and subject.  They are awesome.  I have used Thinkfinity before and I love the standards star.  When you search for a lesson plan, they all pop up and some have a little star in the corner.  When you click on the star it shows you exactly what standard is being taught in the lesson.  It is so great.  This is so useful for an educator.  You can look at what other people have used in their classrooms and you can share what you have been doing.  I also liked that their is free online tutoring avaliable on the main site.  I LOVED the Kan-ed Productivity Tools section.  There is a link that's "4 Kids" and it is awesome.  It takes you to a new site that has a lot for kids.  There are games and videos availiable for kids.  There is also a page full of links to other good and safe sites for children.  So many resources are availiable that I know I will end up using.  GREAT SITE!

Podcast Reflection #8: Learning in Hand: Project Based Learning

This podcast talked about how great handheld devices are for students in the classroom.  The speaker was able to make an entire project on an ipod touch.  This is really great because students used to have to use multiple resources to make a project.  Technology is a great resource to implement in the classroom.  There are so many different ways students can use handhelds in the classroom.  They can research, blog, record, gather data, type papers, and do many more projects on a handheld.  I think it is so great that one thing can be used for so many reasons.  Not only are students getting a lot of resources in one, but schools are paying for less resources (which is GREAT).  I enjoyed this podcast because it was useful.  I know I am going to have to use handhelds in my classroom and there are so many things that I did not know they could do.  Great podcast, and all of his podcast are about integrating technology in the classroom.

Podcast Reflection #7: Leveraging the Power Of Wikis and Blogs In Student Learning

This podcast included a lot of information.  A student talked about how he used wiki in his physics class.  He thought it was a time saver and provided fast feedback.  I think this is awesome.  Whenever a teacher can provide students with new resources and they can actually use them is great.  Another student talked about using blogging in his classroom.  Blogging is great because students are able to share their thoughts and ideas in a safe environment and teachers can look at their blogs to see what they feel and what they're grasping in class.  These resources are fun and easy ways to enhance your classroom.  The students get to work hands-on and share their thoughts with anyone who wants to see.  It is great

Reflection: Animoto in my Classroom

I worked with a new site called animoto that was very interesting.  You can make slideshows on it, and I mean REALLY good slideshows.  I liked it because it was SO easy and the end product was awesome.  It is just like a powerpoint slideshow, but so much better.  All you have to do is load the pictures you want, the song, and any text that you want displayed.. that is it.  Then the site makes the slideshow for you.  They do all the hard work (put in transitions, match picture change to music speed, ect.).  It is great.  I can really see myself using this site in my own classroom.  It is easy for children to use and fun to do.  It could add that extra something to anyones project or report.  It is just a great resource to use in and out of the classroom.

Here's a link to an animoto I made over myself!
Natalie

Reflection: Fun with Text

For this reflection i played around on a couple sites.  Wordle and Tagxedo are sites that you can generate word clouds on.  I thought they were really fun and eazy to use.  These sites are great resources to use in the classroom.  I think at the begining of the year would be a great time to teach students how to use these sites.  It would be great because I could have all my students make a word cloud with any words or phrases that discribe who they are as a person. This would be a great way to get to know my students and also teach my students how to use a great site.  Word clouds can be useful for projects or reports, just a way to make the information a little bit more exciting.  I really enjoyed using these sites and plan on using them in my own classroom.

Here's a word cloud I made about myself. Enjoy!