Thing 13

Tagging sounds like it will be a very useful tool to organize "bookmarked" websites. When I need to search for a particular site, it sounds like I have to simply type in the tag and it should appear.

One disadvantage might be having to remember which tags I assigned to which sites. For example, if I am looking for a particular lesson on angles and I tagged it as geometry, it might not come up when I search for it. Other than that, I think online tagging will be very useful.

When tagging, we need to be mindful of how we tag. We should type in lower case and avoid using commas in our tags.

Thing 12

Internet Polyglot

I feel secure when it comes to embedding code onto my blog. I chose this widget because learning different languages has always been an interest of mine. I think my blog followers might find it interesting too. I can also share this with my students as well.

I do belong to Facebook. I only have friends on Facebook that I know personally, so I feel that being able to communicate online helps me to stay up to date with all the current events in my family and friend's lives and vice versa. I feel that I have more contact with them, via FB than I would have normally. Therefore, I think online relationships can be as meaningful as face to face relationships.

I think kids today like online communities because the Internet gives them a medium to express themselves and communicate with others in an instant. When I was a kid, I would spend hours talking on the phone to one or two people, today kids can spend hours on the computer talking to several people at the same time. I think kids enjoy feeling "connected" to the world through the Internet.

Thing 11

What I like about leaving comments is that the author of the blog is aware that someone did read and wants to contribute to the author's post. What I don't like about leaving comments is the perceived pressure to say something "wonderful" or "intriguing".

I must admit when I received my first comment, it was similar to receiving a wrapped gift.  I was so excited to click on the comment and read it. It made me feel that my opinion matters and others were interested in what I have to say.


I think in order to keep a line of communication open, comments are necessary.  If we didn't make comments, it would be the real life equivalent to a monologue.  Comments are important because they spark "conversation" and help to create and strengthen an on-line community.  Sometimes these comments can act as a bridge from the computer world into the real world.


In the classroom, I think requiring students to comment will give an opportunity for introverted/shy students to have their opinions heard.  As a teacher, it is easy to give attention to the outgoing or attention seeking students, but I always feel for the students who are quietly sitting in class, nervous to speak up.  I feel that blogging levels the playing field for all students.

Thing 10

Here is a video on reaching "consensus" in a math class. Students work in partners to compare their answers. If there is a discrepancy, the students must justify their answers to one another. I chose this video because I thought it was interesting and I am going to try it in my classroom.





I was able to download a video using KeepVid, I chose an Elmo song for my son Benjamin.

Thing 9

You can spend all day on You Tube. It seems that the amount of videos are infinite .  What I like about searching for videos on You Tube is the "endless"  list of  videos available that relate to your topic.  However, you do get some video on the suggestion list that have nothing to do with what you are looking for.  Although our students at our school cannot access You Tube, the sight has so many possibilities in the classroom.  For example, if you are studying a particular theme or unit, you can search You Tube to find video related content.  I find that videos are a great hook for our students and can get them interested in a topic of study.  If I have a projector in my classroom, I would utilize You Tube more often.

Thing 8

  I had a lot of fun with Thing 8, I tried several different pictures, film strips, and a magazine cover, just to name a few.  I found Big Huge Labs to be the most user friendly.  These websites could be useful in the classroom when we feature a student of the week.  We can create a magazine cover with the student's picture on it.  We could also take pictures of our school, local area, etc., to create photo cards from Image Generator.  Then we can become pen-pals with another classroom(s) across the country and share photos and written descriptions of our area.

Thing 7

There are so many ways you could use Flickr in the classroom.  If you students were looking for particular images, they could search the tags on the Flickr website.  If you wanted to create a virtual photo album of the things you are doing in class, you could utilize Flickr.  The great thing is that you don't have to use the same computer to gain access to these photos. I can see my students having a lot of fun with this.

The down side again for me is Internet safety.  Posting pictures online, in a public forum, causes concern for me.  If at all possible, I would enable the private feature to ensure that only parents and students could access the photos relating to my classroom.

Thing 6

Wow! Flickr is an amazing site.  I enjoyed searching and viewing all the unique pictures on this site.  I chose to post a picture of a flower on my blog because I thought it looked beautiful.  I love flowers! I thought that the bright color of the flower against the neutral background allowed the flower to stand out.  The contrast in color immediately grabs you attention.

Thing 5

 Like most of the other post I've read, I had trouble with the subscribe button.  With a little patience and motivation, I was able to figure it out.  I can use RSS in my professional life by subscribing to educational blogs.  I enjoy connecting with other educators to share ideas and solutions.  Personally, I can use the RSS to keep up with current events and entertainment.  One blog, A Geeky Momma's Blog, was one that caught my attention right away.  It's creator is a teacher and mom like myself.  She has several interesting post and over 200 followers who add some great comments.  Check it out if you get a chance!

Thing 4

By utilizing the RSS tool, I will be able to filter out vast amounts of information and focus on the blogs that are meaningful to me.  I will be able to save time since all of the blogs I subscribe to will be in the same place, and I control the number of blogs I choose to subscribe to.

Thing 3

I could use a blog in my classroom with Literature Circles.  In addition to my students meeting at the end of the week for a book discussion; I could also require my students to discuss their books through a blog.  I would have my students answer open ended questions about the book they are reading and require them to post a questions and comment on another student's blog.  I think my students would be excited to blog. It would give my timid students an opportunity to be heard and I think it would add an interesting element to Lit. Circles.  One of my concerns with blogging is parental support.  Internet safety is a big concern for parents and some parents may not feel comfortable allowing their child to participate.


***Just thought of this:  I could collaborate with another teacher and our students could read the same books.  Then the students from my class could follow the blogs of the students from the other classroom.