Concluding 17 things

Searching iTunes is very familiar to me because I am constantly downloading music. I had not spent much time listening to podcasts, but I was surprised to see the different topics found when looking for one to subscribe. I recently purchased an iPad and found a podcast called ipadtoday. It gave me many great apps to add on my iPad. I also liked a podcast for kids called, KID FRIDAY. It simply addressed tech tips and apps kids would enjoy. Two kids actually gave most of the information, and I shared their tips with my own children.

It was fun to explore the world of web 2.0 tools. I found the website cooltoolsforschool to be extremely helpful. I plan to spend more time searching for new tools throughout the school year. One I found to use immediately in my classroom was dogo. It provides kid friendly global news. I am constantly searching for a way to incorporate current events in a way children can comprehend. I also like kideos because it includes videos that have been screened and approved for children.

Overall this online class was a great way to improve my awareness of web 2.0 tools. I can't wait to incorporate many of these tools in my classroom.

SlideShare

At first SlideShare was a little overwhelming to search. I finally decided to key in on our environmental studies and searched for recycling presentations or videos. The one below includes valuable information to share with my students. Some slides would need additional explanation, but overall it was informative. I hope to explore SlideShare and find more ways to use it. Eventually I might even add my own presentations, documents, or videos. What is Recycling: 7 Benefits of Recycling

View more presentations from Pacebutler

Screenr

Screen Capturing was very new to me. I think it's easy to use, but I'm still thinking of ways to use it in my classroom. We currently use Photostory to add voice to images, but Screenr is might be an alternative to try. Often my students research Science and Social Studies topics, and I am searching for fun ways to share the information. I'm going to explore this a little more and see what else I can do.
My screencast is very random. Sorry, but it was getting late, and my mind was blank! I think I am in summer mode!


My first Screenr

Voicethread

Voicethread is such an interactive tool! It was neat you could add a comment by phone, webcam, microphone, text, and file upload. I noticed how many teachers used it to incorporate art into the curriculum. I thought it would be fun to use with text or illustrations from books. Students could respond to the themes, reading strategies, book reviews, and so much more. I heard a comment on one voicethread that mentioned how it could help those students who are uncomfortable sharing in a group discussion.
I tried to use Wallwisher this school year, but it did not work well for my classroom. Has anyone else tried Wallwisher?

Wikis

I have been wanting to set up a classroom wiki for a long time so I am signed up and ready to go. So many times I send group emails to my classroom families, and it is hard to manage everyone responding to the whole group. Classroom parties would be so easy to organize with a wiki. I do worry about the families without internet access, but hopefully we could figure something out for them. A wiki is such a collaborative tool to use. I liked several of the ideas I saw online such as online study guides, connecting to current events, and class debates. I plan to use a classroom wiki right away this school year.

Creative Commons

Copyright is something I always wonder about when creating multimedia presentations. With the many choices available on the web, it can be overwhelming. Creative Commons is a site I had not explored. I was amazed at how easy it was to find images, songs, quotes, etc. This method of collaboration will enhance many of the activities I do in the classroom. It will definitely provide tracks to use in PowerPoint, PhotoStory, Animoto, and many others. From our environmental unit to our study of the USA regions, I know Creative Commons will be a great resource for my students.

Awesome Animoto

Finally, I found one of the 17 things that I used throughout the school year. Using the pictures I had taken of my students, I created a video each quarter to share with my classroom families. The kids loved it! They were so excited to see their smiling faces in a video format. Adding pictures was simple, but choosing background music was very limited. Now that I know about Creative Commons I would love to import some of those tracks. I was unable to access ITunes at school and did not have many songs downloaded. Most of the songs available on Animoto were not from artists I recognized. When I previewed the tracks, the lyrics were not always appropriate for my students. When you have the free educator account to Animoto, the songs and backgrounds are not quite as plentiful.
I posted the Animoto videos on my classroom webpage and sent a link to the parents via email. There were many viewings of the videos and postive comments. I can't wait to use Animoto with my next class!