Much Better than Favorites!

Social bookmarking is the new favorites! I worked with Furl's social bookmarking system a little in a previous class. I failed to use the bookmarking system outside of the class. Since I was unable to access my Furl account, I decided to try Delicious. It seems just as easy to use. It is still a work in progress, but if you would like to access my social bookmarks, please click below.

DELICIOUS

Now I have TWO!!!

Blogging is so much fun. I just wish I had more time to spend in front of the computer. I have really enjoyed setting up a Blog for my classroom. It is much easier to update than my class webpage and my students can help by typing the entries. I have been trying to keep my webpage updated this year, but I haven't been very successful. Now, with my students' help, I am keeping my parents more informed about the events taking place in the classroom I always take a lot of pictures during the school year because our grade level usually makes a scrapbook for each student, or a DVD. I have been uploading the pictures to the Blog and letting the students type an entry to go with each picture. The class has posted entries about schoolwide celebrations, classroom activities, and units of study. The students first write in their journal and edit before they are allowed to post. I require the students to do this first so that I can help them edit their work before it is posted to the Blog. My students are more motivated to write in their journal, but they are even more concerned about editing because they know that their parents, and lots of other people will be reading too! Click on the class picture below to visit my classroom Blog...

Gaggle for Kids

Only a few of my students have a computer at home. Even fewer have an email address. I guess 2nd graders are really too young to have an email address. I was pretty excited to learn about gaggle.net. I think it would be a great way to practice letter writing. Students in 2nd grade are expected to learn how to write a friendly letter. Email is a fun way to teach students how to communicate. I have friend who teaches Freshman English in another county. He has just registered his class on gaggle.net. I told him about this class and my plans for using gaggle.net in my classroom as well. He suggested that our students be email penpals. At first, I was concerned about the age difference and worried a little about the comments the highschoolers might make to my students. However, after researching Gaggle, I found that all emails are monitored and the students are held accountable for what is written. I can't wait to get started. My students have enjoyed writing to penpals in the past. I am sure that they will enjoy emailing even more!

I Can Springdoo...Can You?

Skype vs. IM

My brother introduced me to Skype over the weekend. He already uses it and had it downloaded on his computer. I was unsure of how Skype could be used in the elementary classroom. My brother, student of UNC Chapel Hill, uses most of the technology we have discussed or will be discussing in this class (ie. Skype, Facebook, AIM, etc.) My brother's girlfriend is in Koppenhagen on a School of Business trip. He was able to speak to her using Skype. I asked him why he chose to use Skype instead of just chatting on Instant Messenger and this was his response: I do usually talk to friends using AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), but in IM, I am not able to hear her voice. Skype is just another way to communicate while she is out of the country.

It amazes me that there are so many ways to communicate in todays world. I am unsure if and how I will use Skype in my classroom. I will play around with it a little more and maybe I will come up with some ideas for implementation in the future.

Kidspiration Bubblemap

Literacy and Technology

I believe literacy is the ability to read and write to convey a message or communicate with others. The ability to communicate with others is becoming much easier due to the increasing technological tools available (ie. cell phones, email, IM, gabcasts, podcasts, etc.). Technology is the use of tools to assist in daily activities. When I think of technology, I think of computers, laptops, cell phones, etc. However, I learned in a previous class that a pencil can even be considered a technological tool. I am amazed at how quickly certain tools become obsolete. Even in my lifetime, I have seen electronics change drastically. Technology makes life seem a lot easier at times, but it can also complicate things when you don't know what you are doing.

I'm Bloggin!

Here is my 3rd attempt at a Blog. I am excited to learn more about how to use Blogs in my classroom. I would like to create a Blog that can be used to communicate to the parents, but most importantly, I want it to be created by my students. I am sure that 2nd graders will have a difficult time at first, but it's worth a try!