Tool #6

After seeing some of the WIKIs being used and how they are used, I can really see students using this collaboratively in order to plan a group project or to create drafts for research. Every one can add their ideas. No one is limited to doing it in the classroom. They can access it from home if they choose, but teachers still have control as to WHAT students are writing. Teachers still have full accountability of their students. Once again, another way for ALL students to be engaged in the learning.

Tool #5

I never realized how easy this was and how many sites I could find this way. It was a lot easier to do it like this than to try and save it in a folder in the favorites menu and then it becomes so unorganized even when you think it IS organized. When you add the tags to your websites, it minimizes the amount of websites that appear and makes it more specific to what you are looking for. The tags I used was education, elementary, resource, activities, curriculum, math and science.

Two websites I found were:

Mathwire.com This website has great acitivities that you can use to challenge your kids.

The other website I found was http://investigations.terc.edu/families/helping/sampleactivities.cfm

This website was very interesting because it not only had activities for teachers, but it had simple every day activities that parents could do at home with their child to encourage meaningful math thinking. These everyday activities seem to offer excellent opportunities for parents to engage their child in critical thinking skills for math.

Tool #4

After playing with the google documents, I can really see how all students can participate in an activity/project. All students will have the ability to participate and have equal access to the process and as well as the ability to have input in the final draft of the project. Google docs will allow the teacher to use technology in her lesson. Google docs allows the student to be creative and differentiated in their presentations as well as have a more meaningful way of learning that students can see using in their academic future. Technology is becoming more advanced and our students need to be able to be knowledgable of what is happening.

Google Reader is a great way for students to organize their resources for a project in one place as well having a place to collects items that are hobbies/interests rather than searching all over the internet for them. The information comes directly to them instead of the other way around.

Tool # 3

Making this wordle was fun, but saving it was an interesting process since I've never done this before. The wordle has a lot of options for uses. I thought about using it for prediction of a topic and then doing one after the students have learned about the topic and then comparing the two to see the differences and to see the before and after learning. It could also be used in learning new vocabulary. (synonyms/antonyms). I can see students really remembering words and their synonyms if they did it this way. Each student could make their own and have their own "wordle dictionary" Anything that is different than the way kids normally do things (paper/pencil) will capture their attention and really get them paying attention to their learning and want them to learn.

Did you not expect me to somehow put MJ in this? Seriously, I thought kids might have fun doing this when they are studying about a topic. Kids could put several images together and discuss key/important points learned about a topic. It's a fun way to write about what they learned versus just writing down in a journal. There's all kinds of pictures for them to use. What a new and innovative way for kids to discuss what they've learned! I don't think they will have time to be talking to their friends or drawing pictures. They'll be so into doing this, they'll forget that they are actually learning.

Tool #2

I think PLN's are a great resource for teachers and students alike. It's a great way of exploring how to do other things and a way to get different ideas on how to do things. I think that the point that stood out the most was that kids are networking WITHOUT any guidance and without a real purpose for learning. I think they could do so much more with it if they had the guidance and the right purpose.

I commented on the following links:

1) Speedlimit20
2) Cashiola's Chronicles
3) Moni-K's musings
4) Maricela@SBISD
5) Sandy's Beaches

Tool 1

This was an interesting and new learning for me. I took me a little time to do, but it was by no means difficult. I think the hardest part was naming everything. I'm by no means that creative. This would be a great way for the kids to express their thinking when they are experiencing new concepts. Kids will have a little more freedom to express themselves and they will want to because it's a new way to do what they already do--journal writing.