Some thoughts after putting the laptops we received into use (otherwise known as "notes to self"):
In2Books
This is time consuming! I know this is partially due to the learning curve. However, trying to keep track of 26 students is difficult, and trying to keep track of 26 pen pals doesn't make it easier. I am finding that I have to keep a paper checklist of who has completed letters and who has not. If I am to keep In2Books going, then I need more workshop time in my classroom. It is time to let go of some direct instruction and start working in small groups more often. I'm keeping In2Books next year, and hoping the learning curve is behind me. I'm also considering ePals, so it is not conditional on the students receiving and reading books.
Blogging
I'm on the lookout for good classroom uses of blogs. I have used the blog for a few different things, but I'm falling short of true collaborative writing. Still wrapping my head around it.
Twitter
I'm on Twitter! Other than occasionally wondering what celebrities are on Twitter (if Oprah can do it, I can do it), I haven't spent too much time finding its usefulness. Tweet me so I can figure it out.
Voicethread
I've fallen for voicethread, after seeing how excited my students were to use the microphone and hear themselves. But, working out the kinks (why is it cutting off what they say before they are done?) is frustrating. Thank goodness I have the extra time this and next week to deal with the issues as they arise.
Wiki
Or as my colleague calls them, "Wiki wiki wiki" (mime scratching records here). I have taken all of my items off of TeacherWeb (which I pay $35 a year for) and put them on the free Wikispaces. I like free, and I love the customization factor. It's not as pretty, but I'm working on it. Next year I want to put pages for the kids to upload to, so I'm searching out good classroom wikis too.
I'm going to be honest here, I have lots of ideas, but planning all of this collaboration is time consuming...and time is not something I have a whole lot of (with the exception of this week and next week as my student teacher has taken over for that time). My class this year has become my guinea pigs, so next year's class will be the true test of whether these ideas pan out.
Showing posts with label wiki. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wiki. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Just Starting Out
A bit of background about me...
I love to write. This does not mean I am a good writer, but I enjoy putting words on a page. Writing teachers in the past have criticized my writing in the following ways: too vague, not enough information, poor punctuation, too vague, poor sentence structure, too vague. You get the picture. In most of my educational career, I have been all but discouraged from writing. Teachers can be very powerful inspirations, but also can be downright poisonous to dreams.
I also love technology. I can engage myself for hours by simply playing around with my laptop. This "playing" has led to much of my computer knowledge. There is a lot to be said for "just" playing around!
So, when my school principal told my grade level about a grant that would give us a class set of laptops, technology training, and writing training, you can imagine how excited I was. The trainings are done, and the laptops still haven't arrived, but my enthusiasm for integrating technology into my curriculum has soared. I find myself at a point where I am looking for new, innovative ideas to add depth to my teaching.
In the past three months, I have created a classroom blog, and had my students post comments at least twice. I recently developed a classroom wiki, where I intend to store all of my files for parents and students to access. I'm also hoping parents will jump in and add to the wiki in the hopes of creating a tighter parent/classroom community. Many of my students are inspired by the technology they have only "played" with so far, and several of them are beginning their own blogging journeys (naturally with all of the standard internet warnings from me!). When we receive our voice recorders (I'm sure there is a special name for these, but it escapes me now), I look forward to creating podcasts for them to listen to before posting. Eventually, I hope they want to develop their own podcasts!
Already a parent has posted a comment, and a brother of a student has commented on our blog as well. Students have seen comments from my own technology instructor, as well as numerous replies from me. They look to the links on the side of my blog to find educational websites. They ask me daily when our laptops will arrive.
To recap, I'm excited and they're excited! So where do we go from here? I'm starting the surfing now, looking for ways that other teachers are incorporating technology into their classrooms. My philosophy of education is shifting, and I'm looking away from the basal reader and worksheet, towards the 21st century literacies that my students will require for success.
How do you use technology in your classroom?
I love to write. This does not mean I am a good writer, but I enjoy putting words on a page. Writing teachers in the past have criticized my writing in the following ways: too vague, not enough information, poor punctuation, too vague, poor sentence structure, too vague. You get the picture. In most of my educational career, I have been all but discouraged from writing. Teachers can be very powerful inspirations, but also can be downright poisonous to dreams.
I also love technology. I can engage myself for hours by simply playing around with my laptop. This "playing" has led to much of my computer knowledge. There is a lot to be said for "just" playing around!
So, when my school principal told my grade level about a grant that would give us a class set of laptops, technology training, and writing training, you can imagine how excited I was. The trainings are done, and the laptops still haven't arrived, but my enthusiasm for integrating technology into my curriculum has soared. I find myself at a point where I am looking for new, innovative ideas to add depth to my teaching.
In the past three months, I have created a classroom blog, and had my students post comments at least twice. I recently developed a classroom wiki, where I intend to store all of my files for parents and students to access. I'm also hoping parents will jump in and add to the wiki in the hopes of creating a tighter parent/classroom community. Many of my students are inspired by the technology they have only "played" with so far, and several of them are beginning their own blogging journeys (naturally with all of the standard internet warnings from me!). When we receive our voice recorders (I'm sure there is a special name for these, but it escapes me now), I look forward to creating podcasts for them to listen to before posting. Eventually, I hope they want to develop their own podcasts!
Already a parent has posted a comment, and a brother of a student has commented on our blog as well. Students have seen comments from my own technology instructor, as well as numerous replies from me. They look to the links on the side of my blog to find educational websites. They ask me daily when our laptops will arrive.
To recap, I'm excited and they're excited! So where do we go from here? I'm starting the surfing now, looking for ways that other teachers are incorporating technology into their classrooms. My philosophy of education is shifting, and I'm looking away from the basal reader and worksheet, towards the 21st century literacies that my students will require for success.
How do you use technology in your classroom?
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