Reflection of 11 Tools

I really enjoyed Skype and would really like to use Jing.
I would really like to allow students to use the ITouches to create a photo story of real world examples they see around the school. I would also like to join in with another class on Skype and discuss the animals and nature native to their location.
I think that this year I am pushed further to use more technology both in modeling and in small groups! (Which will only increase the excitement and  the active participation! I can't wait!)

Doing most of these tasks for a second round (23 things being the first), this time was a lot easier and I feel like I enjoyed it more. I was surprised that there is amazing amount of new things constantly being added to the web!

Tool #11 Digital Citizenship

I was unaware of the Digital Citizenship era, but as I was reading, I realized that students don't know where valid sites are to gather data and information. Do I? Well, the more that I do these internet scavenger hunts (as I call them) I learn a lot more! I want to be able to show students where to gather information. With jobs these days, people have to be tech savvy, but are we creating students who can do that? I think that we should be using blogs, having the students learn digital etiquette, and teach the consequences of inappropriate behaviors on the internet. So many kids think that technology is just a way to play around, but I think it is important that students realize that their activity can be tracked! I think that I would give the students credible resources to pull from, and then show the places that aren't quality sites, such as wikipedia. I also think that it would be wise to show the difference between a shared doc and a solid site.

Tool #10 Apps

I am really looking forward to having these I-Touches in the classrooms. I am really trying to come up with some more creative workstations for our teachers, and I think that this piece of technology will really help! I really liked the

• NASA app: you could assign different videos to different students and allow them to give a summary or small presentation. This will assist greatly in current events, scientists of present day, different perspectives on our earth, images and videos!!
•  Google Earth app: super cool! 
• NASA Lunar Electric Rover Simulator app seems really cool! This would be a great way for students to write a fictional story using vocabulary words based on their experience with the app!

Tool#9: Jing and Skype

Jing seems really neat. With the 4th and 5th graders, I could see this as a huge help in technology projects, or teaching the students how to use a new program. I think it would be great to have the teacher model the step by step approach to say, PowerPoint, and then show the students the "help video" on Jing so that when they get lost or have a question, they can use this Jing video first! This could possible eliminate many questions and save time. If students are constantly asking you the same question about the computer and logging in, maybe this would be a solution! The students could eventually even create their own, showing their peers how to use one of their favorite websites or programs!

If you actually started with Skype, and connected with another classroom in say Japan, you  could (aside from the translating) essentially have a "pen pal" class that you discuss differences in customs, how they practice math and use the abacus, how they hunt and get food, what type of animals are common in the area... then eventually the students could share with each other using Jing! WOW! That is super cool!
The only downfall with Skype is that our DELL computers don't have built in cameras! Maybe that is something that could be given away in a contest or something. I'm sure they aren't too expensive!

Tool #8: Digital Storytelling

"Coffee Wastes Turn Gardens Green" - This is a great way to  portray conservation of resources, and how to use fertilizers that are friendly to the environment! I really like this Blinkx website! Very cool!

I have been working on the 3rd grade curriculum for science, and when we got to landslides, we weren't finding many videos! Well, as soon as I went to the National Geographic link on Hulu, this is what I found:



This is exactly what we needed, real live footage of an actual landslide! Awesome!

Tool #7: Photostory

My PhotoStory is of the GLAD training we attended in the spring. I cannot remember all of the technical names, but rather put uses for the strategies on the pictures.

Tool #6: Wikis

Wikis could be used for many reasons in the classrooms. One way I could imagine them being used is through jigsawing. Give each group a project or experiment / activity that deals with energy on a wiki. Then allow the students to split up to research the other forms of energy, each adding their new knowledge to the wiki, creating connections between the assignment and what they have learned. I don't know how all of the kinks would manage, and I'm sure there is an easier way to do this, but that's what I have got!

I definitely think that this could be used among the Science SIS'! We have so many things that we collaborate on through email, that our email gets bogged down by all of the "reply to all"s. So, I think this would be a great way for us to collaborate...maybe we just won't delete people's words, but keep it as a running dialogue!