RSS-Google Reader

I was first introduced to RSS at the school's technology conference last summer.  I gave it a try for a while, but didn't find myself referencing it often.  For someone like my sister, who follows the news with great enthusiasm, this would be a fabulous tool.  I wonder if she knows about this... I guess I'll have to check.  I added a few of my colleagues' blogs to my list of subscriptions and will make it a goal to check on them from time to time.

Blogging with Students- Using Kidblog

I am a very enthusiastic blogger and have had the pleasure of sharing blogging with my students this year.  While at Vermont Fest this fall I was introduced to a free and safe way to blog with students.  The site is http://kidblog.org/home.php.  This site is especially designed for schools.  Teachers create accounts for students and only those on the teacher's list can access any of the blogs.

I've used it as a way for my students to share what they are reading with each other.  We are lucky to have access to netbooks, so all students can be working on their blogs and commenting on each other's blogs at once.  For me, it's another way to get them interacting with books and writing without really realizing it!  I highly suggest that you check Kidblog out!

Dropbox

I love Dropbox.  I think that it may have to do with the fact that I am a gadget girl and am able to access my files anywhere.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I have Dropbox installed on 4 different forms of technology (my Mac, school laptop, iPhone, and iPad).  The component that has been especially helpful is that I no longer need to bring my school laptop home or need to worry about losing a thumb drive.  I can create documents at home, save them in my Dropbox, and then access them on my school laptop the following morning.  It's really been a seamless process.

I have shared documents with colleagues and have had great success.  We worked through one struggle, which is that only one person can access a file at a time or Dropbox will save two versions.  Overall, I much prefer this method to Google Docs as you can save a Word Document and it will save in that format.  I find Google Docs to be full of glitches and have only found one glitch with Dropbox as I mentioned before.

VoiceThread

This is a VoiceThread that I created as a model for my class.  My students completed two projects using VoiceThread last year.  They interviewed each other, took pictures, and then made a VoiceThread about their partner.  The second project was a class yearbook.  My students each designed a page for the yearbook and I posted them into one VoiceThread.  The students enjoyed commenting on each other's pages, and I enjoyed the culminating project.

I have not had a chance to use VoiceThread this year as I no longer have a self-contained classroom.  It can be difficult guiding fifth and sixth graders through this process in just 35 minutes (my reading block).  I was planning on doing a book report on this, but haven't yet had the time.

I will absolutely use this application again, especially if I have an opportunity to work in a self-contained classroom in the future.

Google Forms

I have had an opportunity to use the Google Forms on two occasions (where I was the creator).  I am impressed at the instant feedback of responses that you get and how neatly organized and clear the data is.  I could see myself using this in the classroom in a variety of subject areas.  I created a homophone quiz that could easily be shared with students.  Quizzes of all varieties can be used to access students' learning.

Our middle level team is fortunate because we share a cart of netbooks.  These netbooks could be used frequently giving all students access to the forms.  I could even foresee using the Google Forms as a daily component of my lesson as a formative assessment (or exit slip).

The Google Forms do not need to simply be an assessment tool.  I would like to have students develop questions to get to know each other at the beginning of the school year.  The summary component shares the data in a very user-friendly way where students could compare themselves to their peers with ease.

Podcasting and iTunes U

iTunes U

I have spent some time exploring on iTunes U in the past.  I have not been very successful at finding content for my grade level.  Many of the videos are geared either towards high school or the lower elementary.  The early numeracy videos would be worthwhile if I was teaching in the primary unit.  I'm not sure that I'd necessarily show the videos to students (or at least the ones I saw), because they were geared more towards teacher reflection.  I watched some upper level math videos and think that they would be very valuable to share with high school math classes.

Education Podcast Network


I found some interesting and useful videos on integrating the Smart Board into math lessons.  I was pleased to discover some free resources that met my professional goals for this year.  I will be spending  more time on these podcasts to help me find ways to enhance my lessons with resources that I already have in my classroom.

Mashups

This morning I did a bit of playing around with the various mashup resources that were suggested.  One of my favorite resources was the Trading Card Maker.  In an elementary classroom the possibilities for this are endless.  I'll focus on reading, since it's one of the two subjects that I teach.

What I plan to do:

• Students create trading cards for the characters in the book.  Right now we are reading Catching Fire and my students have been asked to create their own districts and competitors.  They could create trading cards for their new characters or districts, or could create cards for the actual characters (Katniss, Peeta, Gale).

Here's my silly trading card creation....