Did you know?

I thought this youtube video might be interesting and thought-provoking.

Module 5

At last - something that is not entirely foreign!!
I have accessed podcasts before. I often view youtube, teachertube, teacher TV etc, (mostly for educational purposes!) and I also have an itunes account. Having said that, I doubt I really understood what I was doing. But that is evidence of its ease of use.

We have had MP3 players for a while at our school, and although I have used them, I would like to make even better use of them.I prefer the user friendly tools on the ipod and being able to find things more quickly. In the classroom, our children listen to stories/levelled books that are pre-recorded in audacity or they record themselves reading/speaking.

I did not realise the range of free podcasts that are available and I would like to further explore the use of vodcasts. I would really like my class to be able to do their own digital storytelling, which happily I think will be an achievable feat!

Module 4

So now I've been introduced to Flick'r, photos will never be the same again! Now I know how they re-touch all those photos in magazines and I must say it's a lot of fun. Just being able to crop, change the tone, and sharpen the image is fantastic. It is very easy to add photos.

However.....it's another web address, another subscription or two, another password to remember, another place that keeps info on me. I feel like I'm filling up my mind and my computer - there are so many access paths to remember! (without having them written down which would be a security issue.) Also just the fact that photos can be so manipulated and accessed makes me even more aware of the legalities of using the internet, worries about hackers, copyright etc.

On the positive side, it's great to know about these sites and what they can do. In the classroom - I'm often on the lookout for photos myself, and the children in my class could access a photo and put it in a document and even crop it or use one or two other features.

Module 3

Until yesterday, I had never heard of Google Docs. Even my own children looked at me blankly when I spoke about it. However, after perusing the very informative video I felt a little more confident about attempting this next activity. Thanks to the blog of a very talented friend and colleague, I viewed a video about kindy kids using blogging etc and a terrific website called 'Ideas to Inspire' which had great tips for using technology in the classroom.

As a teacher, I can see Google Docs as a useful tool for working on lesson/program ideas with my grade partner and sharing ideas, presentations etc with other colleagues. In the classroom, it would be a challenge, but it would be an opportunity to encourage children to share and edit work. The children could also work on a powerpoint as a group; for example collaborate research on minibeasts.

Module 2

Module 2: hmmmm blogging. Well. I now feel a little more confident and more tech savvy, finally knowiug how to use a blog. I've heard the word so often and even enjoyed reading some. The next step is a real challege - how to make use of blogs in the classroom. I can see great applications for older children to share their thoughts and allow all children to participate in class discussions, especially those who might be very shy. Blogs can spark  ideas and lead to all sorts of exciting tangents.

However, I teach year one and I feel very few of them would be able to access this tool effectively on an individual level. So my constant challenge is to use technology effectively in the classroom along with everything else - it's a bit overwhelming, but at least it's not boring!!!

Module 1

Hi all.
I am a stage 1 teacher from Christ the King school who, along with many others, has embarked on this terrifying/edifying adventure in the world of Web 2.0.

I have discovered there's a whole new internet out there - a seemingly irreversible wave of 'many to many' communication. I find it overwhelming, yet exciting. I also feel a great responsibility towards the children we teach, for they will need these tools and many more for communication in tomorrow's world.

All the buzz words are what I hear my own twenties-something children use, (facebook, blogging, flick'r etc) and soon I'll actually know what they mean and how to use them. Although, I must admit, I had  inadvertantly added some google gadgets to my homepage on another account. But now I know I can repeat the process.

I had fun customizing my igoogle page, adding way too many gadgets! I'm not sure how I would use this facility in my class, but onwards and upwards towards the next step. Module 1 - Tick!