Finito

I can't say any more about this course than it has been a truely amazing Web 2.0 journey. I have enjoyed looking at the different tools and the links to video and information that has been provided for us to look into. I have learnt so many things and have now started to incorporate some of these tools into my teaching and also my own personal professional development and management of technology tools. By doing the course it has made me look into many things I have heard about that are out there but that I haven't completely understood and therefore have not used. RSS feeds, google docs, ebooks, audio books, delicious, diigo and the list goes on. I have recommended this course to a number of colleagues and they are looking forward to enrolling into the next course when it is offered.

Activity 23 - Downloadable media

Well there is not a day that goes by at work that I don't download something to use with my students - a video to grab their attention, a game to play to revise a concept, an interactive whiteboard lesson to use as a teaching tool or plain and simple some information for myself to use or to share with others and the list goes on. Especailly in my new role at my school and looking for resources for teachers I am constantly finding new and exciting tools for teachers to use with their class. The teachers are really enjoying using the different teaching tools and the students are loving the fact that they get to use some form of technology in their lessons. The creation tools that they have been given to complete their assessment tasks is truely allowing them to complete some amazing work. Where would we be without the internet and all of the wonderful tools that are out there now??? I guess the only problem with all of this is where do we start - there is so much out there...and where will it go next...all very exciting!

Activity 22 - Audio/Ebooks

Ebooks is something that I haven't really taken to personally as I would prefer the hold fashioined hard copy of a book, however, after talking to some friends they pointed out some interesting points about Ebooks. Of course with the latest technology and the ipad I had some friends going on a holiday and instead of packing the books as we all used to/still do they simply downloaded the books on to their ipad - first important point - more room to pack other necessities. The second thing was that they didn't need a light to be able to see the book as the screen was backlit and they could read in the dark. The other things that they mentioned were that it didn't give them a headache as sometimes starring at a computer screen can do and for some reason they seemed to read more of the book. Now if you put that into a classroom isn't that what we want all of our students to do - read more and find a love for books? Our school is just bringing in ebooks and audio books and our new iCentre will be using OLIVER. What a great way to get students interested again in reading and to also cater for those students that have trouble reading independently. Again, after taking the time to lokk into this concept further through this course and speaking to others about it, I will have to try downloading some of my own books.

Activity 21- You Tube/Teacher Tube

I never knew there were so many video service sites out there. What a comprehensive list! Generally I always use You Tube as I finid it easy to navigate and find a clip that relates to the topic I am looking for. As it is not a secure site and can contain inappropraite images and advertising for students it is something I use with caution due to this. A shame this can not be cut out. I have tried to to find resources on Teacher Tube, however, my success with this has been somewhat limited. In a small number of instances I have found something valuable to show the kids. At school we are lucky that as teachers we still have access to You Tube/Teacher Tube, however, they are blocked to the students. One problem I have found in the past with You Tube is that some videos can go missing and when you go to link to them with your students they are not accessible. To solve this problem at school we have started using the Keep Vid tool which is wonderful. There is no need to even worry about whether the internet is going to be up and running as the file will be saved.

I loved the video on "Why let our students Blog?". In my role at the school now I am trying to get teachers to integrate technolgy tools into their lessons and assessment. This term, one of the focuses are blogs. A short yet, effective clip to use to show colleagues on just how valuable the tool can be. Of course, the next link on Cyber Safety goes hand in hand when trying to teach students about technology. There are so many tools out there now that kids are using, that they need to be aware of what can happen out there and how to protect themselves. All students need to be aware of Cyber Safety and what is appropriate to post and what is not.

Activity 20 - Podcasts.

As suggested by the first link we were given to look at, the word Podcast has become increasingly popular and used all over the world in many different professions. During my teaching career I have heard of it countless times, yet I have never engaged my class in the making of their own podcast. Although I think it is a wonderful tool, the students would enjoy making a podcast and of course listening to others. The area that I have found Podcasts most beneficial is for my own personal professional development. There are so many presentations out there, from so many people on so many topics it would be silly not to take advantage of these presentations. I have to added the Educational Podcast Directory as it has some wonderful resources on it, to my Diigo/Delicious account and tried to subscribe to the RSS feed into my Google Reader account however this does nto seem to work. I have put some other sites into my Google reader account though asuch as Podcast Alley so I can get all of the updates. Wow! So many new tools already being utilised and making life with technology just that little bit easier.

Activity 19 - Rollyo

Well I thought I was off to a great start with this site and after reading about its capabilities and what it actually was I was quite excited, although hearing from a colleague that the site does, at times not work properly, I was a little hesitant. I created my account and started to create a list of sites for my search engine and also looked at what other people had rolled. By doing this I found a lot of new links and was able to add these to my account. I could see this useful for students to use during research tasks as it really allows the teacher to filter what they are searching and also gives the students a place to start their researching. I then had to log out as work called and when I went to log in again I could not get into the site as it said there were too many connections. The joys of technology! This for me is a little bit of a negative, as I have tried this a couple of times now, as there is nothing worse than setting something up for your class and then when you go to use it, it doesn’t work properly. I will persist with the site and give it a trial to see how it runs.

Activity 18 - Wikis

I have had a class Wiki for the past 3 years and over this time I have continued to develop my knowledge of its capabilities and what I can use them for. I first built one with the library staff 4 years ago and it was very basic but it became a central place that the library staff and I could add information to and the kids had access to it. The students loved the idea of it so I started a new one the following year. I have developed links to various subjects and added information for parents and students to the page. It is so easy to upload photos and videos and the parents love seeing the students work. The students know they have access to all task sheets and any information they may loose or forget to take home so it has eliminated the problem of "I forgot my homework". The students really enjoy the freedom of writing on their very own clas Wiki and also having the ability to comment on each others work. Some of the feedback that they have provided each other has been fantastic. It has been a wonderful communication tool between the students, myself and the parents. This year I am trying to get class Wiki's up and running in our middle school which is slowly getting some momentum. I strongly recommend Wiki's as a wonderful collaboration tool!