After 11 Tools: Reflections

YEAH!! I am finished!! I really enjoyed Bookr and Teacher Tube. I plan on having my students make a Christmas Version of the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear similar to the one that I downloaded on my blog. I am excited about using the I-Pods in my classroom this year. I just know that my kids are really going to enjoy using the different applications on the I-Pods. The thing that suprised me the most was the amount of time that it took to complete each tool. I spent hours and hours working on them. I feel that I am somewhat technically savey, so I wasn't prepared for the amount of time I had to devote to finishing the 11 tools. But I am finished and that's the important thing!

Tool 11: Digital Citizenship

Students need to understand that cyberspace is full of information, information that is and isn't appropriate. When or if a student encounters information that isn't appropriate they must immediately report their finding to the teacher or an adult. It is important that we hold the students accountable and resposible for what they are viewing and teach them what is and isn't appropriate viewing material. We must also teach students to be responsible for what they say and how they say it. Just like in person, they must treat others the way that they would want to be treated while using the world wide web. Cyber bullying has become an awful reality and is something that we must make sure that our students never engage in. It is our responsibility to make sure that students watch their P's & Q's while using the internet.

Tool 10: Exploring Mobile Technology And Apps

I am excited that we are going to have I-Pods in our classroom next year. I attended the I-Pod workshop at Summer U with Karen Justl yesterday and am really looking forward to learning how to use the I-Pods with my students. She gave us a list of Apps that I spent yesterday putting on my I-Tune account so that I would be ready to sync them to the I-Pods when I get them in my classroom. Some of the Apps that I am looking forward to using with my kids will help to facilitate literacy, math, and science skills as well as fine motor development. I can't wait to be able and play around with the following applications, when I get the I-Phone.
I Write Words Lite
Shape Builder Lite
Letter Peek Lite
Color Me!! Free
Video Science

Tool 9: Sharing Information Through Jing & Skype

I can see how Jing and Skype could be used in the classroom as what we used to use for old fashioned Pen Pals. Instead of having Pen Pals where kids are writing letters to each other. Now kids could be talking to each other and you could have Jing and Skype pals with another classroom in my school, in the district, across the nation or around the world.

Tool 8: Video Resources

I really like the Five Monkeys video from Teacher Tube. I love Dr. Jean and this is one of my students favorite songs so I know that they will love seeing the song in action!! The Video is ebbeded to the right. Lights, Camera, Action get ready to watch, read, and sing!!
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=118226&title=Five_Little_Monkeys

I found some great videos using Bill Martin Jr's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, that I know I will use in the classroom or will have my students make their own Brown Bear video. One Video has children's artwork illustrations along with children reading the text. This is something that I would like to have my class try doing this year. The next is an adult reading the story and contains the actual book illustrations. I know my kids will enjoy watching the story being told. This is something that I could put on the computer or I-Pods for my kids to listen to. The last video is a variation of the book that is about reindeer and other Christmas seasonal items that a class of kids made. I would like to try having my kids make the same variation or a similar variation of the book.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Tool 7: Digital Storytelling

I tried and tried to use Photo Story 3, but was unable to make it work. I worked with some friends and even when we opened the web-page it wouldn't open up to the page that looked like anyone elses web-page. So then next I tried to download Photo Story 3 and I was told that their was a error in the middle of the download and so was unable to download the software in order to make a Photo Story. Needless to say this tool was so frustrating because I nor the colleagues that I was working with could make it work. So, I'm sorry to say but I wasn't able to use this tool and create a Photo Story. I am upset that I was unable to use this tool as I can see lots of uses for it in the classroom. I would love to be able to use a Photo Story at Parent Orientation and also at Graduation just to name a couple of times during the school year.

Tool 6: Wikis

I think that it would be difficult for Pre-Kindergarten students to navigate and therefore benefit from finding or designing their own Wikis. However I can see if I set up a folder or a saved list of Wikis for them to access, that they maybe able to benefit from some of the activities contained on the Wiki. While looking at the Wiki's that we could view on the blog page I saw the one below which is 3rd/4th graders looking at the ocean. The second sight is a game that kids can go on to locate ocean items and animals. My students would enjoy playing the ocean game very much so I can see myself using this sight. I can also see the benefit of using Wikis to research different topics and share them with other teachers, parents and colleagues.



http://wedderburn-grade34.wikispaces.com/The+Ocean

http://www.digitalozone.com/beachfun/