Tool 4: Cool Google Tools

Google Docs is a great tool! It can make life easier for teachers to share Lesson Plans, mini lessons, documents created for assessments or diagrams and forms that could be used for a variety of activities are just a few items that can be shared with coworkers. I tried to download a couple of documents, but never could figure out how to link them or put them in my blog. I obviously need help with this.

I really like Google Reader because it groups all the blogs that I am following in one place so I can have easy access to them. It reminds me a lot of Favorites where I usually mark my favorite sites so I can easily go back to them. I plan on adding my favorites list to Google Reader.

http://www.google.com/educators/p_docs.html
http://groups.google.com/group/google-for-educators

Tool 3: Image Generators & Mashups

I used the sight Bookr to make a short book that could be used in a few different ways. One way that I would use it would be at Parent Orientation so that parents could see the variey of components that make up our school day. I could also use this same book with the kids during the first day/week of school to talk about our school day schedule and let them know what they could expect throughout the day from moment to moment. Lastly this is just an great resource for kids to make their own books that would be fast and realtively easy.
School Days by Ellen Dalton

Tool 3: Image Generators & Mashups

I used Bubblr to make a funny video slide show that I could easily make with my students on really any subject. I chose to use zoo animal pictures because I thought that I could use photos that I took on our field trip to the zoo and then turn them into our own class slide show. As a bonus it was an easy sight to navigate and didn't take much time to put together. Hope you enjoy it!
Zoo Animals by Ellen Dalton

Tool 2: Building Community, Comments & PLNs

Tool 2: Building Community & Comments:

1. I think that it's a fantastic idea to build an online education community and participate in a PLN. I feel strongly for myself that I can learn so much from communicating with others and that this in turn can only help me to become a better teacher for my students. I also feel that this is a wonderful resource with which to build a supportive community of teaching peers, there is a wealth of information out there but sometimes accessing it can be hard. I can also see the benefits of using a blog with my parents where I am easily able to communicate with them on a daily basis to answer any questions they have and keep them informed about what we are doing in the classroom.
2. I really liked the coolcatteacher blog sight. She had some very good pointers on how to appropriately comment on others blogs. I really liked what Rita Simon said about constructive critisim and how important it is to keep in mind how what we say can really hurt another person whether it's in cyberspace or in person.
3. I selected the following sites to comment on and join as a follower.
nancybryant.blogspot.com
tiger1-garzasblog.blogspot.com
morellagodoytools.blogspot.com
http://www.ttknox.blogspot.com/
srasimon.blogspot.com