Here is a link to my webquest.
http://questgarden.com/79/19/9/090328115146/
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Interesting Podcasts
I found a few really interesting podcasts using iTunes.
Elementary: The Accidental Technologist (Trang Lai)
Middle: The Teacher's Podcast: The New Generation of Educational Technology (Dr. Kathy King, Mark Gura)
High School: The Secret of Teaching (Wavelength Inc.)
I actually think any of these podcasts would be entertaining and useful to teachers at any level. I particularly like the podcast, "The Secret of Teaching." It was really interesting. The podcasts are actual conversations with people that have either retired from a career in the field of education or people that are very successful teachers. The podcasts I listened to were pretty interesting and informational. It was nice to hear actual teachers talking about their experiences. This podcast would be useful to teachers and perspective teachers. It is nice to listen to someone talk about issues that you have or may have in the future. This podcast could help teachers solve a problem, inspire them to be a better teacher, or just serve as reassurance to teachers or prespective teachers. It is very relateable. I really enjoyed listening to it.
Elementary: The Accidental Technologist (Trang Lai)
Middle: The Teacher's Podcast: The New Generation of Educational Technology (Dr. Kathy King, Mark Gura)
High School: The Secret of Teaching (Wavelength Inc.)
I actually think any of these podcasts would be entertaining and useful to teachers at any level. I particularly like the podcast, "The Secret of Teaching." It was really interesting. The podcasts are actual conversations with people that have either retired from a career in the field of education or people that are very successful teachers. The podcasts I listened to were pretty interesting and informational. It was nice to hear actual teachers talking about their experiences. This podcast would be useful to teachers and perspective teachers. It is nice to listen to someone talk about issues that you have or may have in the future. This podcast could help teachers solve a problem, inspire them to be a better teacher, or just serve as reassurance to teachers or prespective teachers. It is very relateable. I really enjoyed listening to it.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Social Bookmarking in the Classroom
Social bookmarking could be used a number of ways in the classroom. If each of the students had their own account to a site like http://delicious.com/ they would not only be able to organize the sites they found useful, they would be able to see what sites their peers had found useful. This would be particularly helpful if the students were researching a specific topic. They could feed off of each other's research.
It is sort of like that saying, "Two heads are better than one." The information an entire class has found helpful is better than the information one student can find on his or her own. I remember doing reports in middle school, when Internet research was something very new to me. Navigating on the web was a difficult and frustrating experience. I believe it would have been much easier if I had knowledge of social bookmarking. Because, social bookmarking can provide a guide for students that are having trouble finding what they are looking for.
It is sort of like that saying, "Two heads are better than one." The information an entire class has found helpful is better than the information one student can find on his or her own. I remember doing reports in middle school, when Internet research was something very new to me. Navigating on the web was a difficult and frustrating experience. I believe it would have been much easier if I had knowledge of social bookmarking. Because, social bookmarking can provide a guide for students that are having trouble finding what they are looking for.
Pros and Cons of Blogging in Education
Blogging is just like everything else in the world. It has its ups and its downs. Blogging can be a very powerful tool, if used appropriately.
Pros: Blogging is a new way to enrich teaching and learning. Blogs are easy to update, and can be powerful teaching tools. They are a fun, empowering, inexpensive, and easily devised way to turn learners into producers rather than products. This is something that teachers have tried to do for years, and can be easily accomplished using blogs. Another positive thing about blogs is that they can be anything the teacher wishes for them to be. They can satisfy practically any purpose whether it be to display course notes, showcase student achievements, provide homework help, or initiate discussions. With blogging the possibilities are endless, however as I said before, with the good, there is also the bad.
Cons: Blogging is a public publication, which anyone can have access to. There are ways to stop people from posting to your site, but things that are inappropriate have a way of showing up where they shouldn't be. Also, some people don't realize that blogs are a public publication that anyone can view. They use blogs as a diary to vent their frustrations. What they don't realize is a blog is like a web portfolio. Anything you place on it can be used for you or against you.
Source: Oatman, E. (August 2005). Blogomania! Every day 12,000 new blogs are created. Here's how you can get in on the action. School Library Journal, 51, 8. p.36(4). Retrieved March 03, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.etsu.edu:2048/itx/start.do?prodId=AONE
Pros: Blogging is a new way to enrich teaching and learning. Blogs are easy to update, and can be powerful teaching tools. They are a fun, empowering, inexpensive, and easily devised way to turn learners into producers rather than products. This is something that teachers have tried to do for years, and can be easily accomplished using blogs. Another positive thing about blogs is that they can be anything the teacher wishes for them to be. They can satisfy practically any purpose whether it be to display course notes, showcase student achievements, provide homework help, or initiate discussions. With blogging the possibilities are endless, however as I said before, with the good, there is also the bad.
Cons: Blogging is a public publication, which anyone can have access to. There are ways to stop people from posting to your site, but things that are inappropriate have a way of showing up where they shouldn't be. Also, some people don't realize that blogs are a public publication that anyone can view. They use blogs as a diary to vent their frustrations. What they don't realize is a blog is like a web portfolio. Anything you place on it can be used for you or against you.
Source: Oatman, E. (August 2005). Blogomania! Every day 12,000 new blogs are created. Here's how you can get in on the action. School Library Journal, 51, 8. p.36(4). Retrieved March 03, 2009, from Academic OneFile via Gale:http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.etsu.edu:2048/itx/start.do?prodId=AONE
Educational Blogs I Recommend
These are just a few links to educational blogs I recomment as references, resources, and good examples.
http://www.thisweekineducation.com/
http://adifference.blogspot.com/
http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/blogboard/
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