Thing 23

Finally, Thing 23! I know that technology evolves so quickly and as an educator I really need to keep up on it all. The article by Hargadon really depicts the changes well. Even now, the social networking that was once huge that he mentioned (My Space) has been virtually replaced by Facebook and Twitter. Knowing how to roll with the changes and engage our students is so important. Technology has changed how students play, interact, and learn. We had a read-in during March and this change was so apparent when the majority of my students came to school with their Kindles, ipads, and other readers! I asked questions and they were more than willing to show me how they work and teach me! I think the big take aways that I got from this experience are to keep myself updated through feeds and ed. tech. blogs and professional developments, to keep playing (that is how I learn), and to encourage more creation from my students in my classroom.

Thing 22

My wiki and my blog are different in a few ways. The blog can be repsonded to, but the wiki can be added to. I think the wiki is more of a collaborative tool. I think teachers are more apt to use a blog before trying a wiki. Maybe it is a stepping stone? But technology is always changing and it seems that collaboration is key. I would definitely use the wiki with other teachers, and would like to attempt to use it with my class.

Thing 21

Wiki's are an excellent way to collaborate with others. During Grad school we used a wiki to share our tech based lessons with our classmates. We also had to create our own for future classroom use. I have reservations because of the montoring involved, but after seeing so many interesting ways to incorporate them into your classes, I may reconsider.

Thing 20

I can't install anything on my school laptop, so I have had to subscribe to podcasts that I can play easily. I wanted CNN daily updates but they have stopped creating them. So, for my students I subscribed to CNN Student News. I found that searching for podcasts was very time consuming. Also the first link to the educational podcast search engine didn't work any longer. I think networking/sharing with other social studies teachers would be helpful for finding worthwhile podcasts.

Thing 19

Podcasts are pretty interesting, I like the idea of using them for personal information as well as using them for classroom resources. I think the Merriam-Wesbster's is great for both! I would imagine my students would enjoy making podcasts as a way to show what they have learned too. I listened to the students from Mr. Coley's class and I thought it was a great way to give students a real voice. I could use this with our International News assignment since they all love to present.

Thing 18

Aztec Inca Maya Power Point

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I really think this site is going to be useful for me and my class! I just typed in Incas and was surprised how many great presentations came up! What I need to figure out now is how to add and subtract slides to fit my curriculum. I also will be uploading my own presentations to share.

Thing 17

I really like the Flashcard site. They are easy to create and my students really like using them and the quiz feature on the Smart board. The site offers research that explains how studying the flashcards helps learning. It is also nice that you can share your cards with others and search their database for pre-made cards.