Global Collaboration

The Internet offers students and teachers unlimited resources for working collaboratively.  Around the world with 80 schools projects is a global collaboration site that offers ideas for students to work collaboratively on projects through the use of SKYPE.  I would like to use SKYPE to provide the students with opportunities to conference with other students from around the world.  This technology provides the students with the opportunity to conduct audio and video conferences.  Students could compare and contrast the topics they are studying in each subject area and share what interesting current events are happening in their own home countires.   

Tagged!!!

Tagged!!!
Originally uploaded by ShamsD

This is a TEST!

Teacher Resources

The Teacher's Corner is a site I found through my Delicious network. Some from outside our class had tagged it. This site contains numerous resources for teachers such as lesson plans, thematic units, bulletin boards, and printable worksheets. This site is extremely useful and informative!

Teacher Lingo

Teacher Lingo is a site designed for teachers. It offers them the opportunity to share lesson plans, find other teachers, and communicate about "mysterious" things that happen in their classrooms on the message board. The message board is also a teacher discussion forum.

Multiplication

Mrs. Thorp's Third Blog is a great resource for parents and teachers to use to help their children and students learn various math concepts. Mrs. Thorp offers a variety of activities that use manipulatives in order to engage students with hands on math. Some of the manipulative she uses are Goldfish Crackers, Candy Buttons, and muffin pans. Some of skills covered on the blog are multiplication, making change, and counting money.

Reading Is Fundamental

Leading to Reading is site sponsored by RIF (Reading is Fundamental) which provide users the opportunity to listen to well known children stories. Stories are read to the user, sometimes with the option of being able to turn the pages at their leisure. The site also offers newsletters to parents and teachers in Enlgish and Spanish.

WORDDUCK - Vocabulary (Game)

Wordduck is a site where users can play word search or hangman games in order to build and enchance their vocabulary. Memebers to the site can actually go in and create their own word lists to be used in the games or if users do not want to become memebers, they can play the games provided. Users do not have to be members to enjoy playing either type of game.

Tutpup - Interactive Math and Spelling Games (Math)

Tutpup is an interactive site where users can play math and spelling games and compete anonymously against students from all over the world. Users can choose math and spelling games that vary in difficulty level and skill. The math games consist of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and algebra. The site is also provides a link for parents and teachers.

Educational Blogging (Benefits)

Blogging can be used in some many ways to enhance literacy in the classroom. Before using blogs with any students, they have to instructed on various things such as how to navigate, write for a public audience, and voice. Students benefit from being able to use technology to voice their own opinions, communicate with students world wide, and build enthusiasm for writing.





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Wikis

Wikis are a great way to communicate with others. They allow a group of people to communicate with each other and add and edit information amongst a group. Some uses for wikis that can be used in the classroom are generate list, collaborate on projects, and partner/group writing assignments.

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Web 2.0

The reasons why people use the internet continues to change.  Web 2.o has allowed people to use the internet to interact with each other in other ways than email.  Blogs and Wikis are just some of the example of the way web 2.0 has enabled internet users to communicate in "non traditional ways".  

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Thinking about Teaching Blogging

There are many phases of using and teaching blogs.  I am new to the whole blogging process.  I have now learned how to blog and comments on other peoples blogs.  The more I use blogs and really figure out what the whole process, the more I will incorporate them in my classroom.

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Why Students Blog

Students seems to really enjoy blogging.  It seems to be a way for them to write and express themselves were no one is going to give them a grade.  Students do not have to worry about anyone judging their writing or looking to see if they are using the proper grammar of sentence structure. 

 Blogging is a worry free way of expressing your thoughts and feelings about a topic.

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Shift Happens

I think the video was very interesting and informational.  It does not surprise me to see that China and some other countries out number us in many ways (such as the number of college graduates).  

We are now in the technology era.  It is amazing to see the statistics about the use of computer, the internet, and other technology.  Children today have to be computer literate in order to succeed.  

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Computer Access

I have 2 computers in my class which my students have access to.  Our school also has a computer lab which the students use once a week as part of their related arts rotation.  There is also a sign in sheet in the lab which enables the teachers to sign up for a time slot when the lab is not being used for a class (the lab has about 40 new apple computers).  I also use my laptop computer frequently during instruction to engage the students in Power Point presentations and show relevant YouTube video clips and United Streaming videos.