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| Finally, someone recognizes my awesomeness. |
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| I love Disneyland! |
Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Skype!
I love Skype. I think it is fun and intuitive. But I had never thought of Skype in the educational realm. I had no idea there were so many possibilities for something that seems so straight forward.
My top three favorite "Skype in Education" ideas (from the reading)
1. Using "ePals" to connect with other classes across the globe. In second grade our teacher set up pen pals from London for us- it was by far one of the coolest things I remember from elementary school. The problem was that it took weeks in between letters, and all together we only wrote back and forth twice. Now, if I could have Skyped that student in London, I could have had a real connection, and imagine how much more memorable it would be. One idea would be to research the other class's country history. Then present to each other and talk about the different perceptions of history (after all, the American Revolution is taught one way in America and one way in England).
2. Skyping with someone famous. Whether the person is famous for writing a book, being a politician, a scientist, a dentist, whatever. Allowing students to communicate with the people they want to be when they grow up will humanize careers for them.
3. Using Skype to connect with students who have to stay home. Students who are very sick, have a disability, etc, may need to stay home occasionally. This means that they are not only missing instruction and school work, but they are also missing valuable social skill building time. Using Skype to include at home students in group discussions, read arounds, and even parties, will help maintain that crucial social interaction.
My top three favorite "Skype in Education" ideas (from the reading)
1. Using "ePals" to connect with other classes across the globe. In second grade our teacher set up pen pals from London for us- it was by far one of the coolest things I remember from elementary school. The problem was that it took weeks in between letters, and all together we only wrote back and forth twice. Now, if I could have Skyped that student in London, I could have had a real connection, and imagine how much more memorable it would be. One idea would be to research the other class's country history. Then present to each other and talk about the different perceptions of history (after all, the American Revolution is taught one way in America and one way in England).
2. Skyping with someone famous. Whether the person is famous for writing a book, being a politician, a scientist, a dentist, whatever. Allowing students to communicate with the people they want to be when they grow up will humanize careers for them.
3. Using Skype to connect with students who have to stay home. Students who are very sick, have a disability, etc, may need to stay home occasionally. This means that they are not only missing instruction and school work, but they are also missing valuable social skill building time. Using Skype to include at home students in group discussions, read arounds, and even parties, will help maintain that crucial social interaction.
wiki wiki
It has been a while since I've used/thought about wikis. In fact, the last time I used one was early last semester for another class, and I hadn't looked at it since. Honestly, this was in part due to the fact that the whole concept of a "wiki" was still completely lost on me. I didn't understand why a group would need a wiki instead of a blog, or along with a blog.
But that kind of cheesy, really simple 5 minute video from the module completely explained the idea of a wiki. After the video ended I thought, "got it."
And now I think I need a wiki for everything I do.
Then I began a search of other wikis out there, and as it turns out, there are people who agree with me; we need wikis for everything. I found a Harry Potter wiki, a Glee wiki, The Bachelor wiki's (there were at least 30) and everything in between. Who knew?
The top coolest things about wikis for teachers/media specialists?
But that kind of cheesy, really simple 5 minute video from the module completely explained the idea of a wiki. After the video ended I thought, "got it."
And now I think I need a wiki for everything I do.
Then I began a search of other wikis out there, and as it turns out, there are people who agree with me; we need wikis for everything. I found a Harry Potter wiki, a Glee wiki, The Bachelor wiki's (there were at least 30) and everything in between. Who knew?
The top coolest things about wikis for teachers/media specialists?
- students can log in and change stuff around, allowing them to work from home and still work collaboratively.
- students can use wikis to document their research- how cool would it be to have some kind of timeline showing the students going through The Big Six?
- students get to go home and show their parents, friends, etc, that they are officially "on the web," which is exciting for the student and the family!
- media specialists can use a wiki to show the newest books and media in the library.
- media specialists can use a wiki to interact with parents- take polls on what genres of books they want you to order/announce all the activities at the library.
Wiki's are awesome. I'm excited to learn more about the ways I can use them!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
state library victoria, australia
This is breathtaking. I think it shows a different side of the library. Usually, when you think of library you think of books, but a library is much more than that. It is a place to gather, study, spread out, discuss.
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