Module 7

What is del.icio.us?

'Delicious is a Social Bookmarking service, which means you can save all your bookmarks online, share them with other people, and see what other people are bookmarking.'

Mmmm.....my idea of delicious always looked something like this... 

 

However I know that in terms of Web 2.0 it really is more like this....

...whereby I am able to share my favourite websites with others.

Keep my favourite sites to access from any computer through a del.icio.us account. The beauty of this is that any sites that I find I can access from home or work without having to try and remember the URL or having to try to find it again through a search. 

Discover new sites that other colleagues have found through my account. 

Organise my favourite sites by tagging them with keywords.

 

I can make them public......

                      

or keep them private.

We have a del.icio.us account at school...

and I have access to another del.icio.us account as an ESL teacher through the Southern Region ESL Ning (another social network).

I also have my own del.icio.us account and through it can link them all together!

Access to all of these make my life easier!

Module 6

What is bubbl.us?

 

   

Bubbl.us is a simple and free web application that lets you brainstorm online. Bubbl.us allows you to:

• Create colorful mind maps online
• Share and work with friends
• Embed your mind map in your blog or website
• Email and print your mind map
• Save your mind map as an image

Here is one that I created for Web 2.0...

...it was quite simple creating this mind map.
I can see that it has many applications for use with my students, especially when exploring graphic organisers.

What is a Glogster?

'A Glogster is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to upload photos, videos, text, audio and more to create a unique online, interactive poster.'

Wow this is a fabulous tool!

I enjoyed playing with all that it has to offer...but when I saw what some Year 3 students were able to achieve it really blew my mind!

They were able to manipulate and explore at such a rapid speed..it is just perfectly set up for their young minds. I learnt more from watching them than from the feeble attempts I had made by myself!

Module 5

What is Digital Storytelling?

'Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories.'

At last a module that contains content that is familiar to me!!

I absolutely love all that involves Digital Storytelling probably because I love storytelling!

• Podcasts
• Vodcasts
• iTunes
• YouTube

Some time ago now I was introduced to the world of ipods by a friend and have not looked back!
Not only on a personal level as my ipod is filled with the most wonderful podcasts (knitting, gardening,cooking) as well as vodcasts (First Tuesday Book Club...The Cook and the Chef) endless music (all my cd's are now on my ipod) and I might add these are all free downloads from iTunes.

At that same time I was fortunate enough to attend a CEO inservice with Ros Moran who quickly converted me to the wonders of podcasts in the classroom!!

We have a mp3's and mp4's at school that the children from K to 6 use on a daily basis.

I have recorded many levelled readers for classes to use as part of Guided Reading and especially with the ESL and Special Needs children.
I need to explore the use of podcasts for numeracy.

Our children record themselves using audacity as a means of self assessment 

and I have used it as a tool for language aquisition assessment.


As part of text types we have often viewed relevant clips from YouTube

to then use for talking /listening activities followed with some written work whether it be joint construction or individual writing.

It is wonderful to be able to take the ESL children onto a Goldfield or swimming on the Great Barrier Reef through You Tube, or bring a library book to life, also the use of video clips, online discussions etc for our older classes involve in the Jason Project.

At the moment I am exploring the use of Storybird with my ESL children. It looks absolutely fantastic.




Can't wait for our flip cameras.....to arrive!!

Module 4

What is flickr?

 'Flickr is an image and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community.  In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to host images that they embed in blogs and social media.'

 

I have for quite some time enjoyed looking at other people's photostreams on flickr, however not really understanding how it was all done...thinking it was way too difficult for me...but thanks to Web2... I can do it...all by myself!!!

(Check out my photostream on the sidebar...)

 

 

My mind is absolutely in a spin as to how I would be able to use this fantastic tool with my students.

What a fabulous resource for language based activities...

 

• 
  
  vocabulary building and extension with real photos on a SMARTBOARD

 

• 
  
  picture talks to develop descriptive language using the most amazing photos from flickr gallery

 

 

• 
  
  narrative writing, again with photos from the flickr gallery

 

 

• 
  
  using photos taken by the students themselves while on excursions, or as part of class activities etc. students use the flickr tool to organise them into sets and then use these sets to write a factual recount of the event.

 

What is so wonderful is that you are able to use photos taken yourself as well as photos that are copyright free from flickr.

 

 

ESL children are often very capable and talented however unable to express themselves in English and I believe that using flickr as visual assisstance and stimulas is just another bonus for them in language aquisition.




 

 

I'm off to explore and play with the tools on flickr some more before taking the plunge into the next module!

Module 3

What is Google Docs?

Google Docs is a free, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service offered by Google. It allows you to create and share your work online and access your documents from anywhere.


My experience with worksheets.....storage.....and corrections.... always looked something like this!!

So now after exploring Google Docs I know it need not be anything like that at all....

I can see that there are so many benefits in using this great service...especially as an ESL teacher of primary school children whereby I do not have my own class, but rather a number of children from many different classes and across a number of stages. A few of the ideas that started to develop in my mind are...

• Cumulative stories
• Joint constructions
• Reading and editing peer work
• Reconstructing texts
• Narrative writing as a group
• Homework

What I love the best is that we can take students from this style of groupwork...
...where they are all engaged, collaborating, talking and listening to each other...
but they need to be there!!

...to using Google Docs where they do not have to be at school because they are travelling....

                         

...or are in need of being absent for longer lengths of time due to illness...

                             

 

...and can still be part of that group at school... engaged,collaborating,reading and writing with their peers through Google Docs!

What a confidence boost for a student to return to school after a long absence knowing that they have been an active part of their class learning, no matter where in the world they may have been.

                            

My mind is becoming totally absorbed by this Web 2.0 course...

...our young students have the world at their fingertips...

                         

...they just need to be made aware of all that is available to them...

...and the responsibilities that go with it.

                              

Module 2

What is a blog?

A blog or "web log" is a type of website. One person is usually resposible for maintaining it and they make regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or videos. The entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order!

I have read blogs about knitting,

cooking

and gardening,

found them to be very interesting but I thought you needed to be a computer wiz to write one!
Wow was I wrong...it is so easy! Just follow the steps on 'blogger' and there it is! 

I can see now why teachers use blogs in the classroom as a tool for reading and writing.

Blogs could also be utilised for problem solving and higher order thinking activities.

As an ESL teacher a blog would be useful for vocabulary building (visuals) 
and sentence structure. 

After completing Module 2 it has become obvious to me that we all have the same tools...

It's what we do with them that counts!!!