Friday, 19 July 2013

Course reflection

http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/

I am saving this website here so I can add it to Feedly later. Seem to have an issue with this computer and the icloud! I think this highlights just how much websites are able to change at a faster pace than hardware. (able to access Feedly only through Google Chrome).

I started this course at Easter this year (April) - and within four months many websites no longer exist or have changed since the training video. This highlights how quickly things change and why it sometimes feels overwhelming to try to keep up with the changes. Let alone be creative and be the teacher of these to younger minds.

The great thing about this course is I have been able to work at my own pace - introducing a few ideas and activities into the classroom and gaining student and parent response. I have been thrilled with parent response to our class blog. Many working mums have commented on how thankful they are to feel they are being kept in the loop of what is occuring in the classroom. Like all working mums, they are time poor and can view the blog in their own time, even during nightshift.

I think this epitomises the whole benefit of Web 2.0. No matter who or where you are, you can link in and feel part of the school community. It also delineates financial status.

Our class loved creating our religion story of good and bad behaviour through animoto.com. What a great tool that is - and we are keen to do it again for Father's Day. I am looking forward to discovering littlebirdtales.com to find out how "easy" it is, so we can start creating. I think that is the great benefit of Web 2.0 sites is it is allowing access to all people, not through high costs that make it inaccessible. Also my students are so thrilled to see and share our creations they are active participants. Not one of them shies away from attempting to read aloud the information on our blog when it is displayed on the whiteboard.

Feedly will be a way of staying up to date on many favourite websites - and I am looking forward to being able to access Classroom 2.0 as I think that will be a great way to learn about new ways of working that are working for others. But, just as each student and each class have different interests and learning needs, keeping in touch with changing technologies and websites will be continual. Which is where Feedly and Classroom 2.0 will be great tools to keep me informed and up to date.

This learning course is only the beginning, but has been hugely beneficial.

Module 10

I am not sure the real difference between creating a Wiki and a Glogster. Both are URL's that multiple people can access remotely and alter - thereby communicating in real time. Maybe it is just another option.

I really like the idea of NING - and Classroom 2.0 looks like a great website for all teachers to network, to gain and share new information from and with others. I am going to look into Little bird tales website as it appears I can create multiple accounts - one for each student - that links back to my main account. This is really beneficial because it means the students can create using their login, not mine. I can have many students creating at the same time. I am guessing I can then link the created story to our class blog. Keen to get that happening.

The Google site looks great for a whole school approach to communication. Sharing calendar and other information across the whole school community keeps all people informed. Can see it saving time and being hugely beneficial.

Can still see a place for our class blog and see the Google site as too much for just our small class. I was wondering what the difference was, but the Google site appears more complex, and sometimes if you don't have enough information a web page can look too sparse.

Module 9

under construction! (when I find out my scootle login and password)

Module 8

Hooked on Feedly! What a great way to keep up to date without having to continually view favourite websites in the hope there may be something new. 

Great teacher tool to keep up to date with any new information from favourite websites for lesson ideas and information.

I can see that if you were over-eager and selected a lot of websites you would be inundated with information overload and probably find viewing Feedly a chore. Think it is better to be selective - start of slow and take advantage of the benefits.  Also, not all my favourite websites have RSS - so I cannot seem to add them to Feedly - guessing they need to have this to be added.

Will continue to investigate - but for now - impressed.  I like the layout of this website - easy to navigate around and easy to add to, and categorise.

Module 7

There is nothing like learning the hard way. Last weekend I registered with Delicious and though I tried many times, could not seem to put the icon in the toolbar. Think Delicious and similar websites are a great idea, even if it is only to keep a record of my own favourite web addresses.

I am learning this the hard way today as yesterday my laptop stopped wanting to connect to any internet connection, so I have borrowed a laptop to "do something - anything - this weekend!" But, now I do not know the web address to access further modules for this course.

mmmm... going to have to get crafty and spend lots of time trying to find it - whereas, if I had of put it into Delicious last weekend, then I wouldn't have this situation!

Lesson learned.

Friday, 12 July 2013

Module 6 - Picasa

My Picasaweb looks completely different to the tutorials. I found it a bit clunky finding the edit buttons and working out how to upload photos to albums.I am not sure why.

I still plan to use the website for both personal photos and class photos as then I can share them. This term we will use both Picasa and Animoto to create individual Father's Day clips to share with dads, posting these onto our blogspot.

Students were thrilled with the animoto we created for religion, and we amazed the parents with our creative ability. I feel like bit of a cheat! but whatever works.