Podcasting

Today we learned about podcasts. Podcast are sound or sound and video stored on the web. It is amazing how many different types of podcast are out there. We looked at itunes and some other sites. I am in awe of the depth of knowledge that is being shared. We also worked on making podcast today. We used ipadio and audacity. With ipadio all we had to do was register for a free account then we recieved a pin number and a phone number. We used our cell phones to call and then the pin number allowed you to record your voice. With ipadio we used head phones to create a voice track. The voice track can be edited right on the site! We had a fun time! I am going to podcast the poem "Smart" and hopefully insert it here. If it works you should be able to click and listen to me read the poem by Shel Silverstein. It is one of my favorites, hope you enjoy it too. That is, when and if I figure out how to put it here. Okay so I made the entire text my link to hear the poem just click on the text in the post. http://www.flickr.com/photos/crobj/3170049877/

Social Media Storage

Wow, online social media is a great way of sharing. I am amazed at how very easy and valuable the online media sources are. I have just used Delicious to book mark some of my favorite web sites. I must say I am excited that I will be able to access my favorite sites from any computer I work at. It will be nice to be able to share my favorites and look at others favorites. Wow, what a great idea! Another social media that I have just tried is Flickr a photo sharing website. It is great to be able to store photos online. I don't have to worry about losing them on my home computer or a flash drive. One feature that these sites offer is called tagging. It is a way of labeling the websites and photos that allows for easy retrieval, organizing and categorization. Is seems like a really great way to access these stored media. I know I will be using these in the future. http://www.flickr.com/photos/crobj/4443270837/in/set-72157623521997087/

Wikis in Education

Wikis are great for teachers and students to use in the classroom. Teachers can use wikis in many ways. Some very creative ways to use wikis include; mock debates, "fan clubs" , forming a collective taxonomy of living things. Students can use wikis to present ideas, clarify understanding, keep up with teaching and create notes. Wikis allow students to make connections between knowledge they already have and the new knowledge they are learning. Creativity is a given with wikis, in that students reflect on how to elaborate and build on others ideas. Wikis increase the students involvement. Instead of watching others do, they know they need to respond, thus learning becomes active and not passive. With many wikis requiring a final project this encourage much more attention to details. Socially students learn how to communicate and compromise while problem solving. The benefits of wikis to the education process seem endless. http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/whywiki.cfm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/graylight/261480919/

Using Blogs In Instruction

Blogs are very helpful in teaching. A teacher may use blogs in some of the following ways; to motivate the students inters toward the subject matter, connect knowledge to "real world" situation, critique ideas by giving a position, deepen leaning by providing explanations and observation, expand learning with different views, and to synthesize information by bringing a number of ideas together. (http://escrapbooking.com/blogging/tl.htm) Some very interesting activities to have the students do with a blog include; Brainstorming, comparing, collaborating, and reflecting. Students can also keep lab journals on a blog, answer questions, problem solve, and react to ideas possed to them by fellow students. Blogs are extremely helpful to the learning process. (http://escrapbooking.com/blogging/blog2.htm)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/smemon/4455035915/

Teaching and Life Long Learning

It is important for teachers to be life long learners. Learning improves many areas of a teacher's teaching. It helps to keep teaching current, interesting, and motivating. Teachers have many ways of gaining knowledge. Summer workshops, seminars and in service development opportunities are all good ways of learning. Learning through the web with online classes is also helpful. Another interesting way to learn is through blogs. Many blogs are very informative and allow for learning in a specific subject area. It is a good idea for teachers to follow an academic blog. This will help them to learn many new ways to teach, with new ideas that lead to better instruction in the classroom.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2102790208/