The end.

Wow. This semester has flown by. I don't know if you remember...maybe you should go back to my first post. Go ahead...I'll give you a second.

There was a lot I didn't know, right? Well, I have learned so much in this technology class. I mean, I couldn't even blog before this class and look at me now!

It looks like I am going to survive in the technological world and maybe it'll even make me a better teacher! That's the plan, anyway :)

I have learned how to blog, use wikis, use an interactive white board, create a website and make digital stories! Can't stop me now.

This has been a great semester. Really great folks. Great teacher. Easy going atmosphere. I was happy to go to class and see what else I could figure out on the computer.

Look out, world! A new teacher is entering the workforce...and she's stronger than ever!

Wiki Walk Through

I think wikis are a great tool for teachers. There are so many ways to use them in the educational setting. From activities to collaboration, they are a great way to reach all your students, share information, and collaborate with each other. This is a great way for my students to learn, and a great way for me to learn from them!

A great thing about wikis, is that they can be in K-12 classrooms. You can accommodate any age group and really reach out with so many tools. Another cool thing is that each person that has permission to the site has the capability to change content that is on the page. This creates an openness for a really neat environment conducive to learning.

 I plan to use wikis in my classroom for whole class activities and assignments. I may not utilize right away, however, as I get comfortable teaching my content I plan to get creative and utilize tools just like these to make learning versatile in my classroom.

 
This website also mentions using wikis as a communication tool for parents. Excellent idea! I feel blogs would be just as great too. However, wikis may give parents a sense of contribution if they can collaborate with their children's teachers. Genius.


Wikis have my support. As a teacher. As a parent. As a student. Yes, I am all of these. Collaboration is always a good thing, and I think teaching our students this concept is very powerful. Two minds are better than one.

Digital Storytelling

I was assigned to do a critique of the website Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. What a neat website! It has a lot of useful information and the website itself is easy to navigate. The cool thing, to me, was that there was a digital story for just about any subject out there! So anyone could find something interesting on this website. 

One thing that is especially neat for us "mediocre techies," is that there are several "how-to's" and information on the various softwares that one would use to make a digital storyboard. So much info! There is no excuse that we cannot learn these amazing tools and share our knowledge with the world. This is great for the teacher, the beginner, the student or just anyone that wants to create something fun.

There are also articles regarding digital storytelling all over the world. A particularly interesting article was a health related issue. Digital storytelling is being used globally to share stories of different people and educating on reproductive health issues. UNICEF is also joining forces as utilizing digital storytelling to share in developing countries. The ways this technology are being used are endless!

There are so many tools on this website and I would recommend to everyone! 

" The cooperative learning process of debate, discussion, and reflection that students engage in as they work together to storyboard, shoot, and edit their digital stories is critical to the learning process. "

-Mark Standley