Week 7 - Web 2.0

My first web 2.0 experience was with glogster. I have to say that I had a really good time creating this for my class. I plan on using it as an introduction to the rock cycle when we study earth materials. I love that you can embed videos right onto the page. I think kids would love creating their own as well.
RockCycleGlogster

The next web 2.0 resource I'd like to share was created using animoto. This was also fun to create, but I didn't realize how quickly 30 seconds would go by. I had originally been using some video clips instead of images. However, I soon realized that I wouldn't have enough slides, so I had to kind of start from scratch. I would use this as a student example for students to create their own animoto. I would consider giving a tutorial for students first, however.
TypesOfRockAnimoto

My Free Choice resource was to create two games using classtools.net. The homepage layout was a little cluttered. It took me a while to navigate and look at sample games. I would use both of these games as a review in computer lab after we had studied rocks, minerals, their characteristics, and some examples. I think students could also create their own review games using this website.

DustBinRockOrMineral

JigsawPuzzleRockOrMineral

I hope that you enjoy these and will maybe consider using these or sharing these at your school.

Twitter Assignment

The end of the course is upon me, and I have but one regret: I wish I had utilized Twitter more. When all my friends were hopping on the Twitter Train, I abstained with pleasure and pride. I gave myself a pat on the back for not being a follower (no pun intended). When I read that it was a course requirement that I join Twitter, I gave in to defeat. I joined Twitter but I did so with reservations. I had no intentions of updating where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with. I did not realize Twitter was also used professionally. As I completed my weekly searches and tweets out of compliance I would find a website or blog that I found really interesting or helpful. Regardless, I would move along and forget about Twitter until the next weekly assignment.

I would search by hash tags, but found it easier to then browse the tweeters for people to follow. Also, when I would find someone I thought would be helpful to follow, I would see who they followed and add them as well. While searching, I found that @MyWeb4Ed – Carol Mortensen frequently tweeted about a new online sketch pad, Google Map Maker, best image search engines, educational blogs, etc. She posted frequently and the majority of her tweets were technology and teacher related. @mrbyrne – Richard Byrne was another tweeter that I thought was worth following. However, he did include other tweets that were not all professional; some tweets were about his personal life. @librarian_lizzy – Liz Fisanick did not have many current tweets, but I found her older posts to be helpful such as 10 free web2.0 tools to use in your classroom, using board games in class, and best pinterest boards for educators.

A few of the websites that I stumbled upon through Twitter I have actually used in my classroom already. I have found that several people like to tweet about their favorite or most popular apps. I have downloaded several for use in my own classroom. I would love to say that Twitter was easy to get accustomed to and navigate. For me it was not. I must conclude that this contributed to the fact that I was less than enthusiastic about joining and using Twitter. I have no one to blame but myself. I did find Twitter useful when I actually sat down and gave myself time to browse and search, and I predict that I will continue to use Twitter in the future.