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www.Wordle.net

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BP9_2010023_Web2.0T3-Puzzlemaker

Even with many fantastic Web 2.0 tools out there, there is truly something whimsical about puzzle makers. I love them. When I taught ELA I gave my students a 5 minute assignment (known as the "do now") at the beginning class to ease them into the day's lesson. Students knew that when they came into class they were to look on the Promethean board and quickly begin their "do now." Because I wanted to get their minds revving and ready to learn I would often change it, matching it to whatever we were learning. I would place a riddle, a soduku problem and sometimes hand out a short crossword puzzle.

When doing research a new Web 2.0 tool for this class I came across a very neat and free site. Discoveryschool.com offers the teacher a way to create puzzles for their lessons. I especially like that the puzzles can be created for just about any subject area. The Discovery site also has pre made puzzles. I thought of using it as an icebreaker for trainings as well. To avoid making copies I could just as easily pull it up on one of the Promethean boards (smart board) and have the students copy it into their notebooks with several students working on the board.

Not only does this site have a puzzlemaker, but it also has a variety of other lesson plan ideas for teachers, including tips for new teachers and free clip art for use in the classroom or on your very own web page. I must say that although we are living in the age of new Web 2.o tools and engaging media a little tradition with an interactive twist can be just as interesting to students.

BP8_2010021_One Minute Message

BP7_2010021_CommentsforErica

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Erica Culbreath

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Ginger Shaw

BP5_2010022_Web2.0_wordle.net

One of the neatest Web 2.0 tools I could use in an English Language Arts class is Wordle. It allows the student to paste a bunch of words into a text box. It thens generates a random "word cloud (wordle.net)."

Wordle can be used many different lessons. One way is at the beginning of the school year as a "getting to know you" lesson. Students can compile a list of 25-30 adjectives, describing themselves. The students can use another Web 2.0 such as the visual thesaurus software to come up with their list. They can then type the words into the Wordle text box and then hit create to generate their Wordle.

The second lesson Wordle can be used for is to work on elements of a story. I taught Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. If I wanted to know how much the kids were picking up on the mood of the story. The students could compile a list of the words that came to mind when thinking of the mood, place the words in the text box and create their Wordle. Once the students are done we could print them and have a classroom discussion. Students are not allowed to talk during this activity because I would like them to sit with their own thoughts (they are of course allowed to share their thought during our discussions). I would like them to truly think about the words when thinking about the mood of the story. Later we can post the Wordle print outs to the classroom bulletin board.

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e-Learning for Kids (http://www.e-learningforkids.org/) is a very neat site for educators to use in their classrooms. I browsed through the site and decided that it is an excellent supplemental tool for the elementary grades. If used properly the site can also assist those educators who teach learning disabled children. The site caters to grades 1-6 and categorizes the lessons by subject area. What I especially like about this site is that it is an interactive tool. Students can listen to the prompt and follow the directions. Once the student is done there is immediate feedback on how well they did and what's needed for improvement. I will add sites link to school web site and will introduce it at my next professional development.

Another Web 2.0 tool I came across was Tikatok (http://www.tikatok.com/). I was able to create a storybook. I wanted to find an actual site where it would provide the templates necessary to create a story. Not only did this site allow you to create a storybook from a selection of themes, but it also actually allows the student to draw their own characters or pull from something that's on their computer. I would have like for there to be a selection of pictures to choose from. I have been searching for a site like this to incorporate into a 3rd grade class. Though the site offers quite of bit of direction, there is another downside; cost. The cost of the PDF of your book is $2.99. If a teacher plans ahead of time for this project and notifies parents of the cost, it can be done. Another option would be to create a collaborative storybook and purchase one hardcover book for $25.00.

The search for great tools in the classroom is an ongoing process for me since I am continually holding professional developments for classroom teachers. I have begun to use my book marking tools for there are so may amazing tools to use, however making them work with our curriculum is another story.

BP3_2010021_GoogleReader

Always Learning

I particularly enjoy this blog feed because it hits close to home. The author Kim Cofino is an American Literary Specialist/Tech Coordinator in Thailand. She not only blogs about all of the neat experiences she has as an educator at her school, but she offers an array of ideas and resources for an educator to use at their own school.

Education Week

Education Week offers the latest information on education in all arenas including technology. It does a really nice job of keeping up to date with the latest in tech in the classroom.

Edutopia

Edutopia is the George Lucas Educational Foundation. This blog feed also posts various articles in education including technology integration. I really like the clean look of the site and how easy it is to navigate through it.

The Power of Educational Technology

Liz B. Davis is the director of Academic Technology at a school in Boston. She posts about cool things that are going on in her academic world. Interestingly enough earlier in January she wrote a post called 10 tips for beginning bloggers.

iLearn Technology

This is an edublog about integrating technology into the classroom. It provides lots of neat ideas to use in the classroom. I use some of the ideas to teach some of my teachers ways they can use technology.

BP2_2010021_Educational Uses for Blogs

Blogging seems to have gained an incredible popularity over the past years. I have always found that those who blog tend to be creative people willing to express themselves through their writing. As a lover of words and literature I tried to dabble a bit into blogging, but often found it difficult to keep up with the posts. Besides I never thought that my blog entries on my educational experiences have been that interesting.

The art of blogging has taken on so many topics from blogging about ones pet to blogging about the celebrities. It seems that myself like many people have made reading our favorite blogs a part of our day just as we would read the newspaper. I will admit that I visit select blogs on a daily basis. My day just doesn't seem complete if I don't browse through Apartment Therapy, GeekSugar and EmilyStyle. Now despite my interest in certain blogs I never really thought to use it in the classroom, but am quickly finding out through my research for this class the benefits of it.

The web site Education World provided a great article on blogging not only in the high school, but as young as Kindergarten. According to the article Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson! teachers are finding that allowing the students to blog about what they have learned has changed the dynamics of a traditional classroom. It also states that students tend to do well with their writing once they know they have a live audience, not just a teacher with the infamous red pen. The article goes on to provide tips on how to get started on blogging for the classroom (the teacher) and in classroom (the student).

Julia Davies and Guy Merchant the authors of Web 2.0 for Schools clearly stated that many young people are already engaged in Web 2.0 practices (2009). I would say that it is up to us as the educators to keep up with our students. If blogging offers another way for a student to further enhance their educational skills then why not? Students can take the information they have learned and further explore it. They are taking education into their own hands with the help of their teacher and peers.

Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson. (2008). Retrieved February 6, 2009 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml

Davies, J., & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for Schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing,Inc.

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