I have a facebook page but thought it was wise to keep it private (only friends can view). You might be able to search me (Rebecca DuLac Hogg) but I don't believe you can see my profile unless I add you as a friend. I use facebook for communicating with my teacher colleagues (reminders and questions and news). I mostly use facebook for communication with friends, family, and our church youth.
It is very important to know how social networking works because of legal issues. Some teachers have had inappropriate/unprofessional pictures taken of them and posted on facebook. We were told teachers could get in trouble whether they posted the pictures themselves or someone else posted them. So if your profile allows friends to see it, those friends should not be parents if you have questionable material on your profile. If your profile allows friends of friends to view it, they can see anything that you have not restricted. This will not be a concern for me though =).
I prefer facebook over myspace as facebook is organized to my learning style. Facebook is also more aesthetically pleasing than myspace. I have to admit, that I can't see a real classroom purpose in facebook unless a teacher made a page only devoted to their class with a separate email. They could communicate with other classes who did the same. However, there are better ways to incorporate classroom technology than using facebook (see previous posts).
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Thing #21
Google has a lot of useful things.
I have created a Picasa album that includes classroom and personal pictures. Here is a link to some of my photos from last year. I try to upload them and have them all together. I want them all together so I can add them to a newsletter, send to someone for the yearbook, or print to put up in the school for parents to view. The pictures are always available whether I want to update a blog from home or school or anywhere. It is helpful that there is a private or public link so I don't have to "bog down" the e-mail server with attachments.
Google Earth is a great resource for a non-fiction representation of the world. The images are from the real world and provide the same or different perspective of places they already know about (schema). You can say to them: "Black Elementary is in Mesquite. Mesquite is in Texas. Texas is in the US. The US is in North America. North America is in the World." However, showing them real images (zooming in and out) instead of a globe or your words provides a whole different meaning to them.
I use Google Calendar but I wish it had a birthday reminder feature. I believe I saw the birthday reminder in Google Labs so hopefully it will be seamlessly integrated into the current Calendar as an option.
I have created a Picasa album that includes classroom and personal pictures. Here is a link to some of my photos from last year. I try to upload them and have them all together. I want them all together so I can add them to a newsletter, send to someone for the yearbook, or print to put up in the school for parents to view. The pictures are always available whether I want to update a blog from home or school or anywhere. It is helpful that there is a private or public link so I don't have to "bog down" the e-mail server with attachments.
Google Earth is a great resource for a non-fiction representation of the world. The images are from the real world and provide the same or different perspective of places they already know about (schema). You can say to them: "Black Elementary is in Mesquite. Mesquite is in Texas. Texas is in the US. The US is in North America. North America is in the World." However, showing them real images (zooming in and out) instead of a globe or your words provides a whole different meaning to them.
I use Google Calendar but I wish it had a birthday reminder feature. I believe I saw the birthday reminder in Google Labs so hopefully it will be seamlessly integrated into the current Calendar as an option.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thing #20
I have used Google Docs before but had trouble when trying to collaborate with my team mates. The idea I had was to send them the lesson plans so they could add their ideas or suggestions or to make revisions/corrections. This helps save paper and prevents papers from getting lost until you are ready to print them out and file them.
I could use google docs to help prepare a blog post for our classroom (prewriting/brainstorming). Using google docs would help show students how to be organized. If students made a document in our class, we could collaborate with another first grade class in Mesquite or the US to edit and revise. This could also be used with voicethread or blogs, etc.
I used googledocs to make a vacation planner (spreadsheet). I made it while I was at home and saved it under my google email so I could edit and retrieve it when needed. This was much more efficient and easier to access than e-mailing the document to myself. In the past when I e-mailed a document to myself, the revision e-mails would pile up and I could get confused on which one had particular changes if I didn't take the time to delete the previous one(s). I also made a google document with ideas for our vacation that I could add to the spreadsheet when or if I wanted to.
I could use google docs to help prepare a blog post for our classroom (prewriting/brainstorming). Using google docs would help show students how to be organized. If students made a document in our class, we could collaborate with another first grade class in Mesquite or the US to edit and revise. This could also be used with voicethread or blogs, etc.
I used googledocs to make a vacation planner (spreadsheet). I made it while I was at home and saved it under my google email so I could edit and retrieve it when needed. This was much more efficient and easier to access than e-mailing the document to myself. In the past when I e-mailed a document to myself, the revision e-mails would pile up and I could get confused on which one had particular changes if I didn't take the time to delete the previous one(s). I also made a google document with ideas for our vacation that I could add to the spreadsheet when or if I wanted to.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thing #19
Voicethread can be used professionally in place of or in addition to a resume. Using this technology will often set you apart from other applicants because you will have used something unique that no one else did. This shows the value you place on technology as an everyday tool in life.
Of course, Voicethread has many other uses including those in the classroom (elementary through professional). The students can hear their own voice and get excited about learning. It makes learning interactive and unique which is our goal in education. Not only will the students be excited about what they are learning, the parents will often be more involved because they can see the results of their child's learning and share that.
Of course, Voicethread has many other uses including those in the classroom (elementary through professional). The students can hear their own voice and get excited about learning. It makes learning interactive and unique which is our goal in education. Not only will the students be excited about what they are learning, the parents will often be more involved because they can see the results of their child's learning and share that.
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