Web+2.0+Discussion+Blog

Web 2.0 Discussion Click the "Edit" tab to get started... ==**Here you will hold a discussion concerning the web 2.0 tools your fellow classmates located. Give ideas on how you have seen these used or how you could implement the various tools in your own classroom or you future classroom. You do not need to discuss all of the posted tools, just choose two (at the minimum). You must reflect upon at least two of the posted tools. Your reflection must demonstrate thought, ask questions, provide additional information, and/or include links to the internet.** ==

I looked at the Sweet Search and Pandora Radio pages. The Sweet Search page had a great explanation and was helpful in detailing all aspects/links of the website. It reminded me of an educational Google or Bing. I'm actually surprised one of these search engines hasn't developed their own version or a type of educational search field. It seems to me Google and Ebscohost could merge http to form a super search for educational tools and articles. I think this is a great place to help students find resources. As a teacher, would you send students to this site right away or do you think you would allow them to search on their own then give them this information?

I also enjoyed reading the Pandora information. I downloaded it on my iTouch and use it regularly throughtout the day. When I worked at Nestle, Pandora was blocked on our computers. I found another website, Jango.com, that I also found great for music. It doesn't let you stick along the same artist but has a genre you can pick from. Another website I found was Grooveshark.com. This is very similar to Pandora, in setup and running. I think Pandora gets a lot of publicity because it was really the first to introduce streaming music online. But there are a lot of other sites out there that are great as well. I think music, and Pandora, could be a great way to start a class, just to get the students relaxed and less stressed. -- Emily Hoehn

Pandora, among many other sites, is also blocked on my work computer. I'm thankful for my iPhone and the awesome tunes it provides for my stressful work day. I will have to check out Jango sometime. Though I seem to be about a year or so behind everyone else technologically, so I may not utilize the link for a while. ~ Stephanie Jenkins ><>

I too enjoyed the Edmodo, MicroMobs, and Sweet Search links. Sweet Search had the great link for librarians that I would definitely use. Another search engine I like, mentioned in our discussion board, is [|Kids Click]l! Likewise, I think that students would find Edmodo very "cool" because it does share the appearance of Facebook, a medium most youth use all the time anyway. And MicroMobs have an advantage for the busy individual (who isn't) by condensing all the information to one place. But, for both of these tools, the key focus is communication - between teacher, student, and parents. Any tool that opens the lines of communication between these three parties is a good thing. And, I too enjoy Pandora. I have lots of stations that I have created and use as background at work. In the classroom, I can definitely see benefits of having music in the background. For those that may argue students need complete quiet, I'd like to remind them in the "real world" we have distracting sounds around us all the time, and students need to learn how to focus on tasks at hand. -- Heather Goodin

Having used FOSS science kits in my classroom for only one year, I was very interested to see what the site had to offer. I wish I had known about it 8 years ago... We had the kits for one year but received no training on them, or additional information about how to implement them. The kits themselves were very convenient, however there wasn't much extra for the students. I think this site would have been a huge asset to the teachers. Our school switched to a different science program the next year, however we still have several of the FOSS kits stored away. I will definitely mention this site to our Science Coordinator in an effort to use our resources.--- Leslie Sanford

Sweet Search is such an amazing site for students! So often we have students doing research on topics that we feel are safe, however the web brings up inappropriate connections. As a teacher, and parent, I would feel safe having my students use this site. I think that as a student it would be easy to navigate through to find the most helpful information, but also as a teacher I could easily demonstrate how to find exactly what I needed. Great site!!! --- Leslie Sanford  I like what Heather added to the tools page. The Guys Read site is very nice. It is true, men do not read as much as women. Sometimes this starts at a young age. I hope to help my students (boys and girls) love reading. It can be so relaxing and it is good for anyone to read. This site has categories of books that boys and men like. We might like some of the categories and not the others. There is bound to be a category that each boy or man likes. ===Josh Mensie

I also really like Make Beliefs Comix. It is one of my favorites. I like that one of you listed it on the tools page. It was nice that you listed so many uses for it. It is another fun and educational option for educators. I can't wait to check out so many more of these useful sites. ===Josh Mensie

﻿I really liked the PiratePad tool. The idea that I can help edit and guide the students through their writing process in real time would be a terrific help in the classroom. As I student, I really didn't like having to submit a rough draft to wait weeks to get it back to make changes to it and then submit a final draft. This tool will help eliminate that wasting of time between rough draft and final draft. I can also see this tool being used in the classroom to help log ideas for class projects. Having the students brainstorm ideas and put them on the pad. Great tool!! --Beth Shoults

As a young teenager, I totally loved to read and I still love to read. I'm reading all the time!! But I realize that it can be quite difficult to get students to read inside of the classroom, much less outside of the classroom. Reader Girlz will be a great tool to use with adolescent girls who may not like to read. It'll introduce them to new books and allow them to talk about those books with fellow girls that are their same age. Beth Shoults

I really like the Sweet Search tool. As a classroom teacher, I would love for the students to be able to do research online, but there are many times that they come up with unreliable sources or sources that are inappropriate for their age. I'm looking forward to utilizing this resource with my students when they complete their research project on countries. I also enjoyed the Reader Girlz site! Even though this is geared towards older young ladies, I still find this to be a wonderful resource. In my building, we offer tutoring to the Title 1 Reading students. I think this would be a wonderful suggestion to the girls in the tutoring groups. They send an excellent message to pre-teen girls...Reading is cool! ~Melissa Parker

﻿My absolute favorite link is FOSS Human Body. I am a huge fan of kinesiology and teach it as much as possible in my dance classes. I think everyone would benefit from knowing about their bodies and how they work. I played the skeleton game and had a great time doing so :) / I also like the Prezi link. I decided to check out Prezi when everyone kept mentioning it during our weekly discussions. I finally went to the page and I am very glad I did! I downloaded the free trial version and plan on creating a presentation for another class assignment./ I don't remember where I first heard about Pandora, but I decided to give it a try. I downloaded the free app on my iPhone and I use it daily! I LOVE 80's music and used to spend time searching and downloading individual songs. Now I just tap on the 80's link and listen. My work day is much more enjoyable now that I have Pandora. ~ Stephanie Jenkins ><> 

I enjoyed many of the tools that everyone posted, specifically E-Learning for Kids, Free Certificates, and Pandora. I like that there are courses for Microsoft Office designed for students on E-Learning for Kids; I think this would be extremely beneficial to learn before doing any computer project. I was shocked to see how little the kids in my 4th grade knew about Word and Publisher. I like Free Certificates also becasuse kids love earning these. I would like to give them to kids as they learn their Math facts. Pandora is also a great tool for the classroom. A Kindergarten teacher at my school puts Pandora on for "brain breaks,﻿" the kids are allowed to get up and dance or just relax on the floor or at their tables; the kids really enjoy and it's fun to watch them dance! -Danielle Schwartz

I absolutely love the fact that the student are allowed to dance in a regular classroom. Dance is a great way to express your feelings. It is also a great stress reliever. I wish more teachers would incorporate these "brain breaks." Thanks for sharing that information :) ~ Stephanie Jenkins ><>

Brain Breaks are absolutely great. This helps calm the students down. It can be especially useful in the mornings. Sometimes the children have too much energy and they need to get it out of their system. == JOSH MENSIE

I am amazed at all of the wonderful resources that have been posted. I have looked through them all and can find value in each. A few I chose to comment on is the Foss Human Body, Guy's Read, pirate pad and Prezi. I can say that as I went through the sites I found that I was spedning a good amount of time manipulating items on the page. The Foss Human Body was fun. I was putting together a skeleton and was really getting into it. Sites like this that are interactive will definately peak the interest of students that are more hands on learners. As a reading teacher I can appreciate the Guy's Read website. It is hard to motivate students, but boys especially. Finding books that cover topics they may be interested is hard. This site is a good resource for honing on on boys specifically. The pirate pad I though was neat. The idea that the teacher and students can create a document is intriguing. I was thinking about how to use this in the classroom and I thought how neat it would be to create a student document and have the students add to it what they thought was important and then as a group, wittle it down to an effective study tool. What a great way to have everyone in the classroom participating int he lesson and assessment. Prezi's are fairly new to me and I am excited to learn more. This site was interesting in that I was so interested in creating one that I became very involved. It is easy to use and will be very effective in adding to my lessons. It is wonderful to be able to go to one place and find so many great resources. I am excited to continue studying all of the entries.--Brandy Leffeler