Mendy’s Thoughts: Web 2.0

I had no idea sites like Web 2.0 and Ning Education existed.  I’ve had a Facebook page for more than a year now and have enjoyed keeping up with old and new friends.  I’ve never really thought about using a social networking site for educational purposes.  Last school year, I made a blog page on the Civil Rights movement with my 8th graders.  I noticed they liked to leave comments to each other.  I think it made it more fun for them.  Middle School kids are so focused on the social aspect anyway, it may be a good way for them to be learning and socializing at the same time. 

I was also amazed at the unlimited amount of resources for educators on these sites.  I was impressed how user friendly these sites were too.  It was very easy to go into the groups tab to see what people were discussing.  I entered one discussion on the use of social networking sites for Middle School students.  They were discussing the challenges associated with introducing these sites to students under the age of 14.  One teacher was completely turned off of the idea because of the extra work he might have to do to get the “underage” students on the site.  One teacher gave the idea of sending out permission slips to parents for student use.  They were also talking about the responsibility teachers have to teach proper Web 2.0 use.  As most of us know, middle school students can get easily carried away in the excitment of things.  They would have to be taught appropriate ways to handle these types of sites. 

The other nice thing about Ning is that it can be private so the students can be protected.  I think it’s such an important issue, especially with all the sexual predators out there and other criminals who only want to manipulate and hurt children.  It is definitely a concern I have for all this web use in the classroom.  It could be quite a danger and liability if the students aren’t protected properly.  I would hate to expose them to something that would only hurt them in the end.  It is SO important for teachers to stress the proper uses not only to help them learn, but also to protect them.   

It took me some time to figure out how to navigate through PageFlakes.  It helped once I actually watched the help video on it.  It was a pretty frustrating process because Woodward blocked You Tube and some of the other sites.  I couldn’t even access the K12 Learning 20 Template…it was blocked too.  I know You Tube wasn’t blocked on my computer earlier in the summer, so I’m not sure why it’s like that now.  So, once I got past that stuff, I was able to figure out how to use it.  I don’t really have great feelings about it…maybe because it was a frustrating process for me to put it together.  I guess I could use it for my students to do research and listen to podcasts, etc. all in one place.  To be honest, I’m just not a big fan of busy, busy websites that give you a headache.  That’s kind of how I feel as I look at my page flakes page.  I’m sure it’s great for some people, but I can’t see myself using this after this class is finished.  Man, I think I’m having a really bad day. 

I read a blog called “Productive and Powerful” by Scott McLeod (http://www.techlearning.com/blog/2008/07/productive_and_powerful.php).  He feels the goal of all teachers, at whatever level, is to make his or her students more productive and powerful.  He does not go into a lot of the details about how to do that, but he does pose several questions.  He wonders if things like worksheets, seat work, and staff development really help people to be more productive.  I have wondered the same thing myself.  When I was in the public school system, I constantly struggled with those kinds of questions.  It seemed like we had staff development every other day.  I used to become VERY frustrated, because I felt my time could be better spent actually preparing for lessons instead of having meetings about it.  9 times out of 10, I felt like the meeting was a complete waste of time, and meant I had to do more work after school since my two planning periods were gone.  I do think a lot about my teaching techniques and wonder if they are really reaching my students.  Most of the time, I feel like I’m preparing them for the final exam, instead of inspiring them to love American History.  I would love to know how to do that while at the same teaching what I need them to learn. 
Suggestions anyone?

Google documents seems like a very useful resource.  I assign a group project every year in my World Cultures and American History classes.  It is always a challenge for the students to get together to complete their paper and presentation.  It seems that Google Docs is a great alternative.  They can work on their paper and presentation at home, and see the revisions that have been made without having to do a lot of emailing.  Plus, it’s something they can work on anytime anywhere, and they don’t need to save it to something.  I would like to use it for my projects and papers this year.  I can also share Google docs with them for project directions or other documents relating to it.  I think I like it the most because of the convenience factor.  I can be at my home computer or at an internet cafe in London to pull up my document without having to carry a thumb drive or other device.    

Well, I’ve used YouTube and TeacherTube for classroom use already. This year we embedded YouTube and TeacherTube videos on our classroom wiki page. The videos supported our learning of the Civil Rights movement. The students enjoyed taking a break from the regular instruction to take control of their learning through a wiki page. They made a wiki page talking about the events, key people, legislation, etc. that went along with it. They embed videos, pictures, and links related to the subject. I gave them different completion dates along the way, and even gave them a critical thinking question that I graded. They were then able to use it as a study guide before their test.

I will definitely use YouTube and TeacherTube again this year. I may even ask them to view a video for homework on something we’re studying. Almost all of them, if not all of them, are on it already.

I chose to look up videos on Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy Jr. for my educational videos. I teach about both men to my 8th graders. They are both figures during the time of the civil rights movement that were both assassinated. I chose them because I find both of them very interesting and influential. I also chose a video on how to make cake frosting. I love, love, love cake, and wanted to know how to make home made icing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9WCc_y5k0n8

Ideas for Podcasting

I really liked the podcasting thing and was surprised how easy it was to figure out. It was actually really fun, and I suspect the students will find it fun as well.  It is a good way for them to learn about content while learning about technology at the same time.  I will definitely want to use this in my classroom next year. 

I am familiar with podcasts, but I don’t listen to them that much.  I did enjoy listening to the podcast on Elizabeth I.  In fact, I subscribed to historyonair.com for their historical podcasts.  I like the idea of assigning a podcast for homework and asking the students to take notes on them.  None of them seemed very long, so it would not be a very time consuming assignment.  It would be a great exercise for my middle school students to learn how to take notes from listening.  Plus, they would be able to hear from someone else besides me.  Several teachers in the middle school did video podcasts last year.  I’d really like to implement them into my class this year.  I think I could also use audio podcasts for interviews with historical figures, homework assignments, among other things.    

I really enjoyed learning about Library Thing.  I’m not sure how I would use it in the classroom, but I think I could definitely use it for personal reasons.  I enjoy reading, so it is a great way to check out books that are similar to genres I like to read.  It’s also nice to be able to read reviews.  Plus, you can see what your friends are reading and get ideas.  It seems it would be a great program to use for an independent reading class.  Other than that, I’m not sure if I would use it in my classroom for American history.       

I was introduced to Delicious last year before school started, but I never actually used it.  I know a lot of teachers here used it to help students complete pod cast assignments.  It was a way for the students to have a controlled internet searching environment.  I would like to do some podcasting this year, so I hope to use Delicious for searching for information, pictures, etc.  I like Delicious because it allows you to be exposed to some pretty cool sites without having to do any work…others have aldready done the searching for you.  I also like that you can be connected with others you know to share web site info. 

I looked over several of my items from the Gooble Reader.  It has actually gotten a little easier to navigate through it now.  I read through part of a sermon from one of my favorite pastors on church membership.  I also looked at some national news from my Fox News link.  News is what I’m mainly interested in on my Google Reader.  I don’t really have any websites that I check on a regular basis.  It has been a bit of a struggle having to force myself to do it.  It’s not something I naturally do. 

I read a story on Fox News about a woman that charged police with a sharp object and was then shot and killed  Apparently, she was stabbing herself in the neck, and when police went to check on her, she lunged at them with a crochet hook.  The policeman thought it was a knife and only discovered it was not until after she was dead. 

I also briefly looked at the update on Tony Snow’s memorial service. Yesterday, I listened on XM radio about the kind of person he was during his lifetime.  It’s interesting that in life people stress your occupation and education, etc., but it seems that after were gone, people want to talk about what kind of person you were.