Sum It UP!

I have really enjoyed this class!  I really didn't realize how much I was going to learn!  I thought that I was "in the know" about computers but after taking this class, I realize that I had so much to learn!  I am excited about sharing this new found information with my co-workers and encouraging them to take the class as well.  I have told TONS of people about the class and have highly recommended it!  

My favorites "new" activities were the Google Reader, Google Tools, Image Generator and the Social Bookmarking.  I know that I will be using these in my personal life as well as my classroom.  I am also excited about some of the videos that I found on YouTube and TeacherTube to use in my classroom.  I am also using an online game that I found on Delicious with my summer school students.  They LOVE it!  I have seen more work out of them since I started using it than I have seen out of them all summer- WONDERFUL!  

Thanks for the providing the opportunity to take this class!  It was a great experience and I would recommend the class to ANYONE.  The knowledge that I have gained through this class will definitely make a difference in the lives of my students!  THANKS!

Thing #23- Other social networks

My biggest impression from Classroom 2.0 is the overwhelming amounts of information on this site.  When I first entered the site, I was immediately overwhelmed!  Once I started, I was able to find some interesting information, discussions, and lessons.  This site provides a great tool for collaboration among teachers from all over the world.  Teachers are able to ask questions and share thoughts and ideas.  

One group that I found was Middle School Math.  This group had only 57 members and could have some better discussions, however, I see the potential of this site to be very valuable.

A Crazy Place Called Middle School is another group that I found.  This one was interesting.  There were very few posts but some were quite funny.   Teachers shared lots of ideas/stories about their classrooms.  It is nice to know that you aren't alone in the middle school endeavor!

I enjoyed looking through this site and I look forward to spending more time on this site.  I like the idea of collaboration with other teachers!  I hope to get others to join in!  

Thing #22- Myspace and Facebook

It is important for educators to know how social networking works in order to connect with our students.  Myspace and Facebook are how our kids communicate.  Social networking is also a way for you to keep in contact with others all over the world.  I enjoy using social networking to keep in contact with former classmates, new and old friends, and coworkers.  I can see where these sites would be useful in communicating with your students and parents.  

Thing #7b- Reader Feeder

I would have to say that my favorite feed thus far is Suite101: Teacher Tips and Training.  I have found tons of useful articles that deal directly with the classroom.  I like these feeds because they are practical for most grades and super easy to implement into the classroom.  I have been pretty faithful about checking my reader and I am loving it.  I love to be able to see new updates to the blogs and sites that I subscribe to.  It's great!  These are a few articles that I found useful from Suite 101.

Back to School Activity- implementing ME bags as a get to know you activity

Backward Lesson Planning- a structure for helping teachers plan with the end goal in mind 

Thing #21- Other Google..................

I reviewed several of the Google tools.  Some of them I was already familiar with but others, I was not.  I never realized how much a google had to offer!  I have a yahoo account- I want to see what kind of things it has to offer as well!  For this assignment, I checked out iGoogle  and calendar.  Both of these would be useful for personal use but I can also see how requiring students to have an iGoogle page with required items or news feeds for the students to read and discuss could start some great debates or conversation.  I have explored Google maps before- its really great!  I can see where it would be a huge asset to a History class!  I like to look at it sometimes- just for fun!  I look forward to checking some of these other tools further and applying them in my everyday life or classroom.  

Whew!  I am on informational overload at this point!  I am going to have to make a list of all the things that I have learned so that I can remember to use them- like a cheat sheet!

Thing #20- Google Docs

What a concept- its like having Microsoft Office accessible on the internet!  LOVE IT!  I like the way Google Docs is compatible to any computer that has internet and how it can be shared on the internet instead of through email.  I can see where this could be used for students and teachers to collaborate on work.  It can also be pulled up on any computer instead of saving it to a computer or zip drive.  Anyone can access the work through a google docs account.  Presentations and spreadsheets can always be used in the classroom and google docs is a great way to store the information for further use.  Students can work on the assignment at school and also access it at home to continue working on it!  YEAH!

Thing #19- VoiceThread

I liked the idea of Voicethread.  I am really going to think about how I want to implement it though.  I like how it can be a collaboration of thoughts and pictures- I am just not sure how I want to "carry it out."  I found some pretty neat math Voicethreads that I might use the ideas in my classroom.  I liked it- I just need to stretch my mind and think about how I am going to put it to use in my classroom :)

triangle

going on a line hunt

fractions, decimals, percents