Exploration 17: Final Thoughts

This has been an awesome experience. I can't believe how much I've learned and how much more there is to know. I am so happy I did these explorations. I now feel like I am at least familiar with some of the capabilities of Web 2.0. I believe that I will try to really use a few of the tools I explored this summer. I'll start with a blog to communicate with my students. I will continue to update my LibraryThing. Rhonda and I have also volunteered to share the capabilities of Google Docs with the Reading Department so we can collaborate on forms we all use.

Fun in the sun with summer reading!

Ok - it's not a link, but if you copy and past you'll hear my podcast.

Exploration 16: Podcasting

Well, that was fun and easy too. It was relatively simple to record a podcast...now I'll see if I can post a link on my blog. This would be a fun and motivating way for students to share all kinds of learning. They could recite poetry, do an oral report, interview, or commercial. I used my podcast to encourage my students to keep up on their summer reading. Let's see if I can add the link:

http://www.gcast.com/u/cr01bps/main

Exploration 15: Teacher Tube

I explored around Teacher Tube a few different times. I tried searching for several topics that I teach, including topics that I've found great videos for on You Tube. It seems that most of the videos I found on Teacher Tube were produced by students. I found a couple videos of teachers modeling instruction. It seems that the most common use is to publish student made videos. These would be great to use as samples and it would be motivating for our students to publish their own videos.

Basement Floor Plan

Here is the floorplan I made using Gliffy.

Exploration 14: Gliffy

I spent a little time on Gliffy using different tools. I ended up making a floorplan of a new way to arrange my basement recreation room. It was fun to do but I didn't pay close attention to making the plan to scale. I enjoy making flowcharts and graphic organizers so I can see that I'd enjoy using Gliffy - especially an upgraded version. I may use it in my teaching to create blank organizers to match books that I'm teaching. Kids could also use it to organize their thoughts.