Parents, Teachers, and Students

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2007-12-28T09:19:00.001-06:00

D.A.R.E.

2007-12-15T10:31:00.001-06:00

Cliff and Officer King

2007-12-15T10:11:00.001-06:00

D.A.R.E. Graduation Celebration!

2007-12-15T09:57:00.000-06:00

Our D.A.R.E. graduation was on Thursday, December 13. There were many guests and speakers for the ceremony, but the favorite of the students was "Cliff the K9" from the Blue Island Police Department.

Watch the Movie Clip of Officer King, Officer Miller, and Cliff

Multiple Intelligences and Autism

2007-12-15T08:45:00.000-06:00

Google for Educators wrote an excellent article on the importance of visual and spatial learning for children with Autism, SketchUp, and Project Spectrum. In fact, Project Spectrum grew out of the idea that children with autism were using SketchUp.

Cyberbullying Study!

2007-12-09T15:43:00.000-06:00

This is an excellent study by Winter and Leneway on Cyberbullying and what parents can do about it. Parents, it is worth your time to read it.
http://www.schoolcio.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604866

World War II Oklahoma

2007-12-08T20:25:00.000-06:00

More on Podomatic

2007-12-08T19:52:00.000-06:00

Podomatic is a great Website to use to store your podcasts. This makes them available wherever you go.

I have been experimenting with uploading podcasts and trying out podomatic. So far, it has been very easy. My students are especially excited that their voices will be heard. Podomatic is a Website that is usually blocked at school, so we will need to work around this by working at night to upload files that we have made during the school hours. I really want to thank my students for working hard at night on the many blog activities and a special thank you to all the parents who have supported blogging, podcasting, and wikis.

Thank you so much for all that you do to make this happen.

As the weather changes!

2007-12-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

As the weather changes, we need to remember to bring gloves and hats to school. Many times the weather changes as the day goes by. There are times when I leave an extra sweater or light jacket at school. In this way, I have it when I need it. You can bring an extra garment to school and leave it so that you can have something to put on when days get rather cold.

Tomorrow the weather will change several times. Let's track this storm by watching the weather channel.

See you at school!

Screencasts

2007-12-01T16:35:00.001-06:00

What are screencast? Click here and find out???

Here is an example of a Screencast I made for my class to show the students how to log in and work in Class Blogmeister. This was one way I worked around blocked sites at our school. I can make a screencast then download it onto my jump drive or laptop then take it to school http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/ciXUbqMn

Class Blogmeister

2007-12-01T16:18:00.000-06:00

Podcasts, Screencasts, and Avatars are part of the new Web 2.0 tools that are used in my classroom. The students are so excited now that they have a real audience to write to and they can use the Avatars and podcasts to record their stories.

Friday, I brought a lamp into my classroom to use with the Webcam camera because we didn't have enough light. It worked. The avatar started moving with every word the student spoke. The student stated that, "I was a wonderful teacher because I brought the lamp." What am I saying???? My students loved the Avatar and podcasting.

My students are excited because they can use a Webcam camera and they can use digital audio to record their voices. THEY ARE EXCITED AND WILLING TO WORK ON CREATIVE WRITING AND MORE!

Is it worth it to find ways around the blocked pictures, movies, slideshows, podcasts, and more? Yes, because when you get kids excited they will go home and try out what they are shown at school.

1. We use audacity to record podcasts!
2. We use podomatic to house our podcasts!
3. We use an Avatar!
4. I use Screencast-o-matic to prerecord blocked sites so I can show my students Web 2.0 tools.

Check this out On Class Blogmeister, I have made two screencasts and submitted two podcasts that the students have made.

In addition, you might have seen the dinosaur avatar that the students use while reading their creative stories.

Our newest Blog Website

2007-12-01T16:15:00.000-06:00

Besides working and posting on http://parentsteachersstudents.blogspot.com and http://pritchardspress.blogspot.com, we now have a new student blog that is wonderful.

Class Blogmeister

Class Blogmeister was created by David Warlick. By the way, teachers must send an email to him to get approval to join Class Blogmeister.

What I know so far about Class Blogmeister....

1. It is completely safe because everything has to have the approval of the teacher before it can be posted.

2. Once approved the teacher will publish the posts to the blog.

3. Comments made by students to students also go through an approval process and are published by the teacher.

4. No emails for students to use.

5. Emails are sent to the teacher in-charge as soon as a student has submitted a post for publishing. Using feeds or netvibes, the teacher can easily keep up with posts. In addition, you can read and approve student posts from your email account. Truly Awesome!

6. The students love it.

Difficulties that we address everyday:

1. Our Main blog page is unblocked; however, the students' blogs are not unblocked so they can not work on them at school. In other words, we can not post at school and when needing to discuss the relevant information on our blogs we cannot.

Going around the difficulties:

As I mention, I have made a screencast using screencast-o-matic which is blocked at school, but can be downloaded to my laptop or flashdrive then taken to school.

Sad but true Podomatic and Screencasts are blocked. Students must go to Class Blogmeister at home to take advantage of the latest Web 2.0 tools.

Avatar and face masks for student safety

2007-11-29T20:55:00.001-06:00

Readers' Theater and Mosaic Masks

2007-11-27T18:34:00.000-06:00

Pritchard Family

2007-11-24T19:29:00.001-06:00

Photobucket Album

Whittier Celebrates Veterans

2007-11-21T19:43:00.001-06:00

Whittier School

2007-11-21T19:01:00.000-06:00

Today at Whittier School we recognized our Veterans!

Student Artwork with Animoto

2007-11-18T16:49:00.001-06:00

Beautiful!

The Machine is Us/ing us

2007-11-12T06:40:00.000-06:00

I have been up early reading different blogs and drinking coffee. I was reading Blogwalker when I came across this a video. I had to share it. This is fascinating video, well made, and informative by Michael Wesch of Kansas State University. It shows how Web 2.0 will change the way we use technology in the classrooms and how students will be using technology. Web 2.0 tools such as social networking, Netvibes, blogging, tagging, RSS, and del.icio.us are becoming part of our students' and children's world and our lives.

Parents, teachers, and students will need to become familiar with these terms.

Technorati Tags: blogs, Blogwalker, Communication, social networking, tags, Teaching Machine

Update on Fusion Finds

2007-11-11T07:53:00.000-06:00

A big thank you to Janetta Garton for sharing additional information.

Fusion Finds has a blog at jgarton.edublogs.org

If you enjoyed the podcast information, you will enjoy this.

Technorati Tags Janetta Garton
Educational Blogs

Fusion Finds

2007-11-10T17:20:00.000-06:00

Janetta Garton has described several educational blogs on Fusion Finds. This is a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, and students.

Technorati Tags Janetta Garton
Educational Blogs

Outstanding Parent/Teacher Conferences

2007-11-09T16:53:00.001-06:00

Wow, I am so excited and thankful with all the parents, aunts, grandparents, sisters, brothers, and etc., which attended this week’s parent/teacher conferences. We had a great time discussing school work, behavior, motivation, state testing, blogging, wikis, and Internet safety. It is a great feeling to know that the parents are behind the teachers supporting them in the many decisions that are made within a day. It is also the teacher's privilege and honor to support the parents. We work together as a team and it shows.

As the upcoming months go by, I would like to share my thoughts and opinions on several subjects. This is a blog and I welcome your responses and comments.

Looking forward to keeping you updated and informed.

November

2007-11-04T07:20:00.000-06:00

October has been a learning month with blogs and wikis. The students are writing continuously on their articles for the newspaper. It has been great to watch them collaborate with each other. They are an inspiration to watch. This week at parent/teacher conferences I will have a lot of information to share.

Great job students!

Webcam and Research projects

2007-10-28T12:33:00.000-05:00

Flixn

2007-10-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

My first WebCam production from my home.

I am looking forward to using this resource in my classroom. However, this maybe blocked so I hope you will look at the video and also check out Flixn.com

Brookfield Zoo Video

2007-10-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

As I walked around the Brookfield Zoo with my digital camera and students, I began wondering if I would be able to post this video on my blog. After successfully posting the video, I went to school and noticed the video is blocked. It cannot be seen by my students and/or is completely gone, vanished. The aggressive blocking is harming many learning moments for our students. Isn't there another way???? What about all the websites that are full of valuable information?

Technorati Tags Brookfield Zoo
Aggressive Blocking

Research, reading, and the Internet

2007-10-27T15:25:00.000-05:00

It is interesting to talk with adults and students about researching on the Internet and how they consider the Internet as not reading. Many students will spend hours researching, reading, and collecting resources for their reports only to say that they haven’t been reading. Students mention that the day goes by faster on days they are working on computers and notice that they quite often do not tire of reading Internet Websites. It always amazes me that my students and acquaintances do not consider that they are spending hours reading when taking care of emails, IMing, and visiting various Websites.

The Internet is full of remarkable resources that require reading.
We can learn about many things while surfing the web; for example, here is an Website on elephants.

Backchannels and Wikis

2007-10-26T17:38:00.000-05:00

Here is an awesome teaching video of information on Wikis and The Flat classroom.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/QLox8kSjp,x9MygcHOnnqw

Technorati Tags Vickie Davis The Flat Classroom
Backchannels

Windy Day!

2007-10-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

It was a very windy day at Brookfield Zoo!
The students enjoyed watching the animals and walking around in the awesome open areas around the Zoo.

This was a day full of fun and excitement. The animals were visible, active, and interesting to watch. As we were walking by the lions' den, we heard a lion roaring. We also captured on video spider monkeys, elephants, giraffes, bison, and camels.

Dont' Give up! Keep Trying!

2007-10-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

This is an outstanding video clip from YouTube that I first viewed on the Cool Cat Teacher's Blogspot

Do you very best in everything you do and try! Great motivational video.

Technorati Tags Vicki Davis

October

2007-10-11T06:36:00.000-05:00

What an exciting month for teaching and learning about wikis, blogs, and podcasting. This month the class goal is to podcast. We want to record Reader's Theater productions. This will be new to our school and the students are very excited about preparing something for an audience.

I feel I have seen an increase in participation in writing because the students have an audience when they write and their work is publihsed.

Check out what they have been writing at http://pritchardspress.blogspot.com

Listen to this article

Balanced Literacy!

2007-09-22T19:51:00.000-05:00

Literature Circles will be an important part of our balanced literacy program.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=a8ce66358eb576b8912c

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags Literature Circles
Carol Morgan School

Students Blogging

2007-09-15T14:23:00.000-05:00

We have just finished our fourth week of school. Our blogs and wikis are in good shape because more than half of my students have acquired email addresses so that they can participate. There seems to be a lot of interest in making personal blogs and wikis. I would like for my students to post why they are finding blogs and wikis so interesting.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags Blogging Wikis

Email Addresses

2007-09-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

As we start this year off with blogging and wikis, I have seen a lot of interest in both. My students are creating their own email addresses with their parents so that they can log into the blogs and wikis we will be using in school.

For our newsletter, we will be using a wiki and blog! The wiki will be used as a collaboration place for the reporters and editors of Pritchard's Press. This is a place where students will be editing and polishing their articles. Pritchard's Press blog will be used to post the articles for the newsletters.

We also have a class blog! This will be used to blog and respond to others.

Our special classroom activities will take place at . This will be kept private for our classroom use only.

If your child is in my class, have him/her show you what they are doing in regards to wikis and blogs.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags Blogs Wikis emails

Blogging!

2007-09-08T07:16:00.000-05:00

If you are interested in creating a blog remember to have your parents permission, then go to http://www.blogger.com. You will be able to create a blog there.

Things to remember:

Students:
As you read and post comments to blog articles or information, remember not to use the comment section as a place to say hello to your friends. This is a blog where you are submitting your opinions on what you have been reading in the blog posts. You can use your email accounts to visit with friends.

Also, remember that various people are reading your comments, so check your spelling of words before you submit your comments. Use microsoft word to create your post and check for incorrect grammar usage and spelling errors.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags blogging

Blogging is Important!

2007-09-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

Rachel Boyd made this video to explain the importance of Blogging with our students! This video was available for the public at teachertube.

Enjoy the video and check out Rachel's Blog!

Technorati Tags Rachel Boyd

Open House Wednesday

2007-09-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

Open House is Wednesday, September 5 from 6:00 - 7:00 PM.

I am looking forward to meeting the parents and discussing blogs, wikis, email, and podcasting.

This is an exciting time where students, teachers, and parents are learning about the changing world of the Internet called Web 2.0. Our children need guidance and modeling on the proper way of conducting themselves when using email, blogs, and other Internet activities. We must teach by using great examples so that our children can stay safe in a changing environment. Let's work together to teach our children how to be successful and productive users of the Internet.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags Whittier School
Web 2.0
Open House

Open House is Wednesday!

2007-08-29T20:42:00.000-05:00

Open House for Whittier is Wednesday, September 5 at 6:00 to 7:00 PM. I am looking forward to meeting you. I will be passing out information on Wikis and Blogs. I know some of my students are interested in creating their own blog. This is a great way to encourage your child to read, write, and publish for an audience.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags Whittier School

Posting to this Blog!

2007-08-29T05:41:00.000-05:00

The students at Whittier are experiencing for the first time how to post to a blog.

To get started: I would like for you to tell me about your summer vacation. Did you visit family? What was one exciting thing you did over the summer? Respond to this post in the comment area!

Audacity!

2007-08-26T08:09:00.000-05:00

I have been experimenting with audacity open source download for making MP3 files for podcasting.

I installed audacity on my laptop and was able to make a MP3 file without a microphone. My laptop was purchased in 2002 and has Windows XP.

Setting Audacity up was quite simple with the help of Audacity. Don’t forget to download LAME MP3 encoder so you will be able to export MP3 files from audacity.

If you want a simple way to have your students or children record and make MP3 files, this would be a good way to introduce the process one student at a time.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tag audacity

Whittier School

2007-08-24T06:13:00.000-05:00

The fourth and fifth graders at Whittier School are fantastic. The behavior and excitement from the students has been wonderful. The students are ready for school and want to be in their classrooms learning. As I talked to my students, they seem happy to be back to school and can't wait to get started with the wikis and blogs.

I discussed and introduced Adora in this blog in August. I have heard from Adora's mom who wants to set up a live video conference where Adora shows the fifth graders how to blog. This will be exciting. I will let you know more later.

Listen to this article

Technorati Tags Whittier School Adora

Whittier School Newsletter!

2007-08-21T06:39:00.000-05:00

It will be another exciting day preparing for students coming back to school. My class has always been involved in reporting the news and writing articles for our newsletter. All of the students eventually contribute to the newsletter. The students love writing and learn a lot about editing their work from producing a product that is actually read by outside readers.

Look for our newsletter in September! The students will bring home a copy for you.

Here's a fun activity for writing!

Technorati Tags Whittier School
TrackStar

Teachers Going Back to School!

2007-08-20T06:44:00.000-05:00

Back to school today with meetings and preparation of classroom. School starts Wednesday, August 22 for the students. Whittier starting and ending time is 8:15-2:45. There is an additional 15 minutes this year.

Above is a picture of some of the Whittier Staff celebrating the start of another school year!

Listen to this article

Poems for Kids!

2007-08-19T17:07:00.001-05:00

There are many different types of poems (e.g., acrostic, autobiographical, ballad, cinquain, diamante, epitaph, haiku, limericks, and more). The website below was made with trackstar from http://www.4teachers.org/
4teachers has other tools for teachers that are worth checking out!

Below is one example of how you can use trackstar!
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrackMembersFrames.do?number=288912&password=

Listen to this article

Welcome Back to School!

2007-08-18T10:28:00.000-05:00

I am very excited about this year’s adventures in computers. This summer, I attended the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Atlanta, Georgia where I learned about blogs, wikis, Web 2.0, Furl, tags, podcasting, edubloggers, social networking, facebook, RRS feed, elluminate, vodcasting, meebo, Ning, GoogleDocs, Google Earth, and more. The conference was attended by 18,000 individuals interested in making technology a priority.

We are now entering Web 2.0 which means we are using the Internet not only to read but to write and publish.

This year your child will be involved in working on blogs and wikis. Blogs are used to communicate thoughts, ideas, and opinions. In addition, people reading various blogs can post comments. Please visit this site frequently for information throughout the school year.

In addition, check out my wiki at http://paulpam2.wikispaces.com.

During the school year, we will be involved in various assemblies and field trips. Our open house is scheduled for September 5^th, 2007. Officer King is our D.A.R.E. instructor again this year. He will start D.A.R.E. sometime in September.

Listen to this article

Sedona, Arizona

2007-08-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back to School!

The summer sure went by fast. Here is a picture of Sedona, Arizona; where I spent some time this summer visiting family. What a beautiful place to visit; the sky is clear, bright, and sunny everyday. Tourists were all over the place walking, talking, and buying the local wares. It was awesome to walk the streets of Sedona and feel the warm sun. Sedona is in the mountains so the temperatures never reach 110 degrees like down in Phoenix. It was a beautiful place to visit.

Listen to this article

Back from Vacation!

2007-08-17T07:07:00.000-05:00

It is exciting to go on vacation as well as getting back and catching up on everything. I was visiting family in Arizona and Nevada and haven't been able to blog. The wonders of the Hoover Dam is still amazing.

Listen to this article

Talkr for Audio

2007-08-01T06:59:00.000-05:00

As I read and write about the many things that the Internet has to offer, I came across audio for posts. You can make your posts available with audio by using talkr. Talkr is free and has easy instructions on how to make a podcast of your blog.

This is fantastic because there are audio learners who enjoy listening to posts being read. Now, posts can be visual as well as auditory. My students will enjoy making their posts with this audio feature.

Listen to this article

July and Mixed Feelings!

2007-07-31T09:59:00.000-05:00

It has been an exciting month of learning so much about blogging and technology. Since the NECC conference in Georgia, I have been busy building this blog. My hope is to have a blog that provides useful information to parents, teachers, and students. A place where we can communicate and get others excited about blogging. I was reading the other day that blogs have been around for ten (10) years now. It is amazing that blogs are slowly becoming part of the educational system and have not made it into ALL schools. Change takes time!

Listen to this article

International Day of Peace September 21

2007-07-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

Check out Alex Savage's Wiki especially the part decidated to the International Day of Peace http://communicty.wikispaces.com/Peace

Technorati Tags Alex Savage

7 year old Abby Blogs!

2007-07-29T14:29:00.000-05:00

Abby has her own blog and enjoys writing! Meet her family and read about the vacation spots she has visited.

http://aboutabbyf.blogspot.com/

Technorati Tags Abby

Why our students need to Blog!

2007-07-29T10:34:00.000-05:00

After finding the video by Will Richardson on the importance for our students to blog.

http://weblogg-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/WebLoggingSmall.mov

I was reading Jo McLeay's Blog about another video.

Rachel Boyd made this video to explain the importance of Blogging with our students! This video was available for the public at teachertube.

Enjoy the video and check out Rachel's Blog!

Technorati Tags Rachel Boyd Jo McLeay
Will Richardson

Wes Fryer: Teaching Digital and Will Richardson: Importance of Blogging

2007-07-29T09:06:00.001-05:00

Teach Digital: Curriculum by Wes Fryer / web2
Wesley Fryer has excellent information about technology, Web 2.0 and more! You will spend days on his wiki reading, very, very, interesting and informative.

Check out this video on Weblogging or blogs in the classroom by Will Richardson!

http://weblogg-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/WebLoggingSmall.mov

Podcasting!

2007-07-29T07:51:00.000-05:00

Wesley Fryer has written an interesting article called Options for Podcasting Publishing and Web Feed Creation.

If you are interested in podcasting, I recommend reading this article. It is full of helpful information.

Technorati Tags Wesley Fryer

Sharing Photos Private or Publicly!

2007-07-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

Uploading photos from your computer is made very easy with Bubbleshare! You are able to choose to keep your photo albums private or go public with them. A slideshow can be made and placed on your Websites or Blogs. Notice at the bottom right of this Blog is a short slideshow of my family. I used Bubbleshare to create and publish the slideshow.

Web Pages Made Simple!

2007-07-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

Want to make a simple Web site using a free, great Page Creator? Here is an example!

I used Google Page Creator just now for this post. It was very easy. What a great way to get your children interested in technology. Let them create their own Webpage that you can monitor. This gives your child or children the opportunity to work on something they can be proud.

There are several templates for backgrounds and it is very simple to insert pictures.

Stone Mountain in Georgia

2007-07-27T20:54:00.001-05:00

Netiquette

2007-07-26T12:51:00.000-05:00

Netiquette means the informal rules that individuals use for appropriate behavior on the Internet. There are many rules, but the important thing to remember is to use the same rules as you would use to write letters to your family or talking to adults. Emails are never completely deleted so never say anything you do not want repeated to others. Emails can be intercepted or forwarded.

Using all capital letters is considered shouting! SHOUTING! Therefore, try not to use all capitals when you write because you are considered as being impolite or rude. Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Avoid sarcasm because it may be taken to mean something different and come back to haunt you.

Check out this Netiquette Quiz!

For additional information:

http://www.learnthenet.com/English/html/09netiqt.htm

http://oregonstate.edu/~healeyd/pci/netiquette.html

Library Cards!

2007-07-25T20:34:00.000-05:00

It is very important that your child has a library card from the Blue Island Public Library. Throughout the school year, students will have to check out materials for research, as well as for reports and projects. The students love to explore the numerous books available at the library. Mrs. Beasley is a tremendous help. As students search for books, they become extremely happy when they are able to check out books they have found on their topics. When students express a desire to read, we need to foster that desire by putting books into their hands at the time they are excited and wanting to read. Successful readers read!

You can also take a virtual tour of the Historical Museum!

Technorati Tag Blue Island Public Library

A Little About Us!

2007-07-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

Paul and I will be celebrating our 24th year of marriage in November. We have been living in the Chicago area every since we were married. Paul and I love to read; many evenings we spend time talking and reading. The Internet is used by us for various activities, but our favorite is looking up information. Anytime we are in a conversation that leads us to wanting to know something more about a topic, we use the Internet for our answers. What a great source? We can look up any topic, anytime of the day, from anywhere in the world!

Online Dictionary

2007-07-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

Students need a dictionary to be successful in learning new vocabulary words and there is an online source that is excellent http://www.onelook.com. My students have found this site easy to use and it provides them with enough choices on dictionaries that they can usually find the words they are seeking. Sometimes student dictionaries are not complete and this causes students to look for other sources. Knowing about and using Internet dictionaries can save time for the students as well as the parents.
At Onelook, there are approximately "8,853,196 words in 937 dictionaries indexed"!

Check out the Onelook feature called Reverse Dictionary where you know what the word means but cannot think of the word. You can describe the concept and you will get back related words to what you described.

Technorati Tag onelook

Whittier School News Blog!

2007-07-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Announcing the beginning of a blog for Whittier School at http://whittierschoolnews.blogspot.com
Our principal, Jeanne Bodnar, enjoys communicating with our parents as well as the community, so she started this blog. She will be updating the blog with exciting news and updates regarding Whittier School. You will be able to check the blog periodically to keep up with the news surrounding Whittier School.

Blogs

2007-07-18T08:32:00.000-05:00

Look what other schools are doing with blogs; this is awesome.

Recommended sites:

http://egyptdays.blogspot.com/

http://www.sandaigprimary.co.uk/pivot/

http://weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/georgia/

Technorati Tags Egypt Days Sandaig Otters Weblog Georgia NJ Connection

Wikis and Blogs

2007-07-17T15:30:00.001-05:00

How will Wikis and Blogs be used to support teaching and learning in the classroom?

To answer that question, let me first define wiki and blog. The basic difference is that wikis are for facts and research while blogs are usually used for opinions, reporting news, insights, informational articles, selling items, and more.

What are Wikis and how can they be used to support teaching and learning in the classroom?

Wiki is the Hawaiian word wiki-wiki that has been shortened; it means quick or super fast. According to Will Richardson (2006), "a wiki is a collaborative Webspace where everyone can add content and anyone can edit content that has already been published" (p. 8). This collaborative spaces allows students to work together on projects while not necessarily sitting next to each other. The group members may be participating from home, school, library, in another state, or anywhere they can access the Internet. Wikis have four layers or pages (i.e., information page, discussion page, history page, and notify me page). For example, the information can be used by the teacher to describe and create a project for students including slideshows, images, videos, and audio. The discussion page allows students to collaborate on the assigned project. The history page is the history of each members participation and what was contributed to the project by each member. The notify me page allows updates to be feed in a RSS reader so that teachers keep current on the latest posts by students.

What are Blogs and how can they be used to support teaching and learning in the classroom?

As you explore the Internet for Blogs, you will find that Blogs are created for many purposes. Many times blogs are thoughts and opinions on topics of interests, informational articles about upcoming events, personal experiences, vacation stories, storytelling, sharing of photos and videos, success stories, notes from conferences, updates on school events, and more.

For the classroom, blogs can be a form of journaling, writing stories, novels, experiences, notes, news from around the school, keeping a diary, and more. For an example, visit Adora Svitak at http://www.adorasvitak.com/Blog.html

References

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful Web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Technorati Tags Will Richardson Adora Svitak

Bison

2007-07-16T11:13:00.000-05:00

While coming back from the NECC in Atlanta, Georgia, Paul and I drove through the Land of the Lakes in Tennessee and Kentucky. We were able to stop and have a picnic lunch across from bison herding in a very large field. It was interesting to watch the young play like puppies. Paul was able to get really close to the fence to take this picture. Notice, the fence lines do not appear.

Technorati Tag Bison

9 Year Old Author Blogs

2007-07-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

Adora Svitak is 9 years old and has been blogging since 2005. She also has written a book called Flying Fingers and she has been on Good Morning America and CNN. This amazing girl is an inspiration to us all. She writes regularly, actively blogs, and participates in the social network community at Infinite Thinking Machine (ITM).

More about the Infinite Thinking Machine at http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

Technorati Tag Adora Svitak

NECC in Atlanta, Georgia

2007-07-13T07:34:00.000-05:00

Back from the National Educational Computing Conference in Atlanta, Georgia and I loved every minute of the conference. The Walden University session with Dr. Shepard and Vickie Davis was superior and after their meeting, I was able to attend Will Richardson's session and Kathy Schrock's session. I was busy everyday from morning to night.

I can't thank Dr. Shepard enough for making me aware of the conference. There is so much to learn; it was easy because I was surrounded with the same type of people who wanted to talk technology.

I am making a Wiki for my students to use in the Fall. I teach fifth graders and I think they are going to have a lot of fun and excitement with Wikis and Blogs this year. I was able to listen to a broadcast of Vickie Davis and Adam Frey; it was a tutorial for the Wikis, blogs, and much more. So, I got started and had fun doing it.

View this Wiki as an example: http://paulpam2.wikispaces.com

On my Wiki, under technology, I listed all new terms and websites with free resources. This is so valuable to any school district. Again, I cannot thank Dr. Shepard enough for being on the cutting edge and placing her Walden University students there with her.

Technorati Tags Vickie Davis NECC Will Richardson Adam Frey Kathy Schrock

Whittier School

2007-07-12T07:20:00.001-05:00

Tag Whittier School