Showing posts with label Collaboration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collaboration. Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Google Academy

(sung to the tune of What would you do with a drunken sailor)

What would I do with a day of learning?
What would I do with a day of learning?
What would I do with a day of learning?
at Google Teachers Academy?

Post, link and interaction
learn, dream and collaboration
try, test and understanding
from Google Teachers Academy

How would I share what I learned in NY?
How would I share what I learned in NY?
How would I share what I learned in NY?
from Google Teachers Academy?

Class, posts and inservice meetings
pop-ins, drop-ins and "lunch & learnings"
wikis, websites and blogging lessons
from Google Teachers Academy

Why should you pick me for the conference?
Why should you pick me for the conference?
Why should you pick me for the conference?
In New York this November

Because I'm new and really excited
Because my kids love Google already
Because I can share with all my colleagues
when I return from the conference

Please please pick me to join you
Please please pick me to join you
Please please pick me to join you
at Google Teachers Academy

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Finally, a File Cabinet I Can Take With Me

I am sooooo excited! Finally, I have a way (and understand how to) put all my favorites from my:
  • 3 computers at home
  • 4 computers at work
  • my 3 aol accounts
  • my school account
in one place. I knew there was a way, but up until now, I've just been emailing links to myself right and left. You nave no idea how many unnamed emails I have.

I'm also excited about using this tool to create webliographies for my students and their projects.

Picture This

Spending this morning playing with photo sharing tools once again has my mind racing in many directions. There are so many LMC applications for these tools, mostly motivational, it's hard to narrow down my ideas.

What I'd like to do when I get home, is to pull out my curriculum map for next year and jot down a few of these tools for each lesson. Then, hopefully I won't forget them.

This was a problem I had last year. As a brand new slms I was learning everything right along with my students. It was exciting, and more than once a little scary. I would pick up a few great ideas at every conference and meeting I attended, through my readings (magazine, book, web articles and blogs), and through my conversations with other slms and classroom teachers.

Remembering all that I've learned, and remembering when and where to apply that knowledge is definitely my 'work in progress'.

Our group conversation about uploading student photos was on point. I've been thinking a lot about it, and while I will leave the Animoto videos on this blog for the class (It's private) I won't use them on a public blog. I will also shoot more creatively when planning another Animoto project for a blog.

Monday, July 7, 2008

What Blogging Can Do For My Students

I am really excited about using this tool for my two libraries next fall. I have several ideas floating through my head at the moment and they range from stand alone library class projects to collaboration with classroom teachers for their assignments. The projects we did last year could all be adapted to incorporate blogs and/or wikis, now I just need to work with the teachers to set them up

One of the biggest problems with using a blog for classroom work is the fear that either the site itself or the links will be blocked or that students won't have access to it.

In watching the video, I listened to the teachers discuss students not being able to say they didn't have the assignment. There is a large segment of my student base that have no access to the internet after school hours (and their access is extremely limited during school hours).

I realize that we cannot be the nay-sayers and that we must work diligently to gap the 'digital divide' especially in economically disadvantaged communities - but I'm not yet quite sure how.

One thing that became quickly evident to me is to self edit my thoughts prior to clicking "PUBLISH POST". If this is out there on the web anyone can see it. While I can change my post later, there are still applications that allow earlier posts to be viewed. This is an extremely important lesson to share with our students.