Assignment 14: Wallwisher

 This technology can be used in many ways in the classroom. Each individual classroom can have a "wall" where individual students can post questions, concerns, and their own ideas, and others may view those as well. Teachers can approve comments to make sure they are classroom appropriate, and can post to the wall as well. Parents can be provided the link to this wall, and even create walls of their own regarding the classroom and it's needs. This can be used in many ways, and is definitely a simple and useful tool, especially for the classroom!

Assignment #13: Voki

Creating a Voki was a lot of fun! I made a Gingerbread man to greet the class in the morning, to tell them what they are to do when they first begin their work that day. The Christmas-themed Voki will interest children, especially since I put a countdown to Christmas on the one i created. There are many different templates to use, and this would greatly interest a room full of students, no matter the age!

Assignment 12: Animoto

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

Animoto was simple and fun to use, and was it was simple personalizing my own video! I made a video about literature, and book recommendations I had for young children. This can be used to create classroom videos, advertisements, or for projects and 'get to know each other activities' in the classroom!

Assignment 11: Mindmap

bubbl.us was a great tool to use, and would be even better in a classroom! It is always necessary for students to brainstorm and make a mind-map before they write anything, or create a project. This site allows students to make a mind map as large as they want, with whatever colors and words they would like! What I especially liked about this site is that you did not have to make an account or pay money to use it, which would be great for students to use!

Assignment 10: Diigo

My Diigo account was synced to this blog, so my favorite educational websites are now featured on the right side! Diigo has been very helpful as I am able to share my useful sites, and am able to utilize others', as well!

Assignment 9: Wikis

Wikis are a great educational tool for both students and for the teacher, as well. Teachers can use wikis with other classroom teachers, collaborating for classroom ideas, and for the school as a whole. They can offer their own ideas and opinions, and wikis allow for the other teachers to do so, on the same site. Another way wikis can be used is with parents of the students. Teachers can create a website, and open it up to parents so they are able to see what is going on in their child's classroom, and also collaborate with other parents as well. Teachers can also use a wiki for the classroom, and students can post their own ideas, projects created, or websites or tools they found useful to create a task during the school year, to share with the other students. I believe students being able to post their own ideas and findings to a wiki enables them to feel more significant in the classroom, and gets them involved in a very positive manner.

Assignment 9: Blogs I Follow

I am so excited about the blogs I follow, here are some of the ones that have been great assets to me, already!! Click on the links to visit my favorite blogs!

Elbows, Knees and Dreams
Preschool Playbook
The First Grade Parade
Crayon Bits - A First Grade Blog
Fun in First Grade

I found these excellent blogs by searching "early education" and terms such as "kindergarten" on "Google Reader." It gave me exact blogs I could checkout, and from those blogs, they recommended me to others just like them! I added the blogs I enjoyed to my personal Google Reader account so I am able to access them at any time, just with a click of a button! Every time the blogs are updates, they show up on my "RSS Feed", on Google Reader, so I do not have to go searching for new updates! Google Reader is great, and I even have it on the home screen of my personal cell phone so I can access it anytime, anywhere!

Assignment 8: Altered Image

I chose to use "Yearbook Yourself!" which takes a photo of you personally and adds it to a head from a year in the past. Mine was made to the year 1970, and it enabled me to format my face so the photo would look realistic. This program was very easy to use, and I enjoyed creating myself in different decades!

Assignment #7 Spell With Flickr

I really enjoyed "Spell With Flickr", as I was able to make signs made up of different pictures. I did a "Welcome" sign that could be used in the classroom all year round. It enabled you to change each letter to a new one, if desired, for absolutely no charge. The site was really easy to use, and the HTML code was easily found!

Assignment 6: Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35744487@N04/3345956987/

Flickr is a neat site to upload photos to, and to search photos on, as well. I fell in love with this picture, as the small girl is using her creativity on the wall, that is covered in coloring sheets. Flickr allows other people to comment on your photos, and allows the person that owns the photo to explain about the picture in a caption, or on parts of the picture. As I took the Flickr tour, it described how all the information about one photo can be included by captions, tags, and commenting. You can save your own photos under your "favorites" and favorite other's photos on Flickr, too. You may add tags to your pictures so they stay more organized within categories, instead of having to search through all your uploaded pictures. It is open to sharing as well, as you can choose who can see your photos, and then share them with social networking sites. This can be used to organize photos taken, even in the classroom, and to share with parents and anyone else related to the child. Photos on Flickr are more "people friendly" than those shown on Google, and the site is more professional. 

Assignment #5: Video

"Preschool: Getting Ready For Kindergarten"



This video could be used at the beginning of a school year, or even shared with parents to show their children. It concentrates on the transition between preschool and kindergarten, and starting to do stuff on your own. Children learn from this video what to expect during the school year, and are presented with things they need to know, (such as holding a pencil, tying their shoes, etc.) Teachers can show this video to their students as it will keep students' attention, and also teach them crucial things they need to become familiar with. This video was referred to as being "kid friendly" and was also awarded A Parents Choice Award; so it was successful for many users!

Assignment 4: Blogging

As I set up my blog, I recognized I was familiar with Blogger, as I have another blog on this site for my Children's Literature 4050 class. I like Blogger and how it is easy to navigate, and how many designs and templates are available, at no cost! The avatar was neat, but I did not like how little choices were available for the person you were creating. The avatar idea was, in fact, pretty neat as I had not done that for my other blog, and will create one for that one soon! Creating the name for my blog was simple, as I am a very organized person and wanted to keep my two blogs for my different classes separate. I have a tendency to show off my blogs, too, so it is good to keep them separate!
As a teacher, blogging will come in handy in many more ways than one. Collaborating with other teachers and administration over the web will be useful when planning for lessons, or even just talking as coworkers. Blogs are great organizational tools, as ideas and thoughts can all be gathered in one central location. As a future teacher, I think it is a great idea to create a blogs that parents and guardians can view what is happening in the classroom, and what the plans are for the school week. As I follow blogs of other teachers around the country, I hope others will do the same to me in the future!