Web 2.0

This entire Web 2.0 exercise was amazing. It really taught me how many different tools are out there that can be used in a classroom. We were only able to scrape the surface of web tools and how they can be used, though it really opened my eyes to some of the uses of the tools. As teachers we have a lot of resources and some that may not be what we expect to use as a tool for a classroom. I did not have a chance to explore the tools as much as I would have liked to, but I have had to chance to explore a couple and to be able to see that there are even more out there. It was also extremely interesting to see how others would use the tools. They came up with stuff that I never would have thought of. I thought this exercise was good in being able to see uses of resources that we would not have seen otherwise. It is also cool to see how some of the tools relate to wikis and how easy it is to share info on the wiki. It showed how useful the wiki would be to teacher. It is an amazing tool for teacher to share what they have been using and how it has helped their class or not. I love how interactive this exercise was. We had the chance to not only see how others used the tools, but we got to use the tools ourselves. It was an all around good exercise. I loved it!

Wordle

There are so many websites that can be extremely beneficial to teachers. I had the opportunity to explore a couple of different site. One of which is Wordle. I was not sure at first about Wordle. It is not something that can or will have a huge impact on a classroom in my opinion. It is however, a very interesting tool. And while it may not have a huge impact on a classroom, I do think that students would have a lot of fun being able to create wordles on this site. This is a Dr. Suess wordle.

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I had a blast being able to create this wordle. It was fun to be able to change the way it appeared. 

When creating wordles one can not only change the way the words are arranged, you can also change the colors. It really allows for for the person creating it to be creative. I think this could really help students. One way of using it would be to have the students research a historic figure and create a wordle with only words pertaining to them. This is a creative way to allow students to demonstrate what they have learned. I think that students could have fun playing with this. I think this is a simple site that can be used by most students. I really think this site is a good aid in establishing information. 

National Geographic

Unfortunately I have realized how much goes in to actually being able to use a website in a classroom. It is not just simply finding a "cool" website and allowing children to go explore. Having to actually go to the site and find out all about it and actually exploring it myself showed me how much children could actually find if they just went to a random site. It is really hard to be able to find a site that gives good facts and is supported. It really assisted me in just knowing what to look for in a web site. I really had to look at the website and how it could actually relate to children in a classroom. It is also more than just finding a website, but it is finding a site that will captivate and interest students. just a site that must be read is not going to grasp their attention. We have to be able to find websites that will be useful and at the same time interesting. this is a challenge in it of itself. This means when you then have to be able to find all about the site and its support it is a lot of work. I found though that there are a lot of sites that would really help children learn and enhance understanding. This exercise helped to see what types of things make a good site and which do not. I was able to find the National Geographic website. It is an amazing website that allows people to explore the world around them in many different ways.

My flash drive picture.

Wiki Wonders

Wikis are something I have never used. This means that I learned a lot about them and how they work. It took a few tries to get everything right with it all, but some of the stuff that did go well was we all learned how to utilize them. In playing with the wiki, making a few mistakes, we all learned some new things to do on wikis and how they can be used in a class. I really like the fact that anyone can add to a wiki if they are a part of it. This can allow us as teachers to be able to teach and learn. If we allow our students to create and have their own space then we can learn more about them. this also allows them to own something. While it was some work to figure out the wiki it is now a proud accomplishment that we can share with others. It would also be an amazing tool for teachers to collaborate. The only thing I may have done is made sure people knew to not change the home page, but even that was a learning experience. I actually really like wikis and think they can add a lot.