Final Reflection

I think LIS629 is a great class for School Media Students to experience. I say experience because in order to fully understand it, you need to use it. A little overwhelming at first, I realized what we learned could have endless possibilities in the Library.

I like and already use: LiveBinder, Wikispaces, Wix, and Wordle. All are user-friendly, colorful, and can be a part of preparation or create great lessons. I will also use VoiceThreads and Photostory (I liked better than Photoshow). I already tried VoiceThreads at school and it works. It is a great mini lesson tool that will keep the students’ interest while making a point such as proper netiquette. Presentations will be incredible using Prezi (since I love PowerPoint, Prezi just makes it better). Voki will enable students to keep their identities private while still being creative. I made one for the start of school introducing myself to the students. It will be playing on the SmartBoard while they are arriving. I will probably use Webspiration instead of Mindomo because I think it is a little easier to navigate and embed. I really liked ToonDoo. I will use it to create a distinctive introduction to lessons on presidents or book reviews for example. I really appreciate all the information on web evaluations, digital citizenship, and safety. Stressing their importance in the fast growing world of technology for my students is a top priority. I don’t think I can use blogs or twitter in the district I am in now due to the blocks, but I will use it for my professional updates from home. BigHugeLabs will be a great way to produce items I will need such as nametags or posters. I will have to investigate Google a little more since it has so much to offer educators. Who knew you could be “google certified”? Something to think about in the future!

From day one to day five, it has been a winding road. Thanks for all the great directions. I can’t wait to get started. This course has made me feel much more confident.

Day 5

Day 5
Well, LIS 629 has come to an end. I know I learned so much, but won't realize it until my head stops spinning! I am so excited to be among the educators of the future, bringing such fascinating tools into the classroom. The students are already using so much technology but just think what they can do after they are taught to use it efficiently and effectively. Thanks Karen for all your patience, guidance, and shared knowledge. To all my classmates, best of luck with final projects and I hope to meet you all again!

Day 4

Monday was certainly a day to remember or maybe forget!!! This computer was frozen more than it was working. I will have to really review at home using my computer. I also have to replace my Voki and Blog link to my wiki since it disappeared! I am sure I put the wix project in the wrong place but was impossible to fix. I hope to have better luck tomorrow.....

Day 3- Fun Friday

Day 3 was truly Fun Friday. My partner,Linda and I went outside, took pictures and waited patiently to see what fun we could have with them. Our theme or title was,"The Road to Learning" so we took pictures that we could use with that theme. When we pulled out the name, Roxio "Photoshow" we knew nothing about it. An afternoon later, we found out what we liked, what we didn't and had a great time doing it. I liked all the mini presentations and found out items I liked and items I think I will not try in the schools.

Today was truly an eyeopening experience for me. I thought technology was exciting, but I had NO IDEA what was out there. I love the fact that all of this can be brought into the classroom and students can learn using tools they find exciting. They are already on social networking sites, imagine telling them they can learn using them. It's like finding out ice cream and chocolate are the best foods for you!!! We learned so much today, a little overwhelming. So, I will try to take one tool - learn it, use it, and try to move on to the next. It is very hard to be an expert at everything in a short time, but if you take it one step at a time and really put some time into using it effectively, it can be so valuable. The first tool I would love to try to really discover is Google. Not the Google I thought I knew, but Google News and Google Earth to start off with. I want to look into Ning, too. I think it is a great teacher resource. Imagine colleagues from so many places to be able to share with and learn from. I heard about Delicious but never used it. I think it will be a great resource for me, as a teacher to keep my bookmarks in one place. I am already on Facebook yet never realized networking is part of the education world as well. I am completely fascinated with what we learned today!! Now let's hope I can figure out what I wrote in my notes.....

Using Blogs in the Library

Blogging in the classroom will replace notebooks, binders, and lost assignments! What a great way to keep everything together. All students can keep their work in one place and complete them without class time restraints. Details will really be a key focus since there is a limited amount of space. Posting, sharing, and teacher comments will provide a springboard for great discussions and future project ideas. I would use blogging with research projects especially group assignments. I also think in the secondary grades, it would be a great tool for literature interpretations for our classic novels and plays. Many times students will learn a lot more from eachother's comments than just reading text.