After 11 Tools: Reflections

1. I loved the mashups & image generators! I'm not much of an artist but love pretty things, so this was perfect for me! I could personalize however I liked and in no time have a great product made just for me. I started the 11 tools while writing curriculum, so I've already written several T3 units using some of the ideas. We wrote units using digital stories, Google Tools for graphing, Blogging and Google Earth. I'm very excited to try them out and see how they work!

2. Completing the 11 Tools has opened up a new world of available technology for me! I get so bogged down during the school year that I don't have time to find and explore new tools. I have 8 Macbooks and will be getting 4 Netbooks, so I will have more technology available. I hope to eventually have a full class set (hint, hint). Working with partners is great, but I also want my students to work individually.

3. I think I was unexpectedly suprised at the simplicity of some of these tools. I am planning to use Google tools personally after seeing how easy and convienent it is!

Tool #11- Digital Citizenship

1. I looked at the websites provided and a few immediately jumped out at me. First, I'd like kids to realize that they need to be safe on-line. Facebook and Myspace is fun, but lots of predators are able to access pages not properly set-up with privacy features. Some of my students have set them up behind their parents back and don't understand why/how to take care of this. Just like you buckle up in a car, it's also a good idea as a digital Citizen to lock yourself up on-line. Second, I want my students to recognize that much like driving, computer use is a privilege. If they do not show proper bahavior, their rights will be revoked! Last, I think it's important for kids to know how and to whom they need to report violations and improper behavior to. This is equal to reporting any other crime and they need to understand that is part of being a good digital citizen.

2. Looking at the websites provided, there is a wide range of materials available to help teachers emphasize the idea of good digital citizenship. I have young children who watch Disney Channel, and they have been running a commercial warning kids about posting information you don't want shared. There are also news articles on several cases of poor digital citizenship and it's effects.

Tool #10- Exploring Mobile Technology & Apps

1. I Love this one! We have a iTouch and iPhone at home, so this was a breeze. There are some games and tutorials for older kids but I LOVE the Pre-K games for my 4 year old. Some are fun but we get her the free educational apps. She loves Doodle Buddy for fun and ABC tracer and Lunchbox for learning.

2. My wow! moment was when my daughter was quiet and entertained while stuck in traffic and did not whine once!

3. I would love to use the apps I found for middle schoolers for review or after work has been completed.

Tool #9- Sharing Information Through Jing & Skype

1. I think a great way to use the Jing screencasts would be for collaboration. No matter how near or far, you could Jing. Grounded? No problem! You can still work with your partner or group.

2. I've used Skype for several years to communicate with my family across Texas. There are infinate ways it could be used for collaboration or in research by Skyping with Scientists all over the world. Personally, I've switched over to Logitech's Vid. It's easier to download and the video is much clearer for me.

Tool #8- Video Resources

1. I am a visual learner- so I use videos often. When we review simple machines we always discuss and design a Rube Goldberg machine. This past year a music video jumped on the band wagon as the latest video added to my collections of Rube Goldberg machines. It's OK GO's This Too Shall Pass. I found it on You Tube. The other video clip I added was a lab safety video called Ultimate Lab Safety. When we review lab safety in preparation for the safety test, I have my students watch and critique several lab safety videos made by students. I find these on You Tube, also.

Tool #7- Digital Storytelling

Finally! I actually went ahead and finished all of the other tools and the reflection before starting on this one. I wasn't getting any good ideas for curriclulm stories, so I just waited until something came to me. My husband and I are expecting our 3rd baby and were talking about how our 2 girls have grown so quickly when inspiration struck me! A while back I was looking back at Maddy's, our oldest daughters, pictures. How quickly she's changed in 4 years! I almost didn't recognize our youngest daughter's newborn picture, even thought she's only 16 months old. I put together a photostory of pics I had on my school computer. Sorry, our routers down, so I just worked with what I had on file. Still, it came out cute I think!


***Having trouble uploading my Photostory! Anyone else with this problem? Advise apprecaited!! I've tried converting it to a wmv and others have tried to convert to Quicktime, but to no avail. Very frustrated that there is no help on the 11 tools site. Just a warning that the finished product needs converting.

Tool #6- Wiki's

1. I think Wiki's are the ultimate online collaboration tool. As more coorporations move to video conferencing and alternative means of collaborations, this is a natural next step.

2. I looked through some Wikis and they looked intresting. As I saw the sampless, I immediately thought of using Wikis to set up lab write-ups. Our students write their own labs given only a question and supply list. They could work on the lab group Wiki as a lab report for the whole group since they usually develop it together anyway. I would love for this to be their homework assignment. It would save a lot of classtime! As far as team or department use, this would allow us to get some business out of the way before infrequent meetings and expedite the face-to-face meeting time. This would be invalubale and much appreciated when school gets crazy!

Tool #5- Social Bookmarking & Tagging

1. I browsed through both but joined Diigo since they were the best. I quickly found many great resources for Science teachers. One group I loved and applied to join was 5 creative ways to use flip cameras in math & Science classrooms. I'm not the creative sort, but since I recieved a flip camera through the T3 grant, this should give helpful ideas. Another I immediately was impressed by was Kid Powered Toys That Harness the Power of Play. My tags when exploring before joining were science, classroom, school.
2. I can see using social bookmarking in my class to guide my students in the right direction for research and how to identify key words for tagging. Too often my students will Google an entire sentence that is far to specific to get any good hits for research. Once good sites are found, they can be bookmarked and shared by all.

Tool #4- Google Tools

1. I created a boring, but desprately needed grocery list. I'm tried of of running back and forth all over the store. I shared it with JoAnne Lee thinking she might also need another organization tool now that she has had baby #2!
2. I subscribed to the following using Google Reader:
Amy's House, Ms. Sigala's Blog, Ms. Lee's Thoughts, Wegs Online & the 11 Tools learner Support
3. Google Docs- I love the idea that kids can start a document at school/home and finish it later in a different location without having to mess with flash drives or e-mails. We are placing an additional emphasis on writing in Science, and this tool will aid in that.
Google Reader- My first thought was that this would make following current events in Science much faster and easier! I can get my kids set up with a few subscriptions until they get the hang of finding reputable sources.

Tool #3- Image Generators & Mashups

This tool was so much fun!
1. I used Wordle and Spell with Flickr
2. You can see both below
3. I love Wordle for vocabulary and Spell with Flickr is just for fun. Will have to see how others think this can be used otherwise. I'm not very creative with ideas.

Tool #2- Building Community & Comments

1. I love the idea of an online education community and pln's! I think that the purpose and need of the PLN would have to change depending on the subject, but can be very successful. Due to the fact that I've never used either before, I'm curious about how the kids will respond. I can't imagine that they won't buy in, but it will take time and trials to get the right format and content to engage my students.

2. I really enjoyed reading the comments on the blogs I looked at. A concern I had with using blogs for my students was insuring that it was a safe zone for their comments. I didn't want any negative or bullying behaviors keeping kids from giving comments or questions. One comment focused on taking some time to develop group norms that were agreed on by all users. I also found that teachers of different subjects were aboe to take ideas from each other and tweak them to fit into their subject matter. This is an area I am weak in, so I found the idea sharing very helpful in planning.

3. The blogs I commented in are:
Amy's House
Ms. Lee's Thoughts
Wegs Online
Being Patty Joyce
Frogs, Chihuahuas, & Good Times

Tool #1- Blog Set-Up & Registration

Well, it only took 4 days for Google to get it together on their part so I could create a blog, but I finally was able to get it done. With help from tech savy friends (thanks Greg Clouse!) I was able to create my blog and avatar in a fairly short amount of time. Hopefully the rest of the links for the othertools will behave!