Module 8 RSS Feed

With 50 million blogs I can understand why we will need to continue to find efficient ways to deal with the ever increasing volume of "stuff' on the internet. If you are really interested in something/topic by using Google reader to connect with those little orange icons would be a wonderful way to be constantly up to date. I can see it happening with some of the people in my course's blogs coming up as soon as they happen as well. I will now be conscious of those little icons and will be looking for them as I go. I would also like to recommend the "Zombies in Plain English" Youtube. It is also very informative.

Module 7 Building Online Communities

Delicious is yet another amazing sharing site. Though friends and workmates you can organise a great array of bookmarks on absolutely everything. Amanda has shared her bookmarks with me and you can see the things that interest her . I think to organise your bookmarks through tagging is a great way. I have about 600 scattered bookmarks in no particular order so I know I will be busy getting that sorted. As a teacher I can see this as a really great way to share great sites and in turn resources. Its all about sharing !!!!!!!!!!

Module 6 Bubbl.us and Glogster

Well I have had hours of fun just trying to sign up for Glogster!!!!!! Do love the visuals and you could lose hours choosing from all the bits and pieces... one thing had 51 pages of (Text, graphics etc) Fill I could use this as my weekly news .It is certainly visual enough to grab everyone's attention!!! I could imagine students using it to display their learnings in a really clear and visual way. One of the teachers I am sitting next to at the moment just keeps saying I love Glogster!!!!!! Because you can select from a series of selections it means you are not creating from nothing . Very worthwhile. Bubbl.us is good too. Mindmapping is such a common teaching/learning activity...just must say I was fascinated in the gentleman using Ferrets as his example????? Is he Richard Gere's cousin????

Module 5 Digital Story telling

Digital storytelling is certainly the modern way and a wonderful way to capture students. I created a very "tiny" podcast!!!! at the Principals conference a few months ago and it was great fun. Children love to hear themselves so you can imagine their enthusiasm. The Manager from Mac who was showing us how to create a podcast told us the word was only created in 2005. iTunes, Youtube, Garage band and imovie are all great in different ways. I really believe schools should have both Macs and PCs for students to experiment with. One of the Schools in Adelaide (Seaforth I think) had this great demonstration of how laptops in Year 7 have changed the way students are learning. They had wonderful demos of vodcasts created by the students. It is their way of telling and sharing their story and others.

Module 4 My Friend Flickr

Flickr is a great resource.. Just amazing that so much is shared..so different to the Olden Days!!!! It is a great site too with FAQs to help you sort out if you want to share private phots... and use a guest pass. I Like the bits about acceptable use of Flickr. There is one about .. you know the creepy guy...well dont be the creepy guy. There is a comment on the site somewhere that says. "Flickr is the WD-40 that makes it easy to get photos or videa from one person to another in wehatever way they want.. I even did a little blog with a photo I took in New York. You see some classic photos too I might add.

The big Lego apple

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Originally uploaded by Mandy372mandy1962

Love this photo... a cute reminder of New York made out of lego !!!!! The lego shop was swarming....just like the mac shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Module 3 Google Docs

Though I am only at the beginning of my understanding with Google docs, I can sure see the benefits of creating documents this way. It is amazing that this system is on the internet and then enables such easy sharing of ideas between people with such low fuss modifications. It is difficult if you have so many versions to know which is the correct one, most up to date etc so this certainly enables this by having one (but keeping old versions) It is also good that you can do this in presentations and spreadsheets too. It would be of great use working in groups and modifying documents (which we have to constantly do....The ol' Policy Updates!!!) Same could apply in classrooms with sharing between groups. One of our teachers has already started using it as a way to track information on students!!!!!! which she can then access anywhere. Very clever!!!!!! Can see that this is really going to take off !!!!!!!! The youtube about teachers and principals talk about google docs also shows how it can be used across schools!!!! Virginia and Alaska

Learning Module 2 Reflection

Learning Module 2 Reflection
Blogs can be found absolutely everywhere these days. I was amazed to read that one is born every 1/2 second.. They are cheap but I think one of the good things for schools is that it gives students an audience (far reaching!!) and is a way to allow for individual reflection. You need to rethink privacy and authorship privacy. I am sitting with other staff who are up to all different modules (I'm coming last!!!!) in the holidays and I just heard the most hilarious thing. One of the staff has learnt how to professionally cut her dog!!!!! watching utube clips We are getting tragic!!!!! What we can learn by sharing . Blogs is just one of those ways