Thing 16: Wikis

I would like to incoporate wikis in my math classroom. I am thinking I could use it as a tool for students to explain different concepts in a way that makes sense to them. Then other students would be able to use it as a reference if they are having trouble understanding the material. The more ways something is explained the more kids one is able to reach.

Thing 15: Library 2.0

I found the article by Michael Wesch the most eye-opening. In it he makes the point that technology alone will not help solve our education crisis, it takes good teaching and curriculum relevant to students' lives. It seems Library 2.0 has the ability to be a very useful tool. I can see how it would be very helpful to a librarian, language arts or social studies teacher. I am still working on how I would be able to use it in my classroom.

Thing 14: Technorati

I really enjoyed seeing all the different blogs. I was able to find some that definitely match my interests. It's also interesting to see which blogs are most popular. Tagging is a great way to organize and find material easily; it will surely help with my time management.

Thing 13: Tagging and Delicious

It felt great to organize all of my bookmarks. I tend to bookmark any site I might want to use later but it all became overwhelming looking for what I needed due to my lack of organization. I see how I could use Delicious to share my bookmarks as a way for kids and parents to easily find helpful sites on the web.

Diigo would be great for when kids are completing a group project that requires research and they would love using it!

Thing 12: Creating Community

Reading the articles on blogs and commenting made me realize how important it is to make comments on others blogs. I guess being new to all of this I didn't realize blogs were to be a conversation and of course if only one person is doing the "talking" it is a lecture not a discussion.
I thought Cool Cat made a extremely important point of making sure the comment is both meaningful and relevant, otherwise you are just wasting everyone's time. Blue Skunk made me realize I am not giving as much as I probably should. I enjoy reading the comments people post on my blog and need to do the same.
I guess I was just a little nervous to do so. However, after posting a few comments I seemed to get the hang of it and really enjoyed doing so.

Thing 11: Library Thing

Although I'm not sure how I will use this in my classroom I love the idea for my personal use. I found several groups to join and I am always on the lookout for new authors to read. It's a way for me to also organize what I have already read and easily find where to get a particular book.

Thing 10: Image Generators

I had a great time playing with all the different image creators. I am amazed at how simple they are to use! I am busy creating posters and other things to hang around my classroom. The one posted on this blog is from Image Creator, below is the link to where it was created.

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/word_mosaic/