Betty’s Instructional Technology Blog

I came across a very comprehensive resource for all things Web 2.0. It contains information about everything from blogs to podcasts to wikis to digital storytelling to resources like Animoto and Jing and Photo Story and on and on… It also provides resources on digital citizenship issues like copyright and cybersafety. Another link that shows a creative way one district encouraged their staff to enter this Web 2.0 world can be found here. It contains a detailed plan including weekly tasks and incentives provided throughout the year.

 I learned about it through listening to the Ed Tech Weekly podcast from Ed Tech Talk. It still amazes me how much information is out there and how great is it to be able to access it through listening to podcasts and reading blogs. The idea of these “digital subscriptions” coming right to my computer still blows me away. 

I will be presenting at ETTC’s From My Classroom to Yours Conference. My presentation will be about using Web 2.0 tools in the elementary and middle school classroom. I will show how our district has begun to utilize these tools. We are starting out slowly and carefully being cognizant of Internet safety and legality issues. We will be looking at sites like Voicethread, Animoto, Edublogs, and programs like PhotoStory, Audacity and Google Earth.

The following is a link to my presentation: http://www.gtps.k12.nj.us/technology/Web2.0&Standards/Web2.0&Standards_files/frame.htm

 Please feel free to comment and share ways you are using Web 2.0 tools to engage learners.

On Monday, May 12th, I will present a workshop on implementing  the NJ Tech Standards to the ESL, Library and GEM staff members as well as the middle school teaching and learning facilitators and lab teachers. This presentation will highlight various ways we are integrating technology across the curriculum and some Web 2.0 tools we have been exploring over the last few months. The link to the presentation can be found here: http://www.gtps.k12.nj.us/technology/tech_st_libgemesl/Tech_ST_libgemesl_files/frame.htm

As I continue my quest to find web 2.o tools that enhance teaching and learning, I  found Sketchcast, a site that allows you to create tutorials on any topic by simply using a mouse or a graphics tablet to draw as you speak. I thought this tool would be perfect for a blog project I am working on for my district involving creating math tutorials for students and parents. When we have it up and running, I’ll post a link. I hope to convince an upper grade teacher teach have his/her class create some content for us soon. 

On the Sketchcast site I came across an example for lattice mutliplication, a topic that eludes most parents since they learned to solve multiplication problems much differently.

I decided to sign up for a free account at http://www.sketchcast.com/ and created my own. It was pretty easy to do. I played with it for a couple of minutes. I couldn’t figure out how to change colors, but I will continue to explore. My sample shows a corny example for solving a problem using the Pythagorean Theorem. The link appears below:

http://sketchcast.com/swf/player.swf?id=ir80cNI

Check out this  sample video I made using some pictures about recycling for a student project. It was created using a very cool free web 2.0 tool called Animoto. It has been posted on several “best of” blog posts as a great tool for students. I plan to use it with a group of students who are creating a blog about recycling. They have been doing a lot of research. I’ll be writing more about their project in an upcoming post.

On Friday, Feb 15th, I will be presenting a workshop that will introduce  teachers in my district to some Web 2.0 tools. I wanted to start out with some links to existing software that would be easy to integrate into our existing curriculum. I will review Podcasting using Audacity & Photostory hosted on an Edublogs blog, Voicethread, and Google Earth. I also provided links to some image and audio sites as well as some Internet safety and copyright resources.  

The link to my presentation is: http://www.gtps.k12.nj.us/technology/web2.0/Web2.0_files/frame.htm

I will continue to refine it over the next few days.

I keep hearing about a great tool for collaboration called Voicethread. I’ve read about it on several blogs and heard about it on one of the Ed Tech Talk podcasts. This site allows you to upload documents (image, pdf file, powerpoints, videos, etc) and then multiple people can comment on what they see. The comments can be recorded or can be written. There is a doodling feature that allows you to draw on the document to “highlight” the area you are speaking about. It seems really easy to use. This version is free.

A relatively new site has been created especially for educators for a fee. This version allows students to have unique logons without having to supply an email address.

The following examples show the potential of what is possible with this product.

Flat Stanley’s travels
http://voicethread.com/#q.b43401.i228312

Math example
http://voicethread.com/#u7020.b8154.i60270

Primary Reading
http://voicethread.com/%23q.b46599.i243401

MLK
http://voicethread.com/#q.b45542.i238192

Student Story
http://voicethread.com/#q.b2680.i24660

This last example is my first attempt at making a voicethread:

http://voicethread.com/share/56457/

This is my first post. I recently attended a phenomenal workshop at Kean University that introduced me to the concept of the Read/Write web. I came home so excited and ready to introduce my K-8 district to this wonderful new world.

When I returned to work, I was inundated with school life – answering emails, working with teachers and students, and solving various technology problems. So, Web 2.0 was put on the “back burner.”

Over the holiday break, I had the opportunity to take some time to watch a great introductory workshop offered by Atomic Learning on Web 2.0. Again, my Interest was piqued. I also had the opportunity to read Will Richardson’s book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Web Tools for Classrooms. (my favorite Christmas present next to my ipod touch) I was hooked.

My New Year’s Resolution is to begin entering this new world. The biggest challenge I see at the moment is where to begin. I have read so much. (although I know I have barely scratched the surface) I now have a netvibes account and have checked it each day to continue to learn more. I am hoping to use this blog to share ideas for using these tools with students in my district. I will begin with 5th and 6th graders. I am looking for ideas.

I plan to offer workshops to 5th and 6th grade teachers at the end of this month helping them to integrate technology into the curriculum and implement our NJ Technology Standards. I hope to use this blog as a tool to share ideas, successes, and frustrations.