Module 10

Web 2.0 Tools definitely have a place in my life. Many hands make light work- this is the case when you have access to everyone else's ideas and materials. The web makes this possible. Wikis and Nings are two tools that enable me to access more information and more people to bounce ideas off.

As a teacher I think it's important to expose children to the resources that are available to them. As a learner I know I need to remind myself to access the knowledge that is out there more often. As a member of an online community, I would like to think I can positively contribute to others' learning.

Module 9

Scootle is a great site. I used it quiet a bit, particularly for setting homework in mathematics, after a visit from Scott H in 2009. There are some fun activities for the kids and it was easy for the children to log on with the given code.
I haven't really used it much since Mathletics has been around (we just subscribed to it earlier this year) but will have to remember to log in more often when searching for resources. I recommend you try it out.

Social networking sites stimulated some good discussion with colleagues in the staffroom. I personally think there are some dangers associated with them. Besides the 'creep' factor, there is also the addiction and loss of reality. I would not feel comfortable introducing my students to a site such as Second Life- even for an educational purpose such as exploring different countries/eras. I have read too many stories of people spending too much of their real life in their virtual life which I think is way too unhealthy.

As for Twitter, what's the point? Not needed. Not wanted. Get a life!

Module 8

I watched all the videos in Module 8 and could see how easy the process of setting up a Reader would be. However, sorry but I just don't want one. There are no websites that I currently regularly check out apart from my hotmail and (reluctantly) my facebook. The example of a recipe website was pretty poor. Can anyone suggest what kind of sites I would need/want to regularly receive updates from? Feel free to persuade me :)

Module 7

Very cool! I really like Delicious. It is something that would have previously made life much easier for me in several ways.
Firstly, I have updated computers several times over the last 6 or 7 years. Each time, I have had to go into my favourites and copy and paste all of the URLs into a word document and re-bookmark them on the new computer (I had always suspected there was an easier way but never bothered to investigate- thankyou web 2.0). Also, I use several different computers at school so Delicious makes it easy to view your pages wherever you are.
Secondly, Delicious is so much better than Google for searching educational resources as you can eliminate so much cr*p. The results are much more relevant.
I will be setting up Delicious on my home computer as well.

I enjoyed looking through other people's blogs. It's always good to read similar postings to reassure myself that I'm doing the right thing. It's also good to look at different perspectives people have on different applications. So, Thanks!

Module 6

bubbl.us is an easy to use tool but I'm not sure I would use it regularly with any class. It definitely has some uses as far as professional loooking presentations are concerned. Perhaps it could be used in class as a tool for students to organise their thoughts. This could be in the form of planning writing or a generic organising activity such as the classifications of animals...

Glogster was a fun site to explore. It was also very easy to use. As you can see above I made a little collage of my bubbl and a few product logos relating to Web 2.0. I am sure kids would love using Glogster but as you need yet another account to use it properly, there would need to be a good reason for needing your/their poster on the web.

Module 5

Digital storytelling is really expanding. With companies like Apple iTunes, there really is no limit to what can be broadcast for others to view.... and there is no limit to what people want to watch!
There are clips on YouTube that are only of interest to the people who posted them there. It is an avenue for people to share anything and everything. On the other hand there are clips that are extrememly popular, usually due to their entertainment value.

I have used video websites such as YouTube every now and then in class. I downloaded some Aboriginal Dreamtime stories for my children the other day and have previously searched things as trivial as 'how to make an origami paper crane'. A different visual/aural stimulus can really mix things up and keep the students tuned in.

I have been an iTunes user for years but have never downloaded any podcasts (only songs). I have just recently updated my internet contract so should take advantage of an increased speed and download limit. I'm not sure of the educational advantage to this yet, but on a personal level I am sure I will enjoy the availability of more entertainment at my fingertips. If I am after a program that I think is appropriate for a learning experience, a podcasting service would be a great place to begin my search.

Module 4

I reckon I must have about 7 different email accounts now. Yahoo being the latest. Makes you wonder how many people/companies around the world know your details...

Flickr was pretty straightforward to set up and use. The database contains a huge number of pictures which is great when looking for resources on a certain topic. I like the idea that many of the photos are not copyright. This makes for a valuable school library. I have searched on Flickr before. It can be a little tedious opening each picture and downloading it or going back to look at the next one. Does anyone know if there is a quicker way to do this?

I'm not sure if I would use Flickr for my own personal photos. I have friends travelling the world who keep their friends up to date by posting photos on Flickr- so I do see benefits. I guess another reason to use Flickr might be to have a back-up of your own photos in a secondary location. Time will tell if the program becomes more useful to me down the line.

Module 3

Wow! Some great possibilities have been opened with Google docs.

The videos were both insightful. I really liked the first one with the illustrations moving around the page and the arrows being drawn as you watched to see how everything linked up. I hope I can use that idea with a class some day.

I've had discussions in the past with my principal about having the documents on our server available to teachers outside the school so that they could be edited/viewed on holidays/weekends. Google docs is one possible solution. It would make it so much easier to program when on holidays and liaise with a grade partner from a distance. Also if you forget something, there's no need to drive back to school- just log on and access all of your documents!

It was pretty straightforward to both create and upload an existing document. Sharing is just a matter of entering the email address of the person you want to view it.

There were a couple of drawbacks. One was that you have to have a Google account to edit the documents (which can make it hard with primary children as parents may not be happy with them having one of these accounts). Secondly, there is the chance that someone you share your documents with could accidentally delete something you have put a lot of work in to. Obviously backups can be kept- but, the idea of the Google docs was to eliminate the need for numerous copies of the same work...

Working collaboratively with students is fantastic. Surveys, petitions, brainstorming ideas, multi-authored texts and group assignments/projects are tasks that could be made a lot easier and a lot more fun- once the hurdle of having every child have their own Google account is gotten over.

Module 2

Lucky me! I have used blogger previously which made module 2 a little easier to get through.
I set up a blog for my Year 3 class in 2009. You can view it at http://excellentblogsite.blogspot.com/
The purpose of the blog was to encourage the students to share their views and knowledge on different subjects. I deliberately didn't make the blog's focus too narrow in order to get them used to using a blog in general. I tried to emphasise the importance of taking pride in how they wrote and also opened them up to the usefulness of blogging as a communication tool.
Topics included 'My Favourite Websites', Favourite Sports, Japan (as I was doing a unit on Japan, I set blogging as a homework task) and Holiday News. I also set up two posts where children could keep in touch with 2 students who had gone overseas for an extended period of time.
I spent some time reflecting on the use of blogs and thought their best uses are as a news broadcasting website or diary system. Being able to share information with a variety of people can be beneficial as physical location is no longer a barrier and the type of responses you can elicit are much broader due to the size and backgrounds of the potential audience.
Finally, using a blog for the purpose of this Web 2.0 course is a great way to stay organised and keep a reasonably permanent record of what has been learnt.

Module 1

Well I was a little overwhelmed with the number of videos available to view in the first module.
But... I did find them quiet eye-opening. I can see that despite the size of information available through Web 2.0, the possibilities are forever growing and are quiet endless.

YouTube itself is a great channel for learning- the amount of educational videos (and entertaining ones) is fantastic. I have often used YouTube to add to a lesson via the SmartBoard. I have heard of some schools banning YouTube, but it is such a valauble tool, I think it just needs to be moderated.

After looking at the 25 Tools, I felt pleased that I am already a frequent user of many. However I'm looking forward to exploring some new tools.

Instant messaging, social networking, email and web browsing are things I use on a daily basis.
I enjoyed creating my iGoogle page and attempting to match the appearance and content to my personality. I can see how people get carried away and spend so much time on computers- it could definitely become a workplace hazard... be warned! :)

I wasn't sure if we were to create our own gadgets or just add some gadgets that were available. I couldn't find a place to make my own so have added several from the many available.