VoiceThread Implementation Plan

Very Last Thing

Dear Raven Web 2.0 Team,

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to complete this journey. I have learned a great deal and used what I have learned to make a difference in the way that I teach. Your thoughtful comments have been helpful and encouraging and I have recommended this online credit course to many of my colleagues. At the beginning of this adventure I had no idea there were so many educational Web 2.o tools that I could use to enhance curriculum and now that my journey is nearly over, I am a little saddened that it is all coming to an end. This course has really reignited the spark within me to show my students that I too am a lifelong learner.

My sincere Thanks,
Joni

Week 9: "Thing 23" Continued...

I like that Creative Commons provides an easy way for anyone to safeguard work and/or allow others to use what has been created; the copyright power is put into the hands of the creator and because the website is user-friendly, obtaining a copyright license is no longer a daunting or cumbersome task.

I thought the You Tube video A Fair(y) Use Tale was very clever, plus I love Disney so it was fun to watch. It also served as a good reminder about how easily copyright laws are broken and how important it is for everyone to join the cause and respect copyright laws. I have to admit though, I found myself thinking more about the Disney movies a couple of times than the copyright message. Can you blame me? It was a fun walk down memory lane.

Week 9: "Thing 23"

I was first introduced to the concept of Creative Commons in a one credit class entitled 21st Century Tools for 21st Century Schools taught by Martina Henke. She played the following Teacher Tube video for us...

Week 9: "Thing 22"

I explored the World eBook Fair site and I found the collection to be severely outdated. I spent quite a bit of time in the children's collection and I knew some of the title's such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Rabbit, and Bambi. However, I could not see myself or my students putting this resource to good use unless it is updated and offers more recent titles and authors.

An eBook option that is available to educators that I put to good use is Tumblebooks! My students love it!

This is not a free site but I think it is well worth the money to buy a school subscription. Some of the features I love most about the site are:
-the eBooks target childrens' interests
-the eBooks can be read aloud to the student
-the eBooks are recent and by popular authors
-there are eBooks for ELL students (French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Russian)
-after listening to an eBook a student can take a comprehension quiz
-there is a pre-made template to help students when writing a book report
-there are educational games and puzzles that are extensions of the eBooks
-the eBooks are leveled to target the students' reading ability
-book reviews are available for each eBook
-accelerated reader information is available for each eBook
-there is an excellent educator's resource section and lesson plans that accompany some eBooks
-students and/or teachers can create a favorites list and a playlist

The image below shows a variety of Tumble options available to students.
The following image (click to enlarge) displays the useful tools that accompany an eBook.

Week 9: "Thing 21" Continued...

Some podcasts that I am interested in after searching...

http://www.podquiz.com/rss.php
(I need to get better at answering random quiz questions correctly - I know the 'king of trivia' and he rubs in the fact that I have a severe deficiency in this area. I added this one to my RSS Feed.)

http://alaska.org/podcast/
(What a great way to track the 'last great race' with your class!)

http://www.discovery.com/radio/podcasts.html
(I especially am interested in the Shark Week and Dirty Jobs podcasts)

As I mentioned below, I am new to podcasts but excited to start taking advantage of them and their convenience.

Week 9: "Thing 21"

The video embedded below entitled Podcasting in Plain English was very helpful in explaining what exactly a podcast is. The 411 on podcasting is an interest of mine as of late because I am required to create a podcast with my Kincaid TTL 6 team to report the findings of our grant results.

Week 9: "Thing 20" Continued...

I have had a Teacher Tube account for over a year now but I have not made good use of it. After spending some time searching the site a little I have a better idea of how to use it. I could...
-play a video linked to curriculum we are studying to grab my students attention and get them to engage
-embed video on my class blog to educate parents
-enhance curriculum and make it come to life by playing video that touches on the topic we are learning about
-revisit the site often to get fresh ideas on how to infuse technology into my daily lesson plans in an enriching way

I chose to embed the video entitled Did You Know? on my blog to serve as a constant reminder to me that there is a shift occurring in education due to the rapid evolution of technology and as a teacher I must embrace this and prepare my students for the future.

Week 9: "Thing 20"

Week 8: "Thing 19.1"

I was introduced to the Alaska Digital Pipeline last year at ASDSA when I began my training process as a TTL grant participant. It looked like a great tool at that time but I did not have much of an opportunity to check it out.

As I explored the Digital Pipeline this time, I found it somewhat hard to navigate but I realize that I am still learning how to best put it to use.

I found it easy to create an EBSCO account, do a search (I searched the iditarod), and save some of the articles to my folder.

I had trouble creating a search alert and a journal alert, even after examining the EBSCO support link provided.

As I searched the database for professional journals I found many that I recognized such as NEA Today, Education Canada, and Education Digest.

As I looked at the differences between the Kids, Middle, and High School Interfaces I found:
-all three interfaces had a facts for learning link
-all three interfaces had some sort of search option
-all three interfaces had a NoveList
-all three interfaces had live homework help

However as I searched the three interfaces I noticed that they incrementally offered more choices as the grade level increased which makes sense as older students are able to critique information found on the internet in more appropriate and safe ways.

When I explored the Consumer Health Pamphlets I did a search on picky eaters as I have a 19 month old daughter who just happens to fit that description and the following three resources were offered. When I have more time to dedicated to this task I am hoping these resources will help me better understand my daughter's eating habits.
When I checked out the Consumer Health Images and Diagrams I found an awesome diagram of the eye. I think this link could be of great use to the health teachers within the Anchorage School District. I will definitely be passing it on to our school health teacher.
When I explored the Consumer Health Videos and Animations I discovered a video called Helping Overweight Children.

After watching the Flash Movie explaining the upcoming changes to the EBSCO Host interface I am excited about the following upcoming features and changes to the site...
-the simplified search screen
-the breadcrumb trail
-being able to limit searches by date
-images related to searches being offered
-the ability to quickly preview related images

Lastly, I had to check out the small engine repair category. Now the next time I talk with my brother who lives in Canada and works at a John Deere factory I can "WOW!!!" him with my knowledge of how to repair a John Deere 1050 engine and clutch system.

(Displayed above (click to enlarge): Page 1 of 9 of the light reading I recently required on how to fix a John Deere 1050 engine and clutch system. Yeah... I will get right on that!)

Week 8: "Thing 19"

I loved LibraryThing. It was easy to sign up for a free account and get started searching for some of my all time favorite books to read aloud to my students.

On my blog library shelf you will see...

Charlotte's Web - I love to read this book aloud to my class. It is a book of true friendship, life lessons that can be hard to swallow, and fun times on the farm.

Frindle - I have not read this book aloud to my first grade students but I remember it being one of my favorites to listen to. I love the way this book shows students just how powerful words can be.

Julia Donaldson's (my newest favorite author) books...

Gruffalo- a fun book about a tricky mouse who outsmarts three woodland creatures, and one not-so-imaginery Gruffalo, who want to gobble him up.

Gruffalo's Child- a book to follow the one listed above with a little twist, this time the Gruffalo is not the big and bad one, instead the mouse fills those shoes.

The Snail and the Whale- a book about a snail who feels small and insignificant in relation to the rest of the world but finds out he is capable of making a very big impact.

The Fish Who Cried Wolf- a fun story about a little fish who tells big tales and one day finds himself in over his head without help because of the tales he spins.

Room on the Broom- an enjoyable story where a witch and her animal friends help one another and find that true friends stick together through good times and bad.

The Spiffiest Giant in Town- a heartwarming story that shows children if you are kind to others kindness will come back to you.

I can't wait to add this Web 2.0 tool to my class blog. I think it would be a powerful way to keep parents up to date as to what we are reading aloud as a class and then parents could check them out of the library and provide these familiar books to their child to read at home. We could also use our library shelf on our class blog as a way to display our top ten favorite class read alouds!