So much information... So little time...

It's hard to believe that Summer 2 is over. I have learned so much over the past 5 weeks. A lot more then I expected. I'm absolutely hooked on podcasts. I have at least a solid week worth of programs to listen to.

With so much information, I've been trying to figure out a way to organize everything I learned and the sites I found. I ended up making a webpage that stores all of the my favorites from ED 620. My goal with the site is to give elementary teachers a quick way to find the information they need.
http://alyssakayeking.googlepages.com/

Blogging is still growing on me. I'm not sure if I'm there yet. I see how blogging could be used for educational purposes. I actually have made another blog and posted my weekly schedule. We will see once the school year starts how teachers respond to the blog.
http://pennhillsmathcoach.blogspot.com

Podcast without an IPod? Who knew

This week I've been exploring RSS feeds, Podcast, and Open Source Software. I have to say that I never knew that you could download a podcast without an IPod. I have a Verizon Chocolate Phone and I've downloaded a dozen Podcasts onto my microSD card and can listen to them whenever. It's completely free too. AMAZING!!!

I'm in the process of creating another blog that could be used during the school year to communicate with other teachers. I'm somewhat frustrated because I feel too limited in what I can do on the blog. It's very structured. I'm thinking maybe just to create a webpage instead, but then others can't share info. If anyone has great ideas let me know.

So much to learn.... So little time...

It's now the beginning of week 4 and I have learned so much about technology that I didn't even know about. So I have to say the whole Wiki project was my favorite. I love to set up and edit things online. The table is an excellent way to add pictures and control the width of your text so you don't have to scroll across.

As far as blogging goes, I'm not a convert yet. I do see that blogging could be used as an excellent tool for teachers. In the elementary school, it just doesn't seem appropriate. I just can't imagine 1st or 2nd graders blogging. They have trouble remembering how to log in. Possibly in the upper grades, 5th graders would have a lot of fun blogging.

The group scavenger hunt was fun to put together. We met online on the blackboard discussion page and made up our plan. We posted our contributions on a temporary wiki page. Then everyone's input was put together. I can see that group work online can be difficult. It was hard to get us all on blackboard at the same time.

Well it's time to get working on week 4. It seems like this week is going to bring even more new technology : )

My first blog...

This is my first blog ever. I really never thought I would ever blog. My younger sisters and my brother all use zanga, facebook, and myspace. I never even considered blogging. I guess it's kind of like journaling. I never really liked writing. I guess that's why I'm a math teacher :)

This is a professional blog that began as an assignment for ED 620 at Clarion University. I just began the masters program for Instructional Technology Specialists. I am PA certified in Math 7-12 and Elementary K-6. After completing my studies at Clarion, I will also be certified in ITS.

This course has exposed me to lots of new topics such as Blogging and the Invisible Web. I'm excited to see what I will learn next week.