So, I must admit, I think we are slowly but surly gaining to many tech tricks to keep in our back pocket. And, it was absolutely fantastic to learn about google reader, I was truly getting overwhelmed with all of the different things we had to keep track of. Reading Erin's blog , I totally agree with her about the potential risks of attempting to use tech in poorly funded areas. I think it would be nice to talk about other ways to get funding for technology in class- be in grants, librarians, or public funding.
The podcast activity was very interesting, and quite enjoyable. I couldn't believe we all managed to do that in such a short amount of time. Like Kristen predicted, the music was a little distracting, but I think there could be real value in this. For some reason, I see it being most valuable in the middle school classroom. I am also really interested in seeing the point-counter point information, because I feel that a lot of the time, we just touch the surface of many hot topics, and it will be nice to learn more about each of those subjects.
Also, I'm super pumped we're almost done for the summer. It's been great, but I can tell everyone is getting burned out and ready for a break (before the even more crazy time of the fall occurs).
That's it and that's all :)
Totally agree about being ready for a nice break! I also wonder about the availability of some of the resources we are learning about and whether there is an avenue for teachers out there to be able to get funding for some of the projects that involve technology. I also recently got to thinking about parental push back to some of the technology kids may be using in classrooms and whether that occurs and if so how to handle it.
ReplyDeleteyeah... need a break now...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I really enjoyed podcasting as well. If done right I think the music/sound effects can be used to a teacher's advantage because it can potentially give students something memorable to hang onto.
One of the possible applications that I have thought of for our newfound podcasting abilities is to aid students who are struggling readers to get through material by creating a podcast of our lectures or the assigned chapters, kinda like a book on tape thing. Just a thought
ReplyDeleteI agree Katie.. this class was a little slow to get started, but I do think that I am learning small things that will be useful technology tips. I thought google reader was great! It helps keep all the news and blogs as a one-stop shop.. making my internet time more efficient!
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