Reflections

I love all of the tools so it is difficult for me to name my favorite ones. I would definitely be using some of the appropriate apps for the iPod Touch. One of the first tools I would use is Digital Storytelling. Many of my students find writing an arduous task, so I would plan lessons using this tool and I am positive they will become excited about creating stories.

The experience of working through the 11 Tools has reinforced my belief that teachers should be able to access and utilize various aspects of the digital world to make teaching/learning exciting. Students are bombarded with, and make use of technology in their daily lives so it is only fitting that schools utilize this medium to help students achieve at their highest level.

There were no unexpected outcomes, everything turned out exactly as I anticipated.

Tool # 11

Three things that I would want to make sure students understand about being good citizens are:
1) Safety. They must understand that while the digital world is an exciting and salutary place for gathering and sharing information there are many dangers lurking out there so they have to be careful how and with whom they interact in the digital world. They have to be cautioned on giving out personal information.
2) Accuracy of information. Students have to recognize that while there are lots of authentic information on different topics, there are also inaccurate and bogus matters out there.They must be taught to cross check all information to ensure there is some degree of accuracy.
3) Honesty. The digital world like other aspects of life calls for honesty and integrity in all our dealings with others. It is so easy to obtain information that the temptation is there for students to claim the works of others as their own. The dangers and penalties for plagiarism must be clearly understood.

I will use videos and the ACTIV board to teach students to strive at all times to be good digital citizens. The video onBrainPop is a great way to introduce the ideas of digital citizenship. I will also use flip charts with the rules for being good digital citizens clearly defined. Last but not least I will consistently model the attributes of responsible digital citizenship to all my students.

Tool # 10

I reviewed several educational apps and found them all interesting and fun. I downloaded I Can Read Lite, Kenken Lite, Planets, Art Lite, and Zynga to my iPhone and looked at the many possibilities for teaching and learning.

The students in my class could use the iPod or iTouch to help them in all subject areas. They can review concepts, practise reading skills, solve math and science problems and have fun while learning.

Tool # 9

Jing is another tool that teachers can use to stimulate learning and share information. Students can add visuals to their online conversations, or they can even make a movie using several screens. The completed work can then be stored or shared in screencast.

Skype has tremendous potential to ensure that no child is left behind. Students who might have to be out of the classroom for one reason or another can stay connected with their teachers and fellow students via skype. In this way they will not miss important aspects of their learning.

Tool # 8- Counting Song- counting to 10 for young children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxPfPyYp84E

Videos are useful resources for students in my classroom because students view, listen and join in the learning process as the videos are played.

The two videos I selected will add to the learning in my classroom because they can be used to reinforce concepts taught.

Tool # 8 -The Shape Song- an instructional song for young children

Tool # 7

This is a very neat tool for students to create and share stories. They can utilize Flip cameras, shoot scenes that interest them, create digital stories and publish them.

Tool # 6

Wikis is another tool that can be very effective in group assignments. Students can readily share, store and add to any project they are working on.

Tool # 5

I used the Tag 'Reading Programs' to locate the websites.
Social bookmarking is a tool that can be used in my classroom where students can find, bookmark and share information on any assignment. By sharing, after a while they would have
a reservoir of resources on any topic at their disposal.
http://www.dropeverythingandread.com/index.html http://www.highsmith.com/upstart/

Tool # 4

I created a poem and shared it with a member of my team. I set up my Google Reader account and added five subscriptions of 11 Tools blogs that I will be following.

Google Docs and Google Reader have endless possibilities for the teaching- learning process.

Students can share ideas for writing or work on reports / projects together although they might be physically miles apart. Teachers can give students instant feedback on assignments by the click of a mouse.

Tool # 3 Using Image Generators

These are great tools for generating ideas for writing and developing students' vocabulary.

Tool # 2 Building an online community and PLN

I. More and more teachers are given opportunities to share ideas and collaborate in various educational ventures. This is a welcome development and will benefit everyone involved -teachers, students, and parents. Participating in a PLN will certainly enhance communication and accelerate this process.

2. The point that stood out from the commenting advice was how to increase comment numbers on your blog. I feel the advice is relevant as if there is no feedback then you would not know if your ideas are making any impact on your intended audience.

3. The five blogs I chose to comment on are:

a.) kinderTech

b.) I love Crete

c.) Young World Tech

d.) iluv2teach

e.) 1st Time Blogger

Tool # 1

It is exciting to be able to use the tools in technology made available to us.