The End... or is it just the beginning?

Wow! What an incredible journey with Web 2.0! There is so much out there that I didn't know about! Some of it I already use, some of it I will definitely use again, and some of it, only time will tell how if it becomes part of my life or not. Technology is constantly evolving and changing which can be a tad daunting at times, especially with the heaped plates we tend to carry, but it is all part of the excitement of the journey! I think the main thing is to keep and open mind and an open ear out for what is happening around us and keep trying new things. I really appreciate the guidance that the Web 2.0 online course has provided into the newer territories for me and the light it has shone onto new possibilities.  I'm looking forward to continuing my journey armed with loads more tools than when I started. Thanks a bunch! :)

Audio/ E Books - Task 22

Hmmm... again, I'm feeling some resistance to this one... I love my book collection. I love the feeling of a book in your hand and even how it looks on the shelf, I love the smell of books and love scouring second hand bookstores for a 'find'. I must say I do also love audio books for the classroom for shared reading experiences, comprehension and listening activities but E books on the other had haven't quite reached me... yet??? I've said before I don't feel like an N generation-er and I think this also sets me apart from my younger acquaintances. I tutor a girl whose school is now all on i pads and where all their text books and research materials are on the i pad. Surely it makes the school bag lighter, but at what cost? I was helping her research for an assignment and found my brain really struggled with having to 'flip' back and forth from each 'ebook'. I remember, back in my day... sprawling all my books out and going from one to the next to find notes and quotes and while it made a heck more mess, it seemed to make more sense to me. Another downfall for the e book is that you are reading from a screen and for me, after a day of trying to sort through and read my many unread emails and RSS feeds, checking out whats new on You Tube, collaboratively planning using a google doc, 'catching up' on Facebook with friends and placing my online shopping order, the last thing I want to do in my 'down time' is look at a computer screen again. :)

You Tube/ Teacher Tube - Task 21

You tube is fantastic! It is a never ending source of fun, facts, entertainment, blasts from the pasts, and educational tools. My teaching partners and I use it to make teaching and learning more fun and bring the outside world into the classroom. I was amazed at just what was on offer once I started looking and now it is a source of inspiration and one of my first go to places whenever i am 'stuck'. Here is one of my all time favourite bands who use You Tube to launch their music videos and here is a fun nouns song that my class just love!

Podcasts - Activity 20

Hmmm, podcasts are not something I generally use. Don't get me wrong, I think they can be great. I just don't tend to use them. I listen to the radio on the way to and from work everyday and know that you can get the podcasts of those shows along with heaps of others online, but if I've missed the show, when else am I going to listen to them? Maybe while I'm cleaning out my inbox??? I just don't seem to have the time! :) In class we use flip cameras to record students' presentations and screen microphones for recording working at the board and reading. I can see the uses and advantages of using pod casts in the wider world, but I have been able to use alternate means to achieve the same outcomes. This one doesn't have me sold... yet.

Rollyo - Task 19

Wow! Where has Rollyo been all my life! :) This is a fantastic research tool that sets boundaries for younger students. We currently do a research task on how to look after a pet in Term 4. We have been searching for a good and child friendly search engine - Rollyo will allow us to send the students in the right direction for their research task, without us having to worry about inappropriate or word heavy web sites. I have had a little play around and started adding some sites to the 'Year 2 Pets' Rollyo:
http://www.rollyo.com/search.html?prevsid=709178&q=birds&sid=709178
Fantastic! Love it! :)

Wiki's - Task 18

What's a wiki?  I like the definition that a wiki is a "cross between a word document and a webpage". I also liken it's properties to google docs where you can have multiple authors who share and collaborate on the page except that it is out in cyberspace as opposed to being sent via email. My teaching partner had a wiki with her class last year where she uploaded copies of the students homework (no excuses for losing it now!) :), interesting and educational links to online games, photos, students' work samples and newsletters. I loved the look and interactivity of it and vowed to get myself sorted with one this year as last year my focus was on developing my interactive whiteboard skills - alas, I still have not made one - Term 3 is my goal - no reports, no Web 2.0 and hopefully more time will see me stick to it! Wish me luck! :)

Delicious - Task 17

I already have an account  with delicious as my 'favourites' at work were constantly being deleted due to network upgrades. I really enjoy delicious and use it for personal and professional purposes. I think it is a fantastic tool that allows you to share websites and information with colleagues and friends based on interests. It's also wonderful that you can access your account from anywhere on any computer making it very versatile.

RSS Feeds - Task 15

Ok, so here goes. I have been using RSS feeds since I signed up to one about technology and students with specific learning needs earlier this year. I was using it (receiving a whole gamut of information) without really knowing what it was or how it was working. I now understand that RSS feeds bring the information you want to you, rather than you having to spend time searching for it. I have enjoyed receiving the RSS feeds, but must admit that I don't always have the time to read them. I find I receive so many emails a day that I tend to pick and choose which ones i have time to open and leave the others for 'later' (whenever that may be). I have two email accounts, a work one and a personal one and my friends are always amazed at the amount of unread emails I have. For me right now, until i can sort out my email dilemmas, RSS might just be another clogger for my inbox. I can see how RSS would benefit students with research projects with up to date information.

Myspace and Facebook - Task 13 and 14

After watching the you tube link to the Generation N video, I was surprised that I fell into this category being born in 1980, as I don't really FEEL part of that generation. I have never had a Myspace page and only know a few of my peers, who were budding musicians, who did. I signed up for facebook when living overseas as it was an easy way to keep informed and keep others informed without too much time commitment. Prior to facebook, I used to send home long and detailed recounts of my escapades and adventures, which I took great joy in writing - kind of like a blog/ diary of sorts. Facebook became the easy way to keep in touch while freeing up more time to find and enjoy new adventures. My concern with facebook now lies in how the privacy settings have changed and the increasingly young age of users.  

Flickr - Task 12

http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3551599565/?f=hp

This is a picture I have seen before. It is so emotive. I'm amazed by how many pictures you can view on Flickr. In saying that, it is not a program I use or have signed up for. I can see the benefits for sharing photos with others; however, I tend to use facebook to share photos with my friends and my brother in Japan and I send each other burnt disks of photos in the mail - 'old fashioned' I know, but it's still always nice when you receive something in the post that isn't a bill or junk mail! :)

Library Thing - Task 11

I like the idea behind this, but found it to be a bit too similar to google books. I don't think I'd use both accounts and would probably choose Library thing over google books. I liked the layout a bit better and found that there were more comments from fellow readers on here as well as 'talks' and 'groups' related to certain topics, themes or styles of writing. I found that some titles I'd added had many fans while others not so many. The reviews were honest (from the point of view of the reviewer in some instances :)) and not too lengthy. I think it would be a great way to have an online book club with friends living overseas etc. I think it is more appropriate for older students than the age group I currently teach. This could be a place I could get easily lost in for hours on end, reading about others points of views of books and recommendations! Dangerous! :)

Online Image Generators - Task 10

Wow! I never knew how many great looking FREE image generators there were out there. These are great and lot's of fun to play around with. The uses that pop into my head are for class wiki's, blogs, School and personal websites - the list goes on! I feel that I have only scratched the surface with these and I'd be keen to try out using the images in different ways - email invitations on face book for an announcement etc. Now I'm going to try loading up the one I prepared earlier.... fingers crossed.... here goes! :)

Ok, so not where I intended it to land, but at least it's up there :)

I made it on this site:
http://says-it.com/letterboard/index.php

Virtual Worlds - Task 9

Hmmm... not convinced on this one. The whole virtual world thing still really doesn't appeal to me and I'm not sure it ever will. I couldn't understand when one of the big gaming brands bought out virtual worlds a few years ago... where your avatar could meet up with someone else's avatar to 'do' coffee... why not just really 'do' coffee? I could possibly see the benefits of these types of online social settings for people who were physically unable to leave their houses, or if you were living too far away for regular face to face contact; however, there are many more alternate ways to 'catch up' in these circumstances ie Skype, texting, facebook which use technology but are all based in the 'Real' world. What are the benefits of buying a house that can't provide you with actual shelter, or buying a coffee that you can't really drink? I think virtual worlds are dangerous as people can potentially get caught up in the pretend and loose connection with reality. Isn't it better to teach children to be the best person they can be in real life?

Google Books - Task 7

Wow! I had never come across this before. I am an avid reader and really enjoyed searching for a few of my lesser know favourite reads on here and reading what others had to say about them. I even found another book by one of my all time favourite books' authors - Andrew Kaufman - who originally wrote 'All my friends are Superheroes' I now am trying to track down a copy of his 'Waterproof Bible'. This is one feature I originally liked of Google books - it has a list of retailers down the side, although in my quest, none of the retailers listed seemed to have a copy of the book I was searching for, for sale :( It also seemed better suited to people living in North America with a Library search, which would be great to use. As I've stated before, I'm not great with names of things and this also applies to books, so one great feature of Google Books is that you can create your own library with favourites, current reads and ones to read. I think this would also be good for students as would the reviews. A bit like an online book club/ librarian as it also recommended other titles based on what you searched for. Amazon also does this. I think I prefer my librarian and her recommendations better though.

i-Google - Task 8

How much fun can be had with this one and how many reports can be procrastinated?! The answer to both is - LOTS!! :) i-google is something that appeals to me greatly, but my mind knows that it's best to stay away! With all it's nifty gadgets and tools and information, if I set i google as my home page, I probably wouldn't get much further than it on a daily basis. Just playing around with it with the staff at my school proved to be very addicting with each of us calling out excitedly when we'd found an appealing tool. By the time I'd finished my page and found all that I could fit, I had organised what I was going to have for dinner, found out what my horoscope was, seen what the weather was like in London, was updated on the world news and had learnt a funny joke or two. I felt very productive without actually being productive. I can see how this could be a very useful tool for someone far more disciplined than myself, but for now
i-won't i-google.

Google Maps - Task 6

This one I am already a fan of! Being someone not-so-great with directions or remembering street names, I have been an avid user of Google Maps for years now. Being someone not-so-great with punctuality too, I really like that Google Maps will tell me exactly how log it will take for me to get from A to B, or Z for that matter. Prior to owning an i-phone I used to load up the map and directions on my computer and take a picture of it with my camera phone, or my camera so as not to have bit of paper floating around in my bag. My husband and I even used this method when travelling overseas to find directions to hotels, restaurants and other places of interest prior to us leaving the country so we wouldn't have to waste time in internet cafes or asking for directions. Now that I have an i phone it's one of my most used apps - why i even used it just the other night coming home from the shopping centre when I took a wrong turn into a new blossoming suburb and couldn't find my way back. A fantastic tool that I would literally be 'lost' without! ;)

Google Docs - Task 5

I have to confess to being a little reluctant with new technologies of late...  I fear that I am becoming one of 'those' teachers, happy to work with what I know best and leave all else aside. I seem to be too time poor to bother with the new, born out of fear that it just won't work. It all started with the purchasing of an apple mac book pro with its sleek design and user friendly design, and the pending deadline of a termly newsletter late last year. Quite adept at using Microsoft Publisher to whip up a newsletter (or 20) over the years in no time at all, I thought I would play around with and try out Apples Pages to get the job done - but not only did I have to re-make a totally new newsletter on Publisher to meet the deadline, I felt I had wasted what little valuable 'spare' time I had on a piece of work that was never to become anything as I tried in vein to use it like Publisher (which it just is not!). I have to say I was feeling the dread rise in me at the prospect of using Google Docs - Why not just use a group email, after all?!?!? Well, I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised by Mr. Google Docs' capabilities... why, my colleagues and I were able to open and add and/or change details on the document at the same time in real time!!! Wow! No longer will I have to run around to find out who has the planning document open and 'locked' for editing, no longer will I have 10 different responses to one group email clogging up my inbox! Hello Google Docs! :)  

Web 2.0 Task #4

Well, where do I begin with Web 2.0? It seems that in the search for the meaning of Web 2.0, I was confronted with wayyy too many acronyms for my brain on a Friday afternoon!!!  I think Web 2.0 is the technological 'platform' that is used for business and communication which is interactive and that the more the 'platform' is used by users the better it becomes. Web 2.0 includes Wiki's, Facebook and blogs. I'm still not quite sure what 'mash ups' are (I thought it was something they did on Glee!) :)

Blog Task #2 Introduction to me

Hi there :) This is my first ever blog.
I am looking forward to learning more about all the wonderful things that are happening in the online world and hearing about what others are doing.