Thing 9 of 11.5 Things SlideShare

How does anyone keep up with all of the new things we can use?? It is overwhelming sometimes. I like SlideShare. It is free, portable, doesn't rely on server access and is a great resource. The students can create slideshows from either free software or PowerPoint from anywhere they have web access. They can then upload the slideshow and access it a school or anywhere later!

Thing 8 of 11.5 Screen Cast

This is AMAZING. I can think of so many ways to use it. Instead of using Word and Screen Shots to send instructions out to the campus, I can make a video. Only downsize..I hate to hear myself!

Thing 7 of 11.5 Video Resources

Teaching with video has been around for a LONG time (even when I went to school, we occasionally watched a video). It is such a valuable tool. We use United Streaming frequently to introduce or enhance a lesson.

Thing 6 of 11.5 iTouch Apps

Research is a great use for the iTouch. There are also several app I have read about at IEAR (evaluates apps for education). Here a few I liked for elementary: (1) Brain Quest is a fun way to review grade level curricular area material. (2) Just Fractions allows students to add, subtract, and find the least common denominators for fractions. They also plan to add the capability to show each step to successfully solve the problems. (3) The translate app also looked interesting for our students whose first language is not English.

Thing 5 of 11.5 Microblogging

Before today, I never had a Facebook or Twitter account. It is a little weird to have a Facebook due to the fact that my children and all of their friends have accounts. I think I will probably delete my account...but who knows, I may decide I like it. I am not really fond of Twitter (I really prefer NOT to know what everyone is doing every minute of their day), but again, I may be surprised by Twitter. Without talking to others, I'm really not sure of the role of microblogging in the elementary setting, but if any of you have some great ideas, please share! Backchanneling would be a good tool in the secondary setting; instant feedback on lectures, etc.

Thing 4 of 11.5 YouTube, TeacherTube, and SchoolTube

Teacher tube is an excellent resource that provides and online community for sharing instructional videos. As always, it just takes time to find the ones that are useful. As far as uploading student created videos, it is something I want to consider for next year and I plan to start searching for ways other elementary schools have used it.
Below is my YouTube video:

Thing 3 of 11.5 Skype

I can see Skype being useful in the classroom for our students to communicate and collaborate with others from many different places. We will need to buy some web cams in order to fully use it. I wonder if the new student Dell laptops have built in video cameras??