Jessica

Jessica Lindstrand
 * Chapter 11**
 * An assortment of web 2.0 tools**

The book examined the ways educators are using web 2.0 tools for instructional practices and professional development. Chapter 11 presents a collection of these tools, many of which are discussed earlier in the book, so readers can find tools they need quickly and easily. It also is a way to see the range of tools available for the classrooms today. I’m going to list the tools I have been exposed to and which I believe are useful in the classroom. For audio and podcast tools, audacity is a very useful tool. It is a free software program that serves as a multi track audio editor and recorder. This is a useful tool because it provides high levels of motivational appeal and encourages creative development and motivation for students. Facebook is also a good tool since most students are comfortable using this technology there would be a familiarity with a style of interacting and inquiry that arises from browsing within these spaces. It would also be easy for students to work on this type of platform because they already know how to use it. Skype would be useful because it would be good to have a guest speaker who you want to come talk to your students but is unable to actually come in the classroom, to tune in on Skype that way the students could ask questions any time they want and talk to them as if they were actually standing in front on the class. Google earth would be a useful tool in the classroom because if you were talking about a specific place in the world and then wanted to show the students exactly where you were talking about, you could just type in the location in the search and it would automatically bring you to that place on your screen. For photo editing and sharing some valuable sites are photobucket, and picasa. Valuable video editing tools that I liked were Windows movie maker which is very user friendly. A great presentation tool is PowerPoint and prezi. YouTube is also a great tool for informational videos. Wikispaces which we use in class is great because it is very user friendly and you can easily collaborate to plan educational projects, embed documents, and images audio/video files. These tools that I am familiar with and have used can be great tools to be incorporated in the classroom if used in the proper way. Jessica Lindstrand
 * Chapter 10**
 * Specific tools**

Chapter 10 talks about specific tools and why they are valuable in the classroom. I’m going to discuss the ones I have used in the past and why I believe they would be useful in the classroom. I have used audacity which is a free software program that serves as a multi track audio editor and recorder. This is a useful tool because it provides high levels of motivational appeal and encourages creative development and motivation for students. I have used this in the classroom setting to create projects to fade songs in and out, and edit their content. This would be useful to show students how to be creative and edit things to create their own unique piece. Another program I have used that would be a good tool is Google earth. I believe Google earth would be a useful tool in the classroom because if you were talking about a specific place in the world and then wanted to show the students exactly where you were talking about, you could just type in the location in the search and it would automatically bring you to that place on your screen. It a neat tool to show students different places in the world. The last one that I have used and think would be a useful tool in the classroom is Skype. Skype is a communication tool. It would be good to have a guest speaker who you want to come talk to your students but is unable to actually come in the classroom, to tune in on Skype that way the students could ask questions any time they want and talk to them as if they were actually standing in front on the class. J essica Lindstrand
 * Chapter 9**
 * The future of the web-where to next?**

Chapter 9 talks about where technology and the resulting teaching and learning practices will be in the next few years and beyond. The one that jumped out at me was cloud computing and infrastructure because now that Apple has widely publicized there use of this tool I would like to see what the future may hold for cloud computing. Cloud computing is a great tool in which services and information are stored and managed on servers outside of an organization, processed quickly and available from many different devices to result in increased efficiency with reduced costs, staff workload, and energy consumption. For education this could be good for integral learning. Cloud computing in a school can also helo with performance analytics, which monitors data to ensure that students are meeting learning objectives and then adapting instruction accordingly. For a school district with data in the cloud a feedback loop could provide timely interventions. The districts assessment system could alert administrators and educators when students are in danger of failing so that they can provide interventions quickly. Say, it alerts a teacher that a student is not doing well on a particular topic, the cloud would prompt the teacher to provide extra help or a different way of presenting the material. The cloud could also help with the national standards, national curricula, national learning materials, and assessments. It could help to evaluate learning on individual, class, school, district, state, regional, and global levels for comparisons as well as for individualized plans to address areas of weakness. Cost efficiencies will be the driver into online learning. The cloud could a very valuable tool to use for educational purposes if used in this way. Jessica Lindstrand **Chapter 8** **Wikis**

Exempt from chapter 8 for doing further research on how to include music into prezi using a .flv to .swf converter. Jessica Lindstrand **Chapter 7** **Virtual environments**

Virtual environments as defined in the book are online interactive systems in which multiple people, sometimes millions of people, share in the development of an interactive narrative. Students do many things today in the world of virtual environments; they play, interact, invent, and explore. They are basically games you play online with many people. You create your own character, play games and build a life for that character. There have been educational virtual environments created to try and help learning. I personally don’t believe having these virtual environments incorporated into the classroom would be any help to students. I believe that if the teacher wants to give students a break from the everyday learning grind to have fun in a game based virtual world, than that would be ok. They can have fun while learning things but I do not believe it is practical for everyday use in the classroom. Once in a while would be acceptable. A scenario explained in the book where students use a virtual environment that I particularly liked was that of “Quest Atlantis”. This is an educational MUVE in which students 9-12 years old are immersed into this quest. They have to help a city which is about to become a disaster due to poor leadership. They are invited to help by following quests established by the Atlantan Council. These involve activities such as environmental study, interviewing members of the community, studying other cultures, and developing action plans. This could be a nice activity for students to participate in to learn while also having fun. Jessica Lindstrand **Chapter 6** **Visual learning tools** **Photos and Videos**
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Today students view and communicate information through personal screens that include computer monitors, cell phones, handhelds, and television. They learn and spread information using new media such as YouTube, photo sites and online presentation tools that feature visual displays. How do photos and videos help students learn better? Photos and videos keep students more interested in presentations if they include photos and videos; they also help to give them visual aids which could in turn help them to understand a topic or idea more clearly. Visual learning tools are also helpful to students by helping them to create better presentations and projects. They can create digital media projects using video clips, video podcasting, and screencasting (screen capture with audio narration). Teachers can use images and visual presentations in the curriculum and encourage students to create presentations that develop the skills of inquiry, creativity, and higher order thinking. Students should be able to create a product that conveys their knowledge of the subject matter and their ability to communicate information visually that has an impact on the audience. Skills should include using visual means creatively to enhance meaning. Visual learning tools are great to be used by teachers and students to make a presentation or learning in general that much more interesting, unique and knowledgeable. Jessica Lindstrand
 * Chapter 5 **
 * Social networks **

Social networking according to the book refers to the aspect of web 2.0 that allows users to create links between their online presence as a webpage or collection of photos. These links may be through joining online groups or by assigning direct links to other users through lists of friends or contacts. Most social networks are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. But what does social networking have to do with classroom? According to studies 96% of students with online access have used social networking technologies and 60% of those students talk about educational topics on them, and 50% talk specifically about schoolwork. Yet the vast majority of school districts have strict rules against nearly all forms of social networking during the school day. I believe that schools should allow teachers to create social networking pages for their students to collaborate with each other. Since most students are comfortable using this technology there would be a familiarity with a style of interacting and inquiry that arises from browsing within these spaces. It would also be easy for students to work on this type of platform because they already know how to use it. Teachers could set up private pages for their own class so small groups can collaborate on projects, students can post questions and concerns, the site can be used to retain teacher notes, videos, podcasts, and other classroom activities. Students can also catch up on work if they were absent, they can develop, collaborate, and retain their own efforts over time. Teachers can also collaborate with other teachers and professionals for advice. I believe social networking if used properly and monitored effectively could be a really good tool to incorporate in the classroom.

Jessica Lindstrand
 * Chapter 4 **
 * Productivity Applications **

The most popular productivity tool according to the book is Google docs. I have never used Google docs and the way the book explains it seems like it would be a good idea for people who need to collaborate on a project, but do not have the ability to meet in person. It allows anyone involved to see the project, make changes to it, and comment on those changes. This is a good idea because I can’t think of any other way of doing this besides email. Google docs seems like a better alternative to email however because you wouldn’t have to send it and attach documents, it would just be on a platform for everyone to see themselves. This could be good in a classroom for projects, study groups, or even extra help. It could also help with getting feedback or displaying content and creating a showcase for learning. This type of technology can show how students work improves over time. Teachers can use this to post quizzes, syllabuses or even homework assignments. It can be a valuable tool for learning not only for students but also for educators. It could help students by having them work collaboratively and it could teach educators which methods work for their students, and which assignments they like best. It is a good way to expose students to technology that will benefit them. Jessica Lindstrand **Chapter 3** **Podcasts and Vodcasts**

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**‍‍‍**A podcast is an audio or video netcast (streamed or not streamed) and a vodcast is a video podcast. How can it be used in the classroom? Many prepared lessons exist for student of all ages and in all content areas. Teachers of very young children can find podcasts of stories, dramatic events, musical instruments, art, and information on science experiments. They are all readily available. An example of a podcast would be iTunes where you can download music to your computer or iPod and keep it there as long as you want and listen to it as much as you want. Educators are using podcasts to their advantage, they are using already prepared and free casts on many different subjects like English or social studies to listen to poets recite poems or get a history lesson from a Chinese historian. It is a nice tool to use, instead of just handing out a copy of a poem a teacher can find a podcast so the students can actually listen to the poet himself read the poem. They can also watch science experiments happening live as they are streaming and can even have the videos automatically each week. Podcasts could be useful tools in the classroom to keep students engaged and excited about learning. It gives students a break from the everyday routine of lecture and note taking and exposes them to the world outside of the classroom and brings them exciting and fun ideas. If used in the right way and if it is valuable to the lesson it would be a good idea for a teacher to find podcasts to use in the classroom whenever possible. ‍‍‍ ====== Jessica Lindstrand ** Microblogs-Twitter **
 * Chapter 2 **

In chapter two we learn about micro blogs which are best defined as sending short messages quickly to multiple readers on various devices. A huge example of micro blogging would be twitter. Twitter is a combination of micro blogging and texting with a character count limit. One of the parts of the chapter which I especially liked was when twitter was integrated in the classroom. Twitter can be integrated in the classroom environment when teachers need to keep in touch with peers, or when students need to be easily connected by reaching out to others in their class, school, community, or to get advice from experts. Twitter can increase confidence in students by them providing and getting feedback from others. Keeping students interactive helps them to stay motivated and engaged. It could also help teachers to remind students of assignments with short messages like, donÕt forget to read chapter 2. I believe using micro blogging in the classroom could be a valuable tool for students to stay connected to not only the teacher but other students as well. Say a teacher assigns a group project and it is not feasible that the group can meet up outside of school, so instead they can communicate effectively through micro blogging for concise ideas or to ask each other short questions quickly. If micro blogging is incorporated into the classroom in an effective manner and the students really enjoy and grasp on to the idea than it is a valuable learning tool. Jessica Lindstrand ** Blogs **
 * Chapter 1 **

In chapter one, we learn about blogs. A blog as defined in the text is a type of website made and maintained by a person using online software that is easy to use with a place for writing. Blogs are for people to read or comment on ideas offered on the blog site. A blogger is the term for a person who updates the page regularly with their own ideas and other feedback. The most recent post or blog will appear at the top of the page. Blogs are mainly text but can include others means of communication including videos, audio, photos etc. People like to use blogs because it allows them to express their opinions openly to many different people. Blogs can be very useful tools especially for educators because they make people think reasonably, advance communication skills, and help people to develop professionalism because they know their post can be seen by a wide range of individuals. Blogs are short comments that get to the point of what you are trying to say quickly. I myself have never blogged but it does seem like it would be a good tool to incorporate into the classroom learning environment. The stories in chapter one of how blogs helped different classrooms were interesting. I especially like the one where a blog helped at-risk high school students to increase social interaction because their blogs were anonymous and they did not feel embarrassed to say what was on their mind, which is very important. This is a really good example of how beneficial blogs can be for students. Jessica Lindstrand
 * I **** ntroduction Commentary **

The introduction tells us what web 2.0 really is. Web 2.0 is the new up and coming dimension of the World Wide Web. Today and in the future we are discovering so many new tools on the web we can use to better serve us not only for our own enjoyment but also educationally and professionally. The next generation of the web is focused on interacting with others and sharing and collaborating ideas and information. The new web goes from basic HTML to a more organized one that is user friendly. Components of web 2.0 are blogs, wikis, web quests, and other web services. The introduction to this book talks about what Web 2.0 is and how they want educators to use the new web in interesting ways to promote digital-age literacy which students should learn to become more creative, intuitive, professional and overall increase learning. There are eight CÕs educators should consider when thinking about using Web 2.0 to their and their students advantage. Web 2.0 helps with communication, students in the past have just written a paper and handed it in for a grade but now they could be able to post it to a blog and get feedback from other classmates and start an intellectual debate or forum. Web 2.0 could also help with collaboration, connectedness, forming a community of learners, creating convergence making research easier, contextualization, advancing complexity of computing known as cloud computing, and cost free applications like word processing. Web 2.0 can be a great tool for educators to incorporate into their classrooms for many great reasons including professional development and leadership of their students.