web 2.0

I love that we can use web 2.0 apps in the classroom. It makes learning so much more fun and valuable for everyone. I strongly believe that the more we are excited about our lesson, the more our students are engaged. It's easier to make elementary students excited than high school. For those who can get high school students excited to learn you are amazing! That would be a true test for me.

I think that web 2.0 apps can be utilized in the classroom so everyone is engaged and excited to learn. That is to me,the coolest thing about incorporating technology into your lessons. I love that we get to play with all these apps and learn something new every week. I have really enjoyed using Jing and Photostory. I can't wait to see what else we will discover in this class.

I think that blogs can be really useful for journaling ideas after class as homework assignments. I remember having to keep journals in my English classes and I think that it would have been so much cooler if we had used Blogs back then to journal our thoughts. That way we could share with others if we wanted.

I also think that being able to upload pictures and videos on apps such as Photostory and Animoto is amazing! It makes students want to actually get involved and do something more creative with their assignment. Creativity can really be taken to a whole new level with the new and everchanging technology we have at our fingertips.

Museum Box- 2.0 application

 I chose Museum Box as my Web 2.0 application. This is a fantastic site that offers students the chance to create their own virtual museum box on any topic, person, or historical date they wish to present. I think this would be so wonderful for any age of students, it even looks fun for our class! =) It's very easy to get around on the site, very user friendly program for any age. I uploaded my video to screencast.com ..I hope you enjoy it!

I discovered three other sites that were amazing for classrooms! The first I found was called BusyTeacher and I love it because it has a ton of great resources for busy teachers! The second app was smart.fm... it offers a schedule for learners with a busy schedule and works around their needs. The third app I also really enjoyed is correctmytext.com and it basically fixes your grammar problems if you speak another language or if you just struggle with your English.

Cloud Computing

I really liked the explanation of the woman at 3:28. She had a great definition or explanation of Cloud Computing by saying if you need software or hardware it's not cloud computing. She said all you need is an internet connection. She really helped me understand it for the first time, I wasn't really catching what the other guys were saying before her. I think Cloud Computing doesn't require extra work, from what I gathered from this video. The man in the video at 5:35 argues that it's web 2.0. I gather that it's the new next big thing in computing. According to Wikipedia, cloud computing is not something that requires knowledge of a physical location of your system. It is a current, updated form of web 2.0 where you don't need expertise in the technology infrastructure. I think I would do well with it if it doesn't require much. lol I also learned that the term cloud is a metaphor used for the internet.


Here is a defintiion from the National Instittue of Standards and Technology (NIST):"Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction."


So basically cloud computing is saved data into a database that is accessible via the internet, while web 2.0 is essentially the same thing with interactive shared software. It's still confusing to me. =)

Photo Story 3

I preferred Photo Story 3 more than Animoto. Although I really enjoyed using Animoto, it was just easier for me to put the story together in Photo Story. I had a lot of fun with both programs! I really enjoyed this assignment..I wish they were all this easy to put together, but I'm still learning. =) I think if I were to use these programs in the classroom the Photo Story would be more appropriate for Elementary students and I think Animoto would be great to use for 6-12 grade. I think the older kids would like the flow of Animoto better anyway. Here's my video from Animoto on how to make a spice cake.

My Podcast

Here is my podcast on what my future goals are for after graduation.

Copyright

I found a great website called 10 big myths about copyright. I think it kind of takes the stress out of a lot of people's worries. I feel like we are always so concerned that we might get in trouble or that we are copying something without even knowing about it! I enjoyed looking at this website and what it had to say. But on the other hand the website also warns about people that are too carefree with their work. There are many rules and regulations we need to pay attention to out there. 

Us Copyright Office is another great resource for understanding the rules and regulations of copyright. According to this website, copyright protects original works of authorship of expression. It covers published and unpublished works. You don't have to register for your work to be copyrighted either. This link, Copyright Basics was attached to the article. It gives great detail as to what the Copyright basics are. Needless to say, there are a LOT of details to this topic.