Lasting Words

Words in a Cloud
By: Samatha Morra

This article is about Samatha's experience with Wordle , a free web based tool that creates word clouds. The Wordle takes text and uses the most common words and places them as the biggest in the cloud. Then the student can change the colors and sizes of the words.

She used this tool with her students and the Declaration of Independence. Her students liked it so much she let them use it on texts of their choice. She said they did other topics that lead to great class discussions. One of which kept the kids until after the bell rang. She also took this tool to a teachers workshop. The teachers used the tool in their classrooms and one said it made a difference on her students' papers.

Wordle is a great tool for discussion starters. Giving the students a way to express themselves without worrying about grammar is a great tool. It also gives the students creativity by allowing them to change the colors depending on the topics. I would use this web tool for a project of mine as well.

Quick Reads

Digital Libraries Shifting the Landscape
By: Glen Bull and Martha Sites

Google is coming out with new digital books. They are working with authors to transfer their work onto the web. These websites provide past and current issues of magazines, journals, newspapers, and fiction and non-fiction books. These books are not only available on computers, but on phones as well, anything that can connect you to the internet and you can have a book on the screen.

There are also digital book readers. You download a book onto a digital pad and you can read it from the screen. They also have a read aloud option that you can listen to instead of read. These books are called Kindle books. The creators of these books have also made devices that will allow the book to be posted on a digital whiteboard. Although these books may seem great they do have some drawbacks, they do take time to download from page to page and are expensive to buy and fix. You can find these books at Google book search on their web page.

I think these books are a great idea. They will lower the use of paper and can give students, teachers, and readers more options while they read. Teachers can use the digital whiteboards to help teach visually. The students can use the read aloud option to help with comprehension and the everyday reader can download a book to their computer while waiting in the airport. What I see as a drawback is that the digital book readers can be expensive and many student wouldn't have the means to buy one, but the Google book search on the internet is a good idea, many students now have access to the internet though school or public libraries and can download a book cheaper then having to buy them. They are quick and easy ways to learn and read.

Facebook for Learning?

Tapping The Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development
by: Christine Greenhow

This article provides information on social networking cites and their contribution to teachers and their students. Social bookmarking sites such as CiteUlike, Dingo, and Delicious are sites that allow teachers to communicate and share scholarly information to other teachers and professionals. Which may provide insight to their own teaching styles and attitudes.

Other websites teacher can use, not only for connecting with other professionals, but with their students as well are sites such as Facebook and Myspace. Teacher can reference their students sites to gain feedback from the days class. Teachers can reflect and These sites provide ways for students to express creativity and gain feedback from their peers. It also helps student by giving them emotional support, giving them a way to vent frustrations, stress, and even satisfaction with themselves or classroom experience.

I think that these social networking sites provide good opportunities for students and teachers to gain respect for each other. It can also give teachers insight to what their students are thinking and if their lessons are working. They can adapt their curriculum accordingly. Websites like Dingo help teachers collaborate their lessons and find new lessons to help foster a more creative environment.

Use what they are Using

Are We There Yet?

Changing Trends in Online Learning and Internet Use

Throughout the years the use of the internet has increased dramatically. In 2006 the U.S. Department of Education Study recorded a 80% increase of public instructional classrooms with internet access. Adolescents between the ages of 12-17 are the largest growing group of internet users. In 2005 there was a study done that determined the average adolescent spent 9 hours on the internet every week. But is this higher usage a better thing? There are things we have not determined about internet usage, like they quality of peoples internet usage,  the differences in participation among diverse groups of learners, and the outcome of learning opportunities available with newer web-based technologies. 

Researchers are trying to answer these questions and they have come up with ideas to benefiting our students learning. By incorporating technologies that students already use, improve the visibility of individual projects so all can see each other's work at any given time, and improve the adult online mentor-facilitators' strategies for motivating seemingly less-engaged students. These techniques will help educators gear students to more of a learning experience on the internet. 

I think that one of the best things a teacher can do is use the internet. As shown in this article the number of students using the internet is  growing, but what are they doing? I think that if you use the same technologies the students are using they will be more likely to use them and understand them and incorporate learning into them. Also, if we bombard the students with many different types of websites to join they will become overwhelmed and confused, less likely to really grasp the concept of the projects.