Week 6-Halfway There!

Well, we're at the halfway point. How is it going? For this week's assignment, I'm asking you to do three things:

1. Provide a little bit of information about your experience so far by answering these questions:
On average how much time do you spend on the assignments?
Do you check back after you post your comment to read other comments?

2. Revisit the previous blog posts (find access to the archived posts in the lower right corner hand of this page), and read through the comments. Find at least one thing to comment on and "reply" to that comment by clicking "reply" and leaving an insight, answer, or suggestion to that comment. One of the benefits of blogging is the conversation it allows for. Imagine if we had done this class via email. I could have sent you each week's post in an email and you could have responded to me with a reply to that email. However, notice how much richer it is to see and respond to each other's thinking using the blog instead.

3. Leave a comment to this post with your "mid-term" reflection. Anything you want to share is fine, but here a few questions you might want to consider: How is this set up working for you? How does learning this way stack up next to more traditional ways of learning? Have you learned anything about the way you learn that might impact how you teach? Any suggestions for the second half of the class? Remember--commenting on someone else's post counts.

Week 5-Podcasts

One of the ways Mr. Coley engages students in their learning, keeps parents informed of new learning and provides students with resources is by creating podcasts. Under Podcasting Resources, Mr. Coley explains how a podcast is differnt from an audio/video file and how to create an RSS feed. Any type of audio/video recording of students can be time consuming, but once you get the hang of it and learn how to mange it in the classroom the possibilities are endless!

As a first grade teacher, one way I used audio was to create a retelling of The Little Red Hen. This story is a part of our Communities unit. I used the built in recorder on my teacher laptop, recorded the students reading and added the audio files to a PowerPoint. Another way I used audio was to record my students singing songs about Australia and added it to a presentation of our Imaginary Flight to Australia using Windows Movie Maker. One way I used video was to create a presentation for Open House connected to our learning of Community Contributors. Using a digital camera, I recorded the students explaining what they want to be when they grow up. I shared this work with parents through my classroom blog. Next time I'd like to take it a step further and created a podcast!

For this weeks post, visit ColeyCast and StudyCast. Share how you would use audio/video recordings to enhance your curriculum. Would you record yourself and/or students? Would you create a podcast or post audio/video files to your SWIFT site/send as an e-mail? How would you poll your parents/students to find which would be best for them?

Week 4-iPod Flash Cards

A few weeks ago Kimberly and I were talking and somehow the idea of creating flash cards came up. She suggested creating flash cards for students to access using their iPods. While searching online she came across Mr. Coley's website. After looking at his site we figured he must be single because how could he maintain such a wonderful classroom website. (His website shows he is married with children. How does he do it?) Mr. Coley has been kind enough to give us directions on how to create flash cards for our students using PowerPoint. He also has a library of flash cards that he has created. I was eager to try it myself and realized that in addition to parents/students putting the flash cards on an iPod, I could e-mail the presentation to parents and they could then open the attachment on their phone and allow their child to practice their math facts or spelling words in the car or grocery store. They could also access them on their computer. There are so many ways to help our students succeed!

For this weeks post:

Explain how you could see yourself using/creating flash cards for your students. How would you provide access to your cards for parents/students? Give it a try using his directions/tutorials and let us know your successes and challenges.

Next week we will explore Mr. Coley's site further. He has so many great ideas!

Week 3-King County Library System

Did you know that the King County Library System has numerous resources on its website for adults and children? By visiting the main page you will see many options for you and your students. Do you have a unit coming up? Don't be limited to the books at your local branch. You can place a hold on books from any location online. You will receive an e-mail when they are ready AND you can decide where you would like your books delivered. Choose from any of their locations!

There are so many ways you can use the King County Library website as a teaching tool and with students. Click on Databases then Kids to access several paid websites for free. Just use your library card number and pin! Visit the Kids Page to access book lists and reviews. Visit Good Books for Kids and rate the stories you have read as a class. Visit the Kidreads blog to comment on the librarians' reviews. Encourage families to read your ratings/comments and to use the site at home.

For this weeks post, explore the website then tell us what you found and what you plan to use in your classroom.