Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The Future of Web 2.0
Malik also mentions that Web 2.0 applications offer software on demand, cheap hardware, open standards, and tons of bandwidth. This really hit home for me. Every year is constant struggle for teachers and schools in terms of budget. Important programs are being cut, and good teachers are losing jobs due to budget cuts. Can we depend on Web 2.0 for all our technology needs? Probably not...but think of the opportunities it presents in terms of helping with budget demands. So much of it is online, is free, and is able to downloaded. Right now, it seems to me that the fear present when discussing Web 2.0 is simply due to a lack of knowledge. If we educate our teachers and our students on the benefits of Web 2.0 and give it some time to sink in, it could become a very important asset in education.
Monday, July 23, 2007
YackPack (Podcast Report #4)
I found YackPack to be very intriguing. It only seems logical that you can talk faster than you can type or write. What a perfect way to get a quick message to someone without taking the time to write it down. Teachers could record lessons, oral notes, or lectures, and students could access them outside of the one time they hear it in class. Business people could record meeting content and relay information through a podcast rather than face-to-face. In class, we also talked about using YackPack when grading projects. The worst part about giving a project in the classroom is the time it takes to give each kid the feedback they deserve after the work they put in. It can take hours and hours to write or even type all you want to say. How fun (and maybe a little easier for the teacher) would it be for the students to get their feedback in a YackPack message rather than on a paper rubric? You could send class announcements or reminders about due dates using YackPack. The only roadblock I can see is that I don’t work for a district where the students have school email addresses. I would venture a guess that most students have a personal email account but not all. Again, how do we keep things fair and reach our students without access to a computer or the Internet? It is a never-ending battle.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Radio WillowWeb
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Gliffy (Software Report #3)
Gliffy allows you to create “Inspiration”-like diagrams and graphic organizers in your web browser without having to download any software. You can design a variety of diagrams including flowcharts, floor plans, and network diagrams. The site not only allows you to draw the diagrams on the web, but you can then share them with others. It uses an easy drop-and-drag method of placing the icons and text into the document to create the diagram. A large variety of geometric shapes, arrows, and colors are available to help customize your design.
This seems to have limitless possibilities in a classroom. Students could create timelines, flowcharts, outlines, or character analyses to name a few. Teachers could use Gliffy to create a seating chart of their classroom. They could type in the names of the students using the text box features and then change the names when a new seating chart is needed.