Tool #6

This website is very similar to google docs. It basically is useful in the same way, people can coordinate without having to send, re-send, and reply to tons of e-mails. I feel that this tool is more useful for projects and experiments. Students can use this to create a project together and then share it with the rest of the class. It would make it easier for different groups of students to compare information quickly. This would also be a fun way to have kids teach each other about different topics that they have learned about. I can really see this as a fun useful tool for kids to use. They might also enjoy seeing there work online and be able to show it to there parents and relatives.

Tool #5

These bookmarking website is really useful. I found the following two websites that seemed very interesting. One personally interesting to me cause I love soccer and its nice to find a website that sells cheap soccer jersey. The other website is a fun website with different tools to use in school with technology. The key words I used to find these two websites was "cheap soccer jersey" and "teacher supplies"

www.jersey99.com

http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/

It would be very beneficial to use these websites to have a set of bookmarked websites for the kids to use when they are on the netbooks. This way you no for sure the students are going to websites that you have already approved.

Tool 4

I believe that it is very apparent what all the benefits of google reader and Docs is. Basically making it simpler to share and cooperate with others. However, all though there are benefits, I can't help but worry about the detriment to the way all these children work together. If we give students more ways of sitting in front of a computer instead of face to face with someone, how will that affect their social skills. I strongly believe that our society is being negatively affected by the amount of interaction we do online and lack of personal interactions we have with the people in our communities. It is completely different to change the way and document looks online, and type in your ideas, and discuss things through a computer, then it is to have to cooperate face to face. When cooperating with people who are present there is a need for skills such as listening, compassion, emphathy, respect and understanding body language. Most of these are not present when discussing through a computer. There is no empathy for someone's feelings when you can not see them physically.  I believe that by constantly using these applications it is not allowing students the chance to build the skills needed for personal interactions. I would hate to see a future were nobody goes out for coffee, or lunch, or just to hang-out and talk because they can just sit in front of a computer and talk to people there. 

Tool #3

These applications are so much fun. They would be extremely useful in the classroom as a fun aspect for the kids to use to learn new vocabulary, or they can even summarize a book using the pictures. It would simply add a fun aspect to the way kids are learning different subjects.

Tool #2 Community and Commenting

1. Everyone is part of a community, whether it be work, hobby or religious. I think being part of a community gives all of us a sense of support and belonging. Thus, creating an online community for educators to share ideas and support one another is a great opportunity for all of us to grow and help our students grow as well. The bigger the community, the deeper its influence. If we continue to communicate online with people we would otherwise never even know our potential to improve so many aspects of education is great.

2. I think everything about the commenting advice was very helpful. With the first blog I had, I did not readily comment of other people's blogs. Mostly for fear of what others might think about what I commented. So if I did, it was short and meaningless. But after reading the advice, I realized how important it is to comment and to make it meaningful. It helps the author, and it helps the whole community that we as educators are trying to build.

3. Hard at Work
    Mrs. Hoover's First Grade
    Miss Williams First Grade
    Life long Learning
    Becoming a 21st Century Learner

Tool #1 Beginning the Voyage

As I started this blog it quickly reminded me of the my years in college. I joined Facebook and Myspace my freshman year in college. Shortly after, I also created a blog. However, I grew tired of trying to keep up with it and writing in it everyday so I deleted within a year. 5 years later, I once again find myself starting up a blog page. It simply amazes me how fast things progress and change. I would have never imagined that doing a blog  would be required for a job. I'm very excited and eager to learn more, this time I feel more motivated to keep it updated.