Thing #3 - Like Skype

....I have to admit I was staring at a brick wall for ideas on how to use Skype or Skype-type apps (other than remote conversations) until I read the very last article - 50 Ways to Use Skype in the Classroom.
Idea #51 - students who are in an 'alternate instructional setting' could be connected to the class via Skype.
The most practical and do-able would be the interaction between students who are learning other languages. Skype presents incredible language application opportunities. The other practical application would be to link students and professionals in the field like the museum currator or the author.
Big drawback - webcams cost $. Maybe not much, but they do cost.

Thing #2 Image Generators

Wordle - can be a bit addictive, to say the least....but I think students would totally enjoy the results when using their own writing to see if they really did make their point.

Glogster - is the new tri-fold posterboard presentation but with incredibly amped up tech features. The depth of the end-product is virtually limitless. I've seen some really cool Glogster products by some of the other players so I think I'm going to continue to work on mine. Trying to figure out how to layer video images like one of the other players, Maria. Back to the drawing board. BTW - my students are going to absolutely LOVE this application.

Voice Thread - is a fantastic supplement to the whole group discussion, which is always limited by time constraints in the classroom. With the ability to be topic specific, teachers and students could have a discussion forum beyond the classroom. How many times have we thought of a FABulous comment that would have 'iced the cake' AFTER class? The Voice Thread option allows a continuation of valuable discussion as students and teachers have had additional time to process classroom discussion.

Bookr - could be used to fulfill any number of assignments - flashcards, event sequencing, main ideas, character development. It appears to be a much simpler forum, so I'm not sure of the capability limits or possibilities. Which in itself may be a good thing, the simplicity may encourage more usage and build techno-confidence for those who need more.

.....and just because I kept going on this Thing.... I created my first ANIMOTO. It is of my oldest daughter's college graduation. Found the perfect song and the whole thing turned out FABulously. My family thinks I'm some kind of techno genius. Sure!

Thing #1 'Playing Again' getting started

time to play again - I need a refresher, so I'll have to work on refining this blog site. oh well, it's nice to earn staff development hours on my couch on my own schedule.
note to self- do a better job of storing account and/or password info

So....my response to the teacher tube video. The roles of teacher and student have changed dramatically. No longer is the teacher the leader and the student follows behind, sponging up information as they trail the teacher. It's almost as if the teacher was dropping bread crumbs as bits and pieces of factoids for the student to retain. Now the teacher walks alongside the student or maybe just observes from a traffic helicopter point of view. The shift of perspective will facilitate students achieving a higher level of cognition than the simple memorization/recall of the breadcrumb era.