What I learned fromNik's Learning Site

Nik had a great idea to gather websites that he uses to promote teaching, and sharing them with other educators so they could enhance their students knowledge. I surveyed a few of the sites and discovered a large network of usable helpful links. In addition Nik invites viewers to visit and give their opinion on the effectiveness of each site. I visited the site on environment and it directed student to assess their carbon footprints. Nik suggests practical uses for the site and also what he does not like about the site. I also reviewed the topic on lesson plans. Nik provided me valuable information on the use of video clips in the classroom. I am familiar with you tube, but Nik advised me about one set up for teachers. I plan to use this because the students love this visual form of learning. I have learned the importance of labels for the posts and topics. I clicked on the "rss" topic and surprislingly it linked me to Larry Ferlazzo website of teaching ELL using the web. The site is a link to other links to increase a teachers ability to communicate, utilize technology, and explore new ways to spark students interest.

Using music websites to teach

My attempts to try music websites for English Language Learners was not productive. I tried to navigate the links and was unsuccessful. I love the concept but was frustrated in linking to the recommended websites.

great sites for ESL teachers

More sites to navigate as a teacher. The top sites for 2009 are reviewed for the novice and advanced technologically teacher. Students can be directed to this site to search for information. The search engine site reminds me of the old microfiche machines that allows the student to view documents on a hanging folder one at a time. The user can also create video clips with one of the recommended sites. A fun site to play with and experiment.

our planet is in trouble

Viewing this site brought tears to my eyes. Our planet is in peril. We are destroying our planet at an alarming rate. The site is an excellent tool that can be used in the science classroom. It effectively uses video shorts to emphasize the destruction of human impact. I especially liked the interactive map that allows the student to travel around the world by clicking on the worldwide map. The various locations allow viewing of pictures documenting threats to our planet.

reaction to student wiki

The site was useful and linked the student to many popular wiki sites. It also allowed the students to use the tools adopted by the site such as youtube and audio tools. There were also fun sites for the students to explore and trade pictures, create and share slide shows.

Tips for the novice blogger

The article was rather enlightening. It did relief and reduce my stress level. I can follow the tips provided to accomplish blogging. If my students use this as their mode of communication then I now realize it must be mastered and utilized as an effective tool to teach. The site gave pratical and possible strategies for operating a blog within the classroom.

classroom webbing

The post about webbing in the class is very informative about the frustrations of the students.

Blogging reasons

There are many useful ways to use the blogs. I think with enough practice the students can master this technique. The most impressive feature is world wide communication and the large audience for the writers. The student is able to read other viewpoints and communicate with other people. I do think it makes them socially isolated.

shifthappens

The video had fasinating but not surprising statistics about our younger generation. What can we do as a nation to change the statistics. Just teaching our kids to use the technology is not going to solve the problem if they can't read and write.
videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U