Cathy+Kaska

The tools I am familiar with coming into this class are Blogster, Wikispaces, Animoto, Voice Thread, Google docs, Google Reader --I know there are more, but these are the ones on the top of my head.

New ones I'd like to explore are the Photopeach -- which I can see having possibilities in my reading class; the Read, Write, Think template for flyers, brochures, and newspapers -- which has wonderful publishing possibilities in my lang. arts class; and some of the flip book sites which could probably have applications in either classroom. The drawback for all these, of course, is computer availability. It seems frustrating to me to have all these tools so close, but not enough computers for all students to have immediate access whenever it is necessary. The longer it takes for our school to go one on one, the further behind I think we will be.

I'm sort of anxious to try to embed some of my tinkerings on this page -- I hope I can figure it out. I have never done it on the Wiki before, although I have done both documents, images, and video on my blog page before. How much more difficult could it be??? (With ME? Who can really say?)

=**//__Web 2.0 Connections and Personal Learning Network: Sites discovered through class and at-home exploration__//**= (Web 2.0) || Free site for creating "posters" using main ideas or concepts. || Reading class for character analysis, plot sequence, conflicts, etc. || Could be used as another quick formative assessment -- brainstorming as a class or individually. || Quick and easy to use -- visual. || (Web 2.0) || A free site devoted to quick slide shows & videos. I was interested in this one as an alternative to Animoto. || I think this will be an option for showing learning or creating storylines in reading or language arts. || It probably could be used as a means for publishing & illustrating documents in lang. arts. Could be used as a visual "journal" for reading. Also as a final product for research topics. || Photopeach seemed to be a little easier to navigate than Animoto or Voice Thread to me. I liked the final product and the ease with which it was put together. || (Web 2.0) || This site is an online publishing tool designed to display thoughts & ideas on a single topic. I was interested in this site as a publishing option for language arts or a way to "review" books for reading. || I would offer this to lang. arts students. || I think this is another option for publishing student work in lang. arts. || I'm going to have to play with this one some more. I couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to do. I can see students enjoying the creative aspect of spotlighting their writing. || (Web 2.0) || Interactive template for creating booklets, flyers, newspapaers, or brochures. Makes formatting a snap. Again, I thought this would offer publishing options in lang. arts class. || This website is going to be invaluable for lang. arts AND reading classes. || Great publishing option and also has applications for relating storylines in reading. || The entire site is so user friendly -- I can't believe I haven't stumbled on this and used it more before! Students will easily be able to navigate and publish their work. || (Web 2.0) || On line bulletin board for "pinning up" thoughts and comments. A quicker option for silent "discussion" than wikis. || Easy formative assessment tool -- reading OR lang. arts. || I can see this as a spot check for comprehension in reading classes. Also a way for individuals to jot down ideas for writing topics. || It would be pretty easy to set up a class account or have students sign in individually -- or just use mine. || (Web 2.0) || On line venue for posting information and conducting "discussion" || For lang. arts (oral publishing) & reading (book review/discussion) || I can see writers reading their own work with their own illustrations and others commenting on the writing. I can see also book discussion taking place as readers record comments and reactions to books they've read. || I think the greater the variety of ways to convey what students are learning, the better -- and Voice Thread is another tool to keep in the shed. || (PLN) || On line reservoir for keeping favoriters. I am thinking that Diigo is an alternative to Twitter as a social network for me. || It seems to be somewhat less overwhelming to me than Twitter. || It seems less distracting than Twitter and easier to organize; yet, there is still an element of sharing as groups are formed, lists made. || For me, much more user friendly and less time to spend maintaining/checking. || (PLN/Web 2.0) || Tools for communicating ideas & thoughts in sort of an on line newsletter/journal format. || Application for all classrooms and PLN. || Way for students to keep abreast of assignments and expectations in classroom and for colleagues to monitor what's going on in other classrooms. || I enjoy using the blogs and wikis, but it's a little frustrating not knowing if it's being viewed or not. Little or no feedback from anyone. || (PLN/Web 2.0) || I was interested in this site as an alternative for Twitter. || It's not public. I enter names of students I want to have access. || Safe way to communicate and interact without going to all the trouble of setting up a Wiki. || Seemed to be pretty user friendly. || (PLN) || An on line organizer for web tools. || Personal use -- to check my on line resources in one spot. || I had a page set up for my personal use before this class, but now I have one set up for my school accounts too. I like being able to check email, google reader, diigo, etc. on one place with the option to open the tool from there if I feel it's necessary. || Easy to set up and use. I like this tool. || (PLN) || RSS aggregator/manager. || To check activity on subscribed blogs, wikis, and web sites. || Again, I had this set up before this class, but I didn't know I could access it through iGoogle. Now it's much easier to maintain, and I think I'll use it more. || It's a little overwhelming at times, but it's still a good way to keep your fingers on the pulse of what's happening on line in my areas of interest. ||
 * **Wordle.com**
 * **Wordle.com**
 * **Photo Peach.com**
 * **Glogster.com**
 * **ReadWriteThink.com**
 * **Wallwisher.com**
 * **Voice Thread**
 * **Diigo.com**
 * **Blogs/Wikis**
 * **Twiducate.com**
 * **iGoogle.com**
 * **Google Reader.com**