Kathy+Al-Khanfar

Web tools I will use in my classroom:

1.) I was excited by the website [|www.meegenius.com]. It reads the text from picture books it has available on the web. As the story is being read each word in the text is highlighted. This will keep the students engaged and their eyes on the text while reading along with the narrator. The narration is exceptional with excellent use of expression, phrasing, and rate. It models good reading for students. Another good option provided by this website is that the stories can be personalized. You can put your students’ names into the story. The text cannot be read by the internet narrator after personalization though. But I thought this would be a fun way to recapture the students’ interest and get them to enjoy repeat reading the story independently or in partner groups. I plan on using this website with my lowest reading group next year. cn

2.) [|www.prezentit.com] is a website where you can create group presentations that several different people can work on. With the presentation saved on the internet, students are able to do work from home. They could also work on their portion of the project simultaneously working from different computers. I plan on incorporating this web tool into a lesson on the body systems in science. I will assign each group their body system then assign each student a portion of the system for them to find a photo and write a caption for. Projects will be presented to the class.

3.) [] is a site that I already enjoy for personal use and would love to incorporate into my classroom. I can see using it to show students where the continents, oceans, hemispheres, etc. are located on an actual photo of the earth instead of on a drawn map. I would also like to see google earth used in a cooperative learning activity. Each group of students could be assigned something to locate and show to the class on google earth, then define it. Presentations using google earth are very engaging for students. It is just cool to see the earth turn from where we are to where what you are looking for is located. Kids love it, and I have to admit I love it too. I will also use google earth to show students where different countries they read about in stories are located. And in science class the students will write reports on habitats and locate where they are in the world.



4.) [] is a site where you can create presentations with photos, voice recordings, and video clips. I am very impressed with this website. I created a short introduction to slavery. I can see this being used on a regular basis in the classroom for children to create research projects to present to the class. I can see it being used in almost any class, from doing a book report in reading, to science and social studies reports, and even explaining math concepts.

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5.) www.wallwisher.com is a site where you can create an electronic bulletin board where students can post notes. This will work well for brainstorming ideas or assessing prior knowledge or as a summarizing tool to help students reflect on what they have learned. It will be a great way to engage more students in the discussion than just the ones who always have their hands in the air. You can move the notes around so similar ideas can be grouped together.

=**PLN Tools:**=

1.) Twitter is a tool I can use to communicate with other teachers. I can use twitter to learn new ideas as well as share some ideas of my own. Twitter can be used as a way to collaborate with other educators to better meet our students' needs.



2.) I have signed up for Diigo. Through Diigo I can bookmark internet sites useful to me as an educator. This is very handy for me especially since I work in several different classrooms and use a different computer in each room. During the last week of school this year I had to write down a web address to pull up a site with a learning activity I used in class. Diigo would have been useful to me for this lesson and will be useful for me in the future.

3.) Skype is a way to send both text messages and to speak with someone through the internet. I have used MSN Messenger's version of this to stay in touch with my husband's family in Kuwait. It is awesome to do the webcam calls and to actually see people so far away. You feel more connected when you have a face to face conversation. It is almost like going to visit them. The next best thing to being there! I don't know if I would always want to use this feature with Skype, but I love being able to message someone when they are signed in and instantly get a reply back.

4.) Creating a classroom blog is an excellent way to get connected with parents and other classrooms. A classroom blog can also be very motivating to students. They work harder on projects when they know they will be showcased on the blog and that an audience of their parents, peers, and even students from other classrooms will view their work. I will be able to share the internet tools I learned about in this class with my students to help them create projects. These can be displayed on the blog. This way students can share what they have learned, their ideas, and creativity with others. As a special education teacher, who always has to keep confidentiality in mind, I will help the classroom teachers with their classroom blogs instead of creating one of my own. I will suggest projects to post and help teach students how to use internet tools to create them.

=Final Reflection:=

Taking this course has helped me feel like a 21st century teacher instead of outdated and somewhat "lost" when it comes to technology. I can't wait to teach students to use the internet tools I have discovered. I think creating projects on the web will be much more engaging than having students write old fashion reports. I am excited to see what my students will create next year and how this will help further their education and prepare them for their future in the digital world.