Ann+Hektoen

**Web 2..0 Examples**

 * Wallwisher is an online bulletin board where participants post sticky notes. I would use it in the classroom as a formative assessment on a new topic to find out what students know and what they are interested in learning. Wallwisher can also serve as a hook at the beginning of learning or for reflection at the end of a unit. My example below for Lewis and Clark is both an assessment and a hook. I appreciate the user-friendliness of this tool.

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 * Wordle is an online tool for generating word clouds. The clouds give prominence to more frequent words in the text source. You can change fonts, color schemes, and layouts. In other words, Wordle is a graphic representation of the most frequently used words in text. I use Wordle in the classroom for students to analyze their writing. They copy and paste their podcast script, blog post, or poem into Wordle and have a beautiful picture of their ideas. Students enjoy creating Wordles and love to share them. I will expand my use of this tool by using it to introduce a topic.
 * My examples of Wordle**: I created a Wordle on the prairie and will use it to discuss the larger words to begin our prairie unit. 2nd example is student created. Student copied her blog post into Wordle and used custom colors to make this beautiful word picture of deforestation.





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 * PhotoPeach is a tool used to create a free slideshow in seconds. You can upload photos, pick music, and add captions. I created a delightful slideshow of my grandson in minutes and am quite happy with the product. In the classroom, students could create a slideshow after field trips or they could show the steps in a science experiment. Following is an example of how students could record their learning using pictures from a field trip.
 * PodOmatic is a tool where you can publish a podcast online. From there, the podcast can be embedded in a blog. My home internet connection is very very slow when uploading files, so I was not able to upload my own podcast and embed it here. Laurie LaVan has excellent examples of embedded podcasts on her school web page using PodOmatic. Just give me time and I will upload my own podcasts! When students create podcasts, they develop 21st century skills of using digital tools and resources to investigate real-world issues, answer questions, or solve problems.

Personal Learning Network - PLN
According to David Jakes, it takes only 15 minutes a day to learn something new. My new goal is to learn something new from my personal learning network daily! I can do this! Following are web tools I am using to build my PLN.

I have tried to load my picture of my TweetDeck several times with no success. Will move on to other homework! Hope you understand with my slower home connection! Thanks! Other tools in my PLN are Skype and Diigo.
 * I created a [|new blog] at Blogger.com. It's called Mrs. Hektoen's Classroom and is about teaching and learning in an elementary gifted classroom. I hope to communicate with parents and students and will post project examples, etc. Blogging supports my PLN because it allows me to dig more deeply into what I am thinking and to carry on conversations with others about that thinking. I'll probably learn what I think as I write. Blogging supports classroom content by serving as a model for student blogging. My goal is for all of my students to have their own blog. Blogging is a way for students to use their digital native skills by writing for an authentic audience and by posting digital files like podcasts, etc.
 * I check in with GoogleReader on a daily basis. I probably have too many blogs to follow right now and in time my reduce my list to the ones that help me the most. I added blogs from experts in technology, gifted education, and FCSD. By reading blog posts I am constantly learning essentials in 21st century teaching and learning as well as important information about gifted students. I love one [|post] that lists "knows all the dinosaur names in kindergarten" as an indicator of giftedness. Google Reader supports classroom content when I find great resources for student learning from [|The Gifted Child Information Blog].
 * TweetDeck amazes me even though I barely know how to use it! I finally posted my first tweet informing everyone about my new blog, but since I don't have a photo uploaded yet, no one can tell who sent the tweet! Very mysterious. I took my picture on photobooth and could not figure out how to add it to my profile. I'm still learning. To be continued. TweetDeck supports my PLN because I am constantly updated about resources and teaching ideas. I liked Aaron Becker's tweet to move from topic to concept...not just butterflies, but migration. For me, not just animals on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but change in the animals on the Expedition. TweetDeck supports classroom content when I find a new tool to help students learn content. Suzanne Kurth's tweet about[| Zoobursts] will encourage me to look at that tool.

Iowa Core Curriculum Integrated Lesson Plan
Our group completed a lesson plan on using non-fiction reading materials across grade levels and content and then completing a VoiceThread on their topic. Our group posted our reflection to the Iowa Core wiki.

Reflections
Following are posts: I mentioned that I finally tweeted but since I didn't have a picture, no one can tell I tweeted. Oh well. I am going to tweet again, without a picture. I will get one online soon!
 * 21st Century Skills Wiki
 * Web 2.0 Resources
 * PLN (created 2 posts)
 * TPACK
 * Iowa Core