WEB 2.0 MUSINGS

Nothing really seems quick in this Web 2.0 world.   I’m really talking about the speed at which I seem to pick things up.  I have to linger and mull, dwell and ruminate.  And yet, according to Vicki Davis’ blog post Wiki Wiki Teaching, students seem to grab on to Web 2.0 with lightning speed. And the surprising part, is that they often run further and faster than ever could be imagined.  That would be exciting!

In Thing 8 (week 4) … oh my I am behind … I investigated Mr. Monson’s Grade 5 Classroom wiki.  Looks like the students are having fun posting a new question each month for their world audience to answer.  I was able to contribute to the list of 1000 things we do to conserve energy.  Yikes!  This page seems to have disappeared.  Sorry, I can’t give you the link. The ephemeral nature of web pages. One thing that I am especially proud about in my contribution to energy conservation is learning to hang up clothes to dry!  We’ll see if my electric bill actually goes down for my efforts.

Small Stones has students posting a daily review of work done in an AP Calculus class.  Hmm…using a wiki perhaps not daily but for chapter summaries could be useful!

I like the way students research the issues and stances of political candidates in the Great Debate of 2008.  The front page describes how the project works, its guidelines and an invitation to participate.  The sidebars shows pages organized by topics … civil rights, death penalty, health care, etc. 

When I first saw a wiki last September (Shelley Paul’s visit to ‘Iolani), I thought it might be useful as a collaborative tool for teachers of Algebra 1A.  We were teaching out of a new text, so sharing of tests, quizzes, and worksheets was particularly helpful.  Unfortunately, the wiki never saw flight and we continued our exchange of ideas using ‘Iolani’s antiquated email system.  Maybe this year!

Just came back from a week in Oregon and Washington, so there’s quite a bit of catch up to do.  Thanks, Suzanne, for the nudge.

The fun part of having a Google reader is that you can collect not just all the educational stuff, but items that are meant to encourage summer fun and exploration.

Here’s an educational example:  In his Instructify blog, Bill Ferris talks about wolgram Alpha as one of the five great tools for math teachers .  Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge engine.  Ask any question involving mathematics or data, and this search engine will respond with facts, graphs, charts, and multiple representations.  Interested in the value of Ï€?  Type in pi.  You’ll see decimal approximations as well as series expansions.  Pi doesn’t interest you?  Type what’s in a Big Mac.  Knowing  that you’ll consume 510 calories and 28 fat grams from this delicious burgermight keep you away from McDonald’s!

A summertime fun example:  Want to experiment in the kitchen?  Itching to try a new recipe?  Elise Bauer’s personal blog Simply Recipes became one of Time Magazine’s 50 coolest websites of 2006.  Elise writes:

A few years ago I started writing down the recipes I had grown up with and posting them to my website. I had just turned 40, and had spent most of my adult life working as a hectic Silicon Valley consultant with little time to cook, let alone learn how to cook beyond what I had learned growing up. I come from a big family – six kids – and thought what a terrific family project, to document our family recipes!

I think I might try Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey Sausage tonight.  I only wish that the zucchinis came from my own garden!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Google Reader is up and running!  I set it up awhile ago, with the required blog sites, and now after a little hiatus, I am back.  The real challenge with all these Web 2.0 tools  to remember what I did and why I did it and how to do it all over again.  How do I mark an item read?  What if I want to look at it again?  Do all websites have RSS feed links, or just blog sites? 

I am trying to relearn and to play and to make it all stick in my brain.  To my great joy, I was able to do something new today; I set up a feed for podcasts from one of the NPR film critics.  In case you were thinking of going to the movies this weekend, it’s thumbs down on The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock.

Moving on to the task of Thing 5:  reflect upon an item from the reader that caught your eye.  So after scrolling, skimming, and skipping, I came across Bill Ferris’s post on Instructify.  He write about a site where teachers can download pictures for FREE.  That is, you won’t have to worry about 1) paying for the pic or 2) violating copyright laws.  At Pics4Learning, you can use photographs in your lesson plans or even contribute your own pictures.  When I used the search feature (I entered King Kamehameha), it didn’t come up with anything close to the image of the Hawaiian warrior.  So at this point, I’m not sure how useful the site is for getting exactly the image you want!  Keep on searching … and let me know if you find a better resource!