Thing 4 - Communication Tools

I finally used Skype! I think it was quite easy and pretty fun. My friend, Emily, is on the main screen and she is an avid Skyper. She lives in Chicago and Skypes with her family and nieces in Iron Mountain. Her nieces always ask if she is in their house. It's cute.

I definitely think this would be a valuable teaching and learning tool in the classroom. People from all over the world could be in contact with a few keystrokes. It would be awesome to see people from other cultures so students in the U.S. could see different customs, clothing, and lifestyles. Using Skype would be great to communicate with 'pen pals' throughout the world, scientists, explorers, poets, authors, etc. The possibilities are endless and students would be easily engaged.

Thing 3 - Google Docs

I used the google template of cover letter and resume. Google Cover Letter & Resume Template


I was able to quickly update and modify the template which had all the buzzwords that employers look for in their employees. When I added my personal information, it was placed as a header on each page so the pages look consistent.

This will be helpful to me in my classroom because I do a unit on job searching with middle school students. They don't really understand the significance of a cover letter and they do a very plain, generic job of creating one. By using the google template, they can modify the existing document to suit their needs and it looks professional.

For the second part of the assignment, I used the google docs to share a word processing document with my principal. It was a bit tricky at first because I asked him to edit my google doc, but did not give him permission so he had to email me. Plus, we think my first request went into his spam folder because I sent it from my home email instead of my school email address.

Once he got the permission he needed, he was able to easily edit my document and I was able to see his modifications. I'm not quite sold that this is any quicker than email for one correspondence, but I could see if would be nice to collaborate with a group.


Doing groupwork in a class would be conducive to using google docs because each person could make a contribution.

Thing 2-Face of the Classroom

My weebly address is:
http://21thingsforthe21stcentury.weebly.com/index.html

I think weebly is very user-friendly. It is simple to create professional-looking web pages for free!

I don't think parents really care about a lot of bells and whistles. I think they just need to know time, dates and information about the classroom, deadlines and assignment requirements. It would be very beneficial for a teacher to use weebly to create a web presence to disseminate information to parents.

Thing 1 - Diigo

http://www.diigo.com/user/lvross

I love this! This is very easy to use and I think using Diigo will definitely help increase my productivity. I teach computers and I don't use a textbook. I am constantly looking online for websites and resources. I like diigo because I will have access to it from any computer. Also I can tag the sites so I can organize the webpages I find as they pertain to certain classes that I teach.  

Thing 1 - Shortcuts

The shortcuts were helpful and pretty simple to use. I feel like once I get comfortable with them, I will use them to be quicker and work more efficiently. I knew most of them, but sometimes get stuck in a rut and do things the "old way" which is not as time-effective.

I played with the double click to select a word, the triple click to select the paragraph and the right-click spell check option.

Thing 0

• What makes a good blog?  Information that is relevant to the target audience.
  
• How could a blogs enhance your classroom? It could give the quiet students a chance to express themselves. Students could be experts on topics and share with one another.
  
• Are blogs an easier way for people to self-publish? Yes. 

I would like to learn about some of the programs that were mentioned in the pre-course survey. It is hard to keep up with all the new technology.