Podcasting Reflection

What challenges and potential benefits can you see in utilizing podcasting technology in the classroom? Although we often use podcasts to convey information to our students, what are the benefits of having students develop their own podcasts? How can you incorporate the concept of long term student podcasting in your curriculum: students' recording a series of podcasts over the course of a semester to display growth or mastery?

I definitely see some challenges in using podcasts with my first grade students.  Usually, computer time at home is monitored by an adult (at least, in my opinion, it should be!), and therefore it would be used more for my parents than my students.  I do not really see this as a useful tool for my students to create podcasts at this point in time.  I could see the use in introducing it to them and having them try it out, but then I see it as an activity that they could get silly with quickly.  I know that hearing my voice on a podcast as an adult is an uncomfortable feeling for me, so I can only imagine my young students' reactions as they hear their voices come back to them.  I see this resulting in more laughs than valuable learning.  I believe that podcasting may be a great way to share information for older children, especially auditory learners or students who struggle with writing.   I could see this as an alternative to writing reports and I do think that older students would find podcasting to be a more engaging way to report and share information with their peers and teachers. 

Podcast

Here is a little introduction podcast.

 Lisa's Introduction Podcast

Chrome Application Reflection

Reflect on how the concept of Open Source content is compatible with educational philosophies such as the concept of the democratization of knowledge and development of an educated population:

Open Source content is compatible with educational philosophies because they are available for everyone to use.  In education, we value the sharing of knowledge and ideas with other professionals in our field.  When we find a great lesson or activity, we share it with others so their students can benefit from it as well.  Education has always been a collaborative field in this sense.  With this sort of open source content, app developers are sharing their tools with educational professionals.  With the added benefit of reviews and user feedback, these applications can be tweaked and changed for the better at any point in time.  This content is available to anyone with a device to access the application and are oftentimes free to use.  This means that children and parents at home now have more access to quality educational materials which will ideally result in a more educated population.

Raz-Kids Application Activity

Raz-Kids App

Google Classroom Reflection

1) How is a Moodle or Google Classroom site different from a traditional teacher website? 
Google Classroom is different than a traditional website because it is more interactive.  While a traditional teacher's website is just meant to be read and share information, Google Classroom is more interactive.  By creating questions, it elicits discussion and conversation between the students and the teacher as well.   Through Google Classroom it is also very easy to post an assignment and have the link and all the information readily available for the students to use.  

2) As you work with Moodle or Classroom, what advantages do you see it affording your students? 
I found Google Classroom to be very user-friendly.  It is easy for the teacher to use to post assignments and important information for the students.  When something is user-friendly, the teacher is more likely to post frequently and update the site because it is not time-consuming and overwhelming to use.  This would be an advantage for the students as the information about school would be readily available to them on a frequent basis.  However, in first grade, I see this more as a tool for the parents.  The parents would be able to access the site for links to websites and learning activities they could use with their children at home and links to information such as our weekly spelling lists.  I do not see first graders themselves frequently logging onto the site on their own.
 
3) How can this tool help you transform your classroom into a more student centered learning environment?
By adding the element of discussion, I can see how this would make the students more engaged and involved with their learning and school assignments.  However, I do not see my first graders using Google Classroom in this way.  As I stated above, I do think it would be used more as a tool for the parents at this grade level.  I can see the use for older students to take more responsibility for their learning and classroom assignments. 

PLC Reflection

1. How can teachers (or students) leverage this power in a classroom?  Social networking is something that most people use on a daily basis.  It is engaging and relevant.  It would be motivating to use these tools in the classroom to help engage and motivate students in their learning. 
 2. How can building a PLC empower teachers (or students)? PLC's can empower teachers and students by giving them an avenue to share items that are important to them.  People all over the world can access this information which can make it more authentic and meaningful.

Diigo Reflection

I enjoyed learning about the Diigo plug-in.  I can see how it can be useful for organizing websites I find to enhance my teaching.  I think it would be a great tool to share with parents as they are always looking for educational websites and resources.  This way, all of the compiled sites could be in one place for easy parent access.  It would also be a great way to share good websites and resources with other teachers as well.