Week 12: Social Tools and Cloud Computing

Today we began by learning about cloud computing, which means that we can save and use applications on the web without having to actually use the same computer to access that information.  The whole idea is that we know that cloud computing is there without really knowing how it works.  One such example is Google Docs.  We went over how to open up Google Doc and actually use it.  We also discussed Social Bookmarking and one site that we went over is Delicious.  Delicious allows for people to bookmark web pages and save them, so that they can be accessed on any computer.  Delicious is very organized in that it lets people tag their bookmarks so that they can easily find a certain bookmark in the future.  Delicious functions similar to the tabs on our computer, however, the Delicious web page can be accessed from any computer, which is very convenient.

Social tools are very helpful for teachers.  Teachers can share web pages, websites, and information through Delicious.  Everyone can view each others bookmarks and this allows for easy sharing.  Teachers can take advantage of this and help each other out.  As a teacher, I would like to use Delicious to bookmark web pages about lesson plans.  Then I can share these pages with other teachers who can also benefit form the information.  Additionally, Google Docs can be used to interact with students as well as parents.  Also, students can collaborate and work on group assignments using Google Docs.

This article is an interesting one, because it discusses Google Docs and the competing apps from Microsoft.  It introduces topics and then explains which features fare better.  This article goes along with what we learned in class about Google Docs and the real time collaboration that Google Docs is famous for.

Week 11: Open Source Software

This week we did not have class, however, we had to read up on Open Source Software.  This was the first time that I heard about this free software and I was really excited to look into it.  Open Source is free for anyone to download to their computer and includes programs just like Microsoft Word, Excel, Spreadsheet, and even Photoshop.  It was interesting to see all the programs that can actually be downloaded for free to someone's computer, instead of having to pay the hefty price for these programs.  OpenOffice.org is great to have because with it, a person can get all the essential programs for free.  Source Forge also provides people with numerous programs that can be downloaded to the computer.

When I become a teacher, I will certainly advocate and advertise open source software, because it is a shame that so many people do not know about it.  This will be something that I would let the parents know about.  They can download these programs for their children while their kids are still young, so that parents do not have to spend so much on buying the programs.  Also, I will let the school administrators know about open source and other teachers as well.  I think since school budgets are so tight, it is important to know about this free software.

This is a video from YouTube that discusses a few open source programs.  The lady in the video talks about Open Office as well as Mozilla Firefox and many other programs.  She actually goes on to define what open source actually is and gives examples of how open source is made.  This is a great video for people who want more information about open source programs and it even parallels with what we learned in class.

Week 10: Spring Break :)

My Podcast

My podcast is a fun little poem by a children's author named Jack Prelutsky.  As well as being funny and interesting this poem is for children and this is a poem that I would certainly read to students in my class one day.  I think that podcasts are important as far as presentations are concerned, because they can be downloaded and listened to whenever.  For example, I can record lectures and my students can download them and listen to them on their own time.  Podcasts can also be crucial for online or distance classes.  Teachers can record their lectures and presentations and send them out to students, who can then get the information without having to be in a real-time classroom.   

Week 9: Podcasting

We learned the way to Podcast during today's class.  We need to use that information to make our own 30 second podcast and upload it online.  A podcast is interesting because it can be uploaded over and over and followers can continually download a person's podcast, either on their computer or their mp3 players.  Podcasts are mp3's so it is easy to download them.  We also looked at Mac's Garage Band, which allows for its users to easily create a podcast.  It is relatively simple to do since the program basically does it all.

I think that making a podcast can be useful in the classroom because it can be used to send students lectures and assignments.  If I am not able to go over something in class, then I can easily created a podcast, upload it onto a class website, and send it out to students.  Additionally, I think that podcasts are great for staying in contact with parents as well.  It is important for parents to be aware of what is happening in the classroom and this way I can have a "podcast newsletter" for the parents.  I can inform them of the general happenings in the classroom.  I think that a podcasts is a fun and effective way to reach both students and parents.

This video from YouTube discusses how podcasts can be used in the classroom.  The speaker takes into account that students are very well knowledgeable on new technological tools and that podcasts are great way to engage the students.  He mentions that podcasts are new and that they are still interesting enough to keep the students engaged, as opposed to having them read books all the time.  This video is good for teachers to look at to get some basic information about podcasts and it can be a stepping stone to finding out more information.