Wikispaces

Wikispaces is the new collaborative tool I decided to explore. I used wikispaces briefly in another course however, I did not become as familiar with it as I would have liked. I thought this would be the perfect time for me to do so. I signed up of wikispaces and started to create my classroom wikispace. Wikispaces is a great tool for teachers and students to use as a form of collaboration. The Wikispaces site is a secure wiki environment. Wikispaces allows you to edit your page by just clicking the edit button from any computer or web device.  You can add links, files, videos, and widgets to your wikispace. You are able to have ownership of what your wikispace looks like. Wikispaces allows you to add discussion forums. Another great feature about Wikispaces is you get to determine who views your content. I really like that Wikispaces has the tag feature. Tags allow you to categorize and classify pages. This helps keep your Wikispace organized. I think this tool is very easy to navigate.  I started to play around a little on Wikispaces. This is what I have so far. This is definitely a work in progress.

http://msrichardson1.wikispaces.com/

Here is a second grade teacher's wiki on Wikispaces. I would set up and use my Wikispace similar to hers.http://wikiwonderful.wikispaces.com/Here are some help links on wikispaces

.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df2rC2QfvFchttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfh2vrgvdIQ

Twitter Chat

I just participated in my first twitter chat. This chat was for 4^th grade teachers and first year teachers. (#4thchat) When I first started the chat I felt overwhelmed with all the tweets that were coming in. I was trying to read all the tweets and answer the question that was asked. I started to get the hang of it once the chat started moving along. I no longer felt overwhelmed. There were a lot of people sharing great ideas and resources. I thought the chat was awesome. I would definitely do it again. I think excellent questions were asked during the chat and the participants were wonderful! I am now following some participants from the chat. I am glad we were required to participate in a twitter chat for this course. I think this a great way for educators to stay current and express their ideas with fellow educators. 

Pinterest

I have been a Pinterest member for over a year now. I love this social network. I think this network is extremely beneficial for sharing ideas with one another. I am a reading intervention teacher and I use different methods I have found on Pinterest in my classroom. When I am searching for different teaching methods on Pinterest, I can either find them on a board or a single pin. This network is great for sharing creative ideas. Pinterest has a variety of categories for people to share. This site also is excellent for organizing ideas. If I discover a resource that is beneficial, I can pin it to my classroom ideas board. My followers on Pinterest can see what I pinned and pin it on their board. This resource will continue to evolve.  

Here are some helpful pins for diverse learners.

http://pinterest.com/pin/33706697183062506/

http://pinterest.com/pin/170362798375822232/

http://pinterest.com/pin/443323157039137289/

Networked Classrooms

An advantage of a networked classroom is using the network as an educational tool.  I believe technology enhances student learning. A networked classroom promotes collaboration and student interaction. Technology is only going to continue to expand. As educators, it is important to implement these networks in our classrooms to promote successful student learning. This is how I would slowly integrate my classroom into a networked classroom. First, I would start by setting guidelines for my students. Then I would introduce to my students to blogs and how they work. Then I would set a purpose for each blog. After I feel my students are comfortable with using a blog; I would then introduce more networks little by little. I do not want to overwhelm my students. These technologies meet the needs of diverse learners by allowing students to learn from multiple sources. For example, I had a student who is autistic. He did not want to complete his math problems by pen and paper. However, I suggested typing them out on the computer. He was engaged and successful while completing this assignment. Technology allows diverse learners the versatility that is needed to be successful in the classroom.

Here are some helpful links on networked classrooms.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/19/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-the-classroom.aspx

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/05/20/teaching-in-a-socially-networked-classroom/

Twitter

Before I was a Twitter user or had any knowledge about Twitter, I did not understand what all the fuss was about. Almost everyone I know has a Twitter account. I am not quite sure why I was not sold on Twitter. Now that I have become a user and have learned about Twitter, I can say I am a fan. I love how people with the same interests can collaborate with one another. I think it is very easy to navigate. Twitter is a great social networking site that allows users to stay connected with friends and make new ones. As educators it is vital for us to stay current and Twitter is a great and easy way to do so.  

Here are some links about Twitter that I found helpful.

http://michaelhyatt.com/12-reasons-to-start-twittering.html

http://edudemic.com/2012/04/100-ways-to-use-twitter-in-education-by-degree-of-difficulty/

Follow me on Twitter @cmrichardson_1

Personal Learning Networks

When reading about personal learning networks this quote from the text really spoke to me.  “Learning networks are not a one size fits all solution that works for each school in the same way.” (Richardson & Mancabelli p.27)  These tools are very power and one can customize their networks to fit their own needs. These networks enhance student learning.  As educators we are educating a new generation that learns through these networks. It is vital for us educators to become successful on how to use and integrate these networks into our classrooms.  By using these networks instruction is more individualized which gives student more ownership of their learning.  

Here are some helpful links about personal learning networks.

http://edudemic.com/2012/10/build-personal-learning-network/

http://onceateacher.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/pln-your-personal-learning-network-made-easy/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6WVEFE-oZA