Thursday, July 17, 2008

Podcasting Advice You Can Use


I have had the boundless pleasure of teaching a couple of podcasting classes this summer. The more I work with podcasting, the more I am convinced that this a fantastic activity and opportunity for student learning and creative expression. The technical aspects of this activity may seem a bit overwhelming at first unless you are a geek. I am NOT a geek (though I want to be!), so I am always grateful when I find tools that relieve me of the need to be geeky.


Through Eduhound's eNewsletter, I found a link to some cool podcasting resources. The creators of Radio Willow Web share their tools and techniques at Learninginhand.com. It is certainly worth a glance.


What I'm most excited about here, is the free music and sound effects links they share. I have not had a chance to roll around in all of them yet. If you find one to be particularly appropriate and easy, please share with everyone.


You may be interested in subscribing to EduHound's eNewsletter, Classroom Tools & Tips.


Just sharin'!

Lee Anne


Monday, July 14, 2008

What About Blogs - July 15th Class

What About Blogs?
Welcome to the Eighth Floor class about blogging in education. As a collaborative and constructive tool, blogs have found their place in education. As educators, we are using them as learning tools not only for our students, but also for ourselves.


Blogs in Plain English




Lee LeFever of the Common Craft Show

So What’s a Blog?
Let the
6 & 7 year olds from Room 9 at Nelson Central School educate you about what they think a blog is and why they love using them!



Let’s Talk About Blogs
How is a blog different from a website?
What does it mean to blog, be a blogger?

Why do you think you or your students might be attracted to this as a form of expression?
The first step to being a good blogger is to be a good blog ____________?


Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in the Classroom



Education Professional Development Blogs
Weblogg-ed - A blog by Will Richardson
Moving at the Speed of Creativity - A blog by Wesley Fryer
Blog of Proximal Development - a blog by Konrad Glogowski
Blogs about Educational Blogging - a wiki by Support Blogging.com


Classroom/Student Blogs
Arthus - NewlyAncient (high school student blog)
AP Calculus AB (An interactive log for students and parents in my AP Calculus class. This ongoing dialogue is as rich as YOU make it. Visit often and post your comments freely.)
The Good Habits Blog (blog for students)
Mrs Cassidy's Classroom Blog (elementary)
Blogical Minds (This is a blog created to explore what happens when 5th graders blog and converse about literacies in class and beyond)

Google Search for Blogs
http://blogsearch.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wb

Check out the following education/safety focused postings and articles:
MySpace Education
Change Agency
BlogSafety.com
Blogs, Fair Use, and Paying to Play

Blogging Tips and Tricks:
Web Blog Basics
Blogs - Anatomy
Blogs for Learning
E
valuating Blogging
B
logging Best Practices
Top 10 Blog Writing Tips
___________________________________________________________________

QUESTION!
Since this is a class about blogging, we thought you might want to do a little, well, blogging. So, what are some advantages to using blogs? What are some disadvantages? What can you do to minimize the disadvantages?
____________________________________________________________________


Add your comment to this post. Take a minute to think about the above questions. (Or share something else, if you choose, like an idea your already have for using blogs) Click on the "comments" link below and then type your answer. You can comment as "anonymous or other." Be sure to include your name somewhere so we know who you are. Read others’ comments and feel free to comment on their comments!

Thanks!
Lee Anne