Tool #3

1) I'm really glad that we are able to access Discovery Education. The thing I like most about this site is that I am able to view videos from specific subjects. With this tool I won't have to waste time surfing through youtube to try and find a video that deals with English. Don't get me wrong, I am still going to use youtube due to the amount of content available, but I just really like how Discovery Education separates some of the content available by subject.


2) Schoolhouse Rock - "Conjunction Junction"

What a classic!

 A Brief Background on Edgar Allen Poe from Teachertube.com

3) I learned a little bit about copyright and fair use in some of my mass communications classes, but I needed a bit of refreshing. I thought Eric Faden's video was a great way to try and explain the basics of fair use, I also enjoyed the mnemonic device for remembering guidelines to copyright and fair use. In tying back to students building PLN, I think it is important to teach students how to use and share resources in a responsible way (with a focus on using resources that fall under the Creative Commons license).

4) My dropbox has been downloaded. I can already see this tool being used for students to turn in projects (no more time wasted switching out usb drives).

Tool #2

For this posting, I've decided to join Diigo. I was was surprised to find out how easily I could expand my PLN. Already I have joined groups that share information and tips about education, and also about teaching English. I feel as though these resources can already help me, while still providing me an opportunity to connect more to other teachers. I plan on using Diigo in the classroom as a tool for not only my students, but also my colleagues in the department. I believe this tool can help us share interesting sites and ideas.

I really connected with Will Richardson's ideas on personal learning networks, and I'm starting to think that we must not only teach our students literacy in the subjects we teach, but also communicate to them the importance of building a reliable PLN. We have to educate our students on how to become good consumers of information on the Internet; we have to show students how to find, and communicate with, good and reliable sources of information.

One site that I plan on visiting in the future is TED.com. This website is dedicated to sharing relevant and interesting information, which could affect the way our students think.

Beginning My Blog

I have actually used blogger before, but with the new format they have created I noticed that I had more problems with designing my blog (specifically adding the avatar to the blog). However, once I changed the format back to the old style, I had much more success in designing the blog.