M3- Reading Log Blogs

A Day in the Life of Web 2.0
The author, David Warlick, tells how one school is connected through the use of technology. The uses are amazing! He starts by giving us a glimpse of how a teacher uses her MP3 player to download podcasts to preview to use in her classroom. While another uses blogs to posts homework assignments, course topics, and course material that will be taught. The blogs are syndicated, allowing students, parents, administrators, and other teachers to view them. The health teacher gets information from the science teacher, thus connecting their lessons. The librarian and tech facilitator look at the Monday report blogs and starts finding resources for the teachers. The teachers use Wikis for their students. One teacher uses a microphone to record the lesson for the day and a parent can listen in on the classroom discussion. It is a school that is linked to everybody. With a connection like that, the students,parents, community, teachers, and administration are in constant communication and know what  is going on in the classrooms.

Integrating the iPod Touch in K-12 Education: Visions and Vices
Savilla Banister, Mitchell Miller, and Terry Herman, the authors of this piece, claim that the iPod Touch has many uses in the classroom setting. They describe that it is easy for preschoolers to use. There are apps that can be downloaded for them that help them play, explore, and discover. The authors state there are many uses in the classrooms. There are media uses that will allow for students to use YouTube. There is a clock app to give different time zones in different countries, calculator, maps, weather, and they can take notes to email for future reference. The authors refer to it also as an internet in their pocket. However, it does not allow them to copy and paste. They will have to read the information and take notes. This is considered a plus. Students are having to read, think, and reword to take notes on information. The authors also state that there are free apps, but some do have a price, as well. However, many are as inexpensive as .99, and of course you can go as high as $10 or more. The authors see this as a future technology that has many uses that haven't even been explored, yet. The biggest vice is the teachers have to find a way to "track, charge, and manage the content on the iPod Touches. " In today's ever changing technology, give it a month or two and they'll have that figured out, too.

RSS for the Educators: Blogs, Newsfeeds, Podcasts, and Wikis in the Classroom
Finally, I can understand what some of this technology is about! In an excerpt from John G. Hendron's book, he explains what RSS, Read/Write Web, podcasting and Wikis are. He explains that RSS is just a way to connect everything together and let others be able to get it without having to constantly check for it and then download it. He said it was like email. He explains what a Wiki is. (I've been wondering). He said it came from a Hawaiian term meaning quick or fast, and is just a "Web site that enables different users to publish documents and create links between documents." That is what I thought it was, but now am glad I know for certain. The term is what always threw me. He explained that podcasting was just a way to share audio and video files. Now the first article I read- A Day in the Life of Web 2.0 by David Warlick- makes more sense.I can understand about the use of the MP3. Other articles I have read mention Atom. Hendron explains that this is a lot like RSS. He also informs us of the importance in using technology in the classroom- jobs are becoming more technology-based. Less and less jobs are physical labor. We must get our students on board and connect them to the 21st century skills required in today's job market. (Added side note- I went online to purchase his book).