Assignment 3: Resources For Teachers-Delicious

       I have decided to use one of the web 2.0 tools called Delicious for this project to have the luxury of keeping all of my favorite websites in one place and making them accessible to me from any computer, phone, or other device with internet. If you click on the link above, my personal toolbox of websites will open in a separate window. Since there are over 20 websites added to this account, organization was an important thing to think through before beginning.

HOW IT IS ORGANIZED AND HOW I DECIDED WHAT TO ADD

       In a Delicious account, there are tags and bookmarks. A bookmark is the actual website that you would like to save to your toolbox. I wanted to add websites that would be useful to me as a teacher so that I could find reliable websites quickly and easily. I also wanted to add websites on the account that would refer parents and students to safe and secure websites on educational learning. I tried to keep the names of my bookmarks simple, while still being able to identify which website it is. Within each bookmark, Delicious allows for notes to help you remember exactly what it is that you liked about that website. I created notes that would quickly remind me of what each website had to offer. This includes which audience the website is directed to, whether that be students of the elementary grade-level, students of the secondary grade-level, parents, or teachers. I included small phrases to give me a brief overview of what the site can do for me; how it can meet my needs as a teacher, and how it can meet the needs for my students and their parents. The second organization tool that a Delicious account offers is the tag feature. A tag creates categories that bookmarks can fall under, which allows you to quickly locate bookmarks by clicking on the specific category you want. Just like how on this blog site, each blog post has a tag, and each tag is listed at the bottom of the site for easy access to a specific blog post. I created tags on my Delicious account that best fit the subjects of my bookmarks; however, I did not want to create too many tags because I felt that if too many tags were created, then the tag would essentially be pointless. It would be like if everyone at Disneyland got a fastpast to go on the rides. The fastpast line would be just as long as the old regular lines. Thinking ahead, I decided to create specific categories that would easily guide me to the bookmarks I was looking for, as well as tags that could easily assist those in my network. My tags include Lessons, Worksheets, Activities, Teachers, Students, Parents, etc. Some bookmarks even fall under more than one category. For example the tags, Lessons, Worksheets, and Teachers may all carry the same bookmark. Since even this organization can get confusing, I decided to take it a step further. I organized my bookmarks by most visited and my tags by alphabetical order. I also added the Delicious features to my internet toolbar for quick and easy access to these sites on my home computer. What an easy way to access my favorites!

HOW I WILL USE IT AND HOW I CAN SHARE IT WITH OTHER TEACHERS

      This Delicious account is useful in so many ways. I can really see it making my life a bit easier as a teacher. I have to admit that it took me awhile to warm up to the thought of a toolbox, but it really has proved to be a helpful tool. I can access key websites at the click of a button. These are trusty websites that have a lot to offer. Rather than going around and trying to find all the different websites I like (say from the class blog or other random findings), I am able to find what I am looking for at the best it comes. At first I thought, well isn't Google faster to just type in what you are looking for? I found that there are two answers that oppose that question. The first is that a Delicious account is just as quick to access as Google is; especially if you have added Delicious to your internet toolbar! Delicious can be accessed at the click of a button. Secondly, you are not finding just any site. Google has a lot to offer, but with Delicious, you already have what you are looking for, you just have to locate it under a tag. If you do not have what you are looking for saved under your bookmarks, then other Delicious account holders will. The key is these websites are saved as favorites, not just a top pick from Google. These websites have been sought out, saved, and worth keeping! The thing I love most about Delicious is that it saves all your favorites and can be accessed at any location. It is much like a security blanket for teachers. I don't have to try to remember that website I liked way back from Junior year in college in Tech in Ed class. Instead, I can be directed straight to my Delicious account where that website has been saved and tagged for easy finding. I don't have to research the best photo program on the web because I have already researched and bookmarked my top finding. Teaching is busy enough as it is. I'm happy to have made my life a bit easier by storing all my items in one easy accessible place.

WEBSITES I HAVE BOOKMARKED

       These are some sites that I have bookmarked. I encourage you to check these out. These sites made it through "audition one" to be placed on my Delicious account and then "audition two" to be placed individually on this blog, so it will not be a waste of your time! This is the best of the best for me :) While some websites I found are "hole in the wall" websites (meaning they are not so popular, but very helpful), I also have websites that are widely used. Any helpful website, whether big or small has been bookmarked on my Delicious account.

1. TeacherTube: This free website is used just as YouTube is; however, it is teacher oriented. It is a safe venue for teachers to search and share educational videos with their classroom. Students need technology to stimulate their minds, and TeacherTube is a great and helpful resource to find videos to get students engaged in learning. All videos have been uploaded to TeacherTube by teachers. This website is tagged under Teachers and Technology in my Delicious account.
2. Pics4Learning: This is a tab on the Tech4Learning website. Pics4Learning is a copy-right friendly image library for teachers and students. The collection consists of thousands of images that have been donated by students, teachers, and photographers. All images are free to access and would be of great use in the classroom! Children love images because it helps them to visually grasp a concept. This would be helpful because it is a quick way to find any image that you are looking for. Just as Delicious is organized with tags, so is Pics4Learning. This website is tagged under Teachers, Students, and Images in my Delicious account.
3. Instructional Technology Department-Wichita Public Schools: This website was found under SMART Board activities on week 3 of our class blog. I have already used this site for so many school projects and lessons. It has been a tremendous help to me because it offers pre-made lessons on the SMART Board that were created with the SMART Notebook Software. These lesson plans make life as a teacher go by so much more quickly because you do not have to spend hours creating your own lesson on the SMART Notebook Software. The capability of these lessons is absolutely incredible. I will be using this often. It is also a very organized website. I have been able to find everything I need so quickly. There are separate links to Elementary, Middle School, High School, Music, Foreign Language, and more to access lesson plans. Within each of these categories, are the subjects. Each lesson under the subjects is placed in alphabetical order, with added information of the grade-level span. Check this site out! This website is tagged under Teachers, Technology, and Lessons in my Delicious account.