K12 Online Conference

Little Kids, Big Possibilities by Kelly Hines.

This conference session focused on web 2.0 tools that could be used in the classroom. A web 2.0 tool that was demonstrated in this session was Wordle, which our class became familiar with this semester. The web 2.0 tool that I thought was most interesting that Hines talked about was called WallWisher. Check it out! Here is what this tool is all about:

• It is an online word wall that lets students operate with sticky notes.
• These notes can be used for announcements, note taking, or projects.
• Its easy. There is no registration for students required. Logging in for young students tends to be a bit of a struggle, and this is not required on WallWisher.
• Its effective. You can upload multi media to the wall such as pictures, music, and video to multiple pages.
• Its intuitive. You can do more than just write. It has the post-it note functionality.
• WallWisher can be used to share, to sort fact and opinion, to create discussion, to summarize, and to sequence.
• You can maintain multiple walls for the same dashboard...much like on blogger.
  

Hines used an example of a class wall created by WallWisher that she used with her 4th graders. As they watched a Magic School Bus video that related to their science lesson, students took notes through WallWisher. They created different sticky notes for each animal, including facts on the animal. Once the video was over, students were able to reorganize their notes. This created powerful discussions on how each students sorted their notes and why. In science, you must be able to classify and reclassify information, and WallWisher gave the perfect outlet for students to do so.

Since the 1st video was only about 20 mintues, I decided to find another session to join. This was focused on the iPod Touch in the Classroom by Kern Kelley.

We all know that cell phones are not allowed in the classroom because they are a distraction to learning and often times a hazard if students were to ever refer to their cell phone during a test. A new feature of Apple came out called the ipod Touch. Shockingly, man elementary school students have one. It is their outlet to the web and ultimately is their connection to the outside world. Rather than limiting student's access by taking away their ipod Touch, why not find ways to use it in the classroom. I read in an article at the beginning of the semester that when children power down their devices (cell phones, iPods, etc.), they also power down their brains. Why not integrate their everyday technology into the classroom?

Kern Kelley proved the ways in which an iPod Touch could function as an important educational tool both inside and outside the classroom. Have you heard of netbooks? Netbooks serve as a notebook in the form of a laptop computer. Internet and email is accessible through these netbooks as well. There has been a huge increase in the purchase of netbooks this last year, and there seems to be a push for schools to put more machines into students hands. Since we are all trying to save money, I liked what Kelley had to say when he mentioned that "at a price point even lower than current netbooks, the iPod Touch is a great compliment to any classroom." While many schools still do not allow cell phones, an iPod Touch bridges that gap. The Wifi access can provide a tremendous opportunity for students and teachers to browse the web, type a response, record audio or calculate a problem. The form factor makes many classroom tasks manageable while the design of the device requires far less technical support than most laptops. After watching the session, I still am not 100% sold on letting children use their iPods in the classroom because other technologies, such as the calculator and SMART Board can be used to suffice the loss. However, being that I have a younger brother who owns an iPod Touch, I can see how it would be beneficial to find ways to integrate it into the lesson. I know that he would just be ecstatic if he was able to use his iPod Touch as a tool in class.