I have really enjoyed learning about how to create and how to use blogs. I had read blogs before, but had never thought about using one in my classroom until taking this course. Now I plan to use a blog to communicate with parents about what we are doing in the classroom and to get feedback from parents as well. One of the blogs that I am following on my Google Reader is "What the Teacher Wants" (http://whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com/ ). This blog is full of ideas that teachers can use. It has ideas for phonics lessons, birthday parties, making word folders, reading lists, getting organized tips, tips for using a blog with parents, and many, many more topics. Many of the ideas are geared for K-2, but could be modified for upper grades. I think it would give me some good guidelines for using a blog in my classroom. I would recommend this blog as a wonderful resource for ideas.
Another Web 2.0 tool that I think is great for the classroom is the use of videos to supplement and enhance lessons and teaching. Two of the most popular video sharing communities are YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/ ) and Teacher Tube (http://www.teachertube.com/ ). Both of these have videos available on just about any topic you could want. Children today have grown up with educational television shows, DVD's for entertainment and education, video games for entertainment and education. They are submersed with video from a very early age. I think by using the sense of sight and sound in teaching, students are better able to remember or record in their brain what is being taught. Videos definitely target visual and auditory learners. The great thing about YouTube and TeacherTube is that they have videos for all ages and grade levels and they are free. TeacherTube also has activities, lesson ideas, and assessments available to go along with the videos. The videos are easy to embed in a blog, a wiki, or a presentation tool such as Glogster or Prezi. I have included some reading and math videos on my wiki that I think first grade students would really enjoy using to practice letter sounds and counting. I have seen a glog used in a second grade classroom that had songs about the solar system on it. I definitely recommend these two sites for teachers to use in their classrooms.
I loved reading your post this week! I also had never used a blog before, but after taking this class I would really like to use one in my classroom this year. I really enjoyed looking at the blog you linked. It has some great ideas for teachers! I especially liked the part about how to use a blog with parents because I know that will be a big part of using a blog next year. I also use teacher tube in my classroom. It is great because you don't have to worry about the content and everything applies to the subject your looking for. It is definitely a go to website in my classroom. Thanks for sharing some 2.0 websites!
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