Blog Post #5

I think that podcasts and blogs are useful Web 2.0 technologies to use in the classroom and support teacher professional development. Podcasts are useful ways to disseminate factual information and engage students without you personally having to give the information. Also, it is a good way for teachers to publish their thoughts if they are interested in particular content and share it with others. I think blogs are useful because they allow for teachers and students to post their ideas in a setting where others can view them and discuss these ideas. I don't think that the Web 2.0 technology of wikis is useful in the classroom. I think this because anyone can change the information on a wiki so it makes it more difficult to review the wikis credibility. A strong computer network and a cloud system that students can log in to is necessary for allowing all students to access these Web 2.0 tools.

The Web 2.0 tool that I chose to explore was TeacherTube. This website, similar to YouTube lets you browse and search for videos. However, the videos on this tool are strictly educational and primarily for classroom use. You can choose to search for a variety of options such as videos, audio, documents, and photos. Once you search for something, a toolbar on the side will appear and you can refine your search even further. The toolbar has an option for each schools subject (Science, math, etc) which is helpful when looking for very specific informational tools. The home page of the site also lets you choose whether you are a student, teacher, or parent, and then tailors the search results to which option you picked.

I gained new skills by working on the concept mapping assignment. I liked that I had the freedom to arrange the information I was given in whatever way I wanted. I had difficulty at first, but I really like how the concept map draws connections between things and shows the information from a more visual perspective. As a visual learner I thought this was really neat. Next time I will take a more creative approach when thinking of how to start the map. In the future I can see myself using this tool to create guides and worksheets for my students.