Wikispaces

In class we all signed up for a  class wikispace. We participated in a team and had to write a review about Story bird. My group loves Storybird because it is an interactive site that lets you create your own story using art work provided by selected artists. When you choose the art work that inspires you to write, you start creating your book and when you're done you can choose to publish it. I tried it with my 7 year old daughter and she loves it , she has created on her own  3 books. I think this web site is a great tool for teachers, parents and students. It promotes literacy, especially for those students that have a hard time starting to write.

NEWSLETTER

Creating a school newsletter was fairly easy using a template by microsoft. The most difficult part would be organizing and making sure the data we put in was correct. Basically the objective of the school newsletter is to provide parents with an outline of important dates, events and  information about units of study for all major subjects. This is great way for teachers to communicate with parents and for parents to participate in their child's education.

Web Quest

Exploring webquest, I was very impressed to find there were so many quality webquest. The one I chose to showcase as an example of a quality webquest http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=92934

I was able to use the webquest rubric to determine and rate these sites, This Discovery web quest has great graphics, simple instructions and a clear step to step process.  The webquest that rated low on the rubric for me was http://www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/tbyrd/webquest/webquest Romana.html.  This site was less appealing to the eye, especially for 3rd graders. This site was made to be a companion for the book Ramona Quimby. The wording  in this web quest  is lengthy and dense. This site was not well organized and seemed to complicated for 3er graders.

A Penny for my technology education thoughts

Today we live in a world filled with technology and we have all had to adapt to the changes as well as keep up with new technology. I think personally for me 12 years ago when I purchased my computer and started navigating the internet, it was not that user friendly as it is today. From cell phones to computers these devises seem to be getting smaller, smarter are easier to use. For my children it has been a totally different experience because there is technology based toys for every stage of development. My kids are not afraid of technology , in fact they embrace it and look forward to new advances. 

Recently I lost my cell phone and had to replace it with an older version until I could afford an iPhone replacement, well it was just a pain because it just seem more difficult and time consuming to navigate to my Facebook or text or even check my emails. I was really so relieved to finally have a smart phone again because I felt it saved me a ton of time. 

I personally love technology although it can be a bit challenging, but with the right step by step instruction I fell it is totally doable.