NECC-Day 2

Bricks and Mortar Schools are Detrimental to the Future of Education
--This was a debate

This discussion was very interesting and thought provoking. In a nutshell the debate centered around the idea that you don't need a brick and mortar school to be educated. You can view the complete Tuesday Morning keynote debate on istevision.org. As a person who has experienced various forms/types of education I can easily relate to both sides of the discussion. While growing up I attended a traditional public school, a private school, and home-school. Each environment provided varying experiences both good and bad.

In my opinion neither side of the debate was successful in capturing my allegiance. The main thing that I got from this debate was a need for balance in education. There are amazing learning experiences that a student can get from virtual/online experiences that they may not be able to get in a traditional physical classroom. But what about the things a student learns from being in a school and classroom that they can't get from the online/virtual learning environments? What about the homes that don't have computers or internet access?

The bottom line comes down to this: a well balanced approach to educating students is the most effective teaching environment where educators use the best resources available to reach and educate the students. Because when all is said and done isn't it all about the students and what is best for their learning? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Top 10 Web 2.0 tools for K-3 Learners by Gail Lovely

What a great learning experience for me! Gail went over 10 of her favorite Web 2.0 tools for use in education. She focused her list to tools for K-3 learners but most of these tools could easily be used with learners form all levels. In Gail's opinion a tool is only useful if it does something well that she can't do better without using the tool/program--and I completely agree.

I have not had the chance to use and explore all of these tool yet and so I will refer you to Gail's site. glovely09.wetpaint.com

Here is the list starting with 10 and going to 1.
10. Vocaroo-This is a tool that makes recording sound easy and simple. Use it to record students reading. Use it to record instructions for use with ELL students. Really you are only limited by your imagination.
9. Simply Box-This is a bookmarking tool. Use it to create visuals to direct students to certain sites. Not all students can read very well and you can tell them to click on a picture rather than a word, which will help the process be smoother for them.
8. Kerpoof-This is a tool that can be used for creating cards, movies, stories, and books. Use this to help your students learn about perspective, editing, and general imagination and creativity.
7. Yack Pack-This is like voice mail on the internet. Use it to communicate with your students or parents.
6. Glogster
5. Animoto
4. Skype
3. Voice Thread
2. Blogs
1. Wikis

I know that I will be trying all of these programs out and as I learn more about them I will be sure to pass along what I have learned and ways that I think they can be useful to teachers. Stay tuned for more information about how to use these and other web 2.0 resources in your classroom.