Thing 5 – RSS Feeds Reflection

I’m finding the blogs that I’m drawn to are those offering information on free internet resources or ways to incorporate web 2.0 technologies into the elementary classroom. As an elementary technology specialist, I like to find tools that I know my teachers can use immediately with the children in their classroom. This often means a free web tool for practicing math facts or a curriculum based website that supports a unit of study.

So far I have many resources to explore and share with teachers. Several of them are:

10 Technology Enhanced book reports from iLearn Technology
Top 10 Technology Tips for New Teachers from iLearn Technology
Ekoloko

I love the alternatives to the traditional book reports; all of these projects require teachers to buy in and work together. These aren’t activities that could be sustained by me (the instructional technology specialist) in my classes. Most of these could be done in grades 3 – 5. It would be nice if an entire grade level across the district would pick 1 or 2 to try. Work together to fine-tune it as a team project. These projects go beyond the book report process. These require higher-order thinking and planning.

In the Top 10 Tips article, I love the idea of keeping a list or bookmark folder full of online logic puzzles and problem solving websites for students to refer to when they have extra minutes. List ideas on 3×5 note cards that are kept next to the classroom computers. Students can select a card for an engaging activity any time they have a few extra minutes. During technology class, several students often finish the day’s goals ahead of the rest of the class. Often the children help others, which is wonderful. But sometimes it’s nice to give them an option that challenges them aside from helping their classmates.

Lastly, Ekoloko is a virtual world for kids. I thought I’d explore the site and see if I could use it with my students. The site is interesting. It has great information for parents and teachers about the goals of the website, and how it functions. However, after I created a user/avatar I found it cumbersome to move around in the world. The interface was slow. Ekoloko will need closer review before I use it with students. Has anyone used this site?

So my quest for new resources and tools continues….