Thing #8

My first experience with a Wiki was signing up for our library time and I found it very confusing. My second experience was setting one up with our wonderful and patient, librarian, Mrs. Wells to use for research on the Civil War.

I explored every Wiki but there were ones that I liked more than others. I liked the organization of Code Blue where 6th graders were learning about the human body. It was easy to follow and navigate through. It offered many links that would be helpful for the students in their research. I also liked Discovery Utopias. It had "discovery blogging rules" posted by the teacher as well as consequences of any infractions. The rules included safety measures for the students as well as his expectations of the writing. In addition, there were several rules about being "nice" when blogging. The tasks were explained and it was easy to follow. This Wiki had links, suggested books, movies, etc. The students work was creative. I loved the Go West posted by third graders. I liked the way it was set up as well. Each student had an area to research and presented it their way. I could not find what the expectations of the teacher were though. Some students had more pictures and maps while others had drawings. In the other Wikis, the tasks were posted first.

I think that Wikis are a great way to organize research and use as literature circles. I can also see how it can be used with a novel study as in Turn Homeward, Hannalee. I look forward to using it in many ways.

Thing #7

I discovered that I am a lurker. I like to read the information but don't feel the need to post a comment on everything. For some reason, I was nervous posting a comment when I did not personally know the person. I agree with 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on your Blog about not leaving a comment if I must log in. It is not about being lazy, but how uncomfortable I am as it is with my name and password "out there". However, after reading 10 Techniques..., I do realize the importance of commenting and the possibilities of learning more by commenting and receiving the feedback to my comments.

Think #6

I have spent hours adding to my reader. I may have added too many. We will see. This is very addictive and I only looked at the ones from what was posted. It was a little overwhelming when trying to decide what to add. I can't wait to review my reader though. One thing that I did add was the Rotten Tomatoes movie reviews. I never can remember what movies are coming out and what I want to see. Maybe this will help refresh my memory. But, when will I have time with ALL the other subscriptions that I now need to read through. In addition, I subscribed to Children's Books Review. I love children's books and am always looking for reviews before I place them in personal library in the classroom. There were many other blogs that I subscribed to that hopefully will enhance my learning about technology and how to apply it in the classroom.