Continuing to learn about Web 2.0

     Well, the final project was a busy one!!  After struggling with a few of the concepts in making it, it made me realize how much I actually still have to learn about WEB 2.0.  To enhance my knowledge of WEB 2.0 I plan on going to continuing trainings and workshops, especially over the summer and whenever I can.  I think it would also be helpful if I stayed with the educational hashtags from Twitter, and the other ways I have been introduced to more educational aspects, especially the ones from this course.  I know you can also benefit by just talking to other peers and learning so many different ideas from colleauges and other educcators.  Even the most talented and experienced WEB 2.0 worker will still have so much to learn!

Diigo

This week had lots of learning for me!  I am totally new to learning about Diigo and had lots of trial and errors, and a little bit of struggle, but finally made it to work for me.  I think what I like most about Diigo is how it could work in a class setting or group form.  For example: if a group of students were doing a research project on Native Americans, everyone can go bookmark wonderful sites they have found, and information on their specific subject.  Each student can log on anytime, anywhere, and have access to all their bookmark spots!  While, it took my awhile to get going, I think it was definitely worth it.  I also liked learning so much for my peers while I viewed their posts and everything that they have shared.
   Here is the link to my diigo site:  https://www.diigo.com/user/jaalla

Aggregating Pages

I was very overwhelmed and nervous after reading the aggregating pages assignment.  I had never heard of this type of tool but decided that I would try my luck with Protopages.  Protopages turned out to be a very simple tool to use.  I spent a few minutes exploring all of the widgets and also watched a clip on YouTube to better understand what Protopages was meant for.  This really helped me when creating my Dashboard of Information on Protopage. 

Here is a link to my site:
www.protopage.com/jaallaweir

I can see how Protopage can be a very useful tool in presenting information.  I really like how it gives you updated news feeds throughout the day.  This feature could make it very useful for educational purposes and for keeping up with your own interests. 

Creating a Twitter tab on my page has made it very easy for me to keep up with my personal Twitter account and our #Etec527 conversation.  It is a great way to store multiple sources of information that you want to check on a regular basis.

Finally, I really enjoyed the ease of use with Protopages.  Using the widgets was very simple and I liked how you had the option of fitting them on your page to you liking.  I will be using this tool when I become a school librarian for research projects.  I think it will be a great way to easily organize multiple information sources for students.  I look forward to seeing what tools we will learn about next week!

Exploration of Twitter, YouTube, and Web Tools 2.0

These past two weeks have really opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of technology.  I never had a twitter account before this class and have been amazed at how much information can be shared in only 160 characters.  Our class hashtag ETEC527 has been a great resource for me.  I have enjoyed reading the tweets from my peers and checking out the different web tools they have been tweeting about.  One of the tools that I spent a lot of time researching was Classdojo.  This tool would be great for classroom management and an exciting way to motivate students. I also enjoyed exploring Apps that pair with Twitter such as Hootsuite.  With all of the information presented on Twitter, Hootsuite is a great app to have to easily organize and find information. 

I really enjoyed the YouTube assignment this week.  I have had experience using YouTube for entertainment purposes but didn’t realize the educational capabilities of YouTube.  I can foresee myself creating a YouTube channel when I become an elementary librarian.  It would be a great way to post videos of library expectations such as how to check out a book, how to hold a book, and audience etiquette. 

Here is a link to the YouTube channel I created for the class: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuBDm6JF8iFSr275bYtTF_w

Exploring all of the Webtools available at an educator’s disposal can be intimidating.  I am glad that we have spent time this week learning and exploring these tools so that I can feel comfortable implementing these tools in my classroom.  It would be very interesting and exciting for the students to use presentation tools such as Glogster and Voki.  These tools are fun ways for students to present information instead of traditional essays or reports.  Google Docs and Wiki’s would be a great way for middle and high schools students to collaborate on group work and work on assignments.