Tool #5

I searched Delicious for terrariums and it was so much easier and faster to find a whole lot of information especific to my search key word. It is as practical as Google Reader in terms of bookmarking, but it gives you more immediate results specific to the search. One of the sites that I found very interesting was http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/. It had a wide variety of information and tips, from how-to, to types of terrariums, maintenance, etc. Another one that I found interesting was on classroom cheers. http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2006/11_Nov/pg03.html  It had a section entitled, 30+ Classroom cheers. That was fun.  It didn't take long before my list of tags grew, so my next step will be to create bundles, as soon as I add a few more related to the terrariums and maintenance.

Tool #4

Google Reader seems to be a quick way to follow blogs and access updated information posted on sites that discuss topics of current interest to you. It feels like a very personalized 'favorites list.' Instead of going through endless pull-down menus to get to where I need, it's all in one place. Nice. So, when my interests shift to another topic, I can make an updated collection. This looks like a good way to create a collection of sites where both teachers and students can contribute their favorites to jumpstart research or a project. About Google Docs, in order to see how it works right away, I invited my two children to work with me on a science vocabulary Word document I had saved on my desktop. I uploaded it and then shared it with them. We all worked on changes simultaneously, which made my college age daughter rethink her flashdrive for some of the group work she'll have to do next semester. Then I created a Google Docs folder and saved the document the same way I do in Word. The only down side was, and I'm not sure whether this is a laptop issue or a server issue, but Google Docs ran very slow for some reason. There are more features I want to explore.

Tool #3

Flickr says that it "largely depends on the community to police itself for copyright violations, and [that]opportunities for libel or invasions of privacy abound."  This made me think about how easily a great student-generated piece of work can be used without the student's knowledge or permission. It's very important to access and utilize safeguards and options provided by websites that address that issue.
I enjoyed playing with WordItOut to make a list of the many ways to say, SAID! I think it's a fun way to get the kids thinking about their writing and finding alternate ways to say words like: said, happy, and sad.

Tool #2

I look forward to participating in an online education community, starting with my grade level team at my school. Can't wait for the exchange, not only in technology-I have so much to learn!, but when we start our first unit of study in science.
I really liked the comments by Cool Cat: How to Comment on this Blog. Her tip #7: Remember the Power of Words hit home as the newbie that I am...I know there are Darth Commenters out there...very visible all over YouTube for example, but it's great to see how YouTubers have an unspoken agreement to 'keep it friendly,' and they reflect this by responding with comments to that effect. It's important to educate our students about the 'power of words' to retain the purpose of blogging at school: learning communities.
So far, I've posted comments on Mrs. Alvarado's blog, Tool #2 PLN, and on Virginia Canac's thing #19, Web 2.0. I'll keep reading...everyone has such great thoughts to share!

Tool #1

I can't wait to receive comments  on another blog I've started to collect advise on maintaining my terrarium habitat. So far, I've been able to get tips via email from GEMS and AIMS, but it will be interesting to hear from other people about how they've dealt with the same terrarium issues. So, this made me think of one way to use blogging in the classroom, for example in science, to communicate with other learning communities about their findings and experiences with hands-on investigations. This is a different way of journaling information that adds to what we do in class. I also enjoyed creating the Avatar, but I think I had more fun with my kids' Wii Avatar because it gives you more choices. Not having enough time to explore the other tabs on the blogging site is a bit frustrating because there are still 10 other tools to cover!...so later on maybe. I'm not teckky, so in order to get a good handle on new technology, I need enough time to dive-in.