Some Tech Ideas for the New School Year

OK, it is now 2:57 AM. Can't sleep so I will share some thoughts about this next school year and invite any ideas you might have to help me tweek it up. I'm pondering again.

I made a list, after two weeks and many hours of following links that might have anything to do with Web 2.0 uses in the classroom. I now have a list of some ideas that I think I can handle. Time will tell.

1. I will set up a ning or wiki and ask my students a question each week and they will respond to the question at least once. I would like it to turn into a real discussion. It will be on any subject at all. It is just to get them thinking and using the computer to communicate with each other.

2. Use www.lauriefowler.com/esheet.html. These are worksheets that included a url that can be used to research the questions on the worksheet. Check each worksheet out, some sites they refer to are no longer valid.

3. Use www.ourstory.com and www.xtimeline.com to make up timelines of projects we will work on in class.

4. With www.turtlepondpublications.com/videomaker the students can create story boards with short movies on the site as well as music, similar to MovieMaker. They will also add text slides to work on their writing skills.

5. Make narrated slideshows of class activities, etc. with sites like www.qlipmedia.com.

6. Make videos of weather, news, and sports at least once a week. The students will research the weather, etc. on the computer then there will be the camerman, weatherman, news reporter and sports reporter sharing what they found. I need to find some reliable kid-friendly sites to research the news and sports.

7. I want to search out some virtual field trips, which I haven't really done yet.

I do have a concern in that mine is a one computer classroom which will probably keep us from doing much of anything at any one time. I have a projector which helps with that, but I want the students involved, I don't want to be showing them what I am doing. I have access to the computer lab once a week. I might be able to get more as I present these ideas to the Tech Department supervisor. He wants us to get involved in technology.

I also need to check with him and administration to find out about any security, parent issues they may have. That could squash it all!

Thanks for listening.

Pat