Hot Topic Debate - Wikipedia

The hot topic I've chosen to discuss is about whether or not Wikipedia should be forbidden in students' social studies research.  I think Wikipedia is a great tool for students to use.  In fact, I believe students should go to Wikipedia first to get an overview of the topic before moving on to other sites.  Wikipedia has a wealth of information and is usually written on a level that is easy to comprehend.  However, because of the questionable validity of the information obtained from Wikipedia, I would have my students verify any information they use from Wikipedia with at least one other source.

Web 2.0 Resources

Concept Map of Integers:

This site is very user friendly.  As stated in yesterday's blog, I will definitely use this site with my students.  Please check out my concept map and let me know what you think.

                     

Glogster EDU:

It took me hours to complete this Glog.  The end result is pretty good, but the site was not user friendly.  My images moved around every time I clicked on one.  Even when I was clicking at the bottom of the page, the top half of my images moved so that everything kept getting scrambled.  It was also difficult for me to figure out how to embed video or even save my hyperlinks.  While I do think my Glog came out great, I probably will not use this site again.  By the way, when I was just about finished, I learned that the images can be locked by simply clicking the picture of the lock that pops up when you edit the image.  If you haven't completed this project yet, you may want to remember this.  Please check out my Glog. I'd love to hear your feedback.

http://www.glogster.com/ttotora/integers-by-ttotora/g-6l0o48o2rdmlh3uha3g8pa0

Animoto:

I like this site!  It was easy to use and the product is really cool.  Check out my video!
       
http://animoto.com/play/uVWZI08k1Y2kMdWRtU2Gyw

Free Choice:

I created two games from http://classtools.net/ for my free choice activity.  The site was easy to use as well and I'll probably use it again.  The links to my games are:

http://www.classtools.net/mob/quiz_11/Integers__PKfxU.htm

http://www.classtools.net/widgets/dustbin_6/LXNht.htm

Concept Map

I've been working on the concept map activity and really like this site!  I'm going to have my 8th graders use this site to create a study guide for their next test.  I haven't figured out how to change the font yet and haven't watched the video.  If you figure out how to underline a part of your text, please let me know.  I mentioned the name of a book and I can't underline it or put it in italics. Also, if you plan to use this site in your lesson plans, I'd love to know what you're going to do.  Thanks!  Tina

Greetings!

Week 1 – Introduction
 

Hello everyone. My name is Tina and this is my first blog ever! I have been married for twenty-six years and have three grown sons. My youngest is a senior in high school so I’ll soon be an empty nester. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I currently teach in Huntsville, Alabama and previously taught in Louisiana. I’m a collaborative special education teacher but hope to teach sixth grade math next year. I'm looking forward to this course as my district has adopted a one-to-one initiative. Essentially, all of the students have laptops or iPads and even their books are on-line. I'm hoping this course will help me make the most of this technology. I look forward to working with you all.