Podcasts

A couple of years ago, I had a class make their own Podcasts for their class members.  Everyone podcasts now days!!! Triple J radio have podcasts of all their shows, Hamish and Andy make sure you don't miss a show, my daughter's Uni lectures all go out on podcast.  I have just started looking into the use of podcasts in the classroom - linked to a Wiki and those students who are absent have access to the classroom from wherever their computer is. Our school has Mimios, which have the ability to do audio podcasts of the lesson from the board - haven't tried this yet as I don't have a Mimio yet!!! Podcasts are a part of the everyday now, and I need to get on board.

YouTube and TeacherTube

I use a YouTube clip at least once a day in my classes - even if it is just the "Song of the Day" clip in Year 12 RE. I have found some really useful educational clips on both YouTube and TeacherTube and highly recommend them to any educator.  Every topic I have searched for I have found. My lessons would not be as interesting without them - and even my "Just Because" clips for my Home Room class entertain us and keep us smiling.

Rollyo

I am currently starting some research on the use of ipads in the classroom and can see a use for this.
I have already put a couple of websites into a Rollyo, and have found it a really easy way of finding information within a website.
I hope to have more time to spend on this application soon.
The idea of setting up a Rollyo for my students is also quite appealing - hopefully I will get to this soon.

Delicious

I have set up some favourites in the Delicious website, but at the moment, I don't see me using this very much. I have my favourites on my Favourites Bar and this is what I use the most.  Maybe if I was researching - which I will be later in the year - then this would become something that I would use more often.

Wiki

Addictive!!!
I spent a lot of time last week playing with Wikispaces and making a Wiki for a group of extension students at school.  Hopefully we will start using it next term and they will start helping me in my learning of this tool.  I am quite excited about the potential of the Wiki in this class and hope to extend it to my other classes, especially my Year 12s.  The address for my Wiki is: https://naglestellar.wikispaces.com/ .

RSS

Spent some time with Ann Boyle working on what RSS was last week. To my way of thinking, it is a way of keeping up to date with any changes to any websites/blogs that I am interested in.  I have tried to make a RSS link from my Wiki page to  my gmail homepage - don't know how successful it is yet, as it is holiday time and none of the students who will be using the Wiki know anything about it yet.  I also had an RSS-type link from some websites (e.g. Glogster to my Facebook page) - except they were driving me nuts so I deactivated them.  I found that I really didn't want all those updates on what is essentially my family and friends page. I am still thinking about these and hopefully will use them more in the future.

Facebook & MySpace

I was a user of MySpace before Facebook came along.  I can't remember my login now - so there is a long forgotten unused MySpace page floating around in cyber space belonging to me. I went back to visit and can see why this would be a favourite of younger people - links to bands, musicians, movies, stars, celebrities, fashion as well as friends.  I have had a Facebook page for a few years now and use it to keep in contact with family and friends in other cities, states and countries - I love viewing their photos and keeping up to date with their lives. I find this a really important part of my social world now.  I check my page daily - now have the link on my gmail homepage, which makes it easier. I also use it to talk directly to my daughter in Perth (at night when she is studying and I am doing school work) just quick little messages to keep in contact. I won't be going back to MySpace - Facebook is more than enough for my needs.  I watched 'The Social Network' on the weekend - so even have a bit of background knowledge as well!!