Annotated+References

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== o **//Annotation://** I actually came across this blog site on accident. I thought I was going to find something that would be talking about how to use a blog in your instruction to make things better. However, I came across this specific blog entry that is listed categorically about educational blog available on the Internet. It is even broken down by topic and grade level for your convenience. Great Resource! ==

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== o Annotation: This is actually a PDF file which explores the uses of video-blogging in the classroom. There are 5 classrooms that are put in the spotlight and websites are shared where we can actually look at video blogs in action. It is a couple years old, but definitely something to peruse. ==

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== o Annotation: In Part II of this article, the authors explore the potential educational uses of Twitter. They talk about creating a classroom community and collaborating on projects. They also talk about how it would be great as a tool for professional development among teachers. ==

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== o Annotation: This is a great excerpt from a book about using digital videos in instruction. One entire section of this article (beginning on page 7) talks about capturing images from your computer screen and using screen-casting software to help share these images with your students. ==

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== o **//Annotation://** This website is entirely created around using Digital Storytelling in the classroom. There are links to examples of Digital Stories, potential rubrics, and storyboarding techniques. It is a wonderful resource! ==

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== o Annotation: This is actually a PDF file which explores the uses of Flickr in the classroom. The author offers an entire list of possible uses for classrooms and schools. A well-written, yet short synopsis of the potential use of Flickr. ==

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== o Annotation: This article talks about some of the uses of You Tube in the classroom and also advises about potential dangers. We all know we have to be cautious of what types of videos we come across. She also talks about the introduction of Teacher Tube in 2007. ==

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== o //Annotation:// This article was a very interesting look into the use of Instant Messaging as a source of communicating with your students. This professor writes about the pros and cons of using this piece of technology during her semester-long courses. ==

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== o //Annotation:// This blog talks about one teacher’s look into using podcasts to enhance her instruction each day, to help her sub when she is absent, and to have her students demonstrate their knowledge of a certain topic. It is a very interesting article about how we can incorporate technology in our classrooms. ==

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== o //Annotation:// This article talks about the uses of RSS Feeds and how they can implement them into their classrooms. There is a whole section in this article called “Subscribe to My Homework Page!” and it talks about how teachers can increase their communication with teachers and students through the use of blogs and therefore RSS Feeds. ==

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== o //Annotation:// This article looks at the practical uses of Skype in the classroom. It is written by an author who is willing to do virtual visits into student book clubs. She also includes an updated list of other authors who are willing to do the same. They are usually 20 minute visits that can be accompanied by signed name plates to insert into student books. Very Cool! ==

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== o **//Annotation://** This website provides a list of 50 ways to use wikis in the classroom. It breaks the list down into ideas for “Resource Creation, Student Participation, Group Projects, Student Interaction, For the Classroom, Community, and Other.” There are some fantastic ideas about virtual field trips, literature circles, classroom scrapbooks, and peer editing. ==

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==== o **//Annotation://** This article presents a variety of opinions on Wikipedia and its use for educators. Ideas are presented from all sides of the argument and no one opinion is finalized as the “right” answer. It is just an interesting perspective into the uses (good and bad) of Wikipedia. == ==

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== o **//Annotation://** This website provides a list of uses for Facebook in your classroom. There are ideas for apps that you can download and tips for keeping Facebook a professional addition to your classroom. There are tips for classroom projects, communication, references, and even finding a job! ==

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== o **//Annotation://** This article looks at some of the new additions to the face of Ning. Apparently, Ning users can also now create apps along with creating their own social networks. It explains that this site is not quite the same as things like Facebook and MySpace, it says that the sole purpose of Ning is to create networks for whatever you want! ==

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== o **//Annotation://** This website explores the benefits of social bookmarking. It addresses how teachers can use it to find and store their favorite sites to use in their classrooms. If you find a site that you like at home, you can still save it and pull it up at school because of these social bookmarking sites. There is also a short list of possible social bookmarking sites to use! == ==

== = · Collaborative Editing:  = = o **// Name of Website: //** Kolabora—Collaborative Writing Tools and Technology: A Mini-Guide  = = o **// URL: //**[] = = o **// Annotation: //** This website provides a list of various collaborative writing programs that allow students to work together on various assignments. They discuss Zoho Writer, Writeboard, Google Docs and Spreadsheets, Near-time, Social Text, Quick Topic, Edit Grid, Synchro Edit, Please Review, Coventi Pages, and multiple collaborative writing software options. The website provides a sneak peek at all of the perks of the different collaborative editing programs! = = · Google Apps:  = = o **// Name of Website: //** Google Apps Education Training Center  = = o **// URL: //** [] = = o **// Annotation: //** This website is a tutorial-type website which teaches educators and students the basics of the Google Apps programs. There is also a place for educators to share their lesson plans on various topics through the Google Docs program! = = · Lulu:  = = o **// Name of Website: //**The Wall Street Journal—‘Vanity’ Press Goes Digital  = = o **// URL: //**[] = = o **// Annotation: //** This article presents the pros and cons of self-publishing and its effects on the larger publishing companies. One of the companies in the spotlight is Lulu and its CEO, Bob Young. It tells readers that Lulu “publishes approximately 20,000 new titles each month.”

= = · Augmented Reality:  = = o ** // Name of Website: // ** MIT—MITAR Games = = o ** // URL: // ** [] = = o ** // Annotation: // ** This is a link to an education website for MIT called STEP—Scheller Teacher Education Program. It talks about an Augmented Reality game in which players use a GPS to interview and track down clues to solve a mystery. = = · Virtual Worlds:  = = o ** // Name of Website: // ** Web 2.0 Blog: Virtual Worlds in the Classroom = = o ** // URL: // ** [] = = o ** // Annotation: // ** This is a very short snippet of what classrooms would be like with the inclusion of virtual worlds. “The blog’s author has an excellent take on what makes virtual worlds effective learning tools—‘Learning is social, and I think that has something to do with the power of watching your avatar experience something as opposed to simply imagining it in your mind.’” = = · Second Life:  = = o ** // Name of Website: // **Bloomberg Businessweek—My Virtual Life = = o ** // URL:  // **[] = = o ** // Annotation: // ** This article was published in the May 2006 issue of // Bloomberg Businessweek // and it takes a closer look at the virtual world called Second Life. It talks about the avatars and the worlds you can visit electronically on your computer. One very interesting comment is made and then examined, “ This generation that grew up on video games is blurring the lines between games and real life.” It is a very unique look at Second Life. =