Thing #6

Google Chrome is very easy to install and retrieves data faster than the original version.  It is a free web browser and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.  Google Chrome uses the WebKit layout engine and was released in 2008.  It is the second most widely used browser in the world.  The original version had more internet sites than its competitor and has always been my favorite web browser for many years.  Bing lacked the speed and database that Google had, so I removed it from my computer and replaced it with Google.  After playing around with Google Chrome, I have chosen to keep the upgraded version. 

It would be very easy for students to use.  In fact, my son helped me load the program and explained what it did.  It lists multiple articles under the subject being researched, so students have a wealth of information at their fingertips.  One of the greatest disadvantages is the way it categorizes topics.  As you narrow the definition of the subject being researched, the articles change.  Younger students would not realize that more articles were available, if they just drilled down further.  Also if they did not bookmark the article or record the website, they might not ever find the passage again. 

I spent time looking up activities to use in my classroom and have listed three sites where I found age appropriate items. 

http://www.dltk-kids.com/school/crafts.html DLKT is a free British website with multiple elementary art activities that are quick and inexpensive to make.  The site also includes directions, templates, and suggestions for extending the activities.  Other subject matter is included to use during cross-curricular activities. 

http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/auto/12/44.html Art Express is a website with art activities for students enrolled in 1^st through 5^th grades.  It is a free site that has lessons plans on various subjects, templates, and directions for completing the accompanying art projects.

http://www.kinderart.com/drawing/numbers.shtml Kinder Art is a free website for children age kindergarten through 6^th grades.  It has a variety of activities, directions, lists of required materials, but no templates are available. 

Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org/ This program is available in multiple languages and is a free simplified CachedSimilarUndoencyclopedia available on the Internet.  It boasts of having over 10 million articles which are written in 200 different languages.  The website has beautiful pictures and a wide variety of subject matter to choose from.  It is a quick resource for students to go to for information, but they must be advised that it accepts articles from the public without proper documentation.  Many times, the articles border on plagiarism when compared to the original documents they were taken from.  Students must understand that Wikipedia may not be quoted as a resource when completing a research article.  It can be used as a starting point to define topics, find possible resources, and get ideas to research.  It is an excellent resource for them when they do not understand information.  For example, I used it while reading my organic chemistry textbook to clarify unfamiliar terms or to explain why various reactions occurred.     - You +1'd this publicly.

Thing #5

Students in my era learned through textbooks, overhead projectors, videos, slides and rudimentary interactive computer activities.  I remember creating a banana split on the computer and running it off on a dot matrix printer.  I was absolutely thrilled with my computer skills. 

That all changed with the invention of Web 2.0/School 2.0.  Now, students can view 394 million photographs using visual imagining software, and the library increases by a million images every day.  My two children navigate the web and show me how to access information.  They feel comfortable using the new software available in their schools.  Luckily, our school system realized early that in order to hold the interest of the students, the curriculum had to incorporate visual imagery and technology into the instructional program.  Our students learn at an early age to communicate with classrooms throughout our county via video streaming and do cooperative projects.  There is no limit to the learning opportunities of students today using Web 2.0/School 2.0.  They are able to access information, videos, and pictures about subject matter not covered in their textbooks.  Our educators have realized that by the time textbooks are published, a great deal of the information presented is already obsolete.  Using this software, allows instructors to remain current in the literature and supplement the adopted text with accurate data imported from the internet.  Students are free to do outside research on topics of interest to them and assigned projects.  These interactive learning experiences keep students motivated to continue learning beyond completion of their assignment.  My son comes home from school commenting on things he has learned and asking a million other questions.  My daughter is a visual learner and remembers material imported from the internet better than from lectures or textbook passages, so Web 2.0/School 2.0 has opened a new avenue of learning.