Final Reflection

Ok! I've finally finished the Course - what an amazing learning curve. Throughout this journey I experienced a myriad of emotions: hesitancy, frustration, pride, relief, confusion, amazement, excitement and finally success - thank you for providing me with this opportunity!
A few suggestions from the perspective of someone who subscribes to the "KISS philosophy"
* It was easier to create all the Accounts in the initial stages rather than as I went through each Module and DEFINATELY download the template in the First Steps to record passwords etc.
* Future participants would benefit from completing the Course with a buddy or a group of people so that they could bounce ideas off eachother and provide support (I really struggled at times to complete tasks on my own)
* I found that I became overwhelmed with information at times when there were a lot of Youtube clips or other links provided within Modules and then lost my direction. Could they be reduced to cater for "IT Challenged" people like myself?
* Future participants need to know that PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE is what they need to do in order to become more confident with all the new skills.
Finally, the tools that I found most beneficial to me within an educational setting include: Blogging, Bubble.us, Google docs, Digital Storytelling, Delicious and the Blooms Digital Taxonomy Map.
Thanks again!
Brid Bowers

Module 10

The WIKI is amazing as it opens up an endless opportunities for all learners (yes even us older ones) to experience success. Students especially love to publish their work on the web and to receive feedback, praise and encouragements for their efforts.
I absolutely loved reading through the Blooms Revised Taxonomy and Blooms Digital Taxonomy. As an educator who tries her best to challenge and excite chn to "own" their learning it was great to see how easily Web2.0 tools are integrated within HOT skills. We have placed a copy of Blooms Revised Taxonomy and Blooms Digital Taxonomy Map in the staffroom to help generate professional dialogue in this area.

Module 9

I can see the opportunities of social networking but must be honest and say that it's not really my thing. I have a lot of friends who have Facebook, but after the initial excitement of setting it up and getting feedback, it seems to have gone by the wayside. I personally don't have the time to religously update Facebook but definitely admire those who can!
I find the whole Twitter phenomenon a waste of time and energy - I don't really care if someone is in a shoe shop and can't decide what colour shoes to buy!
Despite my personal stance I can definitely see why kids are attracted to the whole social networking package. As educators we need to be aware of the positive and negative aspects of these tools and inform our kids accordingly.
A good module.

Module 8

I loved this Module! I have been known to spend hours searching through the net trying to locate information and finally discover something that allows me access to up to date and most importantly relevant news and blogs is fantastic. Once again Web 2.0 is providing me with valuable time saving tools which with my very busy life is a godsend! I can definately see how we could use this at school not only within the classroom but also for staff development as well.

Module 7

Making this Blog short and sweet: Program to evaluate and reports to finish - I'm sure you all relate!
Loved Delicious! I thought it was an easy way to save websites that I continually use as well as allowing me to view what others had found therefore saving me precious time! I could see this being very useful in our school.

Module 6

A very successful Module! The Bubbl.us is an excellent tool that was easily used in my classroom. We tend to do a lot of brainstorming with the chn for new topics and throughout the term in order to help direct our learning experiences. We have been relying on a very old mind mapping program or inserting shapes with connectors etc to link ideas. The Bubbl.us has definitely done away with these very limiting tools! The Glogster was also received enthusiastically by the chn. We are familiar with Photostory and while this still has a place, the chn decided that Glogster was far superior and elected to transfer what we had already done using this tool. I successfully emailed my own Glogster to friends and family!

Module 5

This was the first Module that I found really easy to complete in a short space of time. I tend to use Youtube quite a bit in the classroom as I have found that it is a fantastic way to introduce new topics, reinforce content and stimulate discussions. The chn have shown me time and again that they can recall information provided by Youtube clips more easily than that provided by listening to me read modelled texts during LFTT lessons for example.The combination of visual and audio is a definite bonus when it comes to stimulating and challenging some of the chn in my class! I have also noted an improvement in note taking skills as the chn become more familiar with identifying relevant information about a topic. I can defintiely see the relevance of using Podcasting in a classroom, and found the examples provided really interesting. I particularly enjoyed the chn's interview with Andy Griffith.

Module 4

This module was a load of fun. My boys and I (both Primary school age) downloaded photos taken from a recent snow trip and proceeded to arrange them into an album using Flickr. We accessed Picnik and then spent ages editing individual shots, added tags etc - a lot of laughs were had. As a parent I am pleased that I can control who has access to these photos as well as knowing that the the use of the Safe Search and Content Filters will also protect my children. As a teacher, obviously these are also very important to ensure that the children can only access what is safe for them. A great module!

Module 3

This was a great Module for so many reasons, the most important of which was that I had success creating the Google docs easily. The videos provided a great explanation as to how teachers could use them in their own classrooms. Initially I felt that Google docs were more geared towards older students (high school etc). After giving it further thought, I realised that I could use the Google docs during the conferencing and editing stages within LFTT or creative writing time. They could be used to encourage student discussions and collaboration when completing partner or group activities as well as giving the teacher an opportunity to provide essential and immediate feedback to students as they complete different components of major research work for example. I have introduced my Year 3 team members to Google docs and we are now working together to see if we can integrate it's use within our Literacy and Numeracy
Programs (to start with) for Term Four.

Module 2

I am finally completing this Module with a huge sigh of relief!I found that I spent a LOT of time looking at all the links that were provided to the extent that I became quite overwhelmed as to what I should actually be producing. Thank goodness I was able to get the support from Jo (School ICT leader) to help me out.
While I found setting up and adding gadgets to the iGOOGLE account quite easy to do, I did not find it as easy with the blog. I'm still not entirely happy with the template and some of the gadgets I have included, but figure I can always alter them any time and as my skill improves. To date, I have always organised My Classes Pages to share information about such things as contracts, homework, parent administration etc. After this module it became much clearer to me the extra benefits a blog would provide. I could get regular feedback from student, parents and colleagues about the successes or failures of learning experiences posted which would greatly assist in future planning. I look forward to creating a blog that will be informative, exciting and beneficial for my Year 3 children.

Module One

Hi Everyone! My name is Brid and I am VERY new to Web2.0. I figure I was asked to participate in this Course as I am definitely NOT the most IT savvy person on Staff but I'll give anything a go. If I can complete the various tasks, then most anyine else could do it too! I really enjoyed the first module because it was easy to follow and claerly outlined what was required. I was able to create the iGoogle Account easily - actually truth be told, I created three before I'd realised!. The gadgets were lots of fun. The only problem I had was that I spent so much time investigating what to include on my page that it looks somewhat "busy" The video clips were really fantastic. I intend to use one or two of them for Professional Reading at the next Staff Meeting. I am very lucky that our ICT leader is doing this course with me. I know that if (and when) I get stuck, she'll be able to help me out without laughing TOO loudly!