Podcasting in the classroom

Started working on my podcast, also have my students creating one. They are fun, but a lot of work. I did find on edutopia.com a great section on explaining how to podcast. Podomatic seems to be the easist to use. Does anyone have any suggestions or sites that have proved useful?

Partnership for 21st century skills:

This web site is really user friendly! So much information that you have to have at least a few hours to go through it. I don't think anything on this site suprised me, and I did not disagree with anything that I read. I do feel that it would be a tough sell to my school district at this time. I am not saying that they would not agree, they would just say that at this time we need to concentrate on testing mandates! I like how they spell out everything with the six key elements of 21st century, nine steps to build momentum. Also feel that students are so much more aware of everything around them, versus years ago. On page 6 of Learning fo the 21st century they say that schools are more similar to schools over a hundred years ago than dissimilar. I also agree with this to some degree. We have grown a lot, but we have a long way to go. Bottom line is, everything costs money. Money that most schools do not have.

This site has so many tools, like the videos. Most of them are geared towards math, but they are pretty good. Overall, I really like this web site! What does everyone else think????

Wikispaces

Wikispaces can be a fantastic addition to a classroom assignemt. Students take ownership!Although as a teacher it is a lot of extra work learning how to do this. How do others feel ---does anyone have any ideas for terrific lessons using a wikispace, or websites that help?

Blogs are a great tool with students

I am a middle school teacher in Anaconda, Montana! I teach 7th grade geography and 8th grade Honor's U.S. history/We the People. I currently have a web page under K12lessonplans. I really like this site because it is really user friendly. Every week I post a blog, and my 8th grade students respond. This works fantastic, in this class. I have 23 very bright students in this class, and I can not always hear all of their opinions on every item we talk about in class. They seem to love to blog with me. It also allows them to blog on current events. We have a discussion table on this site, and they have RSS feeds from the Bill of Rights institute on daily news stories. They pick a story that interests them and then they blog on it, then others get involved.

I have to approve written by the students before it can be posted. The students like this because sometimes they leave me messages they do not necessarily want the rest of the class to read or respond to.

Does anyone have more ideas for my class blogging?

Technology in the classroom is fantastic!!!

Yet, why do I feel so overwhelmed? Basically this is my first blog for anyone to see, so that's a little scary! I do blog with my students on my own website, this is fantastic. I hear all of their voices on every subject I post.

I think I feel a little anxious because I am not that technology savvy. I am learning though! I am a mother of two beautiful, incredible children. My son Tyler is 21, and my daughter Alexandra is 19. They are technology savvy! I also feel like I am the second mother to, 127 students who are also incredible and technology savvy. Being a mother is the most incredible job, but being a teacher is the second most incredible job.

I am very lucky because I am in a school who has a lot of great things going on as far as technology is concerned. I use a smartboard, cps units, rss feeds, cps tablets, digital camera, doc camera, blogs, computers, and studdy buddies on a weekly basis. I have started podcasting and a couple hours ago started a wikispace.

I take my job as a teacher very serious, and I feel technology is the way of the future. So this is why I think I am a little overwhelmed. I want to stay on top of everything, yet it changes so fast, and I am already way behind.

Does anyway else feel overwhelmed when it comes to technology? Love it, yet makes you nervous!