Final+Examination

__Web 2.0 Resources in Kindergarten __  The evolution of technology over the past decade has brought about many changes to the style of our lives. In fact, technology has generated the possibility to live your life in a completely virtual world via the Internet. The list is quickly growing with the multitude of possibilities that are opened up with the aid of Internet tools. The things that once were deemed “impossible” have become “possible” because of this powerful resource. With this explosion of technology overflowing into every avenue of the world around us, then it is no mistake that these technological changes would eventually spill over into the education world. This integration would be the root cause for changing the way we think about teaching and learning. The advent of these new tools has given us limitless power to create a whole new world of completely revolutionized meaningful learning experiences. “... These changes will transform the world everywhere groups of people come together to accomplish something, which is to say, everywhere.” (Shirky, 2008, p.3) Bearing the idea in mind that as educators, we must be pioneers in the implementation of these powerful tools into our field of practice so that we can adequately prepare our students for this rapidly evolving society. Therefore, there is a call for us to examine the positives and negatives associated with this vast array of resources and their applicability to classroom use.

 After spending the first four years of my teaching career in the sixth grade science teacher position, downsizing has called for my realignment to the kindergarten level. While the capabilities of the middle school students in regards to their overall comprehension of technology are probably much higher than that of the kindergarten students, the gap is quickly closing. Nonetheless, this level change is going to call for a drastic adjustment in the way that technology is used in my classroom. We are going to take a look at how the resources discussed by author Will Richardson in his book, //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms// are relevant to teaching at the kindergarten level. The analysis of this book has been broken down into four main categories, communication, socialization, collaboration, and creation.

 We have recognized that society as a whole is moving toward a way of life where it will be essential for everyone to be well versed in the uses and applications of technology on a daily basis. Due to this realization we must adjust our practices to make sure we are meeting that expectation. It is understood that in order to begin building a house, you must first draw up the plans so that you can get a sense of the direction you want to head in. Then you need to lay the foundation from which to build upon. Teaching kindergarten is a very similar process in the aspect that you take a look at the big picture of where students are headed so that you can effectively design and plan meaningful experiences that will help lay the foundation to build on during future learning opportunities.

__Communication __

 The invention of weblogs or blogs as they are more commonly known has changed the way that content gets published to the internet. Basically, any person with an internet connection and the know-how can put their thoughts out on the internet for the entire world to read. Blogs are “...comprised of reflections and conversations that in many cases are updated every day” (Richardson, 2010). This new found capability to communicate easily with a large number of people is a dream resource for a teacher. Generally, in order for a teacher to communicate something to all the parents of the students in their classroom, they would need to send home a letter with each child. While this process is generally slow, it is usually very effective. However, the power that comes to the fingertips of a blog author completely eliminates the need to transfer information in this manner. A teacher can simply log on to the computer, open up their classroom blog and add any changes or information they feel is important to share, and publish it. Parents would then have the ability to check the teacher’s blog on a regular basis, thus keeping them up to date with what is going on in their child’s classroom. The ability for parents to post comments or ask questions to the teacher makes this a fantastic resource for opening up the channels of communication. “Put into practice with an understanding of their benefits and limitations, blogs are an increasingly accepted instructional technology tool” (Educause, 2005).

 Using blogs in my kindergarten classroom would be slightly difficult to use with my students in regards to using it as a method of communication between student and teacher. Nonetheless, creating a blog that I could update on a daily basis about what is going on in the classroom would be a great way to stay connected with the parents. I know that with kindergarten classes, a lot of volunteer help by parents is needed. I think it would be a great way to let parents know what activities we have planned and allow them to respond with their availability for myself and the other parents to see. The use of a blog could become an excellent resource for coordination amongst all the parents and myself. The use of this resource as a communication tool would be highly effective if it wasn’t for two profound limitations. The first of these setbacks is that I teach in a very low economic status area, and as a result of this a lot of families do not have internet connections at home. Without the ability to access the internet, using a blog to communicate with every parent just isn’t a reality. The second hurdle in using this educational tool for communication comes from limited access at our school district. The firewalls set up in our schools do not allow us access to “user-created” content sites. Overall, if we were able to overcome these two obstacles, using blogs in my classroom would be an ideal scenario.

 Another aspect of blogs that ties into the communication aspect of our analysis is derived from what we call Really Simple Syndication, or more simply put, RSS feeds. “RSS is a protocol that lets users subscribe to online content using an RSS “reader” or “aggregator,” which checks subscribed Web pages and automatically downloads new content” (Educause, 2007). Basically, this program allows you to manage your searching time for information on the internet more wisely. As an educator, it is imperative to stay on top of the latest changes in education. Therefore, I use my Google Reader aggregator to keep me updated on any new articles published from the various education websites that I am subscribed to. Another application for this tool would be the aid it provides in helping parents stay up to date with my classroom blog. Parents would not be required to visit the blog several times a day waiting for an update; they can simply wait until their aggregator informs them of any newly published content. Additional uses for this program could arise if all the teachers in my district created their own blogs to share information amongst one another. I could use RSS feeds to subscribe to their blogs so that I too could effectively read information from multiple sources when it becomes available.

The biggest draw to using an online reader for me is how much of a time saving tool this actually is. It requires hours and hours of time to comb through the endless amounts of information that are available on the internet. Teachers are strapped for time as it is, and so integrating any new form of technology that will save you time is welcomed. “An aggregator is like a personal information filter. Without it the Web is a big and scary place” (Fisher, 2007). The flipside to the time saving that online readers provide you with, is that “users must locate online sources they trust, which can be a time-consuming task” (Educause, 2007). Furthermore, it is noted that by only subscribing to RSS feeds, you take away the novelty of visiting the actual web page, which in turn may limit some of the material you are exposed to. Overall, RSS feeds seem to be a popular new tool that is allowing for the exchange of information at a highly effective rate. Check out the short video on getting started with Google Reader if you are interested in learning how to harness the power of this web resource.

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__Socialization __  Drawing on our main idea regarding change in our society, there are few other areas of human life that have been impacted so heavily by technology as much as socialization has. The idea that the internet would bring about a whole new realm of socialization was something that I did not envision in my lifetime. The power of being connected has brought forth a whole new way to interact with your peers. Social networking has catapulted from making friends on the playground to a massive network of “sharing” where web users can exchange photos, stories, videos and even instant messaging without leaving their desk chair. Facebook, Ning, Skype and Twitter are all programs that have changed the way we communicate with each other.

 Facebook is probably by far the most popular and notable internet applications that exist in the world today. “At the beginning of July 2009, Facebook was growing by an amazing 700,000 accounts per day, and its total membership was close to 250 million” (Richardson, 2010). According to a Facebook app that tallies the number of users who join Facebook, the current total is just over 800 million active users. This is over three times the number of accounts that were listed when this book published around two years ago. It is no doubt that the appeal of Facebook has reached just about every corner of the globe. With this great new way to interact with all of your friends at any given time, what could be better, probably never inventing the program in the first place? While the program does give you the ease of staying in touch with a lot of different people, the drawbacks seem to be an ever growing list.

 Using Facebook in my classroom would not be an acceptable method of instruction for the level of children that I am teaching. Besides the obvious fact that a child who lacks the ability to read would be unable to use this program in the first place, there are quite a few problems in a school setting with Facebook. The first issue that seems to always arise is the power that bullies are given through this form of socialization. Because you can be sitting in the comfort of your own home when you are posting things to Facebook, people often become “super-tough” as they type hurtful messages into their keyboard. This form of slander causes a lot of drama in school and often leads to broken friendships or scorching embarrassment. Young children are flocking to programs like Facebook to socialize, but they are not developing any real world socialization skills. While I see the value in trying to stay connected with family and friends, the drawbacks to social networking sites compile too long of a list to ignore, and therefore I would never use them in my classroom. Nonetheless, with every problem there seems to always be a solution, in this circumstance, this would be Ning.

 While the use of Facebook is often referred to by kids as the greatest thing since sliced bread, here's a young teens perspective on the whole program that comes from the other side of the fence. media type="youtube" key="VWDRCct09N0?rel=0" height="480" width="853"

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Ning is a website that gives you the opportunity to create your own social network suited to your liking. Because you have the ability to control what content is shared in your network, you would have the ability to eliminate some of the downfalls associated with pre-established sites like Facebook. Under this circumstance, I would feel that using an age appropriate platform for kindergarteners would be an acceptable method of instruction that I would use in my classroom. It answers the question raised in Richardson’s book, “...how to bring together all of these students each working in different places with different schedules so they could share experiences, reflect on their work, and support one another in the process” (Richardson, 2010). Ning is the answer to this question and it provides a solid foundation for bringing a social networking site into the classroom. Here is a video that breaks down the ins and outs of creating a Ning social platform.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> After taking a look at how socialization can occur through information sharing sites like Facebook, the next avenue of our analysis looks at how socializing can occur through other methods. One of these methods comes through a powerful program called Twitter. “Originally, Twitter was created as a way to send quick updates to anyone who was “following” the person posting the update” (Richardson, 2010). This program now allows you to share what you are doing at any given point in the day with a network of friends that you have selected. In all fairness, I never really have seen the importance or draw to using programs like Twitter, but it is mostly attributed to the fact that I don’t need to know what my friends are doing at every point of their day, nor do I care to always post to the world what it is that I am doing. Nonetheless, Twitter really has no place in the kindergarten classroom; however I have realized the importance this tool can provide for getting immediate feedback. In addition, from an English Language-Arts standpoint, I really like how Twitter causes users to “...be brief and to the point – an important skill in thinking clearly and communicating effectively” (Educause, 2007). This statement holds so much truth to it because this is often one of our biggest errors in conveying information to others, we do not remove the extraneous information.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The last area of socialization that I would like to look at deals with a program called Skype. “Skype is an application that turns a personal computer into a telephone” (Educause, 2007). This program has basically given us the ability to sit in front of a webcam and send out streaming video and audio in exchange for video and audio from another user connected somewhere else in the world. This capability has changed the way meetings take place, and allows people to connect in a more personal way than regular telephones can offer. I see plenty of room in my classroom for the use of Skype, especially in regards to programs like, [|Read Across America], which connects students from all across the country through different pieces of literature. In addition, you can search for experts on particular subject areas and arrange for them to “meet” with your classroom full of students from an entirely different location. The only drawbacks to using this program that come to mind are in regards to managing time zone differences, as well as connectivity issues with audio and video. Overall, there are a multitude of resources available for socialization on the internet, and with the swift pace that technology is developing at, who knows what the future has in store for us.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Collaboration __ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The next step on our analysis takes us into the area of collaboration. The ability to exchange information and ideas with one another has been the driving force behind the development of web resources ever since the capability was first invented. It is now easier than ever to work in real-time collaboration with a group of co-workers or colleagues who are scattered in various places. The basis of this freedom to exchange information movement comes from what is known as a wiki. “A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by anybody with a Web browser and access to the Internet” (Educause, 2005). The power associated with this type of program fosters new ideas for an environment where all teachers are working together at the most effective level. I am currently working on creating a series of wikis for the primary school. Each grade level has their own wiki to work in so that they can exchange information more easily amongst one another. In addition, I am going to be linking all the pages to a school wide wiki that features a variety of different host pages. Some examples of these pages include websites, field trips, curriculum development, and technology resources. All of the teachers in our building will have access to these wiki pages and can go in and add resources as they find them. This exchange of information is going to revolutionize the way the teachers in our building share ideas. The only drawback to integrating this into my school is the lack of computer tech savvy educators; however I am sure that with a few short lessons most teachers will get the hang of it.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> A bit of a step-up from wikis in regards to the amount of people exchanging information with another is Wikipedia. “As its name suggests, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, one that really is attempting to store the “sum of human knowledge” (Richardson, 2010). In laments terms, this basically means that unlike the old encyclopedias that was printed and would remain that way until the next edition came out; Wikipedia is constantly being modified by millions of people from around the world. Ultimately, this leads to a collection of knowledge about particular subjects from experts around the globe. With such a dynamic resource available at your fingertips, this is quite often a resource that I turn to for my own research. While there are some skeptics that say Wikipedia has its drawbacks because anyone has the ability to edit it, “...there are vastly more editors who want to make it right than those who want to make it wrong” (Richardson, 2010). This relationship balances itself out and in the end makes Wikipedia a valuable resource.

The last area that Richardson touches on that I feel fits directly into collaboration is the idea of social bookmarking. “Social bookmarking is the practice of saving bookmarks to a public Web site and “tagging” them with keywords” (Educause, 2005). “With more than 10 billion pages of information on the Web already and millions more being added each year, it’s no wonder people are starting to feel overwhelmed by the Internet” (Richardson, 2010). The idea behind social bookmarking ties into collaboration because it serves as another tool for saving time. As mentioned, with so many resources available to you online, no one has the time to sift through all of them. Therefore, when you stumble across a really good Web site, you can bookmark it for later use. The key component of this service is that you can set yourself up to follow other people so that you too can have access to the sites they have chosen. Our team of kindergarten teachers has decided to take part in social bookmarking so that we can share the valuable web resources we have found with each other. The only drawback I see to using this program would be if one or more of the teachers decided not to engage in adding sites, but simply used the resource to their benefit. A truly mutual relationship of give and take would be ideal amongst the teachers to make this highly effective. Here is a short video explaining how social bookmarking works in plain English using a popular site called Delicious.

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__<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Creation __ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> At last we have reached the final leg of our analysis where we are going to take a look at the web resources that Richardson touches on that deal with creation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “If there is one thing to be certain it’s that the explosion in the last few years of multimedia publishing on the Web is <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> going to continue, and that more and more of what we consume online is going to be self-produced, homemade <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> entertainment” (Richardson, 2010).

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The idea that we have the capabilities to become our own directors, producers, cast and crew has sparked a revolution in content creation. New programs have surfaced that allow us to manipulate video and audio recordings to our satisfaction. Podcasting is a method of recording one’s voice to transmit and share content with a large audience. As a kindergarten teacher I have found a very powerful tool to use in the classroom. Podcasts are going to provide me the ability to help students who are struggling in certain academic areas. For example, if students are having difficulty with the letter “m” in regards to sounds and becoming familiar with words that begin with this letter, I could assemble a podcast that reviews this content. The student could then go home and have a parent help them download it onto their iPod for practice on their own time. Another idea I had for using podcasting was to record myself reading various children’s books that the students could listen and read along with. The only drawbacks I see with integrating podcasting into my classroom stem from the lack of available technology. While it is feasible for me to record podcasts until I am blue in the face, it is not as easy to get my students set up in the classroom with a way to listen to them.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Another form of creation that I would like to use within my classroom is the use of video and screen casting. Young children are captivated by television, movies, video games, and any form of multimedia they can get their hands on. Taking this into account, I would like to integrate a variety of videos that I record of myself into the classroom. One idea in particular that I would like to focus on would be the use of Google Earth as a means to travel virtually around the world. After learning how to create flight paths and record tours, I feel like I can create rich meaningful experiences for my students to enjoy. I am currently working on a Google Trip that involves learning the fifty states in conjunction with the [|popular rhyming song]. The major drawback to creating these types of multimedia experiences is the time involved in creating them.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In addition to creating videos on your computer with videos and audio files that you have recorded, there is another avenue of creation that takes storytelling to a whole new level. “Digital storytelling is the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component” (Educause, 2007). This method for transmitting content is something I see as very powerful for kindergarten students. I would like to spend some time putting together some digital stories concerning important topics like sharing and good manners. I see this as a powerful avenue to express to students the importance behind these issues. Again, the drawback I see with integrating this type of technology is the lengthy amount of time involved in planning everything out. To get a better understanding of digital storytelling, check out the following video.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> With the online creation of stories, there is a need for pictures to illustrate these stories. While there is a lot of content available online for you to use, not all of it is copyright free, and it is not always easy to locate. Therefore, the advent of programs like Flickr, which is “...a photo sharing website where anyone can upload and tag photos, browse others’ photos, and add comments and annotations” (Educause, 2008) makes it easy to find images for your stories. The uses of Flickr in the classroom stem from three areas of our analysis, communication, socialization and creation. Flickr can be used as a communication tool to provide a place where photos can be uploaded daily to reflect certain activities that occur in a school day. Flickr also touches into the socialization realm because it provides people with a way to share photos they have taken, and categorize and comment on those photos for others to experience. Using Flickr also allows you to create an inventory of your own photos that can be accessed from any place you have an internet connection. Because Flickr opens up so many doors for use in the classroom like using it to “...create presentations and slide shows, cobble together virtual field trips, illustrate poetry, document school work, teach about social software, and teach geography by integrating with Google Earth” (Richardson, 2010), the possibilities are endless. The major drawback that Richardson points out in his book in regards to using Flickr, is that “...no one can guarantee with absolute certainty the quality or appropriateness of the content on Flickr” (Richardson, 2010). This would be the main reason why it would not be feasible to use this program in my classroom; I have to be able to guarantee the safety and security of my students. Here is a video that highlights the steps you need to take to get your own Flickr account up and running.

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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The last web resource for our analysis deals with live streaming. “In a nutshell, we’re talking the ability of teachers and students to create their own TV shows online in just a few clicks” (Richardson, 2010). The idea here is that if we can record and manipulate our own audio for podcasts and the same with video for screen casting, why not up the ante and start producing quality multimedia? I think that capturing important moments like music recitals on video and having the capability to share it with the world is a very powerful web resource. Therefore, I would like to try and implement live streaming as a way to broadcast the recital the kindergarteners do each year around Christmas time. Distance often plays a major role in preventing family members from attending school events. The power of creating a live stream to broadcast these events knocks down those barriers. The only setback I am looking at in regards to making this happen would be the quality of the hardware available for recording this event. Overall, the power of creation is, and will change the way we develop content for our students. No longer are we limited to a minimum selection of materials to accompany our teaching, if there is something you are looking for and you cannot find it, create it yourself.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conclusion __ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The internet is host to a vast collection of content and resources that are hovering at our fingertips. It is through the process of trial and error that we sift through this unending realm of content searching for the right tools that adequately meet the needs of our students. As new tools are created with the rapid evolution of technology, time and time again we will be asked to sit back and analyze the pros and cons associated with these developments. In times of great change, we need great leaders to step up and guide us into the new frontier. I am going to leave you with a short video clip that highlights some of the pioneers of our time. Will someone make a video in the future with your picture in it?

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__References__
 * Educause, (2005). 7 Things You Should Know About Blogs. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-blogs ||
 * Educause, (2005). 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-social-bookmarking ||
 * Educause, (2005). 7 Things You Should Know About Wikis. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-wikis ||
 * Educause, (2007). 7 Things You Should Know About Digital Storytelling. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-digital-storytelling ||
 * Educause, (2007). 7 Things You Should Know About RSS. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-rss ||
 * Educause, (2007). 7 Things You Should Know About Skype. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-skype ||
 * Educause, (2007). 7 Things You Should Know About Twitter. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-twitter ||
 * Educause, (2008). 7 Things You Should Know About Flickr. http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-flickr ||
 * Fisher, C. (2007). Signal vs. noise. Retrieved October 14, 2009, from http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2007/01/signal_vs_noise.html ||
 * Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA : Corwin Press. ||
 * Shirkey, C. (2008). Here comes everybody: the power of organizing without organizations. New York: Penguin ||
 * Unknown, (2012). Read Across America. http://education.skype.com/projects/2009-read-across-america ||