Free Web 2.0 Tools?

Are free tools worth the price?

Free tools are definitely worth the price and should be used and brought into the classroom. Here are a few reasons:
*They provide an opportunity to enhance collaborations
*promotes positive communication
*creates a digital classroom
*meaningful to students lives, as they learn for their unknown futures
*teaches leadership and responsibility (global citizenship)
*teachers need to practice, be patient and engage in lifelong learning

Free web 2.0 tools not only support the ideas listed above, but are multidisciplinary, and can easily be incorporated into any classroom setting for any subject. Teachers will develop patience as the tools are learned, practiced, and taught to students and colleagues. Keeping up to date in the digital world, by continuing to collect and use valuable resources that are meaningful to students today will prepare students for their futures. When students use web 2.0 tools they are intrinsically motivation because their creation has a purpose since the audience could potentially be endless.

As teachers if we explore with new web 2.0 tools that are constantly developed and changing, we will be able to take information and apply it to new settings that affect not only student lives but the way we teach and learn with our students. There may be times when we learn from our students , as well. As long as the lines of communication are open and afford everyone in the learning community the opportunity to participate as they are comfortable, learning will occur. We can also communicate with teachers to give suggestions about what works best for which subject/grade level or just give a comment based on a tool we've learned enhancing what we do best as teachers -share ideas.

Ahh, a break from Technology

I just returned from a week-long trip in Rincon, located in Puerto Rico. Leaving my cell phone and computer home was the best decision I could have made. A vacation is all about relaxation, so why have updates every few seconds interfering with a stress-free week on an Island??

Life down there was different! Things were simple and reminded me of when I was growing up. Rather than accessing the internet for information, even though most areas were wireless, we spoke with "locals" to seek information. People were extremely helpful and pleasant to talk to, as we received lots of information through actual face to face conversation. I'm not used to that anymore. Here in NY mostly everything we do is through the internet.

Not only was the people interaction different, but the pace of living....as we were on Island Time, which at first was challenging to adjust with, but by the end of the week, I had not a worry as to what day it was or the time. A break from technology and the fast paced environment that surrounds me today was the best way I could have spent this past week.

PS. One really interesting thing I learned was a feature of the iPhone...one of my friends traveling loaded her eTicket using her phone. As we boarded and went through security checkpoints, the airline scanned the barcode her phone displayed instead of the eTicket that I had to walk around with. Pretty cool, but as for now, something I would not recommend, because how do you shut off the cell phone for the remainder of the trip and not be tempted to connect to the world digitally??

Conditions for Using Technology

Think different. Those two words define who a teacher is and what a teacher does to "teach." Sure we have curriculum and a plan to follow, but how we go about carrying that plan out is what makes us teachers who aren't afraid to change with the technology changes that are emerging as we enter into the future. Change is happening all around us and we need to accept it, embrace it, use it and teach with it.

But in order for teachers, new and seasoned ones, to accept the technology changes, I think technology needs to be easily incorporated into the daily plan; i.e. ease of use, time to practice and accessible on a daily basis (preferably in each classroom, rather than signing up for the lab). School administration also needs to be supportive of the changes teachers are facing and help in any way possible, as long as communication is open and occurs frequently.

If we are trying to teach the students of today for their own futures, we'll need to be willing to take on challenges, continue learning as fast as the changes are occurring, provide and seek resources and most of all be patient and encouraging to students and ourselves. After all, no one ever said change would come easy. So let's think different.

Already?

So it's that time of the semester, when there are only 2 classes left and so much still to do! I'm in the process of perfecting my technology skills, while thinking about discussions that have occurred last week, trying to imagine a response, all while trying to pack for a vacation!

Talk about busy, the vacation I'm about to take at the end of the week will be well deserved, in more ways than one! But until then, I have to keep focused on my work so I can finish the end of the semester with the least stress possible, when I return.