Edudemic

Just stumbled upon the site Edudemic that is described as...

"A community of teachers, education professionals, and hundreds of other people interested in the intersection of education and technology."

The website houses endless articles on the use of technology in the classroom and is broken down by resources for students, resources for teachers.  The screen shot below highlights articles that are trending right now.

Educdemic can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest which includes a board on the best Web 2.0 Tools.

Highly recommend checking Edudemic out!

A digital story telling the process of making a digital story...

Start to finish how elementary kiddos create digital stories.  Kids and technology these days, its their way of life.

Digital Storytelling with the Littles

“Digital storytelling incorporates a variety of multimedia such as audio narration, music, video, and still images to tell a story.”



"Digital storytelling has taken the educational world by storm, due in part to the power it has to engage and motivate the learner. Digital storytelling can also be used by any age group from pre-k to college level. Young children can be involved in the making of a digital story in a variety of ways, such as taking photographs with a digital camera, acting out scenes, drawing pictures and scanning the images, and narrating the story with their own words. When the students are involved in the creation of the digital story it becomes very meaningful to them and, thus, a very effective teaching tool."

Formative Assessment in the preschool classroom using Digital Storytelling

Early Childhood Teacher: Digital Storytelling

Kids Can Blog Too!

First graders blogging?!?!  I figured this was an activity reserved for much older children but these kids are making iMovies and posting them on their blogs.  I am amazed.  Looking at the benefits of these activities takes my amazement to a whole different level.  These children are able to purposefully share their learning with others.  In reading the article Online Collaborative Inquiry: Classroom Blogging Ventures and Multiple Literacies it notes how children are finding their "voice" and were quite excited when participating in a genuine writing activity such as this.  How are they not to get excited?  They are sharing information with people all over the world and when they respond and make comments what a great motivator for a young child!  I relate it to in my childhood receiving a letter in the mail.  It was a pretty exciting day to get mail! (And yes I am talking about snail mail.)  Additionally as students share information they are reinforcing their own learning.  I typically believe if a child is able to explain their learning to someone else, they are demonstrating their understanding of their own learning.  And guess what -- while they are doing this they are also working on their writing skills!  Another embedded skill in which they are practicing.

The use of technology in the classroom further allows the outside world of various sorts to come into the classroom.  Through Skype, blogging even twittering the information in which students can access and the individuals which can be consulted are endless.  Further a website called Quad Blogging connects classrooms around the world to work on common projects. 

Again, it seems as if with the use of technology, the possibilities are endless.

New Literacies?

New literacies?  What's new literacies?  Might not know the definition but I guarantee its something that you are doing on a daily basis.  Emailing, Facebook, Googling, Twittering, pinning to Pinterest -- we are engaging in literacy activities constantly in this day and age.  Not only are we accessing these new literacies by computer but also by tablet, by phone almost everywhere we go.  You might argue this isn't literacy... then what is it?  In completing these activities one is reading, writing, and making meaning continually, that's literacy.

When pulling this concept of new literacies into the classroom its also important to take into account NETS for both students and teachers which are the standards and knowledge expectations that both students and teachers need to have and demonstrate in order to be successful in today's digital world.  It extends beyond just basic computer knowledge to cover the ability to analyze, learn, teach and explore using technology.  Check out NETS a bit further... NETS for students and NETS for Teachers.  Its an ever changing digital world out there.  

Everyday new technological advances are being made and out classrooms are reflecting these changes as well.  Imagine what things will look like in another 5 years... in another 10... the possibilities seem endless...