TLN Blog 2

This blog is proving very difficult to write ... every time I start, I think I would rather work on my project and that's usually what I end up doing. Also, I think if I'm going to post, I had better read everyone's blog and always run out of time to do that as well. And now, because I'm so late with this blog #2, I may just get it posted and not read everyone else's post and for that, I'm sorry.

I am trying to work out an online environment for a group of my students. Here's some things I've checked out: Facebook, Moodle, KeepTookKit (here's a link from a workshop I attended), iWeb, AbbyNet, Google Docs and am now working with Google Notebook.

I love Google Notebook for my own notes and with it, I've had the most success. Here's the link to a page of assignments I created for a couple of my students who are currently not in school full time. This is as far as I've gotten. I haven't used it yet with the students.

For students who struggle to complete and hand in assignments, I have tried a couple of things:
• Created a template for a title page that students can access from my Public Folder. With very little instruction, two students easily used the template to create their title page. One student added some color and ended up with the first title page he'd every done that didn't look like it had been done by a primary student.
• Taught three students so far how to use Keynote to show their learning. One student did an adapted version of a Mesopotamia project and handed it in electronically to his teacher. It was well received and his teacher thought she might use the strategy with her whole class.

I've been using 2learn.ca a lot; I've had some problems getting to some of the search results but I've worked around it and found some excellent interactive sites for students and tons of resources for me.

I've also finally started using my Del.icio.us bookmarks and have saved myself quite a few slaps up side my head for not bookmarking a cool site.

My thinking about information and communication technology has changed drastically since hearing about Web2.0. I'm still a newb, but am gaining confidence and a better focus for my efforts to use it with my students ... it just takes such a long time to check out resources; I'm forever getting caught up in interesting threads and often forget what I originally set out to do, like has everyone seen this: WWI:Experiences of an English Soldier.