Chapter 9 Social Networks
   Truthfully, I have not been an ardent fan of social networks. Probably because of all the bad press around things that have been shared my individuals on these networks.  This chapter gave me an insight into how they can positively be used.  I was under the misinterpretation that they were only used for friending people. Richardson has made a case for how these sites are also used to explore interests and extend their learning. I big component of education is cooperative learning and how important it is to have a community of learners.  These social sites are the epitome of learning in a "cooperative form" .Libraries of the future should evolve into the example on page 138 where the high school hosts a K-12 library that is truly 21st century. Also, the example of ArtSnacks is a truly interesting way for anyone to enjoy a passion and get instruction. This book definitely shows me many ways that I can bring my practice into the 21st centruy.

Chapter 8 Podcasting, Video and Screencasting and Live Streaming
             The explosion of multimedia publishing on the web is continuing to explode.  Self-produced multimedia tools are going to change how students create artifacts to show their learning and understanding. After reading this chapter I need time to explore the opportunities and play with these multimedia products in order to get comfortable with one that I can incorporate into my classroom practice this year.  Podcasting may be the one I try first.  It seems doable and has the least amount of equipment needed to be successful.  I think our classroom should reflect the current tools that are available but as an educator finding the time to explore and get comfortable with them is always a stretch.

Chapter Fun Wth Flicker
        " The  possibilities here are pretty endless, limited only by your imagination and your own understanding of these tools. " Flicker as a tool to share photos is chronicled here as showing the country and the world images of Katrina . These  images created an unprecedented photo-journal of this disaster.
           Here is another web tool that I think I might be able to use in my classroom.  I love the example of  putting a poem to pictures. Poetry is one of my passions and this tool might be a way to share this with students so that they not only create their own vision of a poem but create a photo image that matches their understanding. This might be a place for me to begin. 
           Researching how others have used this tool will fuel my imagination to potentially  use it effectively  in other parts of my curriculum.

Chapter 6- The Social Web

           Read/Write/Web has many tools for educators to publish and share their  passions.  The description of Diego which allows you to share content and tag information that is important to you  sounds like a tool that I might like to use.  The fact that once you get it , the whole page is copied to your site and even if the original is deleted you still have captured it is a wonderful feature. Diego gives you all sorts of ways to track what other people are reading and writing.  I like this feature.  I think this would be manageable for a novice like myself.  On the other hand, Delicious  although easy to subscribe too doesn't seem to me to be as reliable for saving content.

Chapter 5 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts
             Wow!  I am on information overload.  I thought this tool RSS described in this chapter will help me organize information important for addressing 21st century skills for teachers. This filter will help me make good connections to improve practice, stay on top of current research and aid my students in understanding current events pertinent to them. The fact that it can be set up free on a Goggle account is very attractive.  I think using this tool will help me improve my practice.  Although, I teach third grade and don't feel currently that it is a tool my students would use; it does give me an understanding of how much information that they will need to absorb in their careers.

Chapter 2 Pedagoy and Practice

Chapter 2 Pedagogy and Practice – Mary Guerino

          This chapter details some ways that teachers can use this technology in their classroom and gives excellent examples. Viewing Principal Tim Lauer’s site at lewiselementary.org shows how it can be incorporated into a school building. Although, I believe our district is moving to have teachers become more comfortable with new technologies it is hard always to provide the time and the resources for all teachers to be comfortable, it is a daunting task.  

While reading this article, I thought of the first time I had to post on a web site.  It was about seven years ago in a science and technology course.  This was a tool that the professor involved had used with his current college students with success.  Most of the participants were teachers that had not grown up with this technology so this was a first for most of us.  Navigating the shared web site was not easy and I found posting and commenting more difficult then absorbing the information presented in class through commentary and classroom readings. I am hoping that taking this course will help me get more comfortable with using this technology.

I agree with the author that “collaborative learning” has been a buzzword in American education. Teachers would love to work cooperatively more often and share expertise. On line communities maybe the wave of the future where teachers can find a group of people who enjoy sharing.  

Chapter 4

Chapter 4  Wikis – Easy Collaboration for All- Mary Guerino

            First, I was surprised about how Wikipedia.org works.  That it is a collaborative source of information for everyone to view and edit.  A surprising concept for someone who has not grown up in the technology age but has reluctantly accepted that it is here to stay and I better learn how to use it appropriately for myself and students. I do like the author’s philosophy that “everyone together is smarter than anyone alone…and that each entry is the group’s best effort, not any one person’s.” Another thing that I was unaware of was the different uses it can be used for in the world at large. The examples given of how Disney, the city of Rochester and the Star Trek wikis were developed and being used were eye opening.  Getting our students to accept  a “world where everyone has access to ideas and where collaboration is the expectation rather than the exception “ is a definite shift from the American dream of yesteryear when we valued the entrepreneur and is ability to develop his concept in a vacuum.

It left me wondering if Gustavo Albin Whitehead,an aviation pioneer, who emigrated from Germany to the US and claims to have flown before the Wright brothers would have been given credit for his contribution and perhaps have helped the initial design of the Wright brothers plane.

      The World is Flat example of how an educational wiki can be developed to encompass a global feature was very interesting.  Most of the other examples for educational purposes involved middle or high –school students.  The question I have for myself is: Can this be used for elementary students and when would it be appropriate? Is there a piece of my curriculum where the children can work collaboratively to create an information wiki that could be shared?