Conclusion

This has been an amazing journey. I don't see this as the end, but only the very beginning of so many things to explore! To understand something properly, we need to constantly keep in touch with it and there are so many areas on which I want to revise and expand my knowledge. With the exception of virtual worlds (I don't have enough time to keep up with the real world!), I can see myself using all the Web 2.0 applications we have covered in this course in some form or other.

Thank you for a well presented and informative introduction into the interactive world of Web 2.0!

Sal

#22 Ebooks and #23 Audiobooks

I love reading and I love books - my house is overflowing with them. I think the appeal lies as much in the physical nature of the book as it does in the story. For this reason I can't get overexcited about these concepts. I am more of a visual than an aural learner - I'm ashamed to say my listening skills are quite lacking! I couldn't see myself concentrating for long periods on an audiobook, although I can see how they could be used to enhance listening skills in the classroom. And what a wonderful tool for the visually impaired. Not a new concept by any means, 'talking books' have been around for as long as I care to remember, but the quality and range now available with current technology has opened up a new world for audiobook users. Also a great tool for study, especially for anyone permanently attached to their ipod/mp3 player as most students are these days!

As for ebooks, there is no doubt this has opened up the world of literature to many who would otherwise probably never pick up a book. With the current generation at school being obsessed with anything "computerised" I can see ebooks being very useful and let's face it, anything that gets kids reading is a plus! But the idea of reading a book on a screen has no appeal to me, and to print out the pages really defeats the purpose! So I'll stick with my paperbacks and curl up in a comfy spot and get back to my latest adventure!

Sal

#21 Online Video

It's dangerous sending me to YouTube ... once there I could spend hours immersed in comedy skits and funny animal videos - one leads to another then another etc...

I do like the TeacherTube option for our industry. The problem with YouTube is not just the type of videos you might accidentally stumble across, but also the comments people make under them!
I have really enjoyed the Common Craft videos on TeacherTube used throughout this course. They are very simple and to the point, but get the message across in an interesting format. I have also found lots of useful videos for the classroom including the Dewy Decimal System explained by monkeys and an explanation of order of operations using a mnemonic (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally) which caught my attention for obvious reasons.

The one I've chosen to include here however is from YouTube. It is Adam Hill's irreverant but very catchy version of our national anthem as performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

Hope it works!

Sal

#20 Podcasts

Podcasts are great. I have occasionally used them to catch up on news or something I missed on the radio. But I really had no idea just how must there is available out there! I found many interesting podcasts, particularly in IT, Science and Education. I added several RSS feeds to my Google Reader (time to clean that up already!).
This one has many sessions quite relevant to this course:
http://coolteachers.org/ctp/rss.xml
Also, for anyone studying a language there's heaps of podcasts which could be used as additional learning or review material.

Sal

#19 Rollyos

Took me a while to find the advantages of this tool, but once I started experimenting it made a lot more sense.
http://www.rollyo.com/sallyd
I created a searchroll for book shopping and added all my favourite online bookstores. I could use this regularly in the library for finding particular books to buy, using only approved suppliers.

Select...Book ShoppingSearch The Web

I am finding the site a quite unreliable in that it usually takes two or three attempts to actually connect. Have not had this with any of the other web 2 applications.

Sal

#18 Wikis

I would love to have time to explore what other people are doing with Wikis, especially in Primary Schools. I can see them as a great collaborative learning tool in the classroom, encouraging kids to explore what others have created or discovered as well as contributing with their own knowledge and research. It is good to know there is plenty of scope for security and privacy.

In my areas of admin and library I can also see many possibilities. Even simple things like meetings and special event organisation could be made simple with wikis, with staff being able to contribute to agendas, invitation lists etc without the need to collate data from many emails. I think I might start off with a school library 'wish list' where students can add requests for particular titles, genres, authors etc and then follow up with a book review wiki ......

Sal

#17 Organise yourself with Delicious

Yet another great tool that almost everyone would find useful. With two part-time jobs plus casual work, I use several different computers most weeks and having access to my favourite or most commonly used websites wherever I am will be great.
Classifying them with tags is very useful, although I quickly learnt to be specific with the tags, otherwise I could end up with countless sites for one classification. eg education or photography.
I can see lots of uses for this in all areas of education, particularly primary, where you want to steer students to a particular group of websites.
Nice one.

Sal