The End of Learn & Play...

I am thrilled that I got to take part in Learn & Play. I have learned about so many great resources that I can use in my classroom. My students will be amazed by my technology skills! I enjoyed the wikis and podcasts, but my favorite was del.icio.us. I have been able to access my bookmarks from every computer I come into contact with thanks to what I've learned through L&P. I look forward to continuing my education regarding discovery programs and to trying out the different resources from Learn & Play on my students. Hopefully the skills I have learned will help cut down on my stress levels as a new teacher!

The format of this program was user-friendly, and I would definitely participate in discovery programs in the future. Well done!

MOLDI

I used to make fun of my husband for always listening to audiobooks, but recently I have become addicted as well. MOLDI will be a great source for finding audiobooks. I have been listening to Nicholas Sparks books, but I found several James Patterson books on MOLDI that I will have to download. I will have to introduce my husband to this resource as well - he will be thrilled!

Podcasts

I spent some time browsing around podfeed.net. I found a podcast called Storynory that would be excellent for the library. It's basically storytime via podcast and would be a great resource for kids.

I could use podcasts in my classroom. I found lots of science-related podcasts. I could also create my own podcasts that my students could access. For example, I could give lectures via podcast so that students who are absent do not miss out on the material discussed in class. Students could also use the podcasts for reviewing for tests. Actually, this sounds like a fantastic idea! It would allow me to sleep in instead of getting up early to hold review sessions before school. I think I am going to try it!

YouTube

It's easy to get lost in the word of YouTube. There are so many great videos out there for entertainment as well as education. It would be great to be able to use YouTube at school to show my students great videos like the one here. I wonder if I embed the video in my blog if I can play it at school - legally?? People have gotten very creative when explaining complicated concepts in biology. It would be a great tool to use.

YouTube could be a useful tool for the library. For example, we could have YouTube storytimes for people who cannot make it to actual storytimes. We could also have tutorials for how to use our website and perform catalog searches.

CML's Power Tools Page

StumbleUpon is a site that is new to me. It could keep one entertained for hours. I'm glad to have stumbled upon this site, since now I have something else to distract me while I'm surfing the web.

Discovering Web 2.0 Tools

Lots of great stuff here. I love the Im Cooked site. I'm not much of a cook (my sister got those genes), but having the option of following along while watching others make things could help me with my techniques and confidence in the kitchen. My husband keeps talking about having a spot in the kitchen for a laptop so that I can view recipes online while cooking. I've always thought that this was a goofy idea, but after seeing these cooking videos, I've changed my mind.

As a newly married woman, I am looking forward to owning my first home. Even though my husband and I can't afford a house yet, I still like to look. The Web 2.0 award-winning real estate site Zillow is going to be my new best friend.

Playing in the "Sandbox"

It's fun to look at everyone's "Favorites," especially to get ideas for places to visit, books to read, etc. I can see myself using this feature at the beginning of a new school year to get to know my students better. I could set up a sandbox similar to this one on which students post their favorite sports, hobbies, music, subjects, restaurants, etc. It's a great way to incorporate technology while learning about my students.