Topic 16

Tonight's class was very fun. I can see Wikis and Podcasts being fun to use in all parts of my life, school, family, church, work, fun.
pbworks.com seems like a really good website. I'm going to work on it this week. Wikis seem a bit open for all kinds of unwanted intrusion. I think, for myself, blogs are more secure and safe. I wouldn't feel quite so open to people adding or taking away things I wanted in it. With blogs they can add, but they can't change what was written before. I can though. We also learned that Wikis are not good for short periods of time where more than one or two need to edit.
I also learned that there are over 100,000 free podcasts I can download from the itunes store. That was very good news. So much information for free. I like!

Topic 11 Website Evaluation

Evaluating web sites was interesting. I really liked the CyberGuide Ratings form. It was easy to read, easy to circle an answer, in other words, quick and easy to use. Midlink Magazine's form was easy to use also. The only thing I didn't like about them was no room for notes. The forms I didn't like as well were NCTE form and Kathy Schrocks form. These weren't bad, I just liked the others better, faster.
I found that sometimes it was hard to find author information. Sometimes it was hard to know who the site was made for and who the sponsor is. Otherwise, I liked going through and seeing what sites had and didn't have. Most of the sites I checked had almost everything. Author was the hardest to find.
Website evaluation guides are great for making sure you are using an unbiased site, one that has what you need and easy to use. It is so important to know if the author or sponsor is qualified to present the material. I found that out in Physics. Some sites are just not as good quality.
I would use a formal evaluation when I need to make sure the information is up-to-date and correct, when I'm passing the information on or writing a paper on the subject. I would not use one if I know the material well and can tell if it's not correct or I'm in a hurry (just being truthful).

Topic 10 Spreadsheets

I learned where to go to learn how to conquer spreadsheets. Zoho was good for this also. It had helps for learning and templates.
NumSum was another good site for tracking classes, teams, data etc. I thought this one seemed easier to use, but I didn't get to try Zoho, it may be just as easy.
My husband uses spreadsheets all the time for work, scouts, etc. Now I can learn to do at least as good as he does and keep track of on-going things.

Topic 9 Word Processing

I found that Zoho.com had a lot of word processing and other program helps. This is a site I will use.
Yesterday we also looked at many different sites that would or could be useful to us at teachers. One of my favorite of those was Swith Zoo. You could create your own new animal. You could learn facts about real animals.

Family Photo

This is the Dunbar Family from 2004. This was taken just before the young man, third from the left in the back row, left with his battalion for Iraq. This is the last really good family photo we have. Front row: Ginny, Wayne and Jarom Back row: Randall, Juliann, Doug and Braden.

Topic 12 Digital Photography

I really enjoyed getting to know the Picasa program. Going through all the steps of fixing pictures to our personal liking was fun. I enjoyed the redeye feature the most, because it was so dramatic. I went home and practiced and hopefully the photo I put on this blog will turn out just the way I want.
My husband just got a Flip Cam for Fathers' Day. This program will come in handy when we go to share our videos and pictures with others. It's hard to believe sometimes how far technology has come since I was a child with my first Kodak instamatic Camera!

Topic 8 WebQuest

I have looked over some of the information on WebQuest.org. I think it would be fun to do. I am anxious to try creating a WebQuest. It seems a little daunting at first, but once we go through one and I do the steps, it will not seem so scary. I enjoyed looking and going through a Webquest on Gardenquest. I typed in the word moon and got several different webquests for varying ages. I read through the Space Treasure Hunt. It sounded interesting, and a bit tricky. I think it would be a fun one to do. It was for 6-8 graders. I looked at Dinosaurs After Dark webquest for 2nd Graders. That one included filling out a journal after looking up about certain dinosaurs. What a great way to make connections with the book and reality. I am looking forward to class next Tuesday to make a webquest.