End of the year thoughts...

Well what an eventful year this has been. In terms of I.T I intend to have a break over the holidays from anything new but I am keen to keep up with my reading. (Yay Google reader!) Anything new on the technology front especially in terms of education I will want to keep up with. The end of year always seem pressured but I'm sure that we are looking forward to a nice rest. Have a good one...

Google Wave...the new wave??

Well I had an invite (thanks to a colleague) to have a look at this new tool from Google. A bit confusing I must admit but I like the social networking possibilities. I need to take a better look at this in more detail (when I'm not so busy writing reports) and get to grips with the wave. If you're keen google it (this is not a joke although it sounds like one) and find more about it.

How2 of Web2.0...Final Thoughts...

I really enjoyed this course. I loved the variety of tools that we were exposed to and the differnt relevancy each had for me in my work. I think being up with the latest tools and trends is always going to be a winning combination that can help anyone in what they do. A well crafted taste of what is truely out there. Great stuff!

e-Books & Audiobooks...Fiction at your fingertips...

Well I love this to bits! I think its great to have books available to us whether in readable electronic form or digital audio. I can certainly see the applications in the classroom too. Imagine all your class getting out their i-pods or lap-tops and doing silent reading from their favourite e-book or having ear phones on listening to an audiobook.
It's a little funny having them in this format instead of on paper since I've never known anything else but this is the way of the future. I certainly had fun looking around the different sites too-I like the last link especially-"the best place to get free books". This is what I also like about the books-the cheap price! Most are very cheap to download or are free!! Go the new way of reading books!!!!

You & Teacher Tube...Online Media

Well I have been using You Tube for a while now and I have enjoyed the versatility of it as I can get access to both the old and the new video/audio material. I must admit I had a bit of a chuckle at the "Cookie Monster" skit on Sesame Street. I loved this programme when I was growing up and I still have fond memories now.
I haven't looked at Teacher Tube before but only heard about it through other colleagues. I had a look at 2 different video's by using this site. The first one was a demonstration (more an advertisement) of using a system called K.L.A.S.S, which is a programme that uses N.A.S.A software for launching the space shuttle is used in the classroom setting. This looked COOL!
The second video was a slideshow style presentation on how useful blogging is for students that was uploaded by a New Zealand teacher. This was a great visual presentation as well as inspiring to use this site to help other teachers by uploading your own material. Here is the first Teacher Tube I viewed.

Podcasts...great for education!

Well I know podcasts are not new but I am to them. I really enjoy this useful tool however. I have found heaps of free educational podcasts that are available on iTunes now and I am definitely a fan. (although you don't need iTunes-I like this tool too) This is a great way to support the teaching that goes on in the classroom and the material quality is great both audio and visually as well.
I also like the fact you can subscribe to your favourites using RSS feeds and keep updated. I'm wanting to know more about making your own and publishing these. I will be making use of the free tutorial links but iTunes also has some helpful hints as well. If you're interested have a look on their webpage. (just Google iTunes)

Rollyo...roll on the search engine

A useful programme to refine a specific search on a number of topics. I (of course) used it to create a Black Hole search roll. It is easy to use and user friendly. I found it does get jammed however at certain times of the day and won't connect which is a bit annoying. (it may be just my connection??) Anyway great for helping students with any kind of inquiry based learning that requires research instead of using the usual Google search.

Wiki's-Big on Collaboration

I've been using Wiki's for a while now and I really love them. At my work I have several running to help in P.D for my fellow colleagues. I really think that help to save time and fuss when you need to co-rdinate a big project or you are just working with a large number of people. This is great news when you are an educator and you need to communicate with students when they are miles away. I think we need to use this tool to its full potential and collaborate to the max!

Delicious...yummy!

Well I created a Delicious (de.lecio.us) account today and imported my bookmarks. I can certainly see the relevance in education. It's another great social networking tool that uses an unstructured tag approach to view websites. (not like a library system at all) This is certainly helpful for finding relevant inforamtion fast whether it be education or research related. Another brillaint tool to keep track of my astronomy related stuff.

RSS Feeds-Keeping your websites up to date...

This tool is a great way to keep up to date with news, articles and what's hot with your favourite websites. Using Google Reader was simple and easy to set up. I managed to subscribe to my blog and some interesting astrononmy websites that will keep me up to date with the latest in space exploration. Awesome stuff!!!

Facebook-More Social Networking

Another great tool to meet new and old people. This one is more widely used than MySpace but it has similar features. Since its inclusion in 2006 it has sky rocketed with its popularity. I certainly found it useful to look up new and old friends and use its many features and stay in touch.

MySpace-Social Networking

I haven't looked extensively at this tool but I can see the effect it has on teenagers. The fact it has so much interactive ability with its features and the communication opportunities available. Libraries in the U.S are certainly getting a great response by using this. Great stuff!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Books, books and librarything...

Well I had a look at this virtual librarything today and it looks like a good alternative to going to a real library. Of course I only looked at space related books both fiction and non-fiction. I'm currently reading a series of Star Wars books so I was interested to see what people had written about upcoming books in the series. I thought it was interesting what people had written and of course, you can add to it. I don't think this is a replacement for a true library...librarians are wonderfully knowledgeable people and they certainly know their stuff! (I have friends who are great resevoirs of book knowledge too) Go the virtual library!!!

Image Generators-HOT STUFF!!!

I had some fun with Cool Text generating my Sun message which is pictured as a gadget. I think this is a fun (and HOT) way to get peoples attention that doesn't take long to learn and is very user friendly. Since students use text a lot this is also a good way for them to learn and let their imagination sizzle. (pun very much intended)

Virtual Worlds-Almost the next best thing...

Well what a wealth of possibilites our virtual world environments offer. I must admit I could easily get lost from my own reality with looking at "Second Life" or "World of Warcraft". They certainly can be addictive. I remember playing role playing games with my freinds when I was younger. It certainly was a good way of spending a Saturday afternoon.
I watched some of the video material and I agree with the "World of Warcraft" warning that you should make time for other things or you could lose your grip on reality-eating, sleeping and spending times with loved ones.
I do however think that virtual worlds is very much a part of our future. Why spend time in the real world which can seem to be too hard at times and lose yourself in a more exciting cyberworld? I think more people will sucumb to the worlds offered through their computer screens.

iGoogle-Information Organisation

What a gret tool to bring all your favourites together. Mail, news, weather, techology feeds and more! I aslo added chess, horoscopes and youtube gadgets. A revolution in keeping your life organised...great guns!

Go Google Books-the virtual library!

I think Google Books is another great application. I was searching the latest astronoomy books by just entering Astronomy into the search bar. The possibilites are endless! And the options are really versatile as well. I managed to find many publically domained books of which I can download for free. You've got to love that :)

Google Maps...I found my house

Another great tool to find some place if your lost. I love the fact it gives photos as well. I managed to find my house with my wifes car parked outside. (My car wasn't as I was obviously out and most likely working-of course!) I also use Google Earth as well but I like the tools in this application too.

Google Docs...offers a lot!

What a cool tool! It's so versatile. I opened a new document and you can do so much with it. (once you've written something in it of course...hehe) I like the fact you can download the file in some many formats including pdf. This makes it really easy to share. It has all the other basic features of word as well which I appreciate.

Web 2.0 Go!

Well this is week 2. I found the articles surrounding the history of Web 2.0 very interesting. This gave me a perspective from Web 1.0 when (not so long ago) we had the web being quite a static place where information was just placed on there which was interesting but you couldn't interact with it. With the evolution of Web 2.0 (or Library 2.0, Business 2.0 etc) the possibilities of what we and as an educator, our students, can do is astounding. I know since I've been teaching the things I can do in Science (and Astronomy in particular) just wets the creative appitite for me. Just imagine what the future holds for us all...

First Entry-Let's Go!

Hi everyone,
This is my first blog entry using Learning 2.0 to help me. I hope everyone enjoys viewing and reading the interesting things I put up here as I continue to learn about the world of blogging. I have a keen interest in astronomy ans science so much of the material I post will have that kind of flavour. I hope you enjoy reading this and I look forward to anything you have to add.

Cheers!