Learning Educational Technologies

This was a very interesting blog site. The title “Top of the Fold” is the title of the Grandview Elementary School newspaper. In the website for the paper, there is links to podcasts from many classes as well as videos from classrooms. There are also pictures of what some students have done. On first glance, the website looks very interesting and in depth in all of the classes and their activities.

I delved into a few of the videos and podcasts that were available. I went to the bottom of the page first, and found a podcast by a young girl named Lauren about Rosa Parks. Her narrative was accompanied by the text that could be followed. It was nice to hear what she had to say about Rosa Parks and how interested she seemed in the historical figure.

I also enjoyed listening to what students knew about whales, and what they learned. There weren’t the same classes for before and after, but what each student had to say was very insightful. It shows that students have preconceptions in their minds about many things, even whales.

Lastly, I watched the a video about making snowflakes. It was an instructional video about how to make a very intricate paper snowflake. Something like this could be used for home activities, which is pretty fun.

Overall, I loved the idea of this site and the contributions. I love how the students were able to participate in creating the media. It seems that students would like to hear what they have learned, and be able to share it with everyone. What students learn in school can now be translated onto a website that can be viewed by millions. It is an extremely collabrative way of learning and teaching. Teachers are now able to see how other teacher do certain things, and how to apply them in the classroom, without going to a conference or observing a classroom… they can simply log on!