Final Blog Post

Vanity Search
So the first time I did a vanity search it took me a bit to find my own footprint. This time while searching I found myself fairly easily. I also found my name on a teacher rating website. It said where I teach and what subject. It was kind of scary to be honest, but crazy how much of a footprint I actually have.

I love Web 2.0 tools. I only wish I used more up to this point. The fact that they are so user friendly is a bonus. As I continue teaching I really want to find ways to incorporate more of these tools into the school as well. Because I'm the music teacher I don't get to use the computer labs and chrome books as often. If I had more of these tools available to my class, I would use them more. I've really enjoyed this course and I look forward to really getting a chance to use more.

Implementing Professional Development in Web 2.0 and learning

I have often thought about how I will continue to push myself professional when it comes to the inclusion of web 2.0 technologies in my class. The great thing is I get two opportunities a year where I get to learn just about Web 2.0 in the music classroom. This past February I went to the TMEA conference, (Texas Music Educators Association) where I attended several technology related sessions. Through what I learned I will start the process of using Soundtrap as a resource for my music class. This week 5^th grade students will come into the computer lab and learn about recording. Another PD opportunity is the TiME association. This is an association that is just for learning how to use technology in music education. I hope to become a certified member of this group and use that knowledge to help other music teachers learn about web 2.0 tools and technologies in their own classroom.

Social Bookmarking Adventure

I have had the opportunity to use social bookmarking in other classes I have taken at TAMU-C. It is such a great tool for teachers to share resources together. To be honest, I never think to use it. I typically use bookmarking option in whatever web browser I’m currently using. (I use several) This is fine until I go to look for it and can’t remember which browser I used. Collecting all of my items into one place would be such a better option. It would also make sharing my bookmarks easier too. What a great tool!!!

Aggregating Pages Adventure

So this is a really neat web 2.0 program. I set up my own account at protopage and starting adding widgets to my page. This would be a great tool to use as a teacher for my students to find any information they need to know about my class. Parents could use this tool as well to make sure their child is completing all the task required in my class. In addition this would be perfect for my choir program. I could have our performances listed, things needed for the program and so on. I am actually quite excited to use this in my school.