Friv.com

I had never heard of www.friv.com until this assignment. I played around with several of the games including Swap Jobs, Raccoon Racing, Fish Tales, and Papa's Pizzeria. I enjoyed playing the games, but not nearly as much as my children and my husband. I probably prefer listening to music, reading, or watching TV as ways to unwind after a hard day, but I thought the site was neat and my kids certainly appreciate the recommendation. I give the web-site 2 thumbs up from my kids!

Grooveshark

Although I liked Pandora Radio, I loved Grooveshark! I like the concept of making 21st century mix tapes. I currently use my MP3 player with a small speaker docking station in my office at school when I want to listen to music. I listen to music in my office a lot, especially when it has been a rough day or when I am working on a report or something like that. I can now see myself using Grooveshark frequently and creating several different playlists. Believe it or not, I was even able to figure out how to make a Grooveshark widget and I added that to my blog in a section entitled, "Song of the Week." I give Grooveshark two thumbs up!

Pandora Internet Radio

Music is one my favorite ways to unwind and destress. This was the first time that I had tried Pandora Radio. I enjoyed that it can turn you on to new songs and artists that are similar to some of your favorites. I also liked the option to give each song a thumbs up or thumbs down in order for it to adjust your playlist. I have recently purchased a Motorola Droid phone so I have now also downloaded the Pandora Radio application to my phone.

Jing

Jing was very easy and quick to download and the sun icon makes it very easy to jump right in and use. The image capture application was extremely easy to use. It was very similar to Snag It, which I used a lot for capturing graphics when I was creating math common assessments for my county. A teacher friend that I was working with on that project told me about it and I used a free 30 day trial version. I saw something about Snag It on the Jing web-site, so I assume they are similar.

The video capture took a little more getting used to, but it was fairly easy once you got the hang of it (somewhat complicated by three children running around me). I was not able to take advantage of the voice annotation, because I do not have those capabilities. I definitely see the power in the video with voice annotation after I watched and listened to Dr. Luck's video directions.

As a curriculum coordinator at the present time and as a future administrator, I will definitely share this resource and its possible applications with the teachers at my school. I can also see using Jing, as an administrator, to demonstrate the use of various programs or web-site resources to both teachers and parents. The only disadvantage that I can see is the cost of providing the equipment necessary to include voice annotation with videos. The hardest part of the process for me was inserting the link into the blog, but the videos helped a lot!

http://screencast.com/t/MmM0N2Qx

You Tube

I have only been able to access and use You Tube at home since about August, when I purchased a Sprint laptop card for grad school. My only internet options where I live are dial-up, laptop card, or satellite internet. One of which is extremely slow and the other two are fairly expensive. DSL or cable internet are not available in my area. At school, You Tube is among many web-sites that are blocked.
My first experience with You Tube was at a conference on instructional coaching. The presenter used a lot of videos from You Tube as both discussion starters and as motivational pieces. The most memorable one for me was a video of Maurice Cheeks, the coach of the Philadelphia 76's, assisting a young girl in singing the National Anthem when she forgot the words. As an administrator, I can see using You Tube for similiar purposes. I can envision using You Tube videos at faculty meetings, curriculum planning sessions, and professional development days as a means of motivating my faculty and as discussion starters.
The major disadvantage at this point is the simple fact that You Tube is a blocked web-site in my county. You have to contact our county's technology department in order to get a site unblocked. I can understand why the web-site is blocked, because there is certainly material on there that is not appropriate for students to see. I am not sure if there is a way for the site itself to be filtered without being totally blocked.
I am including one of my favorite You Tube videos of Steven Curtis Chapman singing is song "Heaven is the Face." I find this song and the faith of he and his family truely inspiring and I hope you do too!
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13

New Communication Technology: Education and Motherhood

I have spent several hours today reading over information from several links (provided by my professor, Dr. Luck) about new communication technology for one of my grad school courses in my Educational Leadership program. As I read about VoIP, podcasts, blogs, instant messaging, social networking sites, and Second Life; I was left feeling not so tech savy and a little out-of-date. I was also left to reflect on how all this new and ever-changing and expanding technology will impact my future as a school administrator and as a mother of three small children. Technology is obviously going to become a predominant part of the educational landscape. As a future school administrator, I will no doubt have to spend time researching each of these forms of communication technology. I will have to weigh the benefits against the possible downfalls, in order to create policies for productive and safe technology use at my school by both teachers and students.
As a parent, I will also have to monitor my own children's use of these forms of technology. I will admit that the prospect of this task leaves me feeling frightened and overwhelmed. Technology has the potential to open so many doors of possibility to our children, but it also has the potential to open the doors to dangerous information and people.
Knowledge always represents power. In the case of technology, I will strive to keep myself informed, my teachers and students informed, and my children informed of the benefits, perils, and responsibilities of technology use.