Blogs, Wikis, and SmartBoards in Education

1. Blog. Go to your Class Blog - the Blogging Page. Search the Links to Blogs and Blog-creation sites.

http://kimcofino.com/blog/
I found this blogging site through our class blog website, www.blogger.com. The purpose of this website created by Kim Cofino, is to provide an inquiry-based and constructive classroom that allows students to grow and build their skills of technology in and out of the classroom. Kim’s blog allows students and classrooms to connect with each other across the world. Not only does Kim’s blog provide information regarding education, but she also spends time blogging about her personal experiences at conferences and talking with educators around the world.
This website could be used in education in several different ways. This is a great resource for teacher to use in communicating with other educators across the globe, but also to review what other educators are doing in their classrooms. There is also a projects portion of the website that separates projects and presentations by grade levels. This portion of the site is fabulous! For example, I chose the kindergarten grade level that took me to a site that focuses on telling time with clocks. Not only is the site interactive, but it is also illustrated to keep the attention of these students.
As for using this blog in my personal classroom, I find that this would be a great resource to have at my fingertips on a daily basis. The projects and presentation portion of this site would be beneficial for social networking with other educators and classrooms using other sites such as Skype, digital video sharing, Voice Thread, wikis, and blogs.

2. Wiki - Look at Wiki sites recommended by your Wiki expert group. (Pikiwiki, Wikipedia, PBWiki, etc.)
http://www.pikiwiki.com/ews/index.jsp
There are many purposes to the Pikiwiki website, but the main purpose is to provide an interactive, public sharing website that allows its users to build web pages that include information, pictures, videos, and much more. Pikiwiki users have used the site to scrapbook events and celebrations; create flyers, newsletters, and living yearbooks.
Pikiwiki could be a great resource in education for educators to document happenings in their classrooms. Teachers could document an entire year of events and activities on just one simple web page. They could also share videos with other classrooms no matter where they are located. If taught correctly, teachers could also implement Pikiwiki into their curriculum by teaching their students to develop online portfolios, newsletters, and other interactive pages.
As a teacher, I believe that using Pikiwiki in the classroom would be effective, possibly even more effective and resourceful than a classroom blog. Pikiwiki, and sites similar, allow students to work independently and creatively while learning to navigate through different forms of technology.

3. SmartBoard Interactive Online Tools - In class, go to the SmartBoard and search the site, "Cool Tools for Interactive Whiteboards."
http://www.edheads.org/activities/hip/index.htm
After searching and interacting with several different Whiteboard websites, I came across a website that allows students to perform a virtual hip replacement. I found this to be very interesting because my grandfather just had an actual hip replacement. Besides being interested in completing this activity myself, I thought that the website not only was interactive with the process, but also asked questions while completing the process which promoted learning and comprehension.
This website is made to be used in the classroom with either Smartboards or computers. I was able to complete the activity by using my laptop and working independently. This site would be a great addition to a lesson being taught in a science or health class. Aside for the textbook or lecture, this website would allow the students to interact and visualize the process of a hip replacement firsthand.
“Cool tools for interactive Whiteboards,” is a website that I feel every teacher should be exposed to. This site, and others similar to it, allows teachers to provide their students with technology and interactive activities that promote hands on learning.

What differences did you find between a Wiki and a Blog?
The differences I have found between a Wiki and a blog is that while both are interactive and promote inquiry-based learning environments, wikis look to be easier to navigate through and would be used more successfully in projects and assignments dealing with videos, pictures, and data rather than writing assignments.