Tool # 3 Finding Online Videos

Well.....hooray for today's youth!  After many hours of frustration over how to embed a video to my blog, my 13 year old nephew figured it out in about 10 minutes.  The only thing I need to figure out is how to make it smaller. The first video I found was on Teacher Tube and was a lesson from the Leveled Literacy Instruction (LLI) for struggling readers.  This is the reading program I use in my classroom to teach my students how to read.  The second video was also from Teacher Tube and shows how to best collect data with the use of an IEP for special education students.  I also read the video clip on copyright laws and found it interesting.  Now, finally on to the next tool.

Tool # 2 - PLN Community

I read five of my fellow Housmanites blogs and posted a comment on one of the blogs.  I also looked over the blog pages listed in tool # 2 and found the one titled "Always Learning" interesting to read about.  I've recently been participating in an online community outside of the 11 tools.  For the first couple of months, I only read other's posts because I was unsure about what to write if I posted something myself.  Then in the last couple of weeks, I got brave and posted something for the first time.  I got 6 comments back regarding what I wrote about.  That was kind of fun to read what others had to say about my post.  Now, I'm posting on that blog more regularly when I have something to say or a question to ask.  I plan on looking into delicious to set up  bookmarking and will google other blog sites in the area of special education.

My Avatar is Finished

Well, it's 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28th.  I know I'm probably the last one to get started with these 11 tools, but I have now completed Tool 1.  I've already earned my 9 staff development hours on this one tool. Was this easy?  Confusing is more like it since I have absolutely no experience creating a blog much less an avatar.  Also, I figured this out completely on my own since I was unable to attend any of the help sessions that were offered last week.  So, not bad considering.  The blog was easy to set up and the Voki was self-explanatary as well.  My challenge was copying my Voki to my blog page.  I finally realized there was a video I could watch with directions to help me.  Once I listened to the video a few times and followed the directions, my Voki appeared before my eyes.  Ready for Tool 2.