Tech+Tools+we+Use

=Here are some Web 2.0 Tools we use= (Feel free to share any that you find)

Here is where you will post your weekly reflections

 * Posts are due by midnight on Thursday
 * Respond to classmates' post by midnight Monday
 * Posts start the week of clinicals (First post due on Thursday, September 20)

@http://kidblog.org/ci292section/wp-login.php

Blogging instructions

Fall 2011 292 section 2 Reflective Journal- blog directions Instructor: Dana Karraker

As part of the course this semester, a portion of your class grade will come from a reflective journal that will be on a blog; you will be required to maintain, as well as post comments to your classmates’ blogs.

I have created a blogging page for this course at kidblog.org Between now and our next class, you will need to go online and try logging in and publishing on our course blog. You can access our class blog site and setup your individual blog account at [] There will be a link on the page to sign in. I have emailed your username and password to you.

You are required to reflect upon the clinical experiences on a weekly basis via a blog. It may include but is not limited to: what you learned, what you observed, your strengths and weaknesses, what you may do differently (e.g., dealing with your cooperating teacher, dealing with your students) in the next clinical experience, thoughts, questions, etc. You also should incorporate course text (//To Teach Well//) when you reflect on your field experience when relevant.

You will write your reflections in the course blog weekly. These must be posted **//by Thursday at midnight.//** You will also be required to read the post by your classmates and engage in thoughtful discussion/questions, etc. by posting comments to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Your responses must be posted by the **//Monday at midnight.//**

You will begin blogging the week of Sept 19.

You may or may not be familiar with the language or structure of blogs. So, to help you get some ideas, I am including here a link to a blogroll, which contains a list of blogs by educators who are active in classrooms and in implementing digital literacies and Web 2.0 tools in their classrooms. You may also feel free to explore other blogs on your own. Bloglines has a search capability to assist you in finding blogs that may be of interest to you.

I would encourage you to look through and read some of these blogs before we start posting just to familiarize yourself with the structure of blogs.
 * I am expecting this to be a learning process and that your blogging skills will improve as we move throughout the semester.
 * As you will notice as you look through the blogs, the bloggers express many different thoughts, feelings, and ideas via their blogs. I am encouraging you to do the same.
 * In light of this, I will not always be commenting on your blogs, however I will read the blogs and post as well if needed. I want the blogs to be a space where you develop into supportive practitioners.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Therefore, as we read your blogs we will look for authenticity in your blogging in order to receive full credit for participation. In other words, it should be clear that you are attempting to engage in thought-provoking discussion via your blog and in your comments to your classmates’ blogs.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">As you may know from experience, not everything it always “perfect” in education, so I don’t expect that you will always portray “happy” in your blogs. More specifically, an authentic blog shows a range of thought and emotion.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">I would also expect that if in comments, someone asks you a question about your blog, etc. that you would respond. It is a blogging courtesy.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">We will discuss the blogs and or blogging etiquette as needed throughout the semester.

Dropbox Directions
Go to http://dropbox.com to download and create and account.


 * Click Log In in the upper right hand corner to get started




 * Once you click this, your screen will look like this; click on the create an account.


 * Your screen will change and you will be asked to enter in your information as seen here:
 * Once you have clicked to agree to terms, click create account.
 * You will automatically get a screen simiar to this where it will ask your to save the downloaded file. Save the file. Go to the location on your computer where your downloads are saved ( ex. mine go to my download folder), and run the program to install DropBox.




 * Once you have installed the program, you will now have a DropBox folder on your computer. You will save to this folder just like any other folder.



=Making a Folder=


 * Login to your DropBox account; this will be your main screen. Click on the Files tab at the top




 * Your screen will then look like this:
 * Click on the new Folder tab to make a new folder, just like you would on your computer.
 * A New Folder icon will appear for you to name


 * Name your folder according the protocol listed here (but use your own name)and then click create:

You have now created a folder for your documents.

=Sharing a Folder=


 * Once you are in your account, have your folder created, you can share your folder with others. In order to do this, click the share a folder tab.




 * You will get a menu like this. Click the radial button for share an existing folder, then click Next.




 * Once you click next, the new menu will have you indicate which folder you would like to share. Do so and then click next.


 * You will now indicate the email of the person(s) you would like to share the folder with.
 * Be sure to follow the protocol listed below:

The person will now get an email indicating that you wish to share a folder and they can click a link to access the folder within their dropbox account.