Virtual Tours

A virtual tour is a stimulation of an existing location that uses video clips, sound effects, narration, and text. I think virtual tours would be very helpful at the beginning of a unit to help students preview the unit. For example, in my future classroom if I do a unit on a particular country, say China, I would make or find a virtual tour about the area of China we were going to be studying so that students could get a brief overview of that area and see what it looked like in person. I think a pro of virtual tours is that they feel like you are actually there in the place. Another pro is that they allow students to see how that area is in a variety of ways. Another pro is that you can visit a place without actually going there. A con is that if you can't find an already made virtual tour then it make take a lot of time to make your own. Another con is that a virtual tour can't show you every part of a particular place, it just gives you a brief overview.

Teacher Web Pages

A teacher web page is a place online where teachers can keep resources for their students and parents. It usually includes sections with homework, recent projects the class has done, what they're going to do next, and so on. Some teachers also put up pictures of the kids that show what they've been doing in class. It also offers the teacher's contact information for parents.
When I teach, I think a teacher web page would be very helpful. I definitely want to include a homework section so students can see what their homework is if they forgot or so parents can see what the student has for homework. I definitley think a web page would be an excellent place to communicate. I would put reminders on about things that needed to be brought in or reminders about school being off. I also would like to put pictures up of the students so the parents can see real examples of what the students are doing in the classroom.
I think web pages have many pros. They are a good source of information for both the parent and the student. I also think they're a great reminder of homework, important events, and a place where you can put announcements about what is coming up. I also think it's a good place to show what's going on in the classroom with pictures and information.
Some cons of web pages are that if they aren't done well they look sloppy and aren't helpful. Also, some parents may be opposed to pictures of their children being posted on them. Also, for students whos family doesn't have a computer they may feel left out.
Overall, I think web pages are a very convient and effective tool for teachers if managed  correctly.

My Personal Learning Style

My top learning style was visual. I completely agree with this. I learn through pictures and diagrams and love examples. My second style was auditory and I feel like a learn good using both of them together. When I study I look at what I'm studying and read it out loud at the same time. It really helps. I almost always make notecards for studying with is visual and I appreciate powerpoints and handouts in class especially with examples. So I think I am most definitely a visual learner.

Webquests

Webquests are a lesson format on the internet that students complete mostly using diffferent websites. Students usually complete webquests on their own following the instructions by completing various tasks online using different websites.
I think webquests could be a very useful tool for teachers to use in the classroom. I would use webquests in my classroom to introduce topics, as a project, or as a way for students to explore a topic in depth. Webquests could also help in my classroom as a lesson for the students to work on if I was going to be out of the classroom for a couple days.
Webquests have many pros and cons. A pro of webquests is that it allows the student to work independently with teacher directed lessons. Another pro is that it helps the students to search for information on the internet using provided sights. Another pro is that webquests can be used in a variey of ways. A con of webquests is that some students may not be able to complete the work independently and will still need to be directed by the teacher. Another con of webquests is that they do take some time and effort to make. They aren't always readily available.

Should Schools Supply Computers to All Students??

I think it would be helpful for students to have computers if their family wasn't able to afford one. This would make it easier for the student to do assignments and access online resources for projects. Another pro to supplying students with computers is that you could use them in instruction to help students accomplish tasks.

A con to giving students computers is that it would be a big cost financially for the school and they could probably use that money elsewhere. Another con is that the students could lose the personal aspect of responding to classmates and the teacher because the class would be more focused on the technological aspects of teaching and learning.

Response to 2010 Online Confrence

I watched the video entitled "A Week in the Classroom." It was a very interesting video. I listened to a teacher from New Zealand talk about her students and their activities in the classroom. Her elementary classroom used many of the tools we are learning to use in this class. Her class had their own blog and wiki. She also mentioned that they used delicious to bookmark stuff. One of the main parts in the video talked about discover time. Discover time was time they took everyday for the kids to do basically whatever they wanted. They had cameras for the kids to take pictures and supplies for carpentry. They also had books, computers, various art supplies, and lots of other fun things that engaged the kids and let them discover things hands on. I was surprised by how much the students did with technology in their classroom and how well they were at it. I enjoyed watching the video and learning about her classroom in New Zealand. I also think I might start reading her classroom blog because it seemed very informative and interesting. Overall, I loved watching the video and it made me feel like I was there with the teacher in New Zealand discovering her classroom and learning about her students.

My Personal Learning Network Video