Go2web20 Assignment

Hulu:

Hulu is a very popular internet television website so people can view the latest new episodes of their favorite programs.  With some programs, they have older episodes as well, but mostly it carries the newest episodes. Hulu most definitely meets my expectations, i use it constantly to watch some of my favorite television programs. All age groups can use Hulu, they have programs that are appropriate for all ages.  Teachers can use Hulu for multiple reasons, a history teacher may use Hulu to show a segment from a history channel show.  Kids remember things much better if they are shown something visually. Teachers may also use Hulu as a "treat" for their students for the day after a test. 

Prezi:

Prezi is a interactive powerpoint creator.  I personally love Prezi, i have used Prezi in multiple classes for presentations and it is more fun to create a powerpoint through Prezi than it is using microsoft powerpoint.  Teachers can use this website to either create their own powerpoints or to have their students create their own powerpoints for their projects.  Prezi is very simple to use, just need to watch a quick video that is provided on their website when you create an account, which is free! The only complaint I have is that if you don't pay attention to the video than it is very hard to figure out how to add more areas to your powerpoint. The website is for anyone to use, as long as you know how to use a computer, so mostly students in middle to college.

Weebly:

Weebly is a very simple way to create and upload your own website.  I have not used weebly but many of my classmates and friends have used weebly for college and for personal use.  Teachers can use Weebly to create their own classroom website where they can post assignments, and post links to websites for resource material for their students.  Weebly seems fairly simple, you just have to start creating your website till it satisfies what you want it to look like. The intended audience is mainly for teachers, they can utilize the website the most for their kids.  Students in high school and up can utilize this website as well, i dont recommend this website for elementary and middle schoolers.

Some interesting Blogs

Here are some great blogs for meeting people in your school or around the world

Nichole Friday
michael Payseno
Janell Davis
Grant Kessel
Katie Martin

First Blog

My K-12 education never used blogs for school work, this is my first experience with blogging.  I only saw girls blog while I was in school, so I never did blog because I thought it was only for girls. Having blogging in the classroom is a very good idea, students can have instant direct contact to their teachers, and classmates for grading, and possibly peer editing. It also gets students to be more comfortable talking to each other for future bonds.  There is always going to be a risk when involving students no matter what age to internet dangers such as, cyber bullies, and internet predators. Some parents may not be ready to send their kids to the internet world even at school.

If blogs are used correctly and effectively they can meet all the requirement for the National, and State standards of Oregon.  Students having blogs is good for their creativity, imagination, writing improvements, and much more.  More schools should get the funding to get their students to improve their technological skills at the start of having a blog. Blogs can be accessed anywhere, the students doesn't need a computer at home to access their blog.

The lesson plan I found is for the grades 7-9 in social studies.  I found this to be a very good project for middle schoolers to learn about the cold war. The assignment was called "Cold War Hotspots" They each pick an area and write a essay on their area in the Cold War. They need to cite at least 3 credible sources and use MLA format style.  They also have to create a Google site and make it look like a web news site article. Also after they are finished they publish the site and other students can comment on the page to see what the strengths and weaknesses are.  The students are meeting standards by being creative.  They are creating their own web page as well as learning effective writing techniques such as writing a paper and citing their sources. I personally am a big fan of this assignment, it is a great way to learn about the Cold War from multiple angles, instead of just learning about the United States and the Soviet Union, but learning about other countries that were involved.