Flickr photo

Ashton at Wide World of Disney

This is my 5 year old nephew Ashton. I chose this picture because 1- He's adorable (even if I am a little bias) and 2- I'm very family oriented and think it's important people know :)

Flickr seems to be an easy to use website. It was simple to download photos and share them.  It appeals to a wide range of ages because everyone has photos they like to share. Also, for those people who don't have a social network, Flickr is one of the best ways to show off their photos. 

In the article "The Promise of Social Networks", it also states that Flickr is simple to use. It also promotes the use of it in classrooms.  The article begins by saying that just like any other new technology, there is always the chance that the user could become frusturated and lose site of the goal.  However, because Flickr is so easy to operate, it would be hard to lose patience while using it. 
It does appear that Flickr would not be as useful in an elementary setting as it would be in a secondary education setting.  Middle and high school students do more projects where photos are used and referenced than elementary school students.  This does not mean however, teachers could not find a way to bring it into their classroom. Some photos might be necessary in certain lessons and being able to bring them up on one site would be helpful.  It could also be used to show parents what is happening in the classroom instead of just telling them.  Just like with any other new technology, in order to bring it in to the classroom, it might take a bit of creativity from the students and teachers. 

Netvibes and Delicious

Websites such as NetVibes and Delicious allow users to access their favorite websites through bookmarking.  Delicious gives users the opportunity to save their favorite sites to one page.  They can upload this information by signing in under their account and simply finding the site they want.  NetVibes has somewhat the same idea but shows a bigger picture of the sites however, does not seem to organize them as well as Delicious (delicious gives tags to find sites under categories).  Both are very helpful, especially to those who are not always on just one computer. 
Classrooms could use these sites by making one page for the class and saving helpful review sites. This way, during computer time, teachers could bring the site up and allow the children to decide what area they want to study and choose what site they want to use. Another option is to give each child their own sign-in and during computer time in the lab, the  students can sign on and use their favorite review sites.  The only problem with this would be, depending on the age, the children might want to add some sites that might not always be "school appropriate". 

Engage Me response

The article "Engage Me or Enrage Me" could not have been more accurate.  There is absolutely no doubt that trying to engage children in the classroom is difficult. There are millions of other things children would rather be doing than sitting in a classroom listening to lectures and watching demonstrations.  Many teachers are beginning to incorporate technology in the classroom.  However, it is going to take more than an hour of computer time and more than  one lesson with the smartboard for students to be engaged. 
 It is a teacher's job to not only help students grow intellectually but find fun ways for them to do so.  By giving children a blog, a teacher is opening up a  world of opportunities.  For example, imagine teaching a fourth grade classroom and just finishing a reading assignment. The educator has two choices; to assign a written report of the book or to use technology to report on the book. If students have a blog, teachers can give assignments and have students post them on their blog. A child can respond to a book or lesson using their blog and by doing this they are not only sharing their ideas with their teacher, but with their peers.  This would be easier than trying to get those shy children with a fear of public speaking to stand up front. 
Another option is to make a class blog.  By having this a teacher can assign a topic each week and have one student respond with their opinions and views. It could also be used to help keep parents updated on what goes on in the classroom. 
Giving students this option can help engage their attention because it is not another typed book report; it is an opportunity for them to explore their creative side and open up to their peers and educators.

More than anything, this future teacher wants to be educated on all the options for media use in the classroom so my classroom will have nothing but engaged (not enraged) students.