EDU 505 Final Reflection

Kristine McGovern

EDU 505

Final Reflection

         When I registered for this course I was unsure about what I was stepping into. I needed a technology-based course for my program and “Web 2.0” caught my eye as something new. Each of the five modules that we looked out throughout the course has introduced me to something new. This course introduced me to social bookmarking and I am very excited about it. Right before I started this course my computer crashed causing me to lose all of my bookmarks, photos and files I did not have backed-up. Now as I find websites I want to visit again I use delicious to bookmark them. The blogging and wiki modules were also very interesting. Although I knew about both blogs and wikis I had never thought much about how they can be used in the classroom or with school projects. Now I realize the possibilities are endless and that these sites can be child-friendly.

         This course has given me ideas and advice that I plan to use in my own classroom. As an early childhood educator I am often hesitant to integrate too much technology into the class. Young children especially need face to face interactions and having too many computer based lessons will take these interactions away. Blogs and wikis can be a great way to communicate with parents. A class can go green and send out a weekly or monthly newsletter through a blog. Creating a flickr account for my class is one thing I plan to do. This would allow parents to see what is going on in the class and what activities their children are taking part in. I am eager to start teaching and using these new tools. I really like that for each module there were several different options to use. For photos you can use flickr or photobucket or webshots, etc. If you don’t like how one website is formatted you can choose I different one (I’ve bookmarked all of these sites so I have access to the different formats in the future).

         Overall I have enjoyed this course and all that it has had to offer. Each module offered a different tool to experience. Although we had ample time to finish each assignment I personally would have liked to see all of the modules together at the start of the course.  I would take another course like this in the future.

Hawaii Whale Research Foundation

Http://www.hwrf.org/Aloha%21.html
This site is geared to give insight into the research and educational activities the researchers find. While research is going on there are weekly blogs updating visitors on what the researches are finding. There is information about the organization and facts on the humpback whales. There is also a page where that can test your ability to match flukes, a technique used to identify whales. 4 out of 5.

Hawaiian Island Humpback Whales

http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/
The Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary constitutes one of the world's most important humpback whale habitats. The website explains their purpose, why they are located where they are and what they do. Their are maps and information about the sanctuary and update current sanctuary issues. Entanglement is a big concern along with collisions, water quality and marine debris. The website also includes information on their education and outreach programs. 5 out of 5.

The Formation of the Hawaiian Islands

http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/HCV/haw_formation.html
The Hawaii Center of Volcanology is a combination of research and teaching scientists in Hawaii. This is one of the links from their homepage. It's focus is on the formation of the Hawaiian Islands. It's discusses the five major volcanoes that constructed the Big Island. The site explains the Hawaiian hot spot and goes into deeper detail on how the islands were all individually formed. There is also an active Hawaiian volcanoes summary page that gives details on the active and potentially active volcanoes in Hawaii. 5 out of 5.

Polynesian Culture Center

http://www.polynesia.com/hawaii/introduction.html
The Polynesian Culture Center provides insight into the Hawaiian islands and the state of Hawaii very well. The site includes everything from a brief introduction to the state to the history and development of the hula in Hawaii. The geography of the islands and Hawaii's population each have their own links. The Polynesian Culture Center is a valid source. 4 out of 5.

Hawaiian Culture

http://www.to-hawaii.com/hawaiian-culture.php
This site provides it's visitors with information on Hawaiian culture. There are links to the different islands where cultural differences are discussed. The website explains the importances and symbolism of leis, the hula, the music, canoeing and other traditions. The site is clear and easy to use to quickly get the information you are looking for. 4 out of 5.

Hawaii State Geography

http://www.kidport.com/reflib/usageography/facts/hawaii.htm
This is a very kid friendly site. The purpose of this site is to provide informations about Hawaii. The very easy to use layout links a visitor to Key Facts, Geographic Landmarks, Points of Interest, Major Industries, Historical Highlights, Population, Culture, Climate, and Interesting Tidbits. The site is in a language that is easy for children to understand and use in research.  4 out of 5.