Web Explorer

As much as I would like to think that I have complete control of my life and what takes place, I know it is an illusion. I am too busy to be sick and can’t possibly schedule a day off. Most of us can’t. Last Thursday, after fighting a horrible kidney infection, I was admitted to the hospital. I had finally given in, reluctantly. Mostly, because I didn’t want to miss school and my husband was scheduled to leave for Japan on Sunday. Well, here I am and I miss my students. As I sit, reading through the home-made cards that they made, I had a great idea! Just because I am not there physically, why can’t I be there virtually? Enter my fantastic networking circle, which comprises Webcast Academy, Twitter, Second Life, Skype, and various others. I sent out a message to many people about the simplest and best way to still interact with my students while lying in a hospital bed. My friends and I decided upon UStreamTV and Slideshare. We figured the ease of producing and sharing would be easiest for those who would need to show it to my students. I am able to place the productions on my class web site, MrsLykowski, and they will be able to view them in the tech lab, on the classroom monitor, with a projector, or at home. Now some teachers I am sure, will ask, “why go to all of this trouble?” My answer? I have based my classroom on making connections and to always treasure learning experiences. I truly miss my students and the joy they bring me every day. (No. This is not the medications talking.) I can tell that since I began the Global Explorers project with my students, they are hungry and thirsty for more. They are excited about the connections we are making across the globe. Some have even downloaded Audacity at home, and played around with it. They excitedly check out our wiki, they tell everyone that their podcasts are in iTunes, and they can’t wait to learn more; do more; teach others more. Below is the first video I uploaded to my site. Now I am off to create a Slideshare about our upcoming Adventure book report. My students are waiting!

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