Module 1

Alright, I'm a little nervous about this, my VERY first blog! Technology and I have an on again off again kind of relationship. When we're good it's great, but things can easily take a turn for the worse.

My name is Alisha Bourke and I am a primary school teacher who works at a little school in the Inner West of Sydney called St Fiacre's. I am studying web2.0 to stay just a little bit ahead of my ICT savvy Year 4 students.

Module 1 has taken me all term, so it looks like I have alot of work to do in the school holidays.

The youtube videos were great, much better than reading notes and easy to follow. I found the definitions of web2.0 interesting. While I am a daily user of the web, I had not spent any time thinking about how the web has evolved into what it is now, nor the differences between web 1.0 and 2.0.

The idea of user generated content is something I had just taken for granted. I love the idea that the web has become democratised. Rather than isolated pages of information, it is now all about connectedness and companies providing a platform for users to add their own content. As a result of this study, I now have a clearer understanding of web browsers, applications and the amazing tools that are available to educators.

Playing with igoogle was fun and more than a little addictive! It is like having a myclasses page for adults. I enjoyed personalising my page and exploring the many gadgets.

In regards to educational options, I think that myclasses is a safer bet for children. While there are some fun games available to students with igoogle, there is also the opportunity for them to access innappropriate content. I found that the majority of gadgets were adult directed. I think the children would love the opportunity to explore the personalising aspects of this application as well as the gadgets, but this would be something for the home rather than the classroom.

With that, blog numero uno is complete! Thanks for reading! Now, get on out there and enjoy the internet!