The Edublogger

I was reading through the 100 inspiring blogs for teachers to read and besides the free tech for teachers - that I absolute love - because it is straight forward and provides teachers with great technological opportunities for teachers to utilize in their classrooms, I also found a blog called Edublogger.
"This blog contains ideas for using web 2.0 and educational blogs. It helps teachers learn how to have students do things like set up widgets, create blogs, and have students give other students surveys.  It is an easy to read blog that provides teachers with quick concise information that allows them to gain a better understand of easily incorporating technology on a regular basis.

http://theedublogger.com/

Twiddla

My twiddla with Heather M on West Virginia

My TIS journey so far has really helped me discover a lot of new technology that I can share with others and use in my own classroom.  I believe that the things that we have been prompted to discover are all those need to know items that a TIS should have under their belt to help others in their buildings.  I am really glad that I approached my county about doing this certification because I believe I will have take a lot from it and will use the knowledge in the future.

Collba

Collba would be a fantastic tool for teachers to use when their students are working on group projects.  Students can discuss their project and teachers can be part of the chat and discuss their progress without interrupting the thought process of others.  They can also use this tool to share files, links as they are working.  You can do advanced searches as well.

http://www.go2web20.net/app/?a=collba

Learn from a video - The Civil War in Four Minutes

On Teachertube, I watched a video called The Civil War in Four Minutes.  It showed the changing boundaries of the North and South as the Civil War progressed and also kept a running tally of the casualties throughout the war.  So within four minutes you had seen the entire Civil War run its course and watch as the South lost ground over time.  This would be fantastic for my WV Studies students as they could see how over time the South was forced out of western Virginia (West Virginia - only state formed during the Civil War)  as well as get that mental image of the South's deterioration.  It could cover both a 8th grade geography standard that discusses forming mental maps as this video enhances those mental images as well as a history standard that focuses on constructing a sequence of events in the surrounding areas that had an impact on the state.  It was a brief video but one that I definitely think would have an impact.

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The Nutrition Diva - Do Herbal Supplements Work?

I listened to a podcast on nutrition and whether herbal supplements work.  She discussed how people need to be careful in choosing herbal supplements because sometimes the natural solution is not always the best solution and sometimes medicine or drugs do a better job at curing or helping the problem.  I found it interesting on how she talked about needing to research herbal supplements and make sure that research it supported by reliable studies.  She talked about how some herbal supplements can have side effects and to make sure to be aware of those before taking.  Her overall thoughts were to make sure you explore all your options and make the decision based on sound research and investigation.

http://www.podcast.com/Health/Fitness-and-Nutrition/I-2371.htm
As for using podcasting in the classroom - I think this would be a wonderful that all teachers could use and find interesting and insightful podcasts that would go along with their content areas.  I think it just takes some exploration and time put forth to find the topics that would best fit their needs. Many just need help sometimes finding those resources - sometimes knowing where to begin and finding that support to help you get started is the hardest part.