AHA!

1. AHA! Moment # 1. I would like to award the first AHA! moment to the one and only Tricia!! I had an AHA! moment when I looked at the article that she had posted about [|Mrs. Lewis] and using iPods with her Pre-K students!! I know kids start early nowadays and they are all digital natives, but never thought of doing listening centers, podcasts, and even music in a classroom with the little ones. It really is amazing how young students are using technology and use it like we did a pencil back in the days. This is a truly amazing thing when you really sit back and think about it! I would like to see more technology use with the little ones so that they can increase their potential and show the world what they are capable of. Thanks for this AHA! moment, Tricia!!

2. AHA! Moment # 2.  I would like to award the next AHA! moment trophy to Kylene. I really enjoyed the [|article]  that was posted on her site. I have often thought of recording students reading for fluency using an iPod. It would be a great tool to use to compare between quarters and for the students to hear that they are really progressing in their abilities. It would also be a great show piece in their portfolios. I have also looked for new ideas for podcasts, and this article mentions students recording materials they have studied and use it for tests, quizzes, reviews, or whatever. This would be great for my students because they had difficulty retaining materials learned. Having it recorded to come back to later, would be an awesome thing for them to go to and for me to have as a stand-by if needed. 

3. AHA! Moment # 3. The next AHA! moment has been awarded to Sara for her article on [|K-12 handhelds].  The AHA! moments came when I realized how many different things I knew about but had forgotten over time. I knew about podcatching sites but forgot the names of them after my last computer crashed and I haven't recovered the info from it. There were also the ways to publish podcasts and knowing of the different ways to do it and the resouces available for us to do so. There was a lot of material on this site that really made me go, "Wow and AHA!" This is a site I will visit more often to get some great materials to use down the road.

4. AHA! Moment # 4.  The 4th AHA! moment goes to Krystal and the awesome site that she posted from [|teachingheart.net]. It was great to see how iPods can be used in such simple ways. I guess when I first started thinking about iPods and using them a few years ago, I had to do every big and elaborate. This site has proven me wrong and shows that just an audio book for a listening center, or a mix of songs for a lesson can be done with an iPod and it doesn't have to be fancy!! So, I say to myself, "Slow down and back off, Gehrke!" This will be great inspirational site for me when I get stumped with what to do with my iPods. Using the iTalk to record group work was also a great idea. As the author of this site said, it provides, "accountable talk." I may have to try this with my suspected potty mouth talkers and find out who is working and not. It is nice to have a little spy in the field for you when you are committed to a differentiated group or other activity. This site was a true find!!

5. AHA! Moment # 5.  The final AHA! moment comes from Mark's site. He had a great article on [|tips for teachers]when using iPods in the classroom. It was nice to see that I am doing some things correctly when I am making podcasts. It made me say, "AHA! I am doing that correctly" or, "Oops, I need to change the way I do that!" There were a lot of resources on there for students and teachers alike. There will be many things I will share with my students next year when we begin podcasting. Some of the AHA! moments on this site may just help my podcasting run smoother in the future. It does give me a better sense of direction and will also help the students prepare and plan better for their segments on the Mr. G. Podcast Network!