Some of my favorite discoveries and exercises in the 23 things program were the activities centered on Web 2.0 applications and other online applications like Zoho.com, etc. Now that computers are everywhere we go, the internet can provide us with a mobile workstation that contains our work, our favorite places, our pictures, our whole lives. Without the 23 Thing program I'm not sure I would have discovered everything that the internet has to offer to make life easier. I love my Google Calendar and I can't wait to start making to-do lists with "Remember the Milk."
The Web 2.0 applications opened my mind to instructional possibilities that I know couldn't be achieved with traditional materials. I know my students will benefit from the fact that my eye is now trained on emerging technology. To be honest, one of my favorite parts of this project was the blogging process itself. It has inspired me to create a personal blog to communicate with friends and family. I would love to set up class blog when I'm teaching to create a sense of community in my classroom as well as communicate with my students and parents.
Before completing this program I hadn't given much thought to how I would incorporate technology into my instruction but now I don't see how the two could ever be separated. I'm so excited to get out there and use the tools that I have learned about. Better yet, the 23 Things actually made me feel competent with each tool I tried so I know I'll be much more likely to use them and to experiment with other things I discover. Now that I know how to access everything the internet has to offer I find myself looking back into issues and topics that I miss reading about and talking about in my undergrad studies. Instead of just looking up recipes, I look for video tutorials on cooking skills. This program has changed the way I view the internet as a learning tool for myself and my future students.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thing #23
Taken from the bottom right of the 23 Things Blog:
Credits
Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers is based on Learning 2.0 - 23 Things, a staff development program for the Mesquite Independent School District. That program was based on the Learning 2.0 program that was designed by Helene Blowers and adapted by the California School Library Association and others. Content and style for Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers has been borrowed and duplicated with permission, under a Creative Commons License.
I've included a screen capture of the Copyright/Fair Use/Creative Commons tutorial I created for my future students.
As a teacher I will use Creative Commons not only as a resource for finding instructional materials that I can use ethically, but I will also use it to show students how to use technology ethically in their school and personal projects. Kids today are often extremely capable when it comes to online applications but they might not be aware of copyright law. I think most kids who use copyrighted works without permission don't know that they're breaking any rules. Students might not know that just because something appears in a Google search doesn't mean that it's fair game. By teaching students about Creative Commons we can show them how easy it is to find all of the text and images they need and still use them in a way that respects the wishes of the work's creator.
Thing #22
http://freeculinaryschool.com/podcast/FCS-Episode-13.mp3
I found this podcast in podcastdirectory.com. I looked through all of the directories and I was surprised to find that the one that I figured would be the most rudimentary (based on the name only, which is a terrible way to decide which websites are best) was actually the easiest for me to navigate which allowed me to find more podcasts on topics I care about. The categories were logical and the layout of each page I visited was easy to understand. I love to cook and I've been using the time while my husband is away to hone my skills in the kitchen. The podcast I chose is from a series that covers different culinary basics. This particular episode is one that answers listener questions. I will definitely continue to listen to this podcast feed. I already have some archived episodes queued up--knife skills, and salads & vinaigrettes.
When I created the podcast earlier in the semester for my WebQuest I really enjoyed it and I would definitely incorporate podcasts into instruction as well as in student-created projects.
I found this podcast in podcastdirectory.com. I looked through all of the directories and I was surprised to find that the one that I figured would be the most rudimentary (based on the name only, which is a terrible way to decide which websites are best) was actually the easiest for me to navigate which allowed me to find more podcasts on topics I care about. The categories were logical and the layout of each page I visited was easy to understand. I love to cook and I've been using the time while my husband is away to hone my skills in the kitchen. The podcast I chose is from a series that covers different culinary basics. This particular episode is one that answers listener questions. I will definitely continue to listen to this podcast feed. I already have some archived episodes queued up--knife skills, and salads & vinaigrettes.
When I created the podcast earlier in the semester for my WebQuest I really enjoyed it and I would definitely incorporate podcasts into instruction as well as in student-created projects.
Thing #21
I had no idea that Animoto existed and I can't believe I just discovered it. It's a good thing that I actually have things to do today/this weekend or else I'd be busy making a billion video montages of my wedding, honeymoon, dog, and every other possible category within the 1000 pictures on my computer. This is so cool and so easy to use. I love that you can add your own soundtrack, text, and highlight specific pictures. I am going to find so many uses for this and my husband is going to be so excited to see our wedding pictures set to our favorite songs (I would have used "God Only Knows" for this video but I don't have it on this computer yet). I can share these with friends and family as well.
I can see lots of applications for this program in my future classroom. Back at midterm the final project for the students completing my webquest was to create a campaign commerical. This tool would be really effective for creating a montage of images for that type of assignment. I could assign students a topic and have them find a specific numer of pictures to create a video to present to the class. They could then explain in written form what each image represented to them about the topic they covered or they could narrate the video as it played. Very neat!
I can see lots of applications for this program in my future classroom. Back at midterm the final project for the students completing my webquest was to create a campaign commerical. This tool would be really effective for creating a montage of images for that type of assignment. I could assign students a topic and have them find a specific numer of pictures to create a video to present to the class. They could then explain in written form what each image represented to them about the topic they covered or they could narrate the video as it played. Very neat!
Thing #20
I am a big fan of YouTube and I generally find it easy to locate the videos I'm looking for. Sometimes I can't find what I'm looking for (the copyright and fair use police really spoil things on YouTube) and I'll do a GoogleVideo search instead. I really like the "related videos" feature on YouTube because it strikes a good balance between accuracy and exposing you to videos on closely related topics that you might not have discovered on your own because you wouldn't have known what to search for. I also like the "channels" feature because it oragnizes everything from one user in an easily navigated page. I thin the "related videos" feature would be excellent on a library site to encourage students to explore but also stay within the confines of what they're researching.
The video I chose is by a teenage boy describing (hilariously) a typical school day including the weird behaviors of his teachers. I liked it becaues it reminds us that our students really are paying attention to our moods, our mannerisms, our inconsistencies, and our quirks. It's true that kids are wrapped up in their own world but they're also very observant so it's important to remember that they're always watching (and perfecting their impressions of us to do at the dinner table). I also thought it highlighted what we often forget--that being a kid is tough, and school can start to feel like a chore if we don't make it fun!
The video I chose is by a teenage boy describing (hilariously) a typical school day including the weird behaviors of his teachers. I liked it becaues it reminds us that our students really are paying attention to our moods, our mannerisms, our inconsistencies, and our quirks. It's true that kids are wrapped up in their own world but they're also very observant so it's important to remember that they're always watching (and perfecting their impressions of us to do at the dinner table). I also thought it highlighted what we often forget--that being a kid is tough, and school can start to feel like a chore if we don't make it fun!
Thing #19
I am a member of Myspace (which I rarely, if ever, use) and Facebook (which I use every day) and in my last post I explain what I like about Facebook. Although the concept of Gather is appealing to me, I am resistant to join for a few reasosn. First, I already sometimes feel that Facebook is encroaching on real friendship. Sometimes I will not realize that I haven't actually seen a friend in weeks because we've been Facebooking all along. Social networking sites are not a substitute for human interaction and while I love the idea of Gather being focused on debating or discussing specific topics, I almost don't want to start transferring those conversations to the internet for fear that I'll stop seeking them out in real life.
I do, however, really dig the TeacherPop community and I know I'll use it for reasons other than padding my resume ;) Even though TeacherPop has an educational focus, it's a place to share ideas, ask questions, or post experiences in a more informal way. In education, we're always being evaluated or evaluating others so it's nice to have a place to write a little more casually (that's part of why I love this blog) and share personal insights along with factual information.
I do, however, really dig the TeacherPop community and I know I'll use it for reasons other than padding my resume ;) Even though TeacherPop has an educational focus, it's a place to share ideas, ask questions, or post experiences in a more informal way. In education, we're always being evaluated or evaluating others so it's nice to have a place to write a little more casually (that's part of why I love this blog) and share personal insights along with factual information.
Thing #18
I have been a Myspace user for about 5 years and a Facebook user for 4 years so I was already well-versed in both social networking sites and the features of each. I feel that Facebook far surpasses Myspace at this point with regard to ease of use and in terms of actually creating the social network that users are looking for. Myspace has tried to adopt some of the features of Facebook like status updates and groups, but with much less success in my opinion. Facebook makes it simple to look at friends pictures and posts and to communicate with friends publicly (on their wall) or privately through messages. I often record video messages through Facebook to send to my husband in Afghanistan. There are groups for every conceivable interest and it is easy to invite friends to events or keep track of friends' birthdays. Myspace has similar features but I find them much more tedious to use and the design is cluttered. The one real advantage Myspace has over Facebook is that their music and video features are excellent. Artists can post their work and users can listen or watch at the click of the mouse.
I think teachers need to understand how much the social landscape has changed for their students and how much social interaction occurs through networking sites. Teachers cannot be under the impression that the only important social events in their students lives are happening in the hallways and classrooms anymore. Students relationships (friendships as well as romances) are legitimized by these sites and sometimes only exist through Myspace or Facebook. Bullying and harrassment have become a major problem with children using these sites and teachers need to know the right questions to ask if they get wind of a problem developing between students. Teachers also have a responsibility (in addition to the parents, who clearly bear most of the responsibility) to let their students know how important it is to be safe on the internet by making their social networking sites private, not entering specific personal data like addresses and phonenumbers, and why posting inappropriate pictures can negatively impact their lives at school, work, and personally.
Although I think that the group features of Facebook could be used in a school setting I would be extremely wary of introducing children to these sites without being able to fully monitor their conduct outside of the group created for the class. I think that other web applications like blogs or wikis could serve the same purpose without some of the drawbacks of social networking sites for kids.
I think teachers need to understand how much the social landscape has changed for their students and how much social interaction occurs through networking sites. Teachers cannot be under the impression that the only important social events in their students lives are happening in the hallways and classrooms anymore. Students relationships (friendships as well as romances) are legitimized by these sites and sometimes only exist through Myspace or Facebook. Bullying and harrassment have become a major problem with children using these sites and teachers need to know the right questions to ask if they get wind of a problem developing between students. Teachers also have a responsibility (in addition to the parents, who clearly bear most of the responsibility) to let their students know how important it is to be safe on the internet by making their social networking sites private, not entering specific personal data like addresses and phonenumbers, and why posting inappropriate pictures can negatively impact their lives at school, work, and personally.
Although I think that the group features of Facebook could be used in a school setting I would be extremely wary of introducing children to these sites without being able to fully monitor their conduct outside of the group created for the class. I think that other web applications like blogs or wikis could serve the same purpose without some of the drawbacks of social networking sites for kids.
Thing #17
I have been a fan of social bookmarking sites for a while now, including del.icio.us and Digg. These sites make it so easy to get lost in the web of sites and pictures and videos created by just one topic. It's pretty incredible when you view one bookmarked site and it makes you think of something else and then you find that the very something else you're thinking of has been bookmarked too! I had never used a bookmarking site to look for teaching resources, but after browsing through the apsu23things tabs I wish I had done it earlier. These sites could be a fabulous resource for finding lesson plans, video clips, articles, etc. pertaining to a class topic. I have spent HOURS of my life this semester Googling, searching databases, and following dead links. Using a site like this when planning units and lessons could save me a lot of time and effort and allow me to discover resources that are not just related to my topic but are recommended by another teacher.
Thing #16
I chose the iGoogle intropage because I tend to love everything that is Google. It literally took 15 seconds to set up and it's just as easy to change my preferences to delete or add new things I want included on my intropage. My yahoo! is similar but I found iGoogle to be more user-friendly and easier on the eyes when looking around the page for information. I like having everything already there instead of just links to the weather or to a calendar.
I already have an online calendar through Google and it is an absolute lifesaver. I set it up a couple of months ago to keep track of class dates, assignments, bill payments, when I need to mail my husband care packages in order for him to get them by a certain date, and all of my training information for my 1/2 marathon (which I'll be running in less than 24 hrs. scary!). I LOVE it. I get email reminders for the items I select and then I delete the emails when the task is complete--like a to-do list (but more about those in a minute). I will absolutely keep using my Google calendar for my personal, school, and professional life. It is so nice to get all of those dates and to-dos out of your brain and into the computer.
Before I started looking at the to-do list applications I was thinking 1.) man, I love lists and 2.) isn't this a little redundant when I already have email reminders from my calendar. With regard to number 1: I really do love lists. I have always been a list-maker, even if just to feel like I've accomplished something by making the list. My husband is a list maker too and we write each other little lists, share our own lists with each other for moral support, etc. With regard to number 2: as it turns out, these applications are super cool and NOT redundant. I chose to sign up for "Remember the Milk" because I loved the name (although I might have changed it to "tartar sauce. tartar sauce" for all of those "The Weather Man" lovers like my family) and because it had some features that I thought were fantastic. First, being able to have my lists texted to my phone is far superior to my methods which usually include hastily written lists on the backs of envelopes or lists that I text to myself and then always delete before I should. I also really loved the "share" function where I can share the to-do list with someone else to divvy up work. My husband and I could really utilize this feature to coordinate errands and other regular-life stuff.
As far as using any of these tools in the classroom, I would definitely use the Google Calendar application. I could make a calendar for each class period and then add the student and/or parent email addresses to the share list. Students and parents would get reminder emails about upcoming tests or assignments, and could check the homework for the following week so they'll know what to do when they have a dentist appointment and miss class. If I make a change or add something everyone will be notified. By reminding students about projects or tests in advance I can help boost their time management and discourage procrastination and forgetfulness.
Speaking of procrastination and forgetfulness, I'm going to tell my mom and sister about "Remember the Milk" immediately. Well, maybe not immediately, but I'll set a text reminder for it :)
Thing #15
I am pretty late to the wiki game as compared to most people. I remember back in 04-05 when I was a senior in college hearing professors joke about Wikipedia not being a scholarly source and I had no idea what they were talking about. I was never a big Googler until about 2 years ago, where of course I became intimately familiar with all things Wikipedia because Wiki is usually the first search result on the page. My husband is HUGE into Googling and it has really rubbed off on me. I'll find myself Googling or Wiki-ing odd phrases or references I hear on tv or read in a magazine, or that 1/2 a song lyric that I heard in the grocery store and now I must know the rest of the song. Anyway, until I did this exercise I wasn't really clued into how huge wiki applications have gotten. I had never gone much beyong Wikipedia so this was pretty eye-opening for me. I love how easy it is to edit an entry, and I know students would love it too. As a teacher, I appreciate the fact that I can monitor all changes to a class wiki and see the different versions of the entries at they evolve. It's a great way to keep students accountable without them having to turn in paper after paper. I really liked the AP US History wiki project that I looked at. It encouraged the students to make concise entries using bullet points whenever possible. This exercise does a great job of mimicking what the students are required to do on the AP Test. I hadn't thought of setting up a wiki for a class assignment but this seems really simple and is an excellent way to combine the benefits of group work with benefits of independent work.
Thing #14
I chose to register and try out gliffy.com (more about how hilarious that is in a moment) and mindmeister.com. I'm really not that "into" visual aids but I know I'll have students who are visual learners and who would really love having flowcharts and/or mindmaps incorporated into the curriculum and into test review. I also think that my content area--secondary social studies--is really conducive to using these kinds of aids to show how many elements and ideas are interrelated.
I found gliffy.com pretty easy to use but I didn't think that the flowchart options made for a very pretty flowchart. call me an aesthetic elitist, but that kind of stuff is important to me. I recently contemplated joining an online group lobbying for the elimination of Comic Sans (seriously). Now for why the word "gliffy" is extra funny to me: my family has been using the word gliffy for 35 years now to describe all manner of things that are ooky (I guess that's a made up word too), too sweet, too goey, too...well...gliffy. A good example might be an ice cream sundae topped with marshmallow peeps. My dad originally coined the term in 1967 to describe gross, goopy feeling of the bottom of a lake under his feet. I'm going to have to call him later to let him know that he should have copyrighted it.
...moving right along...
I actually enjoyed mindmeister.com a lot. The site was pretty (see above), the tools were easy to use, and I loved that they had created a mindmap for me upon registration to teach me about how to use the site and the other tools associated with it. I could definitely see myself using this in the classroom or using it to create handouts for the students to create their own mindmaps...or some combination of both where we create one together as a class. Now I need to get started on a mindmap about the connection between mustaches and evil so that I can get my husband to see the error of his ways in deciding that growing a mustache while he's deployed is a great idea.
I found gliffy.com pretty easy to use but I didn't think that the flowchart options made for a very pretty flowchart. call me an aesthetic elitist, but that kind of stuff is important to me. I recently contemplated joining an online group lobbying for the elimination of Comic Sans (seriously). Now for why the word "gliffy" is extra funny to me: my family has been using the word gliffy for 35 years now to describe all manner of things that are ooky (I guess that's a made up word too), too sweet, too goey, too...well...gliffy. A good example might be an ice cream sundae topped with marshmallow peeps. My dad originally coined the term in 1967 to describe gross, goopy feeling of the bottom of a lake under his feet. I'm going to have to call him later to let him know that he should have copyrighted it.
...moving right along...
I actually enjoyed mindmeister.com a lot. The site was pretty (see above), the tools were easy to use, and I loved that they had created a mindmap for me upon registration to teach me about how to use the site and the other tools associated with it. I could definitely see myself using this in the classroom or using it to create handouts for the students to create their own mindmaps...or some combination of both where we create one together as a class. Now I need to get started on a mindmap about the connection between mustaches and evil so that I can get my husband to see the error of his ways in deciding that growing a mustache while he's deployed is a great idea.
Thing #13--triumphant return to blogging
I have to admit that I interpret how excited I got over Zoho.com (extremely excited) as a sign of my rapid transformation into an old, uncool person. That being said...SO cool! During these past few weeks as I've been up to my ears in PowerPoints, papers, final exam review notes, and group projects (ohhhh so many group projects) I have been silently cataloging a list of complaints in my mind about the ridiculous logistical maneuverings involved in keeping all of the technology I use for school organized and under control. I do almost 100% of my work on my laptop but it's not always feasible to lug my laptop around and haul it out whenever I might need to edit something or jot someting down or add to an ongoing project. Some of my classes (like this one) already have computers so it seems pretty redundant to bring in my computer. As a result I do a combination of saving things to a jump drive and emailing documents to myelf so that I can check them easily wherever I am, or print something out, or whatever. This method has worked for me for years but it's pretty clunky. The past few weeks I have been longing for something....easier....but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Zoho.com is it. I've looked at other web-based writing applicatons but Zoho had the coolest features so far. I loved the sheer array of things you can do on Zoho and then tuck away with multiple tags so that one paper or presentation can be grouped with other things it relates to, and in education that could be lots of things. As I wrap up my first semester of grad school I'm trying to get my document and resource organization skills together because I know that in subsequent classes I'm going to need a lot of the things I've already worked on. When it comes time to put together my portfolio for Milestones 2, 3, and 4 I'm going to be really happy that all of my work is in a logical place. Zoho.com, with its tagging system, allows you to easily organize files without having to manually drag docments from their application to a folder. So neat. I really liked the features on the Zohowriter that allow you to make in-text comments, post your work to a blog, or share the work with selected users. Finding ways to get group work done can be difficult when students are busy with work and family. This application could simplify the collaborative process and result in less stress when working on group projects. I also really liked the Zoho notebook, an online notetaker, that I am going to start using in class ASAP. Clearly it's not that different from creating a word document to take notes in , but I like the format and the ease with which you can insert images, video and links. The biggest factor, again, is the organizational aspect of the entire Zoho site. I'm excited to start exploring the rest of the site more thoroughly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
