Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Thing #23 - Summarizing My Thoughts
1. What were some of my favorite discoveries or exercises? I have to say the Wiki hit me as the most useful as a tool to use in the class. By far it has the greatest potential for classroom collaboration. Writing this blog and maintaining it can serve as a great lesson plan format where students can come to retrieve assignments and post questions and concerns. Teacher Tube beats out You Tube for finding content to use in the classroom by far. Delicious is just that, delicious. I'll never have to worry about losing the URL because I'm not on my teacher computer again - a must for all. Google Docs and the free version of Office are great tools for students to have access to who cannot get them otherwise.
There were just too many things that I found both meaningful and useful. You did a great job of sorting through the plethora of 2.0 options out there for us to focus on.
2. How has this program assisted or affected my lifelong learning goals? This course has given me many useful tools to take back to work. As my campus technology trainer, I can now offer many courses which will benefit the teachers and staff as well - I hope you don't mind my doing that. Many of us still enjoy a classroom setting to learn things and the materials from this class are just too good not to share. I also now have modern tools to use in my classroom which will bring me up to the 21st century. I haven't taught students in 5 years, so these tools will give me an edge when creating interesting and relevant assignments.
3. Were there any take-aways or any unexpected outcomes from this that surprised me? The biggest surprise for me was that I completed an online course. I was hesitant to get started and even went by the library media services office to get a feel of being in a class. Once I got a grip on how the class operated, I was comfortable doing all this from home. Thank you Vaughn for your support and insight throughout this progam with your emails and posts to my blogs. As far as take-aways, this answers my concern from #2 above, I have classes to share with the teachers throughout the year now at MHS.
4. What could you do differently to improve upon this programs format? I think you have it there. I had trouble getting started, but once I grasped the big picture, the course flowed and was easy to navigate. Your introductions to each section were brief enough to gain a concept of what needed to be explored in each Thing and you gave good direction on what we were to discover.
5. If you offered another discovery program, would I participate? Without a doubt. I might wait until summer time to do it though as it is lengthy and my mind is much more alert during the day to open up to new ideas and tools.
6. How would I describe my learning experience in ONE WORD or ONE SENTENCE? Now that is just not right. I obviously ramble on to convey my thoughts, but here goes..."I have been totally enlightened by this experience."
7.) Go post - that I will do.
Thing #22 - Ning
Ning offers a good alternative to keep the personal stuff out. The group can focus on the objective of the group without being distracted. One thing though, by opening it up to so many, comments can get out of hand. For example, I saw one post with over 900 comments, that is just too much.
Now the resources available from the Educator Ning were good though. I enjoyed the classroom 2.0 site and the options it has. Again, the volume gets expansive, but at least it is focused on that area.
For simplicity, I might want to start with a Wiki for the class to focus on our classroom assignments and projects. I understand you can start a Ning with a limited group, but I find the editing components of a Wiki a bit more useful for student collaboration on a given topic.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thing #21 - Podcasts and Videocasts
Audacity is another great cool to use if you want to provide strictly audio files. It can be used as a stand alone or it can be embedded into software applications which do not allow you to record, such as PowerPoint. I've been trying to post the sound file, but am also getting errors from blogger.com. I'll keep working on it.
Common Craft's web site has those nifty videos we've been watching that explain what some of the various 23 things are. It has many things which you can view for free while on their website, but if you want to use it, you have to buy it. I prefer the free things myself with the tight budget constraints that we have in education.
Thing #20 - You Tube, Teacher Tube and Zamzar
A major concern to note about You Tube, I did have trouble finding videos of this nature that did not contain foul language.
I found Teacher Tube to be much more useful than You Tube. The selection of videos was much more focused on the classroom with content appropriate for students. I selected the following video because it follows a format I would like to pursue with my classes. Although this is a group of junior high students, I believe the high school students can take it a step ahead.
An important factor with using Teacher Tube was that I was able to download the video and able to upload it on this blog without having to use Zamzar. One step less is more time saved. One noteworthy mention, uploading these videos onto my blog was very time consuming, especially during the processing time.
Finally, I found another reason why I will avoid live broadcasts which can be seen in the video that follows. Please note that my students are all 17-18 years old, I don't think I would share this with the younger ones.
This segment was emailed to me by a colleague. I obviously had too much fun with Thing #20.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thing #19 - Web 2.0 Awards List - Linked In
I chose LinkedIn for this exercise to build my professional bio on line. With today's economy, one never knows when they will need to find that next job. My next door neighbor actually found employment using this site which brings it validation. I have also found that many of my colleagues in SBISD are now using the site as well.
Please feel free to view my profile on LinkedIn by clicking here and become a connection.
Thing #18 - Online Productivity Tools
Google Docs is a little bit different. Although you can work and edit on any computer, the format is a bit different than using traditional word processing software. It is on line, so the appearance is somewhat different than using a software application. I found that it also had limits when working with spreadsheets, but the basics are there. I have used this application with the district's Activ trainers group and it did serve it's purpose. For basic shared documents, I would rather use a Wiki myself.
Open Office is a prayer answered for all the low SES students we serve in our district who have a computer, but not the means to purchase costly software.
Thing #17 - Rollyo
As I search and find reputable sites for broadcast journalism, I can now create search rolls for the students which will keep them within the confines of certain periodicals which will have greater relevance for class.
Here is a link to my search roll on Rollyo.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thing #16 - Wikis
The possibilities of using this application are endless, from group projects to classroom discussions. I see the difference in that all comments can be edited, not like a blog where one can only contribute or add on. When planning and assigning tasks, the need for change can be easily edited to avoid having to repeat steps and to join in on the current status at hand.
I believe I can use this tool when planning a broadcast assignment. All students have different roles and duties. Rather than me using the traditional role of task giver, the students can take ownership in the project and step in where they are needed.
Wikipedia
Thing #15 - Library 2.0
Not available to them on a home computer? Yes, this puts a high demand on libraries to keep value and purpose. Virtually everything is available on the internet now from blogs to wikis to content databases and mainly, interactive information acquisition. If we can do this all from home, why do we even need libraries? Simple, guidance and expertise. With a myriad of sources available, doing a Google search is no longer feesible with millions of links per topic available. Librarians need to offer and guide the learner to the information needed and to help the learner join in on the global information acquisition by offering commentary and relevance to the topic at hand. A good library needs to offer these tools to students as well as have expertise on how to use them.
Library 2.0 will help metamorphasize and transition the libraries of the past. Books and periodicals are such a minute element in today's expectations of student presentations. Incorporating all the sensory elements of speech, video, and sound now serve the basic structure of completing many assignments. Learners are expected to draw in and present information in a manner that will capture an audience much larger than just the teacher. Learning is now a collaboration in society which grows and develops. Just as in the video, an entire class can contribute and create a presentation which garners much more insight than that of a sole author.
Afterall, if what students are preparing for now will be obsolete by the time they graduate, they need the knowledge and skills to be able to adapt to the evergrowing changes that our society faces. When they join the work force, they need to be able take on the expectations given them and know how to use the tools to create the new things yet to come. Better yet, they will be designing the tools for younger generations to rely on.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thing #14 - Technorati
I decided to search for information on using Final Cut Express, this is video editing software used on Mac computers. There were plenty of posts by others on how to get started and how to do specialized items. People even posted videos of their instructions which they had created in either Camtasia or Captivate on how to use this program. One of the most informative was made by a high school student on cloning. By watching instruction given by this student, it was actually much easier to follow than others I had seen on Atomic Learning or lynda.com.
I'll definitely go back to this site and will direct my students in this direction as I also noted that these blogs asked questions on problems where others offered insite on how to fix them. The fact that I found many discussions and videos on broadcast journalism and the tools required for the course sold me.
Of course, Technorati is now included on my Delicious account.
Thing #13-Tagging and discovering Delicious
The time saved from having to search for these sites will be immense. My job is also the College Board liason for my campus. There website is immense and very difficult to navigate. I now have all my College Board URL's tagged for easy retrieval. I went ahead and was able to tag all of my sites and it built a system for me, much like organizing folders under My Favorites.
The best part about this is that when my computer breaks down and needs to be re-imaged, I don't have to worry about losing all of these valuable links. Also, if I am working on a different work station and come across information I want to retrieve from my personal computer, it is not a problem as all I need to do is go to Delicious.
I haven't explored tags posted by others that are related to mine yet, but I'm sure I will run across a wealth of information which might save me time from looking through the more traditional search engines.
My Delicious Bookmarks
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thing #12-Creating Community Through Commenting
2 of the discoveries I noted is that quite a few blogs are personal. They are merely people's diaries, raising discussions on what particularly interests them that day. They don't always seek comment, but do leave the ability for others to do so. The other of course is the Corporate - or as in our case, Educational - blog. This is strictly for use in business and can be open to the world, or just a select few. This is much like our Library2Play blog that we are utilizing for this course.
I have some issues with aliases versus true identity. Farkas describes well her first diving into the blog world as Chilihead, eventually going to her name. To me, a first name is still an alias as many have the same first name, yet you still see very few bloggers who use their complete names. I think for purposes in an educational setting and working with kids, it is important that those students are identifiable, at least by name or student id number. We all know that working with kids, you will have a few that will come out as trolls to bring shame and embarassment to fellow classmates. For this reason, I have outed myself in in previous posts.
Off to visit my fellow classmates...more later.
Here are the ones I visited. Christina's Musical Notes , 23 Things-SBISD Style . Logical Lori , Moulton Lava , and Laptop Learner.
Thing #11 - Library Thing
This is yet another cool little tool that requires little time and effort but can build a list for memories to behold.
My Library Thing
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thing #10 - Working with Graphics-Online Image Generators
I got the above clip from Image Chef. Lots of cute little things to create with this site. I don't know how much a high school student would want to use these things though.
Big Huge Labs seems to have the most options. I had fun with the badge maker. http://bighugelabs.com/badge.php
Dumpr had some interesting stuff although it is a pay site as well. http://www.dumpr.net/ They entice you with a few things but then keep requesting that you upgrade for cash. This is my great niece, Carolyn. And finally I had fun creating Trading Cards. http://bighugelabs.com/deck.php
What I enjoyed about most of these sites, it lets you create photos quickly and easily without the expertise of Photoshop. Talk about saving lots of time. This was a fun exercise.
Thing #9 - Useful Blogs and News feeds
For my case, I found that it is best for me to keep the searches narrow. With too many to use, a lot of time can be wasted just looking. Although research is a valuable and necessary tool, I find that it is most important to stay focused and have an option that directly takes you to the information you seek and doesn't beat around the bush with topics and discussions that are irrelevant to the task at hand. It is important to stay clearly focused on the question at hand and not be swayed by "related" topics which seem to be the majority of these blogs.
I like the way the Cool Cat Teacher noted the 2 main types of blogs, the egocentrical one (which there certainly are many) and the conversationalists. He/she makes good reference for what to look for in a blog when conducting searches.
I added a few feeds to my google home page which will keep me from going out amongst the millions in searching and will send me the topic specific blogs which I requested.
Can you tell I don't like to waste my time?
http://www.google.com/reader/view/#overview-page
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thing #8 RSS Feeds
http://www.google.com/profiles/leerayhaynes
This is a tool that can be used for both school and my personal life. I'll probably keep it personal until I can set one up with purely educational sites for use in my classes. Students have enough to do without me throwing a myriad of feeds at them. I would find it more beneficial for me to collect the information and then share the materials that would be the focus of the lesson for the day.
Our business is busy and fast paced as it is. Using an RSS reader with the key information which is relevant to the job can be quite beneficial in saving the all so precious little time we have for research and academics by having direct links to the information we are most interested in.
Thing #7 - Cool tools that Google has
I like Picasa too. This is a cool way to upload and document photos for use in school. I keep my personal photos on Facebook, but this avenue will work well with students as you share the photos with your selected audience.
http://picasaweb.google.com/leerayhaynes
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thing #6 - Mashups and cool 3rd party sites
I can see this benefiting my classes as photos are easily uploaded into videos which can then be broadcast with little need to learn Photoshop and all of its intricacies. It will be enough of a chore leaning Final Cut!
This site probably has the best array of gadget and tricks to spiff up a project. Big Huge Labs
Thing #5 - Flickr
I know, the kids could use their own accounts, I'm trying to cut out the search process though.
Flickr also required me to use my yahoo/att account. I was not able to create an account using the gmail account I made for the group.
Now as far as looking for photos to use, the Common Ground is great. I feel like most of the photos we will need to use should be current and taken by the students.
I can see Flickr as a great substitute for Google images as long as you are in the Common ground and give credit where do. Just about all tech apps courses should find this site useful, especially Multimedia and Digital Graphics and Animation.
Here's a photo depicting the type of antiquated technology I will be using in my class:-). It's really not that bad, but there is room for much improvent.
Please let me know if you have found an option for creating a group account for a class to save and retrieve their photos. Thanks...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Thing #2-My comments on the 7and a half habits
I have to say now, the voice over on the slide show was horrible! I had to turn down the volume and read the slides as her voice was dragging and putting me to sleep. We need to remember that we use different voices for teaching children and for teaching adults.
I recommend you turn down the volume and read the slides.
Your thoughts?
Thing #1-Starting up the Broadcasting blog
I have the advantage of rewriting and changing the way the courses have been previously taught. This should give us plenty of room to explore, create, recreate and assess what works well and what does not.
The scary part is having the entire student body as our audience.