Thing #10 - Second Life

Second life is a virtual world that is free to join. The registration process wasn't too painful. My avatar/character is LovenAces60 Oridium. Learning the movements took little effort (learning to walk, fly, sit,...). I spent a good amount of time looking to get some clothing, but when I went to the store and walked around for a good amount of time (upstairs and downstairs), all I found were women's clothing.

I'm having a hard time finding many practical applications for the demographics at my school -- elementary aged, lower SES, where many don't have easy access to Internet. However, students that are able to interact could definitely benefit from the writing and reading things that are of interest to them. A moderator/teacher could initiate topic/s to initiate round-table discussions. This could also evolve to literature circles or writing groups.

Thing #9 - SlideShare

Slideshare is a site that allows you to both publically and privately share presentations, documents and other resources for quick, anywhere and on-the-go access. Students can use the service to post projects or assignments. Teachers can use the site to share lessons, and other classroom materials so students have access to them outside of the school building.

Thissite also allows students to share their work, view other students’ work and make comments. Students’ PowerPoint presentations can be uploaded and then embedded into class/school blogs, wikis and other web sites.

This can be useful for those students that are absent and have Internet access away from school. Students can also be given homework to review a document or presentation or print an assignment from home, public library, or elsewhere. This is useful if a student has left the same assignment at school and needs access to another copy.

Weathering and erosion

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One downside is that the site does not support audio and videos embedded inside presentations and slide transitions and animations.

Thing #8 - Screencast

Screencasting is a method used to capture what a user is doing on his or her computer screen. This capture can then be shared via a multitude of resources, including embedding in a blog or for sharing by email. This a more efficient alternative to typing instructions and capturing images through print screens. As an Activtrainer, I can see value using this to share tips, tricks, and maintenance items involving Activsoftware and hardware. The uses for this are endless when working with students. Curriculum can be enhanced by placing a screencast on a wiki or website for students who may have missed a lesson or need a refresher.

I have tried screen-o-matic, Jing, Go View, and Free Screen Cast, and found Screen-o-matic and Jing to be very user friendly. I was unable to upload any of the videos I created. I tried converting from .flv to .avi and to .mov (one of these sites already recorded in .mov format), but none would load to this blog, which is quite frustrating. I waited more than an hour, on my laptop and desktop, but it wouldn't load. Once I get some tech support, I will retry. Anybody else have similar issues?

Thing #7 - Video Resources

Video resource sites are a great supplement to good classroom teaching. They can add a different perspective to what students perceive from previous learning. With proper guidance, students can decide what to internalize and what not to.

I looked at Blinkx, a search engine for videos. The best thing about this site is it makes searching effortless by locating related files and web pages as you view a document. I wanted to embed a video to this blog, but was unable to find any html code, even after searching for help on the Internet. The "News" search engine is a good place to go to discuss current events, fact and opinion, or possibly point of view.

I also viewed Totlol. This site is specifically targeted to kids under 13. It's easy for parents to search, browse, set up playlists for their kids, submit videos, and/or rate videos. Creating an account was free and required only an email address, username, and password. I like that it has a parent-lock feature allowing parents to block any marked videos and turn off participation features. Again, however, I'm unable to locate an html code for embedding a video, such as Schoolhouse Rock, which I enjoyed as a kid. Conjunction Junction, a video about adding conjunctions to combine sentences, may be used as part of a L/A lesson. I used the embed code from YouTube to display this video.

Thing #6 - iTouch

I am not an iTouch user, so my breadth of knowledge regarding apps for students, even after talking with others and researching the topic, is limited. The most obvious use with the iTouch is the Kindle app which allows users to read novels, articles, etc. I also saw other apps that students/children may use such as Tales2Go, a storytelling site, and a site that walks students through the long division process. This will probably be my weakest blog post. Although I enjoy learning about new technologies, I don't know if I'll ever be a big Mac user. It has just never appealed to me much.

Thing #5 - Microblogging

I have an account with Facebook, but rarely use it for reporting my personal happenings. I guess I'm just a private person. However, Facebook and Twitter have applications beyond updating daily occurrences.

Both have educational applications that teachers and students can benefit from using. Coming up with my own thoughts about this became more difficult after reading "Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter," that was suggested on the Library2Play II page.

The greatest advantage I can think of is information is always current. Rather than researching a particular topic and finding information possibly dated from several years ago, experts can share current ideologies as they occur.

Taught content may not have sufficient opportunity to "tattoo" itself onto your brain. But when you receive your classmates' and educator's relevant tweets and status updates, the topics stay relevant and prompt off-the-cuff thoughts and ideas. Key personnel communicate their own ideas, until a collective brainstorm is established.

Thing #4 - Uploading to You/Teacher Tube

I have often viewed videos on You Tube and Teacher Tube for educational and recreational purposes. I really appreciate learning new strategies for teaching students a concept, especially when traditional methods don't work. I have always been a big believer in starting with the traditional methods, but pulling groups for those that are having difficulty, and reteaching or offering other methods...you're only as good as the tools available to you.

I uploaded an Animoto video of a pre-Science fair "pep rally." It was easy to do and might encourage others to find ways to motivate their students to attend different school functions.

Of course sharing ideas, whether teachers' or students', through You Tube and Teacher Tube is advantageous to those that go to these sites for educational reasons. In addition to the example I mentioned in the first paragraph, students can learn from their peers and from educators. Educators can also learn from their peers and students. Science experiments can be conducted in segments, with students checking their results with the video. Students can watch innovative teachers that might dress up to represent and discuss a historical figure. The possibilities are endless.

Thing #3 - Skype

Skype software allows people to talk to and see each other over the Internet. It allows teachers to be brought into the classroom from remote locations.

One of the great things about Skype is the variety of ways it can be used in education. With the video call option, students can have penpals, participate in collaborative projects with students all over the world, asks questions to authors of novels, have experts speak to them, learn about the lives and cultures of different students around the world and more.

Skype allows teachers to monitor their class while they are away, collaborate with other teachers, take students on virtual field trips, communicate with parents, include ill students in daily discussions, and participate in professional development.

Thing #2 - Wordle and Word Sift

Wordle and Word Sift both offer opportunities to create word clouds, with Word Sift having additional features, such as additional customization options and drag-and-drog images.

Either can be used as a literacy center, brainstorming center, history presentation or review, or comprehension center activity to summarize a reading passage. The content and the outcome are completely controlled by the educator.

Students can use either to create a personal narrative at the beginning of the school year, showing other students what's important to them. Students could also put important words from a topic of study (e.g. a novel, historical piece, science unit, etc.) into the generator and discuss the importance of these words in presentation format.

Although Wordle initially seems easier to use, I really like Word Sift's ability to to take images, make them draggable, take some vocabulary and drop it into a workspace which can then be captured and turned into a worksheet, a study guide or a power point.

A sample of a wordle to be used during a science lesson:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2255746/Separating_Mixtures

During my research of word cloud generators, I came across several other sites that have cool features some might favorable over Wordle and Word Sift. Those sites include ABC Ya, Tagul, Word It Out, Tag Crowd, Make Word Mosaic, and VocabGrabber.

Thing #1 - The Networked Student

My thoughts about empowering students to have control over their learning, thereby having little/no need for textbooks or a teacher in the role of knowledge dispenser. This philosophy sounds ideal --- in an ideal world. There are those people that thrive on working independently and those that do best when told what to do. From my perspective as a teacher working with students with special needs, the networked student would struggle mightily with this concept. I understand that modifications could be made to make the curriculum and learner's network more accessible, however the abstract nature of conducting one's own learning would still be overwhelming. It's similar to throwing a student with ADHD into a new classroom that's covered with motivational posters, student work, and disco lights - the student would not be able to function.

Building the learner's network of appropriate site would take extreme guidance and structure, especially if the work is individualized per each student's needs. Finding acceptable peer-reviewed work and posting to a bookmarking site for others to see sounds nice, but is still time-consuming.

Subscribing to podcasts and other media to gain more knowledge through the student's MP3? Plausible, yes. Will the student that is self-motivated thrive by using this? Possibly, yes. But what about the other students? The possibly yes turns into a possibly not. These students would fall by the wayside as their interest wanes.

The 21st century GT and AP students might enjoy this type of learning, provided the proper guidance by their teacher. The teacher must be very organized, prepared to answer a multitude of questions, and spend an inordinate amount of time to ensure the success of the 21st century student. Plus, the author of this video stated that "there's more to connected learning than what you see in this project - think of it as the beginning." Wow, how much more is involved?

Again, in theory, the networked student sounds like a wonderful idea. In reality, I believe that a small percent of students would be successful with this process. All vested personnel would have to be totally dedicated to the process. It's a bold step, one that can be achieved - but I think it would have to be done in increments starting at an early age. Each year, the process builds on itself through guidance by the teacher, with support from the librarian. This means a lot of vertical planning by the district so every one is on board with what's happening.