Servin Up Some....

Tool #11 - Self Assessing and Reflecting

2011-08-03T07:52:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy using Blogger a lot. I plan on using it quite often to ask open-ended questions for students to reply to in multiple subject areas. Students will be able to reply anonymously, which will lead to further discussion. One question might be to talk about his/her biggest concern going into fifth grade. Google Apps will also be used frequently for similar reasons, but student names will be used.

To make changes to my classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner, I plan on having students consistently go to stations to work on projects and to collaborate with others online.

My biggest surprise was the clarity I got out of this regarding the ability to use stations to foster 21st Century learning. I believe this will be the first step toward Transformative teaching.

Tool #10 - Underneath it All - Digital Citizenship

2011-08-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Learners need to know how to operate safely, friendly and ethically in the digital world. Our job as educators is to help develop the skills necessary for our students to become successful citizens in the world. As a fifth grade teacher, my focus for teaching digital citizenship is not as extensive as secondary educators. A few of the primary points I will cover with students and the corresponding strategies to help them avoid these pitfalls are:

1. Students copy material off the Internet for class projects without giving credit to the author. To address this inappropriate use, discussing student perceptions of ethical/unethical technology use and discussing fair use and copyright laws is needed.

2. Students violate school acceptable use policies (AUPs) because they view them as unfair. To counteract this, teachers should provide students with information about appropriate and inappropriate use of technology in school. Engaging students about the differences between rights in school and outside school when using technology will also be addressed.

3. Students use handhelds or instant messaging (IM) to send nonclass-related messages back and forth in class. Teachers should use case studies or scenarios to illustrate appropriate and inappropriate ways of using technology. They should also model appropriate uses of technology in and out of the classroom.

Parents need to play an active role in their child's use of technology. Educators can help by offering a few campus sessions highlighting important points for being a good digital citizen. After discussing the key features, parents and their child/children will be asked to sign a pledge as evidence of their faith in following through on good practices. One such contract can be seen by clicking here.

Tool #9: Incorporating Classroom-Based Devices as Tools for Learning

2011-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Technology is a prevalent part in today's society. From cell phones, gaming devices, computer systems in cars, to multitudes of various computer systems, technology is here to stay and changing its face daily. It has become a consuming and engaging facet of everyday life and it's up to our future, our students, to continue this trend.

As educators, our responsibilities need to expand to include the growing use of technology in the real world. Managing the implementation and use of technology is key to the success of technology integration into the curriculum. Part of this means holding students accountable for the stations. This includes following the instructions set forth for station responsibilities and for the assigned task.

LearningGames for Kids is a great site where you can learn anything from typing to math and even making music - All by playing fun games of course. With each category neatly labeled, it is easy to find what you want and spend hours having fun learning. Thinkfinity is also a desirable site for use with students. Not only does it have activities in all subject areas, sorted by grade level, it also provides detailed lesson plans for implementing the activities. This is useful more for interactive whiteboard lessons, but can be modified for student stations.

I found Grammar Prep and MathBoard are useful apps for the iPod Touch/iPad that can be used in the classroom. Grammar Prep includes apps for subject and verb agreement, practicing sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, and the use of commas, pronouns, and modifiers. MathBoard includes square roots, cubes, and squares as well as more basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. Multiple-choice problems make the game a good way to study for standardized tests, and many of the wrong answer choices are answers that are common mistakes.

To hold students accountable for their station work, an end-product should be given to the teacher. An easy end-product would be to write the math problems a student had to solve, write the words they had to define, or the subject-verb agreement words they had to decide upon. Turning in this abbreviated portion of the activity will show that the student spent time looking at the activity.

Tool #8: Taking a Look at the Tools

2011-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

As of right now, I know that I'll have iPod Touches and iPads in my co-teach classroom. I hope the students eventually also get to use 2120 netbooks. I'm very interested in adding to the collaborative piece that is available through such tools as Blogger and Edmodo, and being able to vodcast through the netbook will do this. It will be even more enhanced due to the webcam feature.

Beyond what I mentioned above, proper and efficient management of the devices is imperative. I plan on using them in Centers as much as possible. One example is to add some math apps to the iPod Touch and letting students who finish early use the iPod Touch to play Mathletics, Basic Math, Math Quizzer and other math games. Students can compete against each other for high scores. Another app is Voice memo. This could be used for collaborative story building during L/A. Get a pupil to record the first line of a story, pass it to the next pupil to listen to and add to, continue with each pupil adding a part until the story is complete.

To monitor appropriate use of the devices will require careful preparation and presentation of guidelines by the adult in charge. Acceptance by all students, through the Technology agreement, is mandatory.

Tool #7: Reaching Outside your Classroom: Online Digital Projects

2011-07-26T06:50:00.001-07:00

Online collaboration gives individuals the opportunity to share information across classrooms, cities, states, or countries. Well designed projects can target specific objectives and produce outcomes that all involved parties are sure to learn from. One of the greatest values I see in using this tool is that people are able to learn how others outside their environment experience everyday or educational issues. It truly expands their world beyond the classroom and neighborhood. With this in mind, I propose the following:

Students will write about, photograph, and discuss their daily lives, both on ordinary days and on special occasions. This will be implemented the beginning of the second nine weeks and continue to the middle of the third nine weeks. We will use both iEarn and Class2Class to deliver our project. These sites appear to address specific curriculum areas more than some of the others.

Students may document aspects of a typical day (like visiting the market or going to school) or they may document special days (like vacations, birthdays, celebrations, or holidays.) Students document their routines on the scheduled day, such as morning chores, breakfast, getting to school, school routines, after-school activities, community life, evening activities at home, etc. Then, students post and discuss their work in one of the forums.

I hope to get involvement from many classrooms from around the world. If no hits are received by mid-November, we will search for target audiences (listed on several of these sites) and ask for participation.

Tool #6: Using Web Tools to Promote Discussion in and out of the Classroom

2011-07-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

There are many web tools that enable classroom discussions through anonymous input. In addition to discussion prompts, polls can be taken, questions can be asked, homework can be assigned and easily accessed provided the user has access to the Internet. I chose to preview Google Apps because this tool is being aggressively promoted by SBISD. Click here to see the prompt for the Google Doc I created.

Based on the summary on the 11 Tools webpage, I also was very interested in previewing Edmodo. Part of the description states, Edmodo provides a real-time platform to exchange ideas, share content and access homework and more! Students are given classroom code so no student account creation required. I searched and searched for the classroom code, but could not find one. Consistently I saw that, Students will then register and use the teacher’s code to join that class. Once the student has created an account, all they have to do is click "Join" and enter the 6-digit code that I provide and they are able to access, and reply to, whatever I have assigned. Unfortunately, I cannot find an embed code or a specific link to my assignment for you to use from this blog. However, if you join for free, you can use the code, wjg9s9, to access my assignment. Registration only takes a minute.

What I've created is simple, but through more researching, I hope to create more vivid and exciting assignments. Care to share any creative projects?

Tool #5: Producing with Web 2.0 Tools

2011-07-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

Web 2.0 Tools are valuable assets that could be incorporated by any teacher in any classroom for any content area. Some are easier to learn than others and some projects can be started immediately while others require registration and/or downloading. Most of the provided tools (Go Animate, Make Beliefs Comix, Glogster, Xtranormal, Prezi)require creative thinking and writing. The writing process should be incorporated in all classes during the school year.

I've formerly created items in many of the listed tools so I chose Stupeflix and Prezi. Stupeflix doesn't have much value in the classroom unless you pay for the upgraded version. The free version only shows one minute of video, which isn't much time for a thorough presentation. Given more time, the designer and presenter of the video could develop a speech to go with the montage.

Prezi allows for text to accompany images or video. This has a little more to offer the user and is easy to learn and use.

Check out my Stupeflix and Prezi and tell me what you think.

Tool #4: Moving up to the Clouds!

2011-06-24T09:45:00.001-07:00

Google Apps offers many tools to collaborate with peers and students. Google Docs lets the author type text in the same manner as Microsoft Word. The difference is, as with all templates in Google Apps, all users (author and viewers) can correspond quickly and easily. Participants can share comments, critiques, and any other type of feedback. I created a short questionnaire using Google Forms and sent it to a few people via email. This would be easy to use with students to get their thoughts on various subjects or assess their knowledge about TEKS content. I plan on doing more discovery within Google Apps - definitely an addition that I'll be using with my classroom next year!

Tool #3: Finding Online Video and Image Resources

2011-06-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Video hosting/streaming sites are highly used by today's educator. It is another digital tool that appeals to the digital-aged learner. Sites such as Discovery Education and, yes, You Tube have much to offer for educational purposes. I use these sites often to either introduce or reinforce concepts, typically showing clips of full-length videos to target the TEKS objective for the day. The video clip, "Polar Bears," was downloaded to my laptop from Discovery Education, then uploaded to Blogger, and "Naughty Number Nine" is embedded from YouTube.

I went to Hall-Davidson online to get more information about fair use laws. One law that I found useful was "Up to 10% of a copyrighted musical composition may be reproduced, performed and displayed as part of a multimedia program produced by an educator or student for educational purposes." The fine print suggests no more than 30 seconds in length. How do you use music to enhance the classroom experience? Is 30 seconds enough to establish purpose with the students?

Tool #2: Building Community in the Online Environment

2011-06-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging, mostly by commenting on others' blogs, for a few years, so the expectation for Tool #2 wasn't much of a jump. It's good to have a voice on different issues, whether in person or online because contrasting thoughts add richness to an otherwise mundane situation. It also adds to one's knowledge base. This is why having blogs set up for student use, when managed correctly, is an asset to learning. Websites also have great educational value. I plan on navigating howstuffworks. This site is for curious people who wonder about things. The best thing about the site is that it does a good job of satisfying that curiosity. Even though its target audience is 7th-12th grade, teachers can adapt the material to satisfy even the youngest curious mind.

Tool #1 - The Blog Setup

2011-06-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Below is the write-up I created for the first time I set up this blog. I hope it satisfies the parameters for the first tool. Plus, I added my Voki. It's the inner me!! Whatcha think?

...of my blogging setup. It didn't sting too much. A little confusion about pasting the html code to a "gadget" but all in all, I'm satisfied with the outcome. As I posted in my last entry, I learned something - love it!!! On to greener pastures now - wait, I don't mean retirement. Errrr, on with the show.

Thing #11.5 - Evaluation

2010-08-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Library2Play 11.5, although less items than last summer, took about as much time to complete as last summer. The items presented this time were more hands-on and unknown to me than last year's items. That being said, I was glad to attack the things this summer because I became aware of a lot more digital items that I can make use of in the coming school year.

I can see myself using Wordle, Animoto, and other sites from Thing #2 often in the classroom. These sites offer great ways to keep students engaged in their learning.

I will continue to research innovative uses of technology that can be used in the classroom. The digital age is still in its infancy and I want to continue to grow for personal reasons and to teach students proper use of technology and raise their awareness of what's on the Internet and even preloaded on their computer.

I greatly appreciate the effort that is put in to developing the Library2Play series. I like to think I'm fairly savvy about what's available digitally, but I am pleasantly surprised by some of the things I learn from taking this course. I really can't think of anything to improve or change.

Thing #11 - Digital Citizenship

2010-08-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Technology has gone viral worldwide since the last 30 or so years. Cell phones, laptops, and mp3's have granted people access to all points of the globe. Educators are now expected to implement technology into their curriculum to prepare students for the future. Therefore, it's now the educator's responsibility to safely prepare students for what technology offers and guide the students toward proper, yet creative use of technology. The question posed for this blog is, "What should students be taught prior to granting them access to the technology, thus making them good digital citizens?"

Five points to stress to students:
1. Be respectful. Often people forget their manners when online and say things that are hurtful. Just because you might not see the person on the other end of the Facebook wall or chat box doesn't mean they don't have feelings.
2. Be private with your personal information. Giving too much information can be harmful to the user. Some people with bad intentions can take advantage of this extra information.
3. Tell the truth. To create the best experience online, tell the truth on your profiles.
4. Stay away from spam and pop-up advertising for security reasons. Your computer can't handle it.
5. Something I learned the hard way -- only shop at secure web sites. They protect your information and you won't get ripped-off.

I found a good lesson plan to address the above while researching the provided links from Library2Play:
http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/uploads/FoundAct2.pdf

Thing #10 - Second Life

2010-07-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

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

View more presentations from lovenaces60.

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

Thing #8 - Screencast

2010-07-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

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.

Discovery Learning

2009-07-18T17:05:00.001-07:00

I don't know if this is one-time deal, but I got the wmv file from PS3 to download completely in minutes. However, I did it from my desktop instead of the laptop, which never would load entirely. Was it my laptop causing the hang-up or something else? The world may never know.

Thing 23 - It's a Wrap

2009-07-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

I found a number of the things to be informative, interesting, and enlightening. I'm a creature of habit and embedded myself in a few different sites to visit on a regular basis. Rarely did I endeavor to set up or visit social networking sites until I was required to set up a Facebook account. Even now, I rarely go there and if I do, it's just to see what other people have posted. I guess I'm a fairly private person when it comes to advertising my goings-on online.

My favorite discoveries were:
1. Online productivity tools - having these apps available for free is wonderful. I can see these wiping out Microsoft's Suite, which is way overpriced.
2. Web 2.0 Awards - This took me out of my "Internet Box" and to some very cool sites that I have bookmarked and will make good use of.
3. Photostory 3 - the concept is great. Will the finished product ever download to a blog? We'll see.

I love learning and Library2Play has taught me some new things that I value. My list of resources has grown thanks to this professional development.

I've racked my brain for ways this program could be improved. All the hyperlinks worked. The write-ups for each thing was an easy read. Plenty of good examples and tutorials. The things themselves are very useful to people in most occupations. Directions/activities for each thing were clearly understood.

Library2Play is an educational experience than everyone can benefit from doing.

Thing 22 - Nings

2009-07-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Ning is a free online application platform that allows users to build social networks and websites for public or private use. Ning allows the user to choose a combination of features to create a customized social network including blogs, discussion forums, photo sharing, polling, RSS feeds, member profile pages, and more. It also allows integration with Internet applications such as email, MySpace, Facebook, and You Tube.

The ability to poll can give the administrator of the site an insite of what his students or peers think or understand about a particular subject. The administrator can compile applicable videos from You Tube to show to a group or allow members of the group to post assigned videos. The same can be done with photo sharing. The use of MySpace or Facebook allows for easy distribution of information and media, easy posting of activities, and promotes communication and community among a group.

Ning is an all-encompassing social networking site that I see having a bright future. The most impressive thing to me is how this application as well as many others that I've learned about through Library2Play, is that no programming experience is needed to make things happen. I'd put myself in the average group for understanding technology, but the numerous applications that I've played with these last few weeks have posed to be quite easy to do.

Thing 21 - Videocasts and Podcasts

2009-07-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

I've heard about podcasting and vidcasting, but had never gotten a clear picture about what they were. Now that I've created a videocast through Photostory 3, the benefits of this program in the classroom, boardroom, and other areas are easy to see. Library2Play gives these ideas: "Book reviews posted on line for sharing with other students, book reviews done by a librarian or teacher for "virtual" or "digital" booktalks, sharing a voice performance with others, sharing a presentation at a conference or other such gathering so that those unable to attend can hear the speaker." No offense to Animoto, but vidcasting has the same bells and whistles plus quite a bit more. Additional features include the ability to add narration, manually choose slide transitions, unlimited length for presentation (a membership fee has to be paid to play a presentation over 30 seconds on Animoto), publishing to a remote program such as .wmv (Animoto is played strictly through its website). I plan on using vidcasting during this coming school year. I can easily see my first project being a short Social Studies/History vidcast to be used with an Activstudio lesson. [2 days later] I've tried to download this vidcast, in wmv format, and not gotten more than 31 secs out of an approximately 3 min discussion with music accompaniment. I then converted the wmv to mov (Quicktime) and avi, both acceptable by Blogger, but neither of those loaded either. Very annoying. Oh, did I mention that I gave it 10 HOURS to load?

Thing 20 - You Tube and Teacher Tube

2009-07-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

You Tube and Teacher Tube are resources I have used for years for various purposes. For educational purposes, both sites are good, but Teacher Tube tends to make their videos more accessible for downloads or embedding. Thus, educators can probably save time by going straight to Teacher Tube if you want to embed a video as part of a presentation - say in Activstudio.

Thing 19 - Web 2.0 Awards

2009-07-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Web 2.0 Awards list has a number of sites that I found quite interesting. Del.icio.us, Craigslist, Twitter, Flickr, and a couple others are sites I'm already familiar with and enjoy what they have to offer. Some of the sites I viewed are below. Although the Awards site lists the 1st-3rd place plus an honorable mention, I've only looked at the 1st place winners at this time.

A number of these sites are good for personal use. Upcoming.com is an excellent site for finding events coming up in your neck of the woods. What I appreciate is the events that are listed are not all high ticket items. Events such as the World Series of Dogs to Basics cooking classes are posted. Searches can be done by category or date. City Searches are nowhere near as comprehensive. Another site I was looking forward to using for digital storage and remote access was Omnidrive. Unfortunatly, it's been discontinued. This seemed unusual for an award-winning site. That's the business world I guess. I LOVE the widgets site YourMinis.com. All types of widgets are available to embed on your blog or website. I placed the Internet Radio on this page, but it was a little too much with the Rollyo search and books already showing, so I removed it.

Sites that educators could absolutely take advantage of from the awards list are del.icio.us, .docstoc (many educator created forms and lessons), GoogleBlogSearch, and Flickr.

I'm looking forward to previewing the 2nd-honorable mention places in the near future. It's like looking for buried treasure.

Thing 18 - Online Productivity Tools

2009-07-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Open Office.org is an online suite of apps similar to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. To download to your computer is free. It also appears to be very compatible with Microsoft Office. You can transfer or copy and paste information from one app to the other in most cases. I also found that documents can be converted to PDF format with Open Office.org.

Disclosure time - I bought a PC from a guy off Craigs List. I test drove it before purchasing, and everything worked fine, including all Microsoft Office apps. Four months after taking the pc home, a notice appeared that the trial version of Microsoft Office had expired and I would have to purchase the suite (which is costly). Needless to say, I was a bit miffed by this revelation. With Open Office.org (OOo), no purchase is necessary nor are there any compliance or licensing issues. Big bonus!!

Okay, I had to download OOo to explore and learn for myself what it's all about. The advantages mentioned above hold true. The only downside to OOo that I can determine is in time management. The app takes a little longer to open and to save than does Microsoft Office programs. It's not a big deal except that we've been spoiled on the timelessness that it takes to perform these functions with Microsoft Office. It's kind of like going from dsl back to dial-up, but no where near that extreme.

OOo is a viable and excellent alternative to purchasing Microsoft Office, if you want to save some cash. Newer versions are continually being produced in an effort to keep up with current trends so it seems that OOo will be around for a long time.

Thing 17 - Rollyo

2009-07-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

So, I was able to create my own search engine by providing Rollyo with the sources of information I wanted them to find and left the rest to them. I see how it will save time weeding through a bunch of trash on regular search results. I also like it because it lets you search through a particular community of websites that you may frequent. It seems like a cool new way to search online.

The setup was easy. I was able to enter urls that I visit frequently. I then categorized my sites, submitted the information, and Rollyo took care of the rest. I'm going to visit this site quite a bit more and try to learn more of the finer points - my interest is piqued. I read that Google has also now developed a customizable search engine - Google Custom Search Engine (Google CSE). I gonna check it out to see what it has to offer.

http://rollyo.com/search.html?q=blog&sid=560478

Thing 16 - Wiki Wiki Wikah

2009-07-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Wikis serve a multitude of applications for the education community - academic, social, and administrative to name a few. Academically, the "Curriculum Connections" listed in Library2Play offer a variety of ways teachers can challenge their students to incorporate wiki technology with classroom curriculum to complete assignments. Socially, the Sandbox offers an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and give feedback - similar to blogging. Adminstratively, you can use a wiki to organize materials for a paper. You can save weblinks, quotes, and documents to the wiki and then just go to that particular page as you're writing.

Thing 15 - Library 2.0 and Web 2.0

2009-07-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

Libraries have to evolve continuously to keep up with the changing needs of their users. In the past, libraries were just places to find books. The creation of Library 2.0 refers to a collection of online tools used to deliver services in an interactive online experience. With Library 2.0, the library will be a meeting place existing both online and in the physical world where needs for entertainment and information can be met. People can actively contribute information, giving them a stronger voice in library collections and services.

One of the interesting things about Web 2.0 is that users can easily contribute to the content they are viewing. Conversely, websites can be misused and abused. In the education community, Web 2.0 has significant benefits. It:

1. encourages student engagement and increase participation – particularly among quieter pupils without the anxiety of having to raise questions in front of peers in class.
2. is available anytime and most anywhere, which enables individuals to extend their learning.
3. encourages attention to detail with written assignments because students feel a sense of ownership and engagement when they publish their work online.

Thing 14 - Technorati and Tagging

2009-07-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Technorati, technorahtee, techno-rat, tecccch...I don't care for it. Not all blog search engines or portals are alike. Technorati is too random and busy for my liking. However, this posting's intent is not aimed at dissing sites, but rather about expressing my findings about the values of tagging. After months of intensive research (perhaps, minutes), I can list what I believe are a few reasons tagging is beneficial to the Internet world.

With the use of tags:

1. Students can be more accurately directed to relevant content. No need to waste time with random searches.

2. It's easier to find previously viewed desired information

3. Online clutter, such as ads, graphics, hyperlinks, are practically nonexistent so that more relevant information is presented.

Thing 9 - Useful Library-Related Blogs and News Feeds

2009-07-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Google Reader - nice site, fairly easy to use with a few distractors. Bloglines is better for the basic user -easy to find tabs, radio buttons that are easy to understand and locate, and only a quarter-page of graphics to have to look at on the home page - no sensory overload here. Contrast that with Superglu and Topix.net and the tons of verbiage and graphics you see upon first entering the site and you'll see why a lot of viewers might quickly leave these sites without giving them a second glance. They do have valuable information for many, but do you have the right shovel to dig out the desired search?

An extremely useful blog site for SBISD teachers is the Promethean Planet Forums. There are answers to almost any question you have about Activstudio or Activboards. I frequent this site regularly to get new ideas. If you can't find an answer, pose your question and you'll get a lot of valuable advise. I searched a multitude of blogs, but unusual blogs didn't appear. At least, not any that are visited very often. One that does have a creative author with some interesting reads is the Good Word of Sprout blogspot.

Thing 8 - RSS Feeds and Readers

2009-07-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

RSS feeds and readers allow me to keep track of the new things added to websites and blogs. Unfortunately, it is also an excuse for me to subscribe to every website under the sun to keep watching for great content. It's like my daily newspaper written by all the websites I like to read. I open it up, and it shows me the recently added stories on all the sites at even faster loading times due to reduced graphics and ads. The same holds true for blogs to which I subscribe.

A reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines can be used advantageously in the classroom. Teachers can set up a reader and have students reference it for a variety of purposes. The reduced content and removal of distractors (e.g. blinking ads, hyperlinks, etc.) enable much more user-friendly reading.

Thing 13 - Social Bookmarking

2009-07-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Social networking weblogs such as Del.icious allow you to bookmark and share links. The use of tags makes it easy to find/narrow searches about desired subjects. Social bookmarking is a way of storing links that you like, and sharing these ‘collaborative opinions’ with other people. Some are designed primarily for listing blog posts, but others are intended for any webpage.

Can these sites, such as Del.icious, be used for research assistance? Strategic individuals can add websites that they feel are worth other people viewing to their list of bookmarks. This can impact thousands of people indirectly. So here’s an efficient way to help other people find good sites that will help them for research or other venues.

Thing 12 - Creating Community

2009-07-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I'll ever be overly involved with blogging. At this time, I only go to one on a frequent basis. I think this partly has to do with time constraints. I'm open for ideas about any blogs that are interesting to you. Particularly if they're Houston-based.

The above query was a taste of what I read about on "10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog" having to do with "Leave open-ended comments." I found the sections about being humble and gracious, and "rewarding" comments to be useful tips. I've seen this done on the blog that I read and can see how it leads to encouraging more friendly blogging. After seeing all the junk that people throw around on the Internet, it's nice to know that there are still a lot of "friendly fire" to be had.

"Information Wants to be Free" was a reinforcing article for me. The idea of sharing ideas with others and you will be rewarded ten-fold is a great philosophy. I enjoy sharing ideas, websites, information, etc. with whoever might benefit from them. The saying, "It takes a village to raise a child" is true and is even truer in the education community. So to work collaboratively is very important for the success of the students and the school. I'm glad to see Farkas' comments on these lines so that others might be enlightened by this thought if they are not already.

Thing 11 - My Library Thing

2009-07-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

LibraryThing lets you have your own personal online library. It's a nice site for helping you create a library out of your own personal book collection. The site can also recommend books you might like (or not like), connect you with users that have similar reading interests and give you book ratings. I created a widget that shows some of the books I've catalogued. I placed it on the right side of my blog page. It's a dynamic page, so you'll see different books listed each time you return to or refresh the page.

I looked at some of the social groups on the site but I don't have an interest in frequenting this area. I can see its value for people, particularly librarians, to get recommendations from others about books to purchase or not for their libraries.

Thing 10 - Image Generator

2009-07-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

The listed online image generators really are a lot of fun but can have educational value also. I really enjoyed the simple sites, such as making goo from dumpr.net (http://www.dumpr.net/amazing-goo.php)

and badge maker from bighugelabs.com http://bighugelabs.com/badge.php. I've got my daughter, who's going into 6th grade on these sites, and she's getting a big kick out of them. Even without a drawn-out writing lesson, she's creating verbiage and other text to complement her images.

Thing 7 - Google Tools

2009-06-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

I am creating a google doc to experience using it! I downloaded pictures from my computer into Picasa. I also created an igoogle homepage and added the moon phases, to do list, places to see before die, and maps and other things. I think that students might be able to do some of this for learning and creating documents. I don't see a lot of practical use for students in elementary for this "thing." Google earth could be interesting as a filler activity as students try to find their residence or other points of interest. This could lead to a short writing on their experience using one of these google tools.

Thing 6 - Mashups

2009-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Mashups are an interesting combination of websites used to create a new site. The potential to create your own site using mashups is limited only by your imagination. Flickr seems to be the primary site used to develop mashups.

I found the fd's Flickr Toys (aka Big Huge Labs) to be very appealing. Users can create all types of pictured items using the many links provided on the home page. Examples include making your own magazine cover (just find a picture and add a caption), making a jigsaw puzzle, or even trading cards.

Many of these links encourage creative writing, which is a necessary component of learning.

Thing 5 - Clap On, Clap Off, the Flickr

2009-06-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

Flikr is a site I'm somewhat familiar with, so I was able to gloss over some and not miss too much. The creative commons section was new territory - and I have to admit, the derivative works and share alike licenses were a little sketchy for my understanding at first. My librarian just remarked on my comments about borrowing pics from various sites to use on Activstudio flipcharts and how I should be more aware of copyright issues. Of course, copyrights was not something I thought much about, but thanks to her, Library2Play, and Flickr, I will now have LESS PICS at my disposal :(

Twas the First Night

2009-06-10T16:11:00.001-07:00

of my blogging setup. It didn't sting too much. A little confusion about pasting the html code to a "gadget" but all in all, I'm satisfied with the outcome. As I posted in my last entry, I learned something - love it!!! On to greener pastures now - wait, I don't mean retirement. Errrr, on with the show.

7 & 1/2 Habits

2009-06-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

So I'm asked what are the easiest and most difficult habits to accomplish out of the 7 & 1/2 habits? As soon as I saw (heard), "Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner," I knew that would be my easiest. I hope that doesn't come off as arrogant or braggadocious, but in effect I have been learning my whole life and eagerly accept new challenges and venues for learning. Learning doesn't just occur in the classroom, but also in the house, at the store, or even while reading a blog. If it's new to the mind, it's learning. My analytical logical dominant self can't get enough.

Now the most difficult habit for me is absolutely beginning with the end in mind (determining what your goal will be). I consider myself to be a "big picture" person. If you're going to present to me, give me the grand scheme first, then the details, or else I'm completely lost. However, when I begin my own projects, too often I don't look for the end result first, and find myself making unnecessary mistakes or gaffs. A good example that commonly happens is when I make a Home Depot visit because something in or around the house is in need of repair. More times than not, I end up making return visits to Home Depot for extra parts or some other silly reason that could have been avoided had I planned for the outcome better. I know I'm not the only one who's done this. Admit it!!