Thing #11.5 - Evaluation

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

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

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

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

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.