I have truly enjoyed completing the 23 Things. A lot of these tools I already knew about - but I had never been forced to consider their uses in an educational context. Some of the tools I can really see an educational use for - the blog, for example. Others, I don't really think I will use in the classroom- Animoto and Facebook come to mind.
The best part of the project, in my opinion, is that it forced me to think about technology in my future classroom. If I were to improve upon the program, I would tighten its focus. There would be less free-form exploration of the internet, and questions that force students to really think about it in an educational context.
The other part of the project I enjoyed was creating a blog. I am surprised that I got so interested in the blog, actually. I had always knew they existed, and I had even followed a few. I never thought that I would create one of my own, however. I guess it just never occurred to me. The process of putting my thoughts out on the internet, instead of just absorbing content from the internet, was new to me.
I think that is the lesson I learned from this project. Prior to 23 Things, I was mostly a passive user of the internet. I read things, watched things, listened to things. I had never contributed to the internet. Now, I have more confidence to put my own thoughts and my own content on the internet, for others to use. Now, I have made the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thing #23
*Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).
I am going to use Creative Commons for everything in my classroom. I will use it to find pictures to put in slideshows and decorate my classroom. I will use it to find videos to share with my students. I will make my students use it to find pictures for their projects.
Perhaps, one day, I will create content and upload it with a Creative Commons license so that others can use it. This way, I will be adding something useful to the community, so that others can benefit from it. I think that is the unique thing about the Creative Commons; it allows people to conceive of knowledge and art as the property of the community, not the individual. I find it refreshing to know that, in today's increasingly individualistic society, such a community does, in fact, exist.
What do you think? How will you use Creative Commons? Will you create your own content, and then choose to share it with the community, rather than keeping it to yourself? Do you think that art is the property of a person, or the property of the community?
I am going to use Creative Commons for everything in my classroom. I will use it to find pictures to put in slideshows and decorate my classroom. I will use it to find videos to share with my students. I will make my students use it to find pictures for their projects.
Perhaps, one day, I will create content and upload it with a Creative Commons license so that others can use it. This way, I will be adding something useful to the community, so that others can benefit from it. I think that is the unique thing about the Creative Commons; it allows people to conceive of knowledge and art as the property of the community, not the individual. I find it refreshing to know that, in today's increasingly individualistic society, such a community does, in fact, exist.
What do you think? How will you use Creative Commons? Will you create your own content, and then choose to share it with the community, rather than keeping it to yourself? Do you think that art is the property of a person, or the property of the community?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thing #22
I listened to a podcast entitled "Shades of Democracy," which I found on the Education Podcast Network. In this podcast, people are interviewed on what they think of democracy in the United States, and how it could be improved upon. It was really neat - I listened to quite a few episodes, actually (I should have been working on this post....). This podcast had a great educational value, especially to promote discussion in a US Government classroom, like the one I hope to teach.
Has it prompted me to create a podcast of my own? I'm not sure. I think it would be neat to record my lectures and upload them each day to a website or blogpost. This way, students could listen to the lesson as they reviewed for upcoming quizzes or tests. It would also be useful to students who had missed class, or parents who were curious about what their children were learning. I could also use the podcast format to share announcements or news with parents and children.
The other use I thought of involved me hand-picking a bunch of news stories, and re-reading them in a podcast. This way, students could have a go-to place to stay current on the news, and I would have the pleasure of compiling the news stories.
What do you think of the podcast format? Will you be using it in your classroom? How will you use it in your classroom?
Has it prompted me to create a podcast of my own? I'm not sure. I think it would be neat to record my lectures and upload them each day to a website or blogpost. This way, students could listen to the lesson as they reviewed for upcoming quizzes or tests. It would also be useful to students who had missed class, or parents who were curious about what their children were learning. I could also use the podcast format to share announcements or news with parents and children.
The other use I thought of involved me hand-picking a bunch of news stories, and re-reading them in a podcast. This way, students could have a go-to place to stay current on the news, and I would have the pleasure of compiling the news stories.
What do you think of the podcast format? Will you be using it in your classroom? How will you use it in your classroom?
Thing #21
Animoto is an excellent way to upload and present your pictures. It was very easy to create the video you see here. I simply created an account, uploaded ten pictures off my harddrive, added some music from their collection and voila! A slickly produced video complete with music and really nice transitions.
Can this be used in a classroom?? I am not so sure. I guess I am just old-fashioned. Don't get me wrong, the Animoto video is very slick and stylish. I think, however, that it would be a distraction in the classroom - students would probably focus on the music and the transitions more than the content.
On the other hand, Animoto would probably be a great way to present pictures from class activities. Say, for example, you had pictures from field day. You could quickly upload the pictures to Animoto, add some school music and upload them to a blogpage. Students and parents could then enjoy those pictures over and over again. The same process could be used for field trips, homecoming activities, graduation, yearbooks - whatever.
What do you think? Will you be using Animoto in your classroom? Or do you think its use is more recreational?
Can this be used in a classroom?? I am not so sure. I guess I am just old-fashioned. Don't get me wrong, the Animoto video is very slick and stylish. I think, however, that it would be a distraction in the classroom - students would probably focus on the music and the transitions more than the content.
On the other hand, Animoto would probably be a great way to present pictures from class activities. Say, for example, you had pictures from field day. You could quickly upload the pictures to Animoto, add some school music and upload them to a blogpage. Students and parents could then enjoy those pictures over and over again. The same process could be used for field trips, homecoming activities, graduation, yearbooks - whatever.
What do you think? Will you be using Animoto in your classroom? Or do you think its use is more recreational?
Thing #20
This is a video on how a bill becomes a law in the United States. It is a jingle from an old episode of Schoolhouse Rock. I love Youtube, but it is a double-edged sword. It has a lot of great content, like the Schoolhouse Rock stuff, and then it also has stuff like this...
While I certainly love the Muppets, videos like this doesn't have much educational value. It seems to me that Youtube, like most any Web 2.0 Tool, has a lot of potential - if it is used wisely. That is why I would prefer to keep my students off of Youtube - but lucky for me, someone went ahead and created TeacherTube.
Now TeacherTube is certainly something that could be used in a classroom. It is loaded with great educational content. It is easy to navigate and easy to find great resources. Sound and picture really helps to enhance any lesson - and TeacherTube seems like a great way to find both.
What do you think? Is YouTube helpful or distracting? Will you use it in your classroom?
Thing #19
Visit TeacherPop
I really like the idea of TeacherPOP, because it seems like a safe place for teachers to have an online community. Now that I am a member, I might try to keep it updated...
The other social network I am a part of is called Facebook (not many people have heard of it, it is kinda new). At the moment I am not a part of any other online communities. I am, however, interested in Gather - I like reading things and debating them; this looks like a great place to do that.
The only issue I have with online communities is that I prefer real communities. I like face-to-face interaction, not ISP to ISP. No matter how sophisticated these social networks are getting, I do not think they will ever replace good old fashioned face-to-face interaction. But hey, who can ever predict the future? Especially when it comes to technology...
What do you think? Do you like these online communities? Where, with the right text and the right pictures, you can be anyone you want? Or does it seem to virtual, too fake for you? I'm leaning towards the latter....
Thing #18
Social networking sites have become amazingly popular in the past few years. It seems like everyone has a Facebook or a Myspace page. I have had a facebook page for quite some time now. I use it frequently to connect with old friends and make new ones. I think that it is important for future educators to understand how Facebook or Myspace works, because their students will certainly be using it.
I prefer to use Facebook because I feel that it has more security options. No one can view my profile unless they are my friend - and I only add people I know to be my friends. You can upload tons of pictures, videos and whatever else you can think to share with all of your friends. I also like all the little games and apps that are available in Facebook.
However, I cannot see a classroom or school application for social networking. At least not at the elementary or secondary level (maybe there could be a use at the college level). The potential for abuse by teachers is simply too great. When students are in the walls of a school, there are ways to control and monitor what is happening - and sometimes things still go awry. However, in the social networking world, the potential for the misuse of teacher authority is amplified many times.
This goes back to one of my original statements - that educators should have a working knowledge of what social networking is, and how it works. The biggest role I see educators playing in the future is to give guidance and advice on how to protect oneself in the world. I remember a guest speaker once who visited our high school to talk about how to watch your surroundings and take precautions protect yourself when you were alone. I think that, now, educators should provide similar advice to students on how to protect themselves on these social networking sites.
What do you think? Am I overreacting? Are these sites safer than I think? Or is the potential for misuse even greater than I suspect?
I prefer to use Facebook because I feel that it has more security options. No one can view my profile unless they are my friend - and I only add people I know to be my friends. You can upload tons of pictures, videos and whatever else you can think to share with all of your friends. I also like all the little games and apps that are available in Facebook.
However, I cannot see a classroom or school application for social networking. At least not at the elementary or secondary level (maybe there could be a use at the college level). The potential for abuse by teachers is simply too great. When students are in the walls of a school, there are ways to control and monitor what is happening - and sometimes things still go awry. However, in the social networking world, the potential for the misuse of teacher authority is amplified many times.
This goes back to one of my original statements - that educators should have a working knowledge of what social networking is, and how it works. The biggest role I see educators playing in the future is to give guidance and advice on how to protect oneself in the world. I remember a guest speaker once who visited our high school to talk about how to watch your surroundings and take precautions protect yourself when you were alone. I think that, now, educators should provide similar advice to students on how to protect themselves on these social networking sites.
What do you think? Am I overreacting? Are these sites safer than I think? Or is the potential for misuse even greater than I suspect?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thing #17
I took a look around Del.icio.us, and I regret to admit that I do not see a lot of utility for this tool. It is a neat way to share bookmarks and be able to access them from anywhere, but beyond that I fail to see its usefulness. I suppose that a teacher could keep a running list of useful sites for their students to access, but it seems to me that this could be done much more effectively in a blog format. I looked around at the "comments" that others have made on the bookmarks, and some are enlightening and helpful; others are not.
The one good thing I can say about Del.icio.us is that it is pretty well organized, and could be a powerful search engine. You can click on different "tags" and see other sites with similar tags. The risk, however, is that you can quickly and easily veer waaaay off track. When I ventured outside the APSU23 things portion of the site, I wound up looking at a video of the Muppets singing a Queen song. Although this was entertaining, it was hardly relevant to education.
I suppose that teachers can create a Del.icio.us account and create a set of bookmarks that would be useful and relevant to his/her class. Del.icio.us lets students comment on the links, and add others that they think might be useful. Del.icio.us is a fascinating tool, but for teachers I think it is less than ideal. As a future teacher, I think that I will prefer to use tools that I have more control over. For now, I think that I can do everything I can do in Del.icio.us in a blog, and in a blog I will have more control over content.
What about you? Are you going to use Del.icio.us? Or do you think that it is a neat tool, but one with limited utility in the classroom?
The one good thing I can say about Del.icio.us is that it is pretty well organized, and could be a powerful search engine. You can click on different "tags" and see other sites with similar tags. The risk, however, is that you can quickly and easily veer waaaay off track. When I ventured outside the APSU23 things portion of the site, I wound up looking at a video of the Muppets singing a Queen song. Although this was entertaining, it was hardly relevant to education.
I suppose that teachers can create a Del.icio.us account and create a set of bookmarks that would be useful and relevant to his/her class. Del.icio.us lets students comment on the links, and add others that they think might be useful. Del.icio.us is a fascinating tool, but for teachers I think it is less than ideal. As a future teacher, I think that I will prefer to use tools that I have more control over. For now, I think that I can do everything I can do in Del.icio.us in a blog, and in a blog I will have more control over content.
What about you? Are you going to use Del.icio.us? Or do you think that it is a neat tool, but one with limited utility in the classroom?
Thing #16
I have had an iGoogle page for many years now. It has a custom theme on the top of the screen (a country road), the top news stories app, a google maps app, a calendar, a to-do list and a weather app. I chose iGoogle because it works with my other Goggle pages and is really easy to modify. It has actually been my homepage for quite some time, but I think it is only marginally useful.
I actually prefer to use gadgets through the Windows Sidebar. I use a sticky note gadget to write all kinds of things on the sticky notes - important phone numbers, meetings, or homework assignments. I also use a calendar to map out all the homework assigntments and exams I have each school year. The calendar and the sticky notes sit on my desktop, which I find to be more convienient than opening up a web browser and modifying the online versions - perhaps this is because the internet at my house is kinda slow...
I do like making to-do lists, it helps me feel confident in my ability to actually get everything done. Again, however, I do not like using them in iGoogle. Instead, I create them with a sticky note gadget and plaster them all over my desktop.
If I were to suggest an online tool for others to use, it would definitely be a weather app for Mozilla Firefox. I use forecast fox. I think it is really useful to have the weather in a small bar along the bottom of my web browser. Much better than waiting around for the guy on the news to give the weather predictions.
What about you? Do you use the internet for recreation and entertainment, or do you use it to get work done? Which tools do you like?
I actually prefer to use gadgets through the Windows Sidebar. I use a sticky note gadget to write all kinds of things on the sticky notes - important phone numbers, meetings, or homework assignments. I also use a calendar to map out all the homework assigntments and exams I have each school year. The calendar and the sticky notes sit on my desktop, which I find to be more convienient than opening up a web browser and modifying the online versions - perhaps this is because the internet at my house is kinda slow...
I do like making to-do lists, it helps me feel confident in my ability to actually get everything done. Again, however, I do not like using them in iGoogle. Instead, I create them with a sticky note gadget and plaster them all over my desktop.
If I were to suggest an online tool for others to use, it would definitely be a weather app for Mozilla Firefox. I use forecast fox. I think it is really useful to have the weather in a small bar along the bottom of my web browser. Much better than waiting around for the guy on the news to give the weather predictions.
What about you? Do you use the internet for recreation and entertainment, or do you use it to get work done? Which tools do you like?
Thing #15
I edited the portion of the 23 Things wiki for lifelong learning. It was neat to be able to add things and see them all in one place, but I did have one concern. When I clicked "edit" I could have edited anybody's posts, deleted them, whatever I wanted to do. While this is great if you trust or know everyone who can edit the post, it would be bad if perfect strangers could sabotage your work.
On the other hand, a wiki would be a great place for collaborative work or collaborative learning to take place. A small, controlled group of people could really benefit from a wiki, because they could quickly and easily look at each other's work and correct, revise or update it.
The wiki concept has a particularly great potential for classroom learning, especially group projects. A teacher could ask a group of students to create a wiki. They could add images, text, even video. It would also be great because they could work together to revise and proofread their work. A well-done wiki would really make the old poster board projects look out of date.
What do you think? Are you too worried about other people editing your work to put much into a wiki - in other words, do you like your work to be YOUR work? Or do you like the idea of a community of people collaborating to create knowledge? It seems to me that this is the central question about wikis...
On the other hand, a wiki would be a great place for collaborative work or collaborative learning to take place. A small, controlled group of people could really benefit from a wiki, because they could quickly and easily look at each other's work and correct, revise or update it.
The wiki concept has a particularly great potential for classroom learning, especially group projects. A teacher could ask a group of students to create a wiki. They could add images, text, even video. It would also be great because they could work together to revise and proofread their work. A well-done wiki would really make the old poster board projects look out of date.
What do you think? Are you too worried about other people editing your work to put much into a wiki - in other words, do you like your work to be YOUR work? Or do you like the idea of a community of people collaborating to create knowledge? It seems to me that this is the central question about wikis...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thing #14
This is a mind map that I created with bubble.us to use on the first day of class. It breaks school down into to two categories, class and socializing, and then breaks those categories into smaller categories. Mind Maps are really cool - they allow you to break down complex information into smaller categories in a very visual way. They also allow you to see (literally) the relationships between ideas. Creating a mind map forces you to consider these relationships, and organize the information accordingly.
Flow charts, like the ones you can create with gliffy, are a little different. They give you more flexibility, but they are also harder to use. I found gliffy especially hard to use, to the point that I even got a little discouraged. This is a case where there is almost too much flexibility. I much prefer to create a mind map, and I had a great experience with bubble.us
What do you think? Do you find it helpful to create a mind map to break down complex ideas into smaller pieces? Or do you prefer to create a flow chart?
Thing #13
Google Docs is a free word processor available with a Google account. Through Google Docs, you can create word documents, spreadsheets, and even presentations. This seems to be the first step by Google to take on a territory traditionally dominated by Microsoft Office.
I have mixed feelings towards Google Docs. From my experience with the word processor, it seems like a good start; albeit a little less powerful and a little less refined than Microsoft Word. I felt the same way about the slideshow and spreadsheet applications - they were good, but their features were not up to the standards of MS Office. However, I have heard rumors of a major update in the works for Google Docs....only time will tell if it can match the features of MS Word.
On the other hand, there are many areas where Google Docs exceeds its desktop partner. For example, you can upload your documents and share them with others - this way, others can easily view and edit the document. It also saves the documents online - this means that there is no need to keep up with a flashdrive or hunt for it on your hard drive. Once you have created tons of documents, you can even search for them by keyword via a handy search function. Do these pros outweigh the cons? I think that online document creation is certainly the wave of the future. Once Google gets their features up to the standard of MS Office, I will certainly make the migration. Until then, I better keep up with my flashdrive...where did I put that thing???
What do you think? Have you migrated to Google Docs or Zoho yet? Do plan to? Do you think they reflect the wave of the future?
I have mixed feelings towards Google Docs. From my experience with the word processor, it seems like a good start; albeit a little less powerful and a little less refined than Microsoft Word. I felt the same way about the slideshow and spreadsheet applications - they were good, but their features were not up to the standards of MS Office. However, I have heard rumors of a major update in the works for Google Docs....only time will tell if it can match the features of MS Word.
On the other hand, there are many areas where Google Docs exceeds its desktop partner. For example, you can upload your documents and share them with others - this way, others can easily view and edit the document. It also saves the documents online - this means that there is no need to keep up with a flashdrive or hunt for it on your hard drive. Once you have created tons of documents, you can even search for them by keyword via a handy search function. Do these pros outweigh the cons? I think that online document creation is certainly the wave of the future. Once Google gets their features up to the standard of MS Office, I will certainly make the migration. Until then, I better keep up with my flashdrive...where did I put that thing???
What do you think? Have you migrated to Google Docs or Zoho yet? Do plan to? Do you think they reflect the wave of the future?
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thing #12
I chose to set up a Google Alert system and an iGoogle page. I really like the Google alert system. It is an easy way to keep up with current events (i chose to receive emails about Iran, Oil, and Solar Power) and blends seamlessly with my gmail account. The only thing I do not like about this is that my topics are so broad that I receive a LONG email, with too many links to really explore. Eventually, I will probably discard this service or I will choose a narrower topic. As it is, I simply do not have the time or energy to browse all the links.
My iGoogle page is another story entirely. I have had one for a few years now, and love it. It gives me a home on the internet, with links to a few news stories, a map of my hometown, weather, a to-do list, and calendar with upcoming events. This transforms the internet from an impersonal place to a personal place. Instead of going to the internet, the internet comes to me. This seems to be the aim of all these Web 2.0 tools we have been exploring - making the internet work for the user, instead of the other way around.
What do you think? Have you started making the internet work for you? In the 21st century, do you think that it would be importatnt to teach students how to do this? After all, this seems to be the wave of the future, so it makes sense that students need to know how to use the internet efficiently and appropriately.
My iGoogle page is another story entirely. I have had one for a few years now, and love it. It gives me a home on the internet, with links to a few news stories, a map of my hometown, weather, a to-do list, and calendar with upcoming events. This transforms the internet from an impersonal place to a personal place. Instead of going to the internet, the internet comes to me. This seems to be the aim of all these Web 2.0 tools we have been exploring - making the internet work for the user, instead of the other way around.
What do you think? Have you started making the internet work for you? In the 21st century, do you think that it would be importatnt to teach students how to do this? After all, this seems to be the wave of the future, so it makes sense that students need to know how to use the internet efficiently and appropriately.
Thing #11
Once again, I really enjoyed creating this post. Sometimes (I stress SOMETIMES) blogs can be a great source of commentary on news. The problem with using blogs to keep up with news is that they are not as reliable as a real news site. They are not held accountable to any standards. That being said, if you take everything they say with a grain of salt, they can still be thought-provoking. I personally watch Think Progress, Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, and Newsbusters.org. Although I rarely take anything they say too seriously, they can be entertaining.
Finding good blogs is the challenge - there are TONS of blogs, and most of them are pointless, biased, or even misinformative. In the past, I have heard of some blogs by word-of-mouth, but this method is imprecise at best. Instead, it is far easier to use a search engine. Some search engines, like Feedster, have gone the way of the dinosaur, and are now extinct. Others, like Topix, are too hard to navigate. The most useful one is certainly Technorati, because it provide a "Top 100" list, which does a lot of the work in weeding out the junk for you. I have found that Google Blog search is useful to read specific posts, but not so usfeul to keep up with particular blogs.
What do you think? Do you find news blogs useful? Or do you find them biased and pIs it appropriate to expose children to such sources? Will you use them in your classroom?
Finding good blogs is the challenge - there are TONS of blogs, and most of them are pointless, biased, or even misinformative. In the past, I have heard of some blogs by word-of-mouth, but this method is imprecise at best. Instead, it is far easier to use a search engine. Some search engines, like Feedster, have gone the way of the dinosaur, and are now extinct. Others, like Topix, are too hard to navigate. The most useful one is certainly Technorati, because it provide a "Top 100" list, which does a lot of the work in weeding out the junk for you. I have found that Google Blog search is useful to read specific posts, but not so usfeul to keep up with particular blogs.
What do you think? Do you find news blogs useful? Or do you find them biased and pIs it appropriate to expose children to such sources? Will you use them in your classroom?
Thing #10
As a news junkie, I already had a Google Reader account, but from what I remember it was very simple to create - just a few clicks here, a few clicks there. Adding and removing feeds is very simple (I have PLENTY of experience here) - you simply click "add a subscription" and to remove one you simply click on "manage subscriptions," check the box next to the ones that you do not want/do not like and then click "unsubscribe."
I liked this post much more than the previous one. To me, the RSS feed perfectly represents the promise of technology. RSS feeds put the news of the world at your fingertips. I am currently subscribed to many feeds, but my 5 favorites are NPR politics, Real Clear Politics, Scientific American, The Economist, and NY Times: Mideast News. Each day, in just a few minutes, I can catch up on what is happening in politics, science, and the economy.
The possibilities for using this technology in the classroom are limitless. As a future government teacher, one of the major things I want to stress to my students is that they need to keep up with current events. RSS feeds are a ridiculously easy way to do this. The best part is that you can subscribe to diverse feeds (like CNN and FOX News), which makes it very easy to broaden your horizons.
Although I did not do this today, when I get into the classroom I will certainly create a public page for my students to use. One assignment that I envision for my students is to read the news and write summaries of stories that strike them. If I create a public page, I can provide them with one place to find enough stories to complete their assingment, plus I can screent the stories/sources to ensure that they are appropriate.
What do you think? Do you use news aggregators? Will you use them in the classroom? To be more controversial - Is there anything not to love about RSS?
I liked this post much more than the previous one. To me, the RSS feed perfectly represents the promise of technology. RSS feeds put the news of the world at your fingertips. I am currently subscribed to many feeds, but my 5 favorites are NPR politics, Real Clear Politics, Scientific American, The Economist, and NY Times: Mideast News. Each day, in just a few minutes, I can catch up on what is happening in politics, science, and the economy.
The possibilities for using this technology in the classroom are limitless. As a future government teacher, one of the major things I want to stress to my students is that they need to keep up with current events. RSS feeds are a ridiculously easy way to do this. The best part is that you can subscribe to diverse feeds (like CNN and FOX News), which makes it very easy to broaden your horizons.
Although I did not do this today, when I get into the classroom I will certainly create a public page for my students to use. One assignment that I envision for my students is to read the news and write summaries of stories that strike them. If I create a public page, I can provide them with one place to find enough stories to complete their assingment, plus I can screent the stories/sources to ensure that they are appropriate.
What do you think? Do you use news aggregators? Will you use them in the classroom? To be more controversial - Is there anything not to love about RSS?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thing #9
Using these online image generators is very easy - you simply select an image, add the text, and click a button to create them. I chose to use them to remind kids to do their homework and congratulate them on a successful exam. In the classroom I would probably print these images and place them on a bulletin board. On the one hand, they seem like a fun and cute way to remind students of the importance of studying and homework, something they probably don't like.
On the other hand, however, they seem kind of frivolous. For me, personally, I have never been entertained or engaged by cutesy things - it is just not my style. That made this a very hard post. I like hard-hitting, productive projects. While working on this post, I looked at some other people's blogs for inspiration and realized that they seemed to be getting way more out of this than I was. This taught me an important lesson; to be an effective teacher, perhaps I will have to learn to use "fun" or "creative" things in my classroom to hold my student's attention.
What do you think? Are fun, cutesy things like this a distraction and a waste of precious working time or something that can actually enhance the classroom? I am leaning towards the former...
In this post, I used
http://www.imagechef.com/
http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thing #8
http://www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/flickr_postcard_browser/app/This is an image of the Flickr Postcard Browser. I found this to be a fascinating tool, and one that might be very useful in my future Geography class. It is very simple to use; you simply type in the name of a place (in this case Mumbai, India) and it arranges a set of "postcards" (actually just pictures from Flickr) for you to look at.
Half of Geography learning about other people's cultures. Using Flickr Postcard Viewer would be a fun way for Geography students to browse through pictures of far-off places. As a teacher, I could then ask them to share their impressions and thoughts about the place: how is it different from our home, how is it similar, does it look like what you expected it to look like? Perhaps I could even ask them to blog about their impressions of the pictures...
I am still a bit uncomfortable about uploading my own pictures to the internet. I suppose that I am just used to having my pictures in a big plastic container under my bed, not out on the internet. Although, in this post and the previous post, I have repeatedly found meaningful and useful images for my personal and professional life. Perhaps this is an indicator that I should return the favor...
What do you think? Are you going to use some Flickr Mashup in your classroom? Are you afraid of the content that students might find? Are you uploading your own pictures, or are you keeping them in a big rubbermaid bucket under your bed?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thing #7
This is a photograph of a Farmall model H sitting in some weeds in Frisco, Texas. It was taken by reluctant_paladin and uploaded to Flickr on October 17, 2007.
I chose option #1 because I do not have a digital camera, and I do not have any really good pictures to upload. So, I searched for a photograph and decided to comment on it. Searching is really easy - every photograph has certain "tags" which describe the picture and help the search engine to find it. I decided to look for a picture of an old farm tractor, because I like old farm tractors...
Photographs like this really intrigue me. It was easy to find - Flickr has an easy-to-use interface and is really well organized. I simply typed in "farmall" (my favorite kind of tractor - this one was probably made in the mid-40s) and it turned up a whole list of images. To me, the Farmall (especially the H model - an affordable midsize tractor, used primarily to tend farms under 160 acres) is an iconic image of the family farm and represents a bygone era in American farming and culture. This old tractor has been forgotten and is now rusting away, surely replaced by some newer, bigger, more powerful, and more efficient tractor. The same can be said of the family farm; it, too, has been replaced by bigger, more organized, and more efficient "industrial" farms. However, I cannot help but feel that in the transition something intangible has been lost - some part of American culture that can never be regained, because progress only goes in one way. Luckily, thanks to pictures like this and photo-sharing sites like Flickr, there will always be reminders of the past...
In light of how meaningful I found this photograph, I am beginning to think that perhaps I should get a camera of my own, start taking some pictures, and share them with others. If other people found as much meaning in my photographs as I did in this one, it would certainly be a worthwhile effort both for myself and everyone out there on the internet.
What do you think? Am I a hopeless romantic for a bygone era - one in which I never even really lived? Am I a dinosaur? Or is there really something special about the way a small family farm promotes a connection to the land; a connection that an industrial farm - one with millions of dollars of equipment, thousands of acres, teams of scientists, and a truckload of hired hands - will never be able to replicate? More importantly, should I get a camera and become an amateur photographer? And would it be worthwhile for me, personally or professionally, to share these photographs on flickr?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thing #6
On Seomoz's website, which gave awards to many Web 2.0 tools, I found one that could be particularly useful for teachers. This website is called esnips.com. esnips.com is a site that gives you 5gb of free space to upload just about anything: files, folders, pictures, words, and just about any other digital file you can imagine. Now, why would this be useful for educators?
Well, as I discussed in my last post, like it or not the world is changing and educators must keep up. esnips. com seems like a great place to start. As a teacher, you could make a page about, say, Romeo and Juliet. First, you could upload the entire play as a word document (it is not copyrighted anymore), in case some of your students misplace their book (not that this would ever happen :) ). Next, you could upload a study guide that you have prepared to help them out along the way. Then, you could upload some worksheets for them to fill out. Next, you could upload some sample exam questions. Then, you could share some "safe" links to other resources on Romeo and Juliet. Then, you could upload a video of the school's drama club performing scenes from the play, or upload scenes from a professional production (provided that you have obtained permission). Then, perhaps you could find some taped professional lectures on Romeo and Juliet that were presented at a local college that you could upload for students to consider. The list goes on and on and on...
Such a page would be a natural way for kids to learn about Romeo and Juliet, as they probably spend much of their time navigating the web, following links, and watching videos anyways. By presenting information in such a format, perhaps it will be a more engaging experience than just listening to the teacher lecture. In short, the opportunities for a teacher to use esnips.com are limited only by his or her imagination and ambition. How about you? Would you take the time and effort to construct such a resource for your students to use? (Clearly, this is not something that could be accomplished during a one-hour planning period...)
Well, as I discussed in my last post, like it or not the world is changing and educators must keep up. esnips. com seems like a great place to start. As a teacher, you could make a page about, say, Romeo and Juliet. First, you could upload the entire play as a word document (it is not copyrighted anymore), in case some of your students misplace their book (not that this would ever happen :) ). Next, you could upload a study guide that you have prepared to help them out along the way. Then, you could upload some worksheets for them to fill out. Next, you could upload some sample exam questions. Then, you could share some "safe" links to other resources on Romeo and Juliet. Then, you could upload a video of the school's drama club performing scenes from the play, or upload scenes from a professional production (provided that you have obtained permission). Then, perhaps you could find some taped professional lectures on Romeo and Juliet that were presented at a local college that you could upload for students to consider. The list goes on and on and on...
Such a page would be a natural way for kids to learn about Romeo and Juliet, as they probably spend much of their time navigating the web, following links, and watching videos anyways. By presenting information in such a format, perhaps it will be a more engaging experience than just listening to the teacher lecture. In short, the opportunities for a teacher to use esnips.com are limited only by his or her imagination and ambition. How about you? Would you take the time and effort to construct such a resource for your students to use? (Clearly, this is not something that could be accomplished during a one-hour planning period...)
Thing #5
I really like the article by Richard MacManus entitled "Web 2.0 is not about version numbers or betas." I think he captured the essence of Web 2.0 beautifully when he described it as "everyday, non-technical people using Web technologies to enhance their own lives and businesses." What does this mean for education? If the world is embracing Web 2.0, and if the purpose of education is still to give students the skills they need to succeed in the world, then educators must adapt. To put it another way, if the world is moving onto the web, then schools and teachers must also move onto the web.
This is where the term "School 2.0" comes into play. School 2.0 is a handy nickname to describe the methods and techniques that the teachers of today must employ to prepare their students for tomorrow. The article on techlearning.com highlights how teachers can use web tools like blogs, podcasts, Del.icio.us, Flickr, even youtube (which now has a valuable resource for teachers called teachertube) to transmit content in new, interactive ways. All of this makes the classroom part of a larger community, thereby transforming school in the same way that the web was transformed (hence the term "School 2.0"). A perfect example of a tranformed classroom, the Decameron Web at Brown University, is highlighted in the "Minds on Fire" article. The Decameron Web unites content and instruction in a single place which students can easily accesss.
For myself, however, I worry about two things; credibility of information and the loss of a personal learning experience. How can we be sure that the wrong people are not posting the wrong content on the internet, which we are teaching (even urging) our students to use? What if students come across biased, inaccurate, or just plain misleading information? (I suppose it would then be our responsibilty to teach students how to evaluate information - but how can they do that without some context within which to evaluate it?) At least published textbooks have some accountability - they cannot just print things. On the web there are no such restrictions - it is wide-open.
The other thing I worry about is the loss of a personal learning experience. There is something magical about the face-to-face interaction between a teacher and a pupil that will never be replicated on a website or a podcast (to me, at least). I hope that a movement towards School 2.0 doesn't forget this...
The world is changing at an ever more rapid pace. Jobs are being created that didn't exist last year, and jobs that have existed for hundreds of years are disappearing. Now education must be about teaching students to teach themselves. Thus, education must reinvent itself to remain relevant. One way of doing this is by pursuing a so-called "School 2.0," which integrates the classroom into the wider world. So what does "School 2.0" look like to you? Are you as concerned as I am about finding credible information on the web? What about the relative merits of an impersonal/personal learning experience? Am I just old-fashioned?
This is where the term "School 2.0" comes into play. School 2.0 is a handy nickname to describe the methods and techniques that the teachers of today must employ to prepare their students for tomorrow. The article on techlearning.com highlights how teachers can use web tools like blogs, podcasts, Del.icio.us, Flickr, even youtube (which now has a valuable resource for teachers called teachertube) to transmit content in new, interactive ways. All of this makes the classroom part of a larger community, thereby transforming school in the same way that the web was transformed (hence the term "School 2.0"). A perfect example of a tranformed classroom, the Decameron Web at Brown University, is highlighted in the "Minds on Fire" article. The Decameron Web unites content and instruction in a single place which students can easily accesss.
For myself, however, I worry about two things; credibility of information and the loss of a personal learning experience. How can we be sure that the wrong people are not posting the wrong content on the internet, which we are teaching (even urging) our students to use? What if students come across biased, inaccurate, or just plain misleading information? (I suppose it would then be our responsibilty to teach students how to evaluate information - but how can they do that without some context within which to evaluate it?) At least published textbooks have some accountability - they cannot just print things. On the web there are no such restrictions - it is wide-open.
The other thing I worry about is the loss of a personal learning experience. There is something magical about the face-to-face interaction between a teacher and a pupil that will never be replicated on a website or a podcast (to me, at least). I hope that a movement towards School 2.0 doesn't forget this...
The world is changing at an ever more rapid pace. Jobs are being created that didn't exist last year, and jobs that have existed for hundreds of years are disappearing. Now education must be about teaching students to teach themselves. Thus, education must reinvent itself to remain relevant. One way of doing this is by pursuing a so-called "School 2.0," which integrates the classroom into the wider world. So what does "School 2.0" look like to you? Are you as concerned as I am about finding credible information on the web? What about the relative merits of an impersonal/personal learning experience? Am I just old-fashioned?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thing #4
A community is not just a bunch of random people; a community is a group of people who feel somehow connected. Interaction between people in a community creates this sense of connection - it shows members of the community that others know and care about their experiences. That, in a nutshell, is why commenting on other people's blog is so important. As Doug Johnson pointed out in his "Blue Skunk Blog," if bloggers were only interested in putting their thoughts or feelings into writing, they would use a private journal. Instead, bloggers use the blog - a public forum - to share their experiences with others. Hence, they hope that others will read the blog, consider what was said, and (hopefully) gain some pleasure or learn something from it. The only way for a blogger to know if their writing has struch a chord (either positive or negative) is if people leave comments.
So how am I going to put that philosophy into action? For one, I think that the page on problogger.net has some very good suggestions to get more people to comment on my blog. In particular, I am going to try to be open-ended and ask questions in my blogs to promote discussion and commenting. When I begin commenting on other's blogs, I am going to remember the suggestions on the Cool Cat Teacher Blog to not "be afraid to comment" and to "remember the power of words." After all, the point of a community is to make its members feel good about themselves, not to ostracize them (hopefully). So here are a few questions for anyone out there reading this blog: What else can I do to promote discussion on my blog? What else should I remember when commenting on other's blogs?
________________________________________________
Blogs That I Follow and Comment On
1. And the Addiction Begins...I follow this blog because the author seems to share a lot of the same views I do. I left comments on the post about animoto, because we seem to agree on Animoto's uses
2. The Magister's Missives...I follow this blog because the author is amazingly witty and creative. I commented about the limited uses of facebook and Myspace in education.
3. Pros and Conwells....I follow this blog because the author has some very insightful comments. I posted a comment about how much we both like Facebook over myspace.
4. Ms. Hicks Has Fun! I follow this blog because the author is just plain funny.
5. I can Do This. I follow this blog because the author is a friend of mine. I commented that I agree that time is a big issue with all of these Web 2.0 tools.
Outside Blogs That I Follow
1. http://cantertales.blogspot.com/. This site is authored by a good friend of mine. I follow it to keep up with his writing.
2.http://www.whitehouse.gov/BLOG. I keep up with this blog to try to stay current on what is happening in Washington. Not that it matters, really...
So how am I going to put that philosophy into action? For one, I think that the page on problogger.net has some very good suggestions to get more people to comment on my blog. In particular, I am going to try to be open-ended and ask questions in my blogs to promote discussion and commenting. When I begin commenting on other's blogs, I am going to remember the suggestions on the Cool Cat Teacher Blog to not "be afraid to comment" and to "remember the power of words." After all, the point of a community is to make its members feel good about themselves, not to ostracize them (hopefully). So here are a few questions for anyone out there reading this blog: What else can I do to promote discussion on my blog? What else should I remember when commenting on other's blogs?
________________________________________________
Blogs That I Follow and Comment On
1. And the Addiction Begins...I follow this blog because the author seems to share a lot of the same views I do. I left comments on the post about animoto, because we seem to agree on Animoto's uses
2. The Magister's Missives...I follow this blog because the author is amazingly witty and creative. I commented about the limited uses of facebook and Myspace in education.
3. Pros and Conwells....I follow this blog because the author has some very insightful comments. I posted a comment about how much we both like Facebook over myspace.
4. Ms. Hicks Has Fun! I follow this blog because the author is just plain funny.
5. I can Do This. I follow this blog because the author is a friend of mine. I commented that I agree that time is a big issue with all of these Web 2.0 tools.
Outside Blogs That I Follow
1. http://cantertales.blogspot.com/. This site is authored by a good friend of mine. I follow it to keep up with his writing.
2.http://www.whitehouse.gov/BLOG. I keep up with this blog to try to stay current on what is happening in Washington. Not that it matters, really...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Thing #3
In my future classroom I intend to create a blog that everyone - parents, students, even other teachers - can use to keep up-to-date with what is happening in my class. On my blog I will post bulletins about upcoming school events (pep rallies, football games, field trips, etc.), homework assignments, links to sites that would complement our classwork, classroom rules, study guides and any other important announcements that parents and students might need to know. Parents will be able to access the blog to ensure that their children are keeping up with assignments, and students will be able to keep up with class even if they are ill and have to miss class.
I am also intrigued about the possibility of keeping a "reflective" blog which education students (like myself) could access to learn more about the teaching process from someone in the field. I think that putting my own thoughts about the teaching process into writing might help me step back and consider my experience from a different perspective. Perhaps this process of self-examination and self-expression might also help prospective teachers put their experiences into a larger context. If so, I think the blog would be well worth it...
I am also intrigued about the possibility of keeping a "reflective" blog which education students (like myself) could access to learn more about the teaching process from someone in the field. I think that putting my own thoughts about the teaching process into writing might help me step back and consider my experience from a different perspective. Perhaps this process of self-examination and self-expression might also help prospective teachers put their experiences into a larger context. If so, I think the blog would be well worth it...
Monday, September 7, 2009
Thing #2
The name of my blog incorporates elements of my name and reflects my philosophy about the importance of learning at the same time; it seemed like a natural fit. As you can see, I put a few definitions of the word "null" under my avatar to remind visitors of the meaning in the title of my blog. My posting name is an amalgamation of my real name and the subject (government) that I am most interested in teaching; it too seemed like a natural fit.
Creating the blog was quick and painless. Apparently Blogger and Google are part of the same company (Google, I suppose), so I just logged into Blogger using the name and password from my gmail account. Then, I selected "scribe" for the background because I thought it looked like a historical document, and history is one of my interests. Finally, I tweaked a few privacy settings (I removed my blog from blogger's listings and instructed search engines not to include my blog) and I was done.
My avatar looks more or less like me. It has a hat, needs a shave, wears jeans and boots. Most folks who know me could recognize the similarities. I don't like the eyes, however. My avatar's eyes have a crazy look to them.
Creating the blog was quick and painless. Apparently Blogger and Google are part of the same company (Google, I suppose), so I just logged into Blogger using the name and password from my gmail account. Then, I selected "scribe" for the background because I thought it looked like a historical document, and history is one of my interests. Finally, I tweaked a few privacy settings (I removed my blog from blogger's listings and instructed search engines not to include my blog) and I was done.
My avatar looks more or less like me. It has a hat, needs a shave, wears jeans and boots. Most folks who know me could recognize the similarities. I don't like the eyes, however. My avatar's eyes have a crazy look to them.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Thing #1
I consider myself a lifelong learner; I am always challenging myself to pick up new skills or tackle new challenges. However, my approach to lifelong learning differs significantly from the one described in 71/2 Habits of Highly Successful Lifelong Learners. I like habits #2-71/2, but I have never been able to follow Habit #1, which instructs one to "begin with the end in mind" and "develop a plan to achieve your goal." This approach may work for some but I find that when I begin with the end in mind, I become too focused on my goal and miss many valuable learning opportunities along the way. If I were to suggest a useful first habit for lifelong learning, it would be "Habit #1 - Don't Get Comfortable," and it would instruct lifelong learners that complacency is the biggest obstacle to lifelong learning.
Learning to use Web 2.0 Tools, many of which are new to me, fits into my philosophy of lifelong learning perfectly. Setting up this blog is an example of following through with my first habit - I was uncomfortable doing it, as I had never done it before. However, now that I am done, I am beginning to appreciate the possibilities that Web 2.0 has to offer me personally as well as professionally!
Learning to use Web 2.0 Tools, many of which are new to me, fits into my philosophy of lifelong learning perfectly. Setting up this blog is an example of following through with my first habit - I was uncomfortable doing it, as I had never done it before. However, now that I am done, I am beginning to appreciate the possibilities that Web 2.0 has to offer me personally as well as professionally!
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