Trying out Viddler

Just an experiment to try out Viddler before I submit my final project on Sunday.

BP11_20100123_Web2.0 tools video wk 3

BP10_20100123_blog comment 2 Web2.0 tools wk 3

http://andy-fso.blogspot.com/2010/01/bp92010013web20-t3-classtools.html?showComment=1264458835310_AIe9_BHKH15PrWs0lGaPK52u91sr5_8ZhaUPwgdwRHMHzQWMog9N8qTArkf235Q5sH8B8chzyDQedM_MRkjW6u9EJAXAzPrauVCAiWQ5GiJ7C45hs0Pecz1XajXMUrmE4HZtEW8v4_VQBFyt2kpEl8cSLXxrzh9IjAnlhQaVU9FNaER7iMAHzEaO9QO-OgouE2ruo5VeyOoXF0pmeOI9V0hjPEuBB2HRHkN30NudhWkEva8t3W0mPX0#c8770924351001841857

BP9_20100123_blog comment Web2.0 tools wk 3

Here is the link to the comment for wk 3
http://lizzieapple22.blogspot.com/2010/01/bp92010011web-20-t3-eyeployer.html?showComment=1264382727838_AIe9_BHoybxs69ZRClNLjKlOCKkU3-ATJEG7KQOvLpBZnCNwR3JxMLCgwA3yEjsvP8yPLi8baTVORQIjWGKR41UEjIeYSRjvRgKbdSX7NN5r0vjoRzqARGciKL4_0VxbOoRHDFe5mjWLEfCVHuWeBhN6U0lKfkrgHq5Uv9itfRVySvN-Jj0So-4c_wfWoyt5n8RCdOltfBUAT7cB3B17g3pQiW7xWrcRoTFAUC8Z_Kp2ww7dgjShhlc#c1255436890897717256

BP8_2010013_Web2.0 Tools Week 3

While watching Dr. Wescher’s video A Portal to Media Literacy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4yApagnr0s I was struck by the way he described his use of someone else’s music in one of his presentations. He mentioned that he had acquired the music from a musician from the west coast of Africa through the creative commons web site, which is not that unusual but it was what he added that struck me. He said that he was now collaborating with a musician half a world away. The word collaboration and how it relates to this course stuck with me and so I decided to explore the creative commons and really try to understand how it works and how I can use it in my own collaborative efforts. The first thing I did was go to the Creative Commons website and read their info about who and what they are. Then I tried to figure out the licensing scheme and how to use image and music that was licensed under the CC system. Very confusing. I finally struck gold when in frustration googled “how do I attribute images in creative commons and got a link to a wikiHow site on this very subject. http://www.wikihow.com/Attribute-a-Creative-Commons-Licensed-Work This made it so much easier. Bopped over to Flickr, looked under the explore tab and wah lah! A treasure trove of images under Creative Commons was at my fingertips. A quick keynote presentation later and I was ready to give students the power to correctly use Web2.0 to add pizzazz to their presentations. The very existence of Creative Commons is ample evidence of the emerging power of collaborative culture.

BP#7_20100123_one minute video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3foHjalvNBE

BP#6_20100123_response to blog2

http://jhuber2pointoh.blogspot.com/2010/01/bp92010013web20-watchknow.html#comments

BP#6_20100123_response to blog1

http://sjharkness.blogspot.com/2010/01/b

BP#5_2010011_Web 2.0 Tools Quizlet

Quizlet http://quizlet.com/ is an online app that allows users to generate their own flashcards or search for flash cards generated by other users. When you create your flash cards you type in the term and then it gives you the option of auto generating definitions or adding images. You can form your own group or join other groups, notify other users via email, facebook or myspace page. The flash cards proceed through 3 steps, Familiarize, Learn and Test, or you can choose to play games including scatter, space race, voice scatter or voice race. There is a space on the page for discussions and the site is free with the option of a $10.00 upgrade that allows ad free access for a year. The ads are discreet and do not diminish the site to any great degree. The site is easy to use and fun. I wish I had access to this site when I was teaching resource English it would have made my life a lot easier. This would be a great way for students to generate their own flash cards for vocabulary tests in all subject areas or as a way to study math formulas. This is a great way for students to study at their own pace and it can be accessed at any time. This is an excellent example of a web 2.0 site that is simple elegant and effective. A fun side note is that the founder of the site looks like he is about 18. Great things are in store as more and more people discover the power and ease of use of the web for learning and teaching.

BP#4_2010011_Lessons with Flickr

Being media savvy or literate is one skill that is imperative that we pass on to our students. Being able to apply critical analysis to the flood of information that bombards us is of utmost importance. A lesson I found that reinforces that skill using flicker is located here, http://www.teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/nychelp/technology/flickr.htm
In this lesson students are asked to study images used for Soviet propaganda and describe how images are used to mold opinion.

“For my "Propaganda during the Russian Revolution" project, students had to analyze how the propagandists used color and slogans to get their messages across. For example, some wrote about how the Bolshevik workers looked strong and handsome, whereas the capitalists looked fat and lazy. For another activity, students created dialogues for the characters, making it even more interactive.”

“The steps:
1. Get a flickr account and create your own class page.

2. Instruct students to get their own flickr accounts. Get your students' flickr email addresses, and send their invitations to join your site. I keep my page private, to keep outsiders away. Students will then get their own accounts, and accept the invitation.

3. Begin by uploading pictures on your flickr group page. Once you model this skill to the students, they usually catch on very quickly. Show them how to embed comments. Once they click to enlarge an image, they can click on the "add note" tab. Then write your sample comment. Model how to embed comments.

3. Give them specific guidelines for commenting. I tell them to brainstorm ideas in their groups first, so only the best ideas get embedded on the pictures. Once they’ve done this they can type them in. Some sample comments: "Red is the dominant color in the poster, which represents communism," or "Notice how the farm looks like a fairy tale. The bright colors make collectivism look utopian."

4. Project sharing: I like to have different groups share their work. Students can view other group work and add comments in the box below. I like them to add their own ideas, if they think there are any key points that have been left out.

5. Connecting to the content: Students should relate their work to the content. They should understand that propaganda was a tool for the Bolsheviks to gain mass support and encourage them to keep fighting against the "evil" bourgeoisie.”

Using this in a more current setting students could upload and analyze modern news and entertainment images and discuss how these images shape our perceptions of events that are happening now. The ability to see past the immediate emotional impact of the media we are subjected to is essential to becoming a well rounded and functioning adult and by using flickr and other sites such as you tube gives students the ability to step back and think about what is being presented to us and what it really means.

BP#3_2010011_Web 2.0 Tools

Being a teacher who is interested in the potential of e-learning as a component of the public education class room, I immediately was drawn to the e-learning tag on the Go2Web20 application index. http://www.go2web20.net/#tag:e-learning I found a site called e-learning for kids which has a series of games that reinforce basic skills in a wide range of subjects. Most of the games or lessons are targeted at the 5- 12 year old student and although as a special ed teacher I saw the potential for use in a high school resource setting, there is little that is of use for older students.

Randomly, I clicked on computer skills and found a section on Google searches at the Boost E-learning web page. http://www.boostelearning.com/

This is a subscription site but E-learning for kids provides a user name and pass word so that you can access the search lessons. I have seen students struggle with Google when doing research for class projects. Often they are overwhelmed with the amount of information that is given and if they are already struggling with reading they simply give up because it is too hard to find what is relevant to their research. Giving student the tools to refine their searches and use search engines more effectively might relieve some of their frustration. I clicked on the site and was surprised to find that it was a course that was designed for adult learners who wanted to optimize their searches for business research. The courses were concise and easy to follow with a nice one-page .pdf file at the end of each that covered the concepts of the lessons. The lessons are grouped into 3 categories, Skills development, Skills review and Skills application, which contains several short videos that encourage the refinement of research skills to become a “…highly effective knowledge worker.”
Although I initially went to the e-learning for kids site to find applications suitable for younger students I was impressed with the simplicity and directness of the lessons and feel that they could easily be used in the upper middle grades and high school level to increase the effectiveness of students’ research. The lessons could be presented in a computer class or as a module introducing research skills in preparation for any class project that requires research on the web. I even learned some thing that will improve my research. I definitely suggest checking these lessons out.

BP2_2010011_iGoogle Reader Feeds

Here is a list of the items that I have added to my Google Reader on the ETC tab on my iGoogle page.
1. O'Reilly Radar, a site that is devoted to “Insight, Analysis and Research about Emerging Technologies” . It’s a great site to keep on top of the latest trends in technology. http://radar.oreilly.com/
2. Smart Mobs, billed as “The next social revolution Mobile communication, pervasive computing, wireless networks, and collective action. Cutting edge coverage of the evolution of personal computing and 21st century literacies. http://www.smartmobs.com/
3. Experiencing e-learning. The personal blog of Christy Tucker, an instructional designer for Cisco Systems with great posts and links about instructional design and E-learning. http://christytucker.wordpress.com/
4. E-learning Weekly, although the author, B.J. Schone is taking a break from weekly posts this is still a great resource for “tips, tricks, and lessons…” about e- learning. http://elearningweekly.wordpress.com/
5. CPsquare, a site titled “A Community of Practice on Communities of Practice” This site full of news and information about the establishment and development of communities of practice in all professions. http://cpsquare.org/
6. Infinite Thinking Machine, “ideas to help teachers and students thrive in the 21st century”. Another great site featuring a blog, instructional videos and links pertaining to technology use in the classroom. http://www.infinitethinkingmachine.org/
It is my intent to seek a job in the area of instructional design or distance education. These sites pertain directly to education and technology and as such are of great benefit as I continue to learn and improve techniques that will help me on my future career path.

BP1_2010011_Blogs in Education

Blogs have become an important tool in education. A quick search on Google returns 299,000,000 sites related to the subject. They have been used in the classroom from elementary to graduate school and are an important resource for supporting teachers and other professionals. When I was teaching middle school English in a class for kids with learning disabilities I used the creation of blogs not only as a way to reinforce writing skills but also as an introduction to the use of html in the creation of web pages and as a way to change the appearance of individual blogs in ways that went beyond the standard templates provided by blog hosting sites. Blogging gave my students the ability to share their work with not only me and the other students in the classroom but with parents and the wider world as well. I had a vague idea of the social implications of blogging but didn’t fully realize the value of blogging as a part of a new definition of literacy as discussed in Davies and Merchant’s book Web 2.0 for Schools (2009). This new literacy isn’t strictly limited to text but extends to technology and social participation that isn’t limited to face-to-face interaction and specific physical location, but extends throughout the world via the web. What I did realize was the value of giving a sense of ownership of their work to the students as well giving them the ability to be creative in ways beyond the printed word. In the years that have passed since I first used blogs in the classroom the amount and variety of blogs has exploded and have truly become a resource of great potential in the education of the students of the 21^st century.

References

Davies, J., Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

BP#?_2010011_Screen Shots of iGoogle PLE