A Tour of MindMeister from MindMeister on Vimeo.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Checklist for Preventing Innovation
My Anti-Creativity Checklist from Youngme Moon on Vimeo.
Here's the list as text.
From the Video
1. Play it Safe.
2. Know your limitations.
3. Remind yourself it’s just a job.
4. Show you’re the smartest person in the room.
5. Be the tough guy.
6. Respect history.
7. Stop the madness before it can start. Crush early-stage ideas with your business savvy.
8. Use experience as a weapon.
9. Keep your eyes closed. Your mind too.
10. Assume there is no problem.
11. Underestimate your customers.
12. Be a mentor. Give sound advice to the people who work for you. (not sure I get this one)
13. Be suspicious of creatives /liberal arts majors /poets /anthropologists /wackos in your organization
14. When all else fails, act like a grown up.
Extra additions:
15. Never admit you are wrong
16. Be an island unto yourself, don’t ask for help.
A Is for App: How Smartphones, Handheld Computers Sparked an Educational Revolution
Interesting article!
A Is for App: How Smartphones, Handheld Computers Sparked an
Educational Revolution - http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1579376/print
A Is for App: How Smartphones, Handheld Computers Sparked an
Educational Revolution - http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1579376/print
Monday, March 29, 2010
Elmer Fudd and his Twitter Twibe!!
Twitter Blog Post March 29, 2010 - Elmer Fudd and his Twitter Twibe!!
Reflections on the process of learning about the tool (3 points)
Well, I never had a Twitter account before this class and I have to admit, it is one of the best Web 2.0 tools I have ever used.
As with all of the tools we’ve learned about in this class, there wasn’t a huge learning curve for Twitter due to the fact that Joanne hooked us up with a bunch of great people out there in the Twitterverse and now (and I just can’t wait to use this one) they are all part of my Twibe!! Yes, I said Twibe (thanks to Sonja Cole for this one)! If you follow me or I follow you, we are all part of the same Twibe! Maybe we can even vote each other off each other’s Twitter islands!! Would that be a Twisland or an Iwand for Elmer??
This is my Twibe!
While I was getting to learn and know Twitter, three really good finds (thanks to friends) came across my radar. These finds were Tweetdeck, TwitterGadget and Twitterific. These are three tools that have helped me stay on top of the sheer volume of tweets that occur each day in the very small Twibe of Twits I follow.
TweetDeck is an application that allows you to view and respond to Tweets as they come in. As long as the program is running, every time a Tweet comes in, its content appears in a tiny dialogue box in the corner of your screen. This is a lot like the dialogue boxes that appears in the Outlook and Entourage email clients. So, you can be working along (at work even) and when a Tweet from your Twibe is posted, it appears on your computer screen. So, you’re always up to date.
TwitterGadget is an iGoogle tool that is part of the widgets that appear on my iGoogle homepage whenever I launch my browser. It keeps a running list of Tweets as they come in (with a tweeting sound) and I can respond and view the Tweet contents if it appears interesting to me. What’s nice about this gadget is that I am already in my browser, so if I want to follow a link, I am good to go.
Twitterrific is an app that I use on my iPhone and allows me to view and respond to Tweets like the other two apps do, but what makes this app the most useful of all three is the ability for me to view Tweets anywhere and anytime. So for instance, when I am waiting for my wife to get out of the walk-in clinic, I can quickly scan my Twitterrific tweets to see what’s up with my Twibe and respond or just lurk in the background. This app is available for free, but it’s so useful I paid the atrocious $4.99 for it.
All of these tools were very easy to figure out and I had them mastered long before I figured out what “RT” meant! This of course leads me to my next bit of learning around the lexicon for Twitter. I guess just like entering any new land, one has to learn a bit of the language to be able to survive. So knowing that “RT” means retweet, @bradmcdiarmid represents a person’s address, # (a hash tag) is for organizing and group management, and “DM” stands for direct message became really important and helpful.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your personal learning (e.g. me as a learner, me as a parent, me as part of a social group) (3 points)
I think much of my personal learning is mentioned in the section above this one. But, the one thing I didn’t mention was how many things I’ve learned and become aware of because of my Twibe. Joanne got the ball rolling with several names, but what is really amazing is how you become connected to so many other people because you follow and tweet with a few folks. The power of Web 2.0 and collaboration came to the forefront for me with Twitter. Even though I am using all the other tools and them some, Twitter has been the one that has been most prolific in my personal learning. Much of what I post to my blogs, Facebook and my tweets comes from what I discover through my Twibe in Twitter.
Me as a parent. Hmm, this one is usually difficult as my kids are old enough to know better and still too young to care (thanks to Wade Hayes for this lyric). My kids don’t use Twitter at all. Heck, they barely use Facebook! Don’t ask my why my oldest (20) doesn’t use FB, I can’t share publicly what she says about people who use Facebook. My youngest daughter does use FB, but it is sporadic. Sometimes she’s on it every day and then she doesn’t use it for a long time. I think it boils down to how much she’s got going on in her offline life. She uses FB when she’s bored.
The one thing I do caution my kids and all kids when using Twitter, Facebook or any SMS is to be wary of who you’re calling a friend. In an article called An Admission I just read in Tech and Learning, the author states that, “…social networks are changing the ethics and definition of the word friend” (Tech and Learning, 2010). So we as educators and parents need to talk to our kids about what a friend is and what an acquaintance is and what every one else is. This is part of being a parent and part of what it means to be a teacher in the information age. It is simply part of our new responsibility.
Me as part of a social group (a Twibe). Twitter has really affirmed the power of the collaborative mind. Like the article Nine Reasons To Twitter in Schools in Tech and Learning states, “Together we’re better. Twitter can be like a virtual staffroom where teachers can access in seconds a stream of links, ideas, opinions, and resources from a hand-picked selection of global professionals” (Tech and Learning, 2010). This is really where Twitter has been my greatest asset and can be anyone’s if they choose to explore Twitter.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your professional learning (e.g. me as a teacher, me as a school leader, me as a teacher-librarian, me as a member of professional learning communities/networks). This takes into account technology integration, use in schools, pros and cons, etc. (3 points)
Me as a professional! Right off the bat, I’d have to say that Twitter and all these Web 2.0 tools have really given me heaps of information to share with my colleagues. I often send information that I think is important to the President of RDC. I never did that before this course. Twitter gives me access to this information and so much more. I am in touch and going to collaborate with a teacher using iPods in his class because the DM’d me in Twitter.
I now have one of my colleagues using Wikis for his meetings. He saw what I was doing and I gave him an article called, “A Cure For Meetings” and he is now using a Wiki to complete a curriculum matrix he’s been struggling with because he can’t ever get everyone in the same room and email is just too cumbersome. He sees a Wiki as the solution and I agree!
Me as a teacher. Well, I haven’t really done a lot with Twitter in my class and in my defence, I do use Facebook, blogs and most of the other tools we’ve learned about. I have shared lots of information and interesting sites that I’ve gleaned from Twitter that I think are pertinent in my class.
Like any other technology that allows students out on the web, Twitter has its share of pros and cons. One of the pros is the collaboration, the ability to learn anywhere, anytime, with anyone and best of all without teacher permission! Laura Devaney (2010) from eSchool News states that students are learning if new ways and without teachers. “Those activities include using Facebook to collaborate with, share information with, and tutor other students; taking online assessments and tests; using cell phones and applications for self-organization and productivity; using podcasts and videos to improve in challenging subject areas; taking online courses to learn more about interesting subjects, and not necessarily for a grade; and finding experts to connect with online and share new ideas and content”. Kinda sounds like our course!! This of course is the entire purpose of all these collaborative tools.
Cons of course are safety and students wasting time. I think both of these can be countered with proper education of students and constant supervision by the teacher coupled with meaningful and interesting activities and projects for students to do. The biggest con to me though is the lack of trust and gumption by teachers. There is a plethora of articles out in the cloud that state that students are already using Web 2.0 and all its tools, but administrators and teachers are afraid. Devaney’s (2010) article states that over 40% of students say, “they know how to be safe and protect themselves online”. So, let’s educate the other 60%. Isn’t that what the Communicating and Foundational parts of Alberta Educations ICT curriculum is for? I think that one way to educate students is to show students the do’s and don’ts and let them have a bit of leash to explore, try things and ask questions. Isn’t that how we learned all this Web 2.0 stuff?
Evidence of Research and Further Reading (3 points)
Cole, S. (2010). 25 Ways to teach with Twitter. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/20896
Devaney, L. (2010). Digital access, collaboration a must for students. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/16/digital-access-collaboration-a-must-for-students/
Kolowich, S. (2010). A cure for meetings. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/layout/set/print/news/2010/03/15/wikis
Sawtell, E. & King, K. (2010). Class in 140 characters or less? Retrieved from http://www.ecampusnews.com/2010/03/23/class-in-140-characters-or-less/
Tech and Learning. (2010). An admission. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/21290
Tech and Learning. (2010). Nine reasons to Twitter in schools. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/17340
Twibes. (2010). Retrieved 03.20.10 from http://www.twibes.com/
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Ning Thing and Some Others Too!!
Social Networking Sites Blog Post March 21, 2010
Reflections on the process of learning about the tool (3 points)
I’ll have to start off again by saying that the learning curve for the three tools I am discussing hasn’t been very steep. All three are extremely easy to use and sign-up for. Shelfari is the newest and the one that’s got me the most interested! But, I will try to do my best to describe the process for all and much more.
The three sites I feel that I need to talk about this week are Ning, Facebook and Shelfari and in that order too!
Ning is a great site and social networking environment. In Ning I belong to THE EDUCATOR'S PLN: THE PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORK FOR EDUCATORS. This Ning has been awesome. I have taken away so much from it from so many invested people. I get weekly updates from it and in the updates are a number of awesome webinars that are happening each week. I have attended many and have learned so much from just them.
The process of learning Ning was like any of the Web 2.0 tools. The real trick is digging around and finding out who is worth reading, listening to and viewing. Once you have committed to following people, it is a matter of trying to keep up with the vast amounts of information that can come your way and to also post a few things in return to the community. So like Facebook or just a plain old Blog, once you have the read and write part figured out, it is pretty much the same for all these Web 2.0 tools and Ning wasn’t any different.
One of my favorite things the Educator’s PLN Ning offers are videos. I am thinking this might be my new learning style!! One example of a very key learning I got from a video on Ning is Ian Jukes’ video on Understanding Digital Kids. This video message has some linkages to Nicolas Carr’s article called “Is Google Making Us Stupid”? Is your brain wired differently now? Are you still capable of reading more than 140 characters at a time? If you’re not, read on and maybe Shelfari can save your life!!?!? Ian also has an interesting Blog called The Committed Sardine!!
Another video that is extremely good and should not be missed is Alan November’s: Myths and Opportunities: Technology in the Classroom.
Another Ning thing that’ll I’ll offer up is from the well known Kathy Schrock who gives a short but great Second Life case about being a Digital Pioneer and not a Digital Native or Immigrant!
I know I haven’t got Second Life listed as one of my three Social Networking sites, but I have recently completed a Second Life project where people will be able to come to my (and my partners) gallery to check out my Digital Portfolio. My partner and I call it our Portfolioallery, and it even floats in the sky!!
Second Life is worth a try (I HATED it from the start). It isn’t that easy to figure stuff out, but once you do, it is a very cool social collaborative and networking; not site, maybe an environment, but most definitely a world!!
Okay, my last “Ning Thing”TM (I might trademark this! Remember you heard it here first!!).
Check out this very interesting look at social networking in schools. It’s entitled, Engaging Learners: Using Blogs and Social Networks to Engage K-12 Learners. I think what’s interesting about it is the 'whole school' approach to implementing their Blog. It also includes something which is a bit closer to my interest which is using iPods/Phones in the learning and teaching process.
Facebook (FB)! Well I am not sure what to even say that hasn’t been said by a myriad of people already? I hated, and still have mixed feelings about Facebook. When I first started using it, I didn’t even use my real name and used "John Smith" instead! My wife still uses her Jane Smith pseudonym and a can of Diet Coke as her picture!! John Smith existed until I read an article by Alyssa Trzeszkowski-Giese entitled, “A Facebook Education” and it changed the way I use Facebook. As you all know, I do actually have an identity on FB that is linked to who I really am and I use it primarily to stay in touch with former students and now all of you too!
I find FB invaluable enough that I have the Facebook app on my iPhone and that is the main way I try to post and read my Facebook communications. I really like the interesting posts people put forth that enable me to learn new things. I have to admit that people who post their latest Starbucks purchase or too much stuff about their personal life get the axe as my FB friends. To quote Brandi one more time, “I break up with them”! I just don’t have time for personal updates. We just discussed this in eClass, and it is hard enough to keep up with all the really good stuff that encourages my growth as a Doctoral student let alone being distracted by who is going to Starbucks!!
I really do find FB an invaluable tool for staying in touch. As you might have noticed, I said that I keep in touch with former students. Our Dean in charge of Education at RDC has said that we are not to be “friending” current students!! What do you think of that? I agree and can see the concerns she has, but at the same time, I think we are missing out on the real potential of FB.
Three interesting (and sad) articles I’ve recently read are as follows:
1. Keeping Office Hours ‘Real’ in the Facebook Age by Kiren Zucker (interesting)
2. Teachers Lead Adoption of Web 2.0, but Perceptions Stifle Social Networking by David Nagel (sad one)
3. Administrator’s See Potential, But Limit Use of Web 2.0 Tools by Kathleen Manzo (sad)
Zucker’s article gives advice on how to keep it real in the age of Facebook and text messaging by students. With students having the ability to be in touch with their instructors all the time, how does a person draw the line? Well I am a poor role model. I really do try to be hooked in 24/7 for my students and do give them my cell number so they can text me if they need. I run a Blackboard course like our eClass and we also have a class Blog.
Nagel’s article describes how teachers use Web 2.0, but don’t promote or aren’t allowed to communicate or collaborate with students. Manzo’s article resonates the same sentiments as Nagel’s. This kind of ties into how RDC is looking at FB and students. Also, hoe K-12 schools are not allowing students access to Web 2.0 tools during school time. I could write a whole other posting just about this topic.
Nagel’s article describes how teachers use Web 2.0, but don’t promote or aren’t allowed to communicate or collaborate with students. Manzo’s article resonates the same sentiments as Nagel’s. This kind of ties into how RDC is looking at FB and students. Also, hoe K-12 schools are not allowing students access to Web 2.0 tools during school time. I could write a whole other posting just about this topic.
So, I guess the question is, how do we come to a happy medium? What are we afraid of? Would an insulting Facebook post to you at 11:00 p.m. be any different than an in-person exchange at 2:00 p.m.? What are the rules with communication outside of school hours? I think until we figure the rules out, we are going to continue to ban the use of FB in K-12 schools and in post-secondary alike. And, as long as teachers use FB inappropriately with students, school districts, colleges and universities and their administrator’s will keep putting up the road blocks for using these types of tools.
Okay, Shelfari!! This is one of those Web 2.0 gems I’ve come across! Thanks to Lois and her widget (I can’t figure out how to get my widget to look like Lois’s? Mine’s just a hyperlink) I'm hooked!!
If you’re a reader, then Shelfari is THE place to be. Do I sound like a book geek?? You can sign up in a few seconds and then pick out books you’ve read, are reading or want to read and create a bookshelf. So what’s the big deal? Well, it’s all the tagging and communicating around the books that makes Shelfari a cool Web 2.0 tool. This site links you to every aspect of a book that you can think of. Whole groups and communities rise up around an author and his or her books.
I can definitely see myself using this long after this course is done. I haven’t had a chance to brag this tool up too much, but I am definitely going to share it with my students and Library bud Sona from RDC.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your personal learning (e.g. me as a learner, me as a parent, me as part of a social group) (3 points)
Okay, this section seems to be my downfall on the marking rubric.
I am going to attack the parent role first. My whole family are book readers. I am going to advocate all of us getting Shelfari accounts so we can post books we’ve read and discuss them online. I am particularly interested in getting my reading, writer and author daughter involved. She already has one published book and is working on her second!! One other family thing that I’d like to do is to get my Mom and in-laws (who are voracious readers) hooked into Shelfari. We all read similar and sometimes the exact same books. It would be really nice to have my in-laws who we see only twice a year post to Shelfari and share the books they’ve read so we don't have to wait for Christmas and summer holidays.
I am going to attack the parent role first. My whole family are book readers. I am going to advocate all of us getting Shelfari accounts so we can post books we’ve read and discuss them online. I am particularly interested in getting my reading, writer and author daughter involved. She already has one published book and is working on her second!! One other family thing that I’d like to do is to get my Mom and in-laws (who are voracious readers) hooked into Shelfari. We all read similar and sometimes the exact same books. It would be really nice to have my in-laws who we see only twice a year post to Shelfari and share the books they’ve read so we don't have to wait for Christmas and summer holidays.
For me as a learner, even though my shelf is full of fiction books, I do have books like Daniel Pink’s and Donald Tapscott’s book on my shelf and I’d really like to get involved in a community of people who discuss and recommend books in and around the interests I have as a professional and a Doctoral student.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your professional learning (e.g. me as a teacher, me as a school leader, me as a teacher-librarian, me as a member of professional learning communities/networks). This takes into account technology integration, use in schools, pros and cons, etc. (3 points)
I am really looking forward to being a part of the Educator Summer (& all year) Reading and Third Tuesday (Social media, community building, social networking and relationship building, communications, marketing, organizations and society communities). This is where I hope to be able to stay on top of all the great books out there that deal with educational technology. I really see Shelfari being a 'place' to gather great links, resources and friends around books just like I gather great resources from Twitter, Ning and Facebook now.
Evidence of Research and Further Reading (3 points)
See my listing and links through-out this post.
Respectfully,
Brad
Respectfully,
Brad
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Digital access, collaboration a must for students
Very interesting article about what students expect in this digital age.
Digital access, collaboration a must for students
Digital access, collaboration a must for students
Monday, March 15, 2010
Multimedia Sharing Blog Post March 14, 2010
Reflections on the process of learning about the tool (3 points)
This week’s tools were very cool! I loved Animoto and really hope I am approved for an Educator’s account so I can make videos longer than 30 seconds. All of this week’s tools were very useful and easy to use. I am already using VideoThread and find it incredibly useful in my teaching at RDC for the daily podcasts I already do. Animoto is definitely going to be my Web 2.0 replacement for PhotoStory if I can get an Educator’s account. As far a mash-ups, the RIP Remix Manifesto is something everyone should see. I don’t personally remix music, but I’d like to learn how! I do mix music into my videocasts and my podcasts. I use Audacity for the mixing, I used to use MixPad when I had a PC. I don’t like GarageBand or iMovie. I think both of them are way to hard to use. They used to be way easier, but Apple has made them way too complicated to use now.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your personal learning (e.g. me as a learner, me as a parent, me as part of a social group) (3 points)
Me as a learner! Well my learning curve wasn’t steep again this week, but I have to reiterate that Animoto was a very nice surprise. Animoto is dead easy to use and the product you get is of superior quality. VoiceThread is great. I don’t really use the threading part or any of the other features right now, but the ability to upload and then embed is awesome. I found some of the placement of the buttons to be a pain to find and I had a hard time remembering where to click to do certain things. Maybe it’s just me?
Me as a parent! Both of these tools are tools I can see my kids using. Podcasting again isn’t something either of my kids do, but both have made PhotoStories before and I could easily see them using Animoto! I also see Animoto as a fairly safe place to go. Some Web 2.0 tools have lots of sketchy things posted that I don’t like.
Me as part of a social group! Well, this one is more difficult as I don’t really use these types of tools outside of my professional capacities. However, I have posted Animoto and PhotoStories to my Facebook page before. Both have worked seamlessly and were no hassle to integrate. Because of this, Animoto and VoiceThread are tools that I will continue to use.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your professional learning (e.g. me as a teacher, me as a school leader, me as a teacher-librarian, me as a member of professional learning communities/networks). This takes into account technology integration, use in schools, pros and cons, etc. (3 points)
Well, there was a steep learning curve for either of these tools, but both certainly had me thinking about the possibilities. As soon as I used Animoto, I could see a myriad of possibilities for myself. I could see using Animoto for the creation of videos for my EDIT class and for my personal life like I already do with PhotoStory. But I really like the ability to embed the video code into any website or blog I want. You can’t do this with PhotoStory. As far as my students go, I could see uses for the creation of digital stories and yearbooks in their classes at RDC or when they get into the K-12 system. For my colleagues, I see many of the same uses as I do for myself and my students. I could see my colleagues using Animoto in their own classes, specifically for use in the development of the portfolios we ask students to create.
I have to also add a confession. I use podcasts and now VoiceThread in an effort to increase my students’ chances of success. I attended a lecture once where the guest speaker showed research that students test scores and grades increased by 15% with the use of videocasts or vlogs and podcasts. So, why wouldn’t I use this easy to use tool (VoiceThread) if I could give my students a bit of an advantage. I use Viddler for some of the screencasting I do.
Here is an example of a screencast I did.
I can’t really see any cons for VoiceThread and Animoto other than cost. VoiceThread is reasonable at $60 a year, but Animoto is ridiculous at $250 a year. The pros are that they are both free at the basic levels. These as with any Web 2.0 tools that are free, are a fantastic thing to explore based on cost alone for schools and teachers. A couple other pros with these and other Web 2.0 tools is that there isn’t any software to install on school computers and there aren’t any storage issues either. Everything is done on the respective servers of the tool. The last pro I see is that they are so easy to use. We all know that any tool that requires lots of time to learn and/or is hard to figure out isn’t going to get used by a teacher. The folks out in the classrooms don’t have time for complicated pieces of software. That’s why Animoto, VoiceThread and most of the other tools we’ve discussed are great for any classroom.
Evidence of Research and Further Reading (3 points)
I found this week’s textbook readings less than helpful and insightful for the topic. However, I really did like and find helpful the following resources.
The VoiceThread Ning (http://voicethread.ning.com/).
Here is a great look at how VoiceThread is being used as a digital story book! (http://voicethread.com/?#q.b347728.i1843125)
Here is a great article I read and have included in my personal library on Web 2.0 tools from Educause that explains the importance and significance of VoiceThread. This is worth the read.
Excerpt from the Educause pdf. [Educause. (2010). 7 things you should know about
VoiceThread. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7050.pdf]
Demonstration of new knowledge (3 points)
Animoto
VoiceThread (Please don’t listen to more than about 30 seconds of this!)
Reflections on the process of learning about the tool (3 points)
This week’s tools were very cool! I loved Animoto and really hope I am approved for an Educator’s account so I can make videos longer than 30 seconds. All of this week’s tools were very useful and easy to use. I am already using VideoThread and find it incredibly useful in my teaching at RDC for the daily podcasts I already do. Animoto is definitely going to be my Web 2.0 replacement for PhotoStory if I can get an Educator’s account. As far a mash-ups, the RIP Remix Manifesto is something everyone should see. I don’t personally remix music, but I’d like to learn how! I do mix music into my videocasts and my podcasts. I use Audacity for the mixing, I used to use MixPad when I had a PC. I don’t like GarageBand or iMovie. I think both of them are way to hard to use. They used to be way easier, but Apple has made them way too complicated to use now.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your personal learning (e.g. me as a learner, me as a parent, me as part of a social group) (3 points)
Me as a learner! Well my learning curve wasn’t steep again this week, but I have to reiterate that Animoto was a very nice surprise. Animoto is dead easy to use and the product you get is of superior quality. VoiceThread is great. I don’t really use the threading part or any of the other features right now, but the ability to upload and then embed is awesome. I found some of the placement of the buttons to be a pain to find and I had a hard time remembering where to click to do certain things. Maybe it’s just me?
Me as a parent! Both of these tools are tools I can see my kids using. Podcasting again isn’t something either of my kids do, but both have made PhotoStories before and I could easily see them using Animoto! I also see Animoto as a fairly safe place to go. Some Web 2.0 tools have lots of sketchy things posted that I don’t like.
Me as part of a social group! Well, this one is more difficult as I don’t really use these types of tools outside of my professional capacities. However, I have posted Animoto and PhotoStories to my Facebook page before. Both have worked seamlessly and were no hassle to integrate. Because of this, Animoto and VoiceThread are tools that I will continue to use.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your professional learning (e.g. me as a teacher, me as a school leader, me as a teacher-librarian, me as a member of professional learning communities/networks). This takes into account technology integration, use in schools, pros and cons, etc. (3 points)
Well, there was a steep learning curve for either of these tools, but both certainly had me thinking about the possibilities. As soon as I used Animoto, I could see a myriad of possibilities for myself. I could see using Animoto for the creation of videos for my EDIT class and for my personal life like I already do with PhotoStory. But I really like the ability to embed the video code into any website or blog I want. You can’t do this with PhotoStory. As far as my students go, I could see uses for the creation of digital stories and yearbooks in their classes at RDC or when they get into the K-12 system. For my colleagues, I see many of the same uses as I do for myself and my students. I could see my colleagues using Animoto in their own classes, specifically for use in the development of the portfolios we ask students to create.
I have to also add a confession. I use podcasts and now VoiceThread in an effort to increase my students’ chances of success. I attended a lecture once where the guest speaker showed research that students test scores and grades increased by 15% with the use of videocasts or vlogs and podcasts. So, why wouldn’t I use this easy to use tool (VoiceThread) if I could give my students a bit of an advantage. I use Viddler for some of the screencasting I do.
Here is an example of a screencast I did.
I can’t really see any cons for VoiceThread and Animoto other than cost. VoiceThread is reasonable at $60 a year, but Animoto is ridiculous at $250 a year. The pros are that they are both free at the basic levels. These as with any Web 2.0 tools that are free, are a fantastic thing to explore based on cost alone for schools and teachers. A couple other pros with these and other Web 2.0 tools is that there isn’t any software to install on school computers and there aren’t any storage issues either. Everything is done on the respective servers of the tool. The last pro I see is that they are so easy to use. We all know that any tool that requires lots of time to learn and/or is hard to figure out isn’t going to get used by a teacher. The folks out in the classrooms don’t have time for complicated pieces of software. That’s why Animoto, VoiceThread and most of the other tools we’ve discussed are great for any classroom.
Evidence of Research and Further Reading (3 points)
I found this week’s textbook readings less than helpful and insightful for the topic. However, I really did like and find helpful the following resources.
The VoiceThread Ning (http://voicethread.ning.com/).
Here is a great look at how VoiceThread is being used as a digital story book! (http://voicethread.com/?#q.b347728.i1843125)
Here is a great article I read and have included in my personal library on Web 2.0 tools from Educause that explains the importance and significance of VoiceThread. This is worth the read.
and the pdf version…
Excerpt from the Educause pdf. [Educause. (2010). 7 things you should know about
VoiceThread. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7050.pdf]
Demonstration of new knowledge (3 points)
Animoto
VoiceThread (Please don’t listen to more than about 30 seconds of this!)
I’d like to end with a quote from Josh Cantone’s blog entitled Read, Write, Web. Josh blogs about Animoto and the title of his blog is “Animoto: Video Kills the Slideshow?”. Not only does he have any interesting message, he has stated the template for every Web 2.0 tool. Here are a ten examples.
1. VoiceThread: Podcasts kills the in person lecture.
2. Flickr, Picasa and PhotoBucket kill the photo album.
3. Google Docs and Zoho kill Microsoft Office!
4. Bubbl and DabbleBoard kill Inspiration.
5. Facebook and Twitter kill Canada Post (well kind of!)
6. Mixbook kills the photo album and yearbook.
7. Viddler, Blip, YouTube and Vimeo kill T.V.
8. Blogs kill newspapers and magazines.
9. Wikis and especially Wikipedia kills the paper-based encyclopedia.
10. Last FM kills radio.
Respectfully,
Brad
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Why no one cares about privacy anymore!
We need to make sure we don't ever lose the notion of privacy. Privacy is a psychological necessity. But, I do see it as less and less of an issue for young people.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/12/why-no-one-cares-about-privacy-anymore/
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/12/why-no-one-cares-about-privacy-anymore/
Very interesting idea for using barcodes!!
Very interesting idea for using barcodes!!
http://www.stickybits.com/
http://www.stickybits.com/
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
WIKI Blog Post March 7, 2010
Reflections on the process of learning about the tool (3 points)
Wikis are another Web 2.0 tool that has great potential if it is used correctly. I can clearly see the benefits of wikis and the sharing of knowledge among students, teachers, parents, academics and so many other groups. But, what I also see is that so many people use wikis improperly. The best model and the one everyone should be modeling their wikis after is of course Wikipedia. But, I haven’t really seen any ordinary folks use wikis in this manner. What I see is most people using wikis as a blog and this is where my wiki journey and crusade really begins.
The wiki (http://fabulous5z.wikispaces.com/) I am involved in is one that my wife’s school has designed and in my opinion hasn’t been using properly. Thus far, the wiki is being used as an information portal for parents and students. There is very little collaboration and contribution by the people for whom the wiki is intended – students and parents.
In Davies and Merchant Web 2.0 for Schools (2009), they state that,
…in a wiki, the students act as the researchers supporting their own learning. This is enquiry-based learning that places the children in control. They are positioned as experts and as advisors; yet despite the authority and responsibilities they are given, the collaborative nature of the work means they can support each other by editing each other’s work and seeing the project as a ‘ongoing’ in a perpetual state of revision.
On the main page of the Fabulous5z wiki, they state,
This is a new and exciting way to communicate and share the fabulous things you will do in grade 5 this year! Wiki's are interactive web pages that allow you as a user to add, delete or modify content within them. As an educational tool, wiki's provide unique opportunities to collaborate on the learning process. This wiki will become our default "control room" in a communication context; our forum to share ideas about what we're doing in class when we're not in class (Fabulous5z, 2010).
Thus far the collaborative part hasn’t happened. This is where my students and I come in. What I have proposed since reading the books from our class and from being involved in the Fabulous5z wiki is that my Education students and I lend our knowledge and expertise to the wiki. What I am envisioning is that when the grade five students have questions about their homework, assignments or projects they are working on, my students will be able to add and enhance what the grade fives are working on through the wiki. My students and I will ask the grade fives questions to invoke deeper understanding, add to what the “kids” have posted to the wiki and suggest new and better ways of approaching their assignments. So instead of having the L.A. page as simply an information page on the current novels being studied by the grade fives, the students should be discussing critical questions about the characters, setting and other elements of their novels. Hopefully, with some time, we will able be able to achieve a wiki more like the one described below by Pearce.
The Wiki is gaining traction in education, as an ideal tool for the increasing amount of collaborative work done by both students and teachers. Students might use a wiki to collaborate on a group report, compile data or share the results of their research, while faculty might use the wiki to collaboratively author the structure and curriculum of a course, and the wiki can then serve as part of each person's course web site (Pearce, 2009).
Here is an example of the current Language Arts page being used by the Fabulous5z.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your personal learning (e.g. me as a learner, me as a parent, me as part of a social group) (3 points)
My learning with the technical aspects of wikis hasn’t been that great. What Wikispaces offers is a basic web page template that allows you to add content. It isn’t much different from my Webs.com (http://bmcdiarmid.webs.com/) pages, my blog (http://edes501web20.blogspot.com/) or the Fabulous5z wiki (http://fabulous5z.wikispaces.com/).
Where my learning and thinking has really been focused is around the development of content. I have considered the elements that the students should be discussing and doing on the wiki and how they should be collaborating with one another to gain greater understanding and meaning.
A Wiki can be thought of as a combination of a Web site and a Word document. At its simplest, it can be read just like any other web site, with no access privileges necessary, but its real power lies in the fact that groups can collaboratively work on the content of the site using nothing but a standard web browser (Pearce, 2009).
The most important part of this quote from Pearce is the second half (bolded) that points out the “real power” of wikis.
From a parental point of view, I would really like to see more of this type of Web 2.0 tool implemented in my daughter’s class. She is a high school student and I can see a multitude of opportunities for her English teacher and her Social Studies teacher to be integrating wikis into their teaching. My daughter just finished the novel Warriors Don’t Cry and this novel study would have been a perfect opportunity for wiki integration. But there wasn’t even the use a computer for something basic such as a word processing element of the novel study.
I also think it would be great to see the math and science teachers implement a wiki to discuss math and science questions. From the point of view of a person who struggled with Math all of his high school career, I am sure I could have benefited from having some of the concepts I struggled with discussed and modeled for me by my peers on a wiki, especially if the students and teacher had used Pulse Pens from Livescribe to demonstrate math and chemistry equations.
I have already talked with my daughter who is a published author, website developer and artist to discuss the use of blogs and wikis in her classes with her teachers.
Further, being in the world of academia as an instructor and a student, I think wikis have the potential to aid me as a student trying to increase my field of knowledge. A wiki on a particular topic area I am studying could be incredibly helpful to me either from other people’s input or from my input into their wikis.
Lastly, wikis are an idea I have been playing around with for a long time in my EDIT class. I have always wanted my students to discuss concepts and information that are presented in class and to create wikis based on the technology lessons they create and present to the class. I am not sure whether I will use BlackBoard’s built in wiki component or if I will encourage my students to use a site like PBwiki or Wikispaces. The latter two would be forever, while Blackboard is disabled for students shortly after they finish my class.
On a side note, a couple of good examples of wikis in higher education are Wikis in Higher Education and Wetpaint’s Wikis in Education.
Discussion of the tool in terms of your professional learning (e.g. me as a teacher, me as a school leader, me as a teacher-librarian, me as a member of professional learning communities/networks). This takes into account technology integration, use in schools, pros and cons, etc. (3 points)
I think that I’ve covered most of this in the aforementioned paragraphs, but it is worth reiterating that because wiki technology is easy to use, teachers from all levels need to concentrate their efforts in developing content that is worth discussing and collaborating on for their intended audiences.
What I’ve found as a teacher who is involved in the use of wikis is that you need to offer something that is interesting and compelling enough to engage students in a dialogue about the topic. Using Dr. Marica Tate’s (2007) method of engaging students from a need, novelty, meaning or emotion approach is a great place to start the conversation on a wiki. In some way showing and demonstrating to students that they need to be involved in the wiki process (a topic or question), having some novel hook that creates interest in the wiki, if the wiki has meaning in the life of the student or if the wiki can evoke emotion in the student.
Wikis, like any technology, and like any Web 2.0 technology, have their share of pros and cons.
So some pros and cons of a wiki, as a converse to a traditional website, they, by their nature, encourage collaboration, sharing ideas and they're infinitely expandable… (Dunkerly, 2008).
The Library Wiki on Wikispaces offers this list of pros and cons.
Pros:
· Users can create and edit information for collaborative content.
· Generates conversation between staff, users, and the general public.
· Community feel.
· Current information can be posted on the Web in a quick and easy fashion.
· Software templates can be used to add that extra touch for a snazzier look.
· Easy to search.
· Can add pictures, video, and text easier.
· Cons:
· Time is need for adding content and monitoring.
· Unsavory content and inappropriate comments might be posted.
· Some training might be needed for staff and patrons.
(Wikispaces, 2010).
Demonstration of new knowledge (3 points)
Here is a screen shot of my wife’s Wiki page of the Fabulous5z that I put together for her. This wiki is restricted and private for staff, parents and students of my wife’s school.
Again in the coming months, my students and I will be involved in helping make this Wiki more collaborative and useful for students and their parents. We have already struck an agreement with the school for volunteering our help.
References:
Davies, J. & Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 for schools. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Dunkerly, Dawn. (2008). Introduction to wikis. Retrieved from http://www.vtc.com/products/IntroductiontoWikis/IntroductiontoWikis/70324
Fabulous5z. (2010). Retrieved March 3, 2010 from http://fabulous5z.wikispaces.com/
Pearce, J. (2009). The science of spectroscopy. Retrieved from http://node51.cit.geneseo.edu/WIKKI_TEST/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page
Tate, Marcia. (2003). Worksheets don't grow dendrites: 20 instructional strategies that engage the brain. California: Corwin Press.
Wikispaces. LibraryWiki. (2010). Retrieved from http://librarywiki.wikispaces.com/Wiki's+we+tried-Pros+and+Cons
Monday, March 1, 2010
Another Reason To Think About Web 2.0 - How Web 2.0 Is Helping Burglars!!
Site asks social networkers to rethink revelations
Public updates of one's whereabouts could have dangerous privacy and security implications, notes PleaseRobMe.com
Here's the link: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2010/03/01/site-asks-social-networkers-to-rethink-revelations/
From the article!
"As more people reveal their whereabouts on social networks, a new site has sprung up to remind students and others that letting everyone know where you are — and, by extension, where you’re not — could leave you vulnerable to those with less-than-friendly intentions. The site’s name says it all: Please Rob Me."
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