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2012-01-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

It's been quite awhile since I've been on this blog, but with 11 Tools, I'll brush off my skills and see what's new. So far, so good!

#11.5 Evaluation

2009-08-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Another fun experience - sometimes frustrating, but never dull. I found that working with a "Thing", taking notes on it, then blogging more than one at a time worked for me. I guess I need the think time, review time, try again opportunities, and the process time for these; and with my schedule this summer, it was a little more catch as catch can than last year, but that's the beauty of this format.
1. Favorite discoveries -
Wordle - just because it was fun.
280 Slides - there are so many possibilities for use with this.
Screencasting - again, so many possibilities; I'll have to try another one and see if its server is as slow as GoView.
2. Life-long learning goals - I have to keep up! Life-long learning is essential. Things are changing at such a rapid pace, that you can't stop for a minute, or you'll be left behind. That was brought home by my 24 year old son, who, when I was showing him some of the "Things" said, "Man, I've only been out of college for 2 years, and I'm already way behind." He's right.
3. Unexpected outcomes - how easy most of the Things are. It seems that even in just one year, most of these sites are being created for average users. Maybe I'm just a little more comfortable with them, but there were very few times when I found the directions, etc. confusing. Less intimidating sites will encourage more teachers to explore.
4. Changes - I can't think of any. The variety was great, and there's a practical application for all of them. Thanks for including the digital citizenship - a good reminder for all of us.

#11 Digital Citizenship

2009-08-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

This one was interesting and something that I think many of us just don't think about - we just find something, or a website and off we go, using/creating. The references on the site were helpful, easy to read, and would be excellent for discussion among adult educators as we use more and more digital information in teaching and learning. We also need to make digital citizenship part of the beginning of every school year as a reminder to our students about their responsibilities.
In a lesson for students I would probably stress the topics of intellectual property (it doesn't hurt that we have an IP lawyer friend who is always reminding me about that in terms of educational use!), safe sites for students, and protecting their security on the web. For older students I might use some of the websites listed, such as the Digiteen, but I mostly chose ones for adult educators.
These are the sites listed that I'm considering sending to our faculty as reminders to be a good digital citizens as we start the year.
Under the Ning - the digital citizenship sites were helpful and the Internet Safety sites (especially the Beginners' Guide) were good.
The I-Safe factsheet would be a good starting point in planning any lesson.

#10 Second Life

2009-08-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

This was quite difficult for me since I'm not a gamer. It was a bit odd and awkward at first. One of the initial problems I had was simply creating my account. I tried several times and could not get past the security words. That made the beginning experience even more frustrating.

I think you'd have to practice quite a bit to move easily in SL. I felt as though I was clumsy navigating around. My avatar was had very little "smooth". I can see how kids would love this. With some practice, and demonstration, this could be a fun way to explore new skills, create a new product for a demonstration, or travel to other places like a virtual tourist.

I do think it would have to be carefully monitored. I am not particularly comfortable with it, would probably not use it with younger students, and would make very sure that parents were well-informed if I was planning to make it part of a lesson.

So, my feelings on this one are mixed. There are definately benefits, but I can also envision it as a huge time drain. I'll just have to play with it some more and see how I feel over time.

#9 Slideshare

2009-08-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

This has lots of potential. I did notice in the Comparison of PowerPoint hosting tools that SlideAware is no longer working, Zoho show can't be found, and Scribd is blocked by the district, so it seems that some of these sites are fairly fluid. 280 Slides is great. This is a marvelous resouce for students and teachers. It was easy to try, and the fact that the slideshows can be delivered in so many forms makes it better. I plan to recommend it to others so that they can include 280 Slides in their ActivBoard presentations, or even postings to class websites or blogs.

#8 Screencast

2009-08-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

After looking at the choices, I chose GoView - and it was really simple. Interestingly enough, in small print it talks about how it's currently free and how they want feedback during this "beta" period, which makes me think it might not be free forever. I liked it, and if it's not going to be free all the time, check it out now.

However - word of caution - and this may be the huge drawback to GoView.

Their server seems to be very busy. It took almost 2 hours of wait time to view and edit my screencast because it kept telling me that the server was busy, and to check back later. My screencast could use more editing, but I wanted to post it in its first form. I did notice that the sound quality was not as good using the internal microphone because with my computer docked, the mic doesn't pick up quite as well. Next time, I'll try an external mic.

I plan to work on this screencast about updating records with SBEC and send it out to the faculty - it will save time during inservice before school starts.

This could be a great way for teachers to post information or directions on their website so that students would have it available anytime. It could save classtime for other projects. This could be used in so many ways. I need to practice, but this could be loads of fun for teachers and students.

http://goview.com/goldwyn/spring/play?method=playRecording&recordingId=7ba7d818-b319-4e38-b2ff-1b1b7c02cce3

Thing #7 - TV Sources

2009-08-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

What fun this one was. I spent far too much time just sampling all of the opportunities. Hulu was a blast, and you could spend hours exploring Blinkx. I didn't complete a video, but I think that there are endless ways to pull from the National Archives Videos and the stills and create your own videos for your own classroom. I found several stills about Civil Rights that would be great additions to reading the "Letter from Birmingham" or To Kill a Mockingbird. The PBS American Masters series has a video about Garrison Keillor, the host of Prairie Home Companion, on NPR (Garrison Keillor, the Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes). He is such an excellent wordsmith, that sections of this video could be incorporated into lessons on the personal essay. Having students see how Keillor puts together the radio show, how the show depends on the written word, and then listen to Keillor read from his work, would be an excellent way to have them hear works in the author's voice. Another PBS video that could be used to supplement any Shakespeare study is the Great Performances video of King Lear. There are any number of ways that this play could be used in conjunction with other Shakespearean tragedies.
With these video sites, using video in almost any lesson is a reality - the options are endless.

Thing #6 - iTouch Apps

2009-08-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Because we use a different cell phone provider and don't have an iTouch at home, this Thing was a bit more difficult. I did go to an Apple store and play with an iTouch, and they are very simple to use. However, the links on the Library2Play were quite helpful reading before testing the iTouch.
I did notice that any educational free apps were rather far down the list of the top 100, but I did like the fact that Paper Toss was #14! There are some great apps available that could be a huge benefit to students such as the calculators, the formula app (very cool), of course all of the maps, and my favorite, Classics, which had so many book titles available. Think how great that would be in an English class - a student could have access to more than one title, and not have to worry about hauling the book around.
In terms of group usage in the library, I could see the iTouch being used like an almost limitless "card catalog" by students almost anywhere and students could also work on projects/presentations in groups and have access to a huge variety of media and up-to-date information.
I think there are a wide variety of apps that could benefit all of our students, but like everything else, teachers and parents still have to make sure that students are on task, and making the best use of a great tool.

Thing #4 - Posting to YouTube

2009-07-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

This wasn't difficult at all. I posted this film sent to us by a friend, but then took it down because it was already listed on YouTube. If you enjoy flying, either real or model airplanes, this is a fun video. While the process was easy, I would probably post pictures, etc. that are personal/family on Facebook rather than YouTube. However, I can see how postings by teachers or workshop presenters would be helpful to students or others who wanted to watch a lesson/presentation again. Also, it's another avenue that students might use in presentations - just as long as they give credit to their source!

Thing #5 - Microblogging

2009-06-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

This one is a bit difficult for me. I've resisted a Facebook account because of some of the difficulties that have been associated with it. However, after creating an account, I sent a message to a friend I haven't talked to in quite a while and looked at some pictures from an event I recently attended. I've seen how teachers are using Facebook as a class blog/website, and feel that with some pretty firmly established guidelines it could be lots of fun and helpful for students. However, I'm still a bit cautious about it and honestly don't know how much I personally will really use it.

Now about Twitter --- It can accomplish amazing events; look at how it's being used in the aftermath of the Iranian elections. And, I can see it's value for some applications in a classroom. However, after spending some time on it, reading a variety of "tweets", and noticing that no one in my phone directory is listed on Twitter, at this point I'm not a fan. I just don't think I'll use it. I've even checked with young people I know, and the majority say they would rather use IM or email; several of them say Twitter's become too much sharing of unnecessary details; they implied that it's technological TMI.

This was not one of my favorite things.

Thing #4

2009-06-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

As the ad says, "I'll get back to you with more details." I've done the reading, but at this point don't have a video, but it looks easy. I'm moving on to other "things" while I work on this.

Thing #3 - Like Skype

2009-06-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Signing up for Skype was easy. I tried it out with my kids who had used it frequently last summer when one of them was in summer school overseas. The other information on Thing 3 was helpful also. Students could use Skype or other similar things when working on group projects. It would be helpful because they could work without having to always meet together in the same place. It could offer a way for collaboration from home - creative/collaborative, but no parents of younger-than-driving-age kids chauffering for a project. A win for kids, parents and teachers.

#2 - Image Generators

2009-06-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Wordle was fun to play with; at first I didn't use enough text, but I can see how kids and teachers would thoroughly enjoy using it. What an attention grabber it could be at the beginning of a lesson. Voki was fun, except that it told me my password was wrong when I tried to sign in again. Bookr was a blast. I can see how students would really enjoy using Bookr as an alternative to standard written assignments. It would also be a great way to do a lab write up in a science class. Of course, kids would love Voki - it's almost like a quick little "tweet" that could be attached to email and changed on a daily basis.

Here's a Wordle example for summer.

Thing #1 -

2009-06-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed the video like I enjoyed the ones in 23 Things. They're informative and easy to understand for those of us who still aren't quite comfortable with some of these applications. Librarians can certainly play the role of the facilitator. Perhaps that's why we now call them library resource specialists instead of just "librarian" because the information in a "library" is in so many forms.

Thing #23 - Summarizing My Thoughts

2008-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Sooo, the online survey is not responding; I'll go back to it tomorrow.
I finished - I can't believe it; it's been quite a ride and I look forward to continuing to hone my very remedial skills; on to better and smoother products!
My thoughts:
1. My favorite discovery - that I can actually do this and that at least one "thing" (podcasting) is something that my college aged daughter can't do! Score one for mom!!
2. Lifelong learning goals - What's not to continue? So much of this can be used personally and professionally, and think what new tools are coming along.
3. Unexpected outcomes - how easy some of these things are to use and, on the other hand, how important it is to write clear diections when explaining how to complete an activity ( I mean some of the vendors, not the 23 Things)
4. Improvement - maybe take a look at the 23 Things; some seem more geared toward library specialists than teachers; also assume that many people know nothing about these items; some of the directions seemed to assume some previous knowledge
5. Participation - I would consider another discovery program; it just depends on the topics; it's a great way to work at your own speed.
6. 23 Things is fun, thought provoking, frustrating, scary, but one of the best activities I've completed in a long time - all of those adjectives are what learning is all about - and the outcome is worth it.

I'm off to comment and start thinking about all of the places this can be used in schools.

Thing #21 Podcasts/Vidcasts

2008-07-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

After much confusion, and several tries with the internal and an external microphone - here it is - my first podcast. Warning - they are vacation pictures! We met our daughter who had been in summer school at the University of Cadiz, then had ten wonderful days in the south of Spain. I hope it works, and I haven't given up on downloading YouTube, but it will have to wait, as some other things have crowded in on it. With more practice, this could be lots of fun for kids - and teachers, too!

I hope you enjoy Postcards from Spain.
http://media.switchpod.com//users/kathy.crain04/PostcardsfromSpain.wmv

Thing #22 - Nings

2008-07-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

I know I'm doing things out of order. After looking at Things #21, 22, I realized I don't have time to complete 21 before leaving on vacation - so it'll be done when I get back; maybe I'll bore everyone with vacation pictures on the podcast!
Nings were interesting; I spent most of my time on the Teacher Ning. There are lots of people who apparently spend lots of time on the computer! I think it could be a help when looking for lesson ideas or asking a question of the world "at large". I also think a Ning could be set up for a class or grade level. I'm not sure how much time I'd spend on an official site like Teacher Ning - I'm usually so far behind that I don't don't have too much time for blogging, etc. It would certainly be one of the tools I use, but there are a number of ways classes/kids/teachers can communicate as groups, so I'd pick the best one for whatever I was doing. I do see that it might work as a Facebook type of thing, but more specifically.

Thing #20 - Adding Videos

2008-06-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm giving up on this one. I've just spent two hours on a Saturday morning trying to upload videos from You Tube and Teacher Tube to my blog with no success, and they were two really good ones. I've copied down then names and if anyone can help me do this, I'll edit this post and add them. I need to move on to other things - I can't sit here all day on a Saturday - the rest of my life calls. This could be such a great resource for teachers and students, but at this point it's not working. I hope others are more successful. I'll try again at another point. Neither video would load. I've printed out the directions, copied, pasted, with no results. Frustrated hardly describes this!

Thing #19 - Web Awards

2008-06-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

I had scanned ahead on the 23 Things list a little bit, so I have been using one of the award sites on a personal level to help plan our vacation to Spain. I used the "travel" entry on the list, then found "gusto" - a great site for reviews of places by people who have recently been there. I even found a picture and a review of the hotel where we'll be staying in Seville; it was a bit older, but still gave us a good idea of the hotel. There are no comments on Cadiz, where we pick up our daughter and begin our trip, but who knows, we may the first to add a review for that city! The comments on Gibraltar and Marbella have been quite helpful in planning what we want to see/do and how to manage it. We plan to explore this site in the future.

Thing #18 - Productivity Tools

2008-06-26T09:04:00.001-07:00

Open Office was very interesting and might be a good option. I liked it better than Google Docs. The advantage I see to these tools is that they might be a little easier than Microsoft, and they don't expire. The disadvantage is that it's almost assumed that everyone uses Microsoft, so you have to change over to another suite from what's installed on your computer. This one bears consideration; I think I need to play with Open Office more before I decide.

Thing #17 - Rollyo

2008-06-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

This was not as easy as I first thought. I tried using it to organize information about our upcoming vacation, but I supposed I didn't understand all of the details -- I'll go back and try again. It did, however, give me lots of sites in a hurry. I think with practice, it could save time and be used by others in a group to quickly access information. On this one, I think the frustration is me, not the site. I'm not giving up. Here's my very short Rollyo creation; my next try will be to expand it.
http://rollyo.com/kathymc/travel_in_spain/

Thing #16 - Wikis

2008-06-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

Loved this! Wikis could be very useful in a classroom. Group projects could take on a whole new look, and class discussions/research could be lots of fun with this. I still need to work with it, but see lots of potential. The tutorials were very helpful; now it's up to me to have fun. I enjoyed adding a comment to the 23 Things sandbox.

Thing #15

2008-06-24T15:12:00.001-07:00

Fascinating insights on the library of the future. Will it even be called a library? Will there even be a building called a library? Our revamped Houston Public Library is certainly moving toward the new idea of a library, but I think there will be amazing changes in the physical aspect of them in the very near future.
The thought that creating large collections of books will be almost unnecessary is certainly an idea that will require some thought for one who loves libraries with all of that wonderful reading material that can be held in my hand - I do love the actual page turning. However, if we want students to have the best and most current information, a book published in 1995 that sits on a library shelf is hardly the best material available. What does Library 2.0 mean for all of us? A huge new world of infomation and as one of the essays said, "conversations". Then thinking ahead to the Library 3.0 --- endless opporutnities!

Thing #14 Technorati

2008-06-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Very interesting and overwhelming! I'm amazed at the number of people who must stay glued to their screens on a regular basis! I must have done something wrong - I did claim my blog and tried to paste into this one, but I can't see it; oh well, back to the drawing board (electronic, of course). Technorati is fascinating - what a way to find out what people think/know about almost any subject; it seems like a great way to find out what "real people" think/know, but I also see how it could really occupy loads of time. I do think it could be a great tool for kids and teachers.

Thing #13-Social Bookmarking

2008-06-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

I liked the tutorials for all three social bookmarking sites. These have lots of potential for research, and as mentioned on the del.icio.us site, for teachers looking for resources. I think it could be a great tool for organizing and keeping up with almost any type of informtation. After giving it a try, it is a little intimidating at first, but, I think with practice, I'll be more comfortable using it.

Thing #12 - Communicating

2008-06-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's fun to "talk" to others who are on this same technology journey. I found it interesting, and a little comforting, that I wasn't the only one who had difficulty with Syndica8. Reading other's comments helps me as I move through the 23 Things. I look forward to people commenting on my postings - it will improve my skills!
For my "outside the 23 Things" blogs, I went to a friend's blog who is on a trip, but writing a blog as she goes; her experiences are outstanding. My other comment was strictly for fun - a comment on a Texas Monthly blog -- about BBQ no less!

Thing #11

2008-06-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

It was fairly easy to use Library Thing, and while it's a good way to share with others, much like an online bookclub, I probably won't use it except to check out new books or get ideas. I'd rather meet with others face to face to discuss books over coffee or a Coke, or spend the time reading!

Thing #10

2008-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

I used Comic Strip Generator for this one; this is an example of a picture/poster that could be used with mythology. It was easy to use and there are so many cartoon, that you could create an entire series for almost any subject.

Thing #9 - Adding RSS Feeds

2008-06-20T08:05:00.001-07:00

RSS feeds will take some time for me - I like this tool, but am not good at it yet! I didn't see any difference between looking for the icon on a site I read regularly and checking sources such as the ones listed. Syndic8 was the most confusing of the ones listed; Google and Topix were the easiest fo me to use. Wetpaint seems like a great site for teachers; I plan to go back to it when I have more time; check Topix Offbeat for the weird and wacky. The good news is this really does open the world to anyone and could be a great resource for students; the bad news is, it can, as the narrator of the video in Thing #8 said, be addicitve. Everyone - students included - should look, read, then move on to something else; my concern is that people can find themselves spending too much time in front of the screen.

Thing #8 - RSS

2008-06-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

I like the ability of an RSS to organize websites/blogs that I use regularly - it does save time. Personally I could use it to check family/work related sites to check informtation quickly, then move on to something else besides sitting in front of the computer! For students, this could be a great research tool - kids could organize their research and share it easily; it's a good way to build a body of sources - a little like electronic note cards. This can be a great resource for anyone. I need to continue working on my RSS to refine/expand it.

Thing #7

2008-06-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

A mishmash of information at this point. I loved the Google tools - I've already used Google Earth numerous times, and was slightly familiar with Google calendar; what a great tool to keep any group organized and informed. I like the Google Notebook and think that could have real value for students. I plan to practice with it more to become more comfortable using it. I've been asked to post the mosaic I made, and here it is! It worked! I just browsed some photos we finally took out of the camera of our son; he doesn't yet know he's a blog star! I was also asked about the flute in my avatar. Music is my "other life." My primary instrument is piano, but I played flute/piccolo all the way through college marching band/concert, met my husband in college band (UT) and both kids have been/are part of their college marching/concert bands (one TTU, one UT), so we're all involved in music. Yes, I still play - but I play more keyboard (piano/organ) than flute. I'd like to go back to serious music study - either keyboard or flute - and have that on my agenda, maybe even starting this fall!! I miss the discipline of practice.

Things #5,6

2008-06-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Flickr was a little confusing at first - and I did have trouble creating my mosaic and moving the pcitures where I wanted them, but what a great way to organize pictures! With more practice, this should be fun. I'm even encouraging my husband, the engineer who always takes pictures of projects, to use this in discussions/presentations in his work. And - my own kids are truly impressed that Mom's making all of this work! Onward and upward!!!

2008-06-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

After reading the section of the 23 Things... labele 7 1/2 Habits..., we're asked to comment on the easiest and the most difficult of the habits for us personally. For me, the easiest is to begin with the end in mind. I usually jump to the finished product, then work backwards and plan the steps to get to the end I want. The most difficult for me is to view problems as challenges rather than failures. I typically want everything to work the first time, and when a project doesn't, I become frustrated and generally have to walk away from it, then return after I've had time to mentally regroup. I keep working on that - and try to keep "the end" in mind - not just the steps involved to achieve it.

2008-06-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I've done it - created a blog. After a few false starts, interruptions by phone calls, and general confusion, here it is. I think this will be fun, and I can see how it could be a great tool for the classroom - which is the original purpose of this activity. However, I also think I can have fun with it sending my own kids and friends notes and thoughts about life in general. Let's see how it goes.