Gary Paulsen - Author Study

My personal learning network has expanded greatly after beginning the SLIS program, even more so after taking this course. One of my biggest fears is that at some point, when I am done with college, I will become stagnant and stop learning technology. This class has both heightened and lessened my fear. I feel empowered in my ability to seek out and learn new tools right now, but what happens when I don’t have awesome instructors and a cohort of 19 others cheering me on! I realize I will need to invest time and energy seeking out all the ever-changing technology that is available via Web 2.0 and the Internet!

I've created my own Personal Learning Network wiki to keep track of the many technology tools and ideas that I use. This is a work in progress and I will hopefully add to it frequently!

Visual information literacy by Debbie Abilock

I really liked that right off she gave us a definition of what visual information literacy is and how there is an interaction/transaction of information between the viewer and the image.
The fact that photographs are a truthful representation of reality, but based on the perception of the photographer was a new way to think about pictures and what they “really” represent. It was also interesting to examine the ethics of altering digital photography. (I do it all the time, getting rid of red eye, cropping the picture to eliminate the dirty dishes in the background, etc.)
I like the concept of using images to create projects and incorporate visual literacy skills. I think with the technology in the Media Center, this is something I can take back to work and encourage teachers collaborate.

Podcast problem solving

I have some podcasting questions. I want to create a project for an Independent Reading course where one of the required book reports could now be a podcast. Easily done – right. Well, what I would like to do is promote the podcast, store them on the computer that houses the library’s card catalog, and use them as a book talk database. Students can access and listen to the podcast at their leisure or if they are interested in reading the book.

My problem starts here. I have a mobile computer lab of Mac Books. They dual boot – meaning they can be PC’s or Mac’s. I will most likely install Audacity on the PC side. Garage Band is on the Mac’s already.

My question is this: Can a podcast created on a Mac using Garage Band be played on a PC? Do I need to install any special software on the PC to make it compatible with Mac created projects? Can the podcast be uploaded in specific format instead?

I know the PC I will use is operating on XP and has Windows Media Player. would I need more installed on it than what it has now?

I can see many uses for projects created by podcasting and think it will really take off at my school. I have several teachers that are as excited as I am about podcasting, I just want to be organized and prepared when I tell them all the things I want to do!

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions you have to offer!

Grace Poli - Podcasting - Webinar

I just got done listening/watching this presentation. I've taken some notes and downloaded the PowerPoint slides.
This was my first webinar experience (and then it is not really live - just recorded.) I really enjoyed have this opportunity to view it. I will be watching/waiting for future webinars offered through our AEA so I can continue to take advantage of this learning opportunity.
The podcast itself was centered around ESL students using ipods to learn English. Grace had many great suggestions and ideas on how ipods can be used in many different curriculum areas. She also had many great links for resources that I will have to save!
I did have some audio difficulties - the sound kept cutting in and out. That could have been my satellite too.
I leaned a lot about storage and maintenance of the ipods, a big concern of mine! Grace also talked about the benefits and convenience of the Bretford ipod cart - something I have been looking into.
It was very educational and very informative. I'm glad I took the time to watch this webinar.

Voicethread

I am on here for three reasons. First I want to talk about my experience using the Voicethread to create my presentation for Joel. In my opinion, I spent too much time creating the presentation in another program (Powerpoint) and not enough time creating in Voicethread. I will try and learn from this mistake next time. This is what I will do differently 1) keep text and background simple 2)add my hyperlinks after presentation is uploaded to Voicethread 3) Add my graphics to Voicethread not PPT.
I am excited to try another Voicethread and see if it is less stressful and easier. I can't imagine it won't be! I hate to admit how many hours I worked on that first presentation. I do have to say I am glad it is done!
Reason number two for the blog, I need to keep using this tool or I am bound to get busy and forget! (Plus it will satisfy Kristin's blog requirement. :)
Three, I need help. Can anyone give me a refresher course on how to upload my Voicethread to my blog? I got my podcast uploaded and thought I could do the same with the Voicethread. It is not always working. I've tried a couple of different ways. My Voicethread appears on my blog page but sometime it says the link is inaccessible. Any suggestions? I will eagerly await a response! :)

Fiction Author Study - Laurie Halse Anderson

Chapter 7 - Fun w/ Flickr

Chapter 7 has some really valuable information. I was struggling with why people would post pictures to their blog (other than for vanity or to make it pretty.) It seems it has some great educational purposes. Two things that are really valuable to know about Flickr. 1. It is free. 2. You can restrict users, inviting only your students. Teachers can annotate pictures with their own with their own curriculum information- making completely individual projects with Web 2.0 tools!

Using Flickr and incorporating Google Maps or Google Earth could be applicable in almost all curriculum areas. Using the virtual storage space provided, students could compile their own personal albums for projects - accessible anywhere.

I wanted to get on and try a few things. I was unsuccessful w/ the login process. I am having trouble w/ satellite Internet today - storms. I will try later or tomorrow and continue the blog then. I am sure I am going to have to spend some time learning all this new technology.

Chapter 6 - The Social Web

This was a fun chapter! It had many interesting ideas/concepts for me! The analogy of twitter being “micro-blogging” was a great eye opener for me! I was really struggling w/ the concept & purpose of twitter – so when it was compared to blogging – but on a much smaller scale – I understood it better and could see a more clear purpose for it! I had never thought of twitter as a “tool” used to gain information about ideas/products/information and always thought it was more a social source – like kids and texting. This has also changed my view of how I can use it… or better yet, why I would use it……I think I can see a lot of educational uses for YouthTwitter – the permission only site- for gaining social learning skills in sharing ideas & experiences. This could be a very relevant experience for many students.

Social bookmarking & adding tags (by the public army) to organize the web – in completing the circle of the READ (RSS) Write (Wiki, twitter, blog, web page) Web is AWESOME! The one thing I’ve realized from all of the reading thus far is this: I need to learn and then immerse myself in these technologies before just creating a lesson or matching up curriculum to work with the technology. What did Kristin say - Plan, Create, Organize, and Implement?
The big “wow” moment I found in chapter 6 was this: Old school librarians used to be the provider of sorting and categorizing information. New school librarians can be the provider of knowledge on how to gain the skills necessary classify their own information via web 2.0.
Social bookmarking w/ Diigo and Delicious – two more ways for me to organize the web – and keep track of MY information and what is important to me - talk about empowering!

Chapter 5

I enter my notes from chapter 5, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts (Richardson) with a feeling of excitement but still some nerves. I am excited to be learning (and more importantly actually understanding RSS and aggregators! With these and other web 2.0 tools I will not only be able to read information on the web, but more importantly organize and contribute to the web as well! This chapter really shed light for me on the concept of reading(following) a blog. I simply LOVE the idea of creating my own customized list with "tags" and then watching the results flow in! I know I will use or at least show students how to do this. I already had a mini lesson with my college bound daughter. She is now set up with her very own Goolge account, complete with Diigo!
I must admit, I do still feel that using these tools is "adding" to my time versus creating more time for me - what am I doing wrong? Does it take a while to feel differently?
The big light bulb moment for me (in this chapter) when the author talks about the skills our students need now - in order to sort good information from bad information. I think his words were: students will need the skills to separate signal from noise. He also referred to it as Reading Skill: Scanning or Reading Skill: Synthesizing. Information Literacy Anyone?

Two other great ideas in this chapter were the ability to tag information for yourself and others - the public army organizing the web and blogging vanity - where you can follow who is linking your, posting your name, or simply stopping by and taking a look!
Last but not least - PageFlakes. I like the idea of a custom created page of information for students - but I am not sure I completely understand the concept. Is it just a web page set up and controlled by the teacher?

School Blog Site #2

I evaluated my second "school" blog site today over my lunch break. It took me longer to choose the site than I thought. There are SO MANY educational blogs out there. Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the size and scope of the blogging community?

The site I chose was Beth's Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom http://www.bethknittle.net/WP_Blog/
It looks really good and I feel like I can relate to "Beth." She has a nice writing style and some really good ideas (see her list of "Best Thoughts" in the archives.) She seems to know what she is talking about - she was a classroom teacher for 19 years before moving to the K-12 Technology Integration Specialist for the past 4 years.) I googled her - and found out several interesting facts. One fascinating piece of information is her participation in a Second Life program for educators. She definitely uses the technology she is integrating. She is one twitter, Flickr, Skype, iChat, GMail, Technorati, and something I've never heard of called Plunk? Most of the post in her blog deal with education, technology, and learning.
Her blog started up in December of 2005 - so she has some history in her archives too. Another great thing about her site are the links. She has many. I visited a few and really thought her wiki was good -http://www.bethknittle.net/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage it is full of Web 2.0 tools and information on 21st Century skills. I could have used this information last term.... darn!

If I were to rate this blog - I would give it an 8 out of 10. It is good, homey, and not too overwhelming. She has some great pictures scrolling - lives on the east coast - Cape Cod. I am jealous now!

Educator Blog #1

I have gone through so many "school blogs" I don't know where to start. There are some good ones and then there are some REALLY good ones! I have to tell you... this is becoming a full time job, reading, evaluating, and choosing which blogs to follow! I am going to have to come up with a set of "rules" to keep this in control! :)
The first school blog I chose was "A chat with Mary, a blog for Teachers" http://achatwithmary.blogspot.com/
Mary Frazier was a 28 year veteran 5th/6th grade teacher who moved into the field of education technology as an Integration Technology Specialist (I love that title and want one - maybe I could someday be a Teacher Librarian-ITS too!) It sounds like her entire job is to learn technology and then help certified staff infuse the classroom/curriculum with technology! Wow - fun!
The blog is interactive, colorful (you can tell she was an Elementary teacher) informational, and pretty large too. The last post is May 2009, so in the world of technology, it is old. But school is out, maybe Mary is busy learning "new" technology for next fall!
After spending an hour on Mark's very business like/professional blog, Mary's is a nice change and fun! She has many links, some useful, some not. She has a portal for teachers that is pretty extensive and looks to be very useful for the classroom teacher! (Full of Web 2.0 tools and ideas.)
This is a good blog geared towards a specific teaching area (upper elementary.) If I needed ideas for technology integration in that specific content area, I would revisit this blog as a starting point. I would rate the blog as average or slightly above.

Educator Blog #2

The second blog I reviewed was called Education Technology and Life - Professional Development, Consulting, and School Change, by Mark Wagner, Ph.D. This blog is massive in size and scope. I spent an hour just jumping links and skimming. It is also very current with extensive new information. It is quite apparent that Mr. Wagner is high qualified to be blogging on the many subjects in his blog. I "googled" him and the results were impressive. He is an entrepreneur, business man, and educator from Irvine CA. The Ed.Tech.Life appreas to be just one of his many blogs.
The left side of the blog is packed with contact information, links, bookmarks, archives dating back to 2004, and specific content areas (such as 21st Century Skills, Best Practice, etc.) The blog appears to be free from bias, although does dip into the political realm in some areas (and this could be considered bias by some.)
This blog is amazing. If given a rating scale, I would give it a 10 out of 10! When/if you have time - subscribe to this blog. There is something useful for almost everyone, whether in education or not!
http://edtechlife.com/

Educator Blog #1

The first blog I evaluated was Will Richardson's blog. I used Kathy Schrock's evaluation guide. (I have to give her some love here - I use her as a resource constantly! I have her page bookmarked on all computers I use, work, home, school! If you haven't had time time to go there - make the time! It is an awesome resource! ) ">http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/
I really liked the template to evaluate the blog but had trouble loading it to my post. (Can anyone help me figure this out?) So I gave up and decided to type my post the old fashion way.

The URL of the blog was http://weblogg-ed.com/about and the title was Webblogg-ed. As far as content - this blog was extensive and comprehensive. So much so that I could have spent hours reading, linking, and analyzing. The author's credentials and authority seemed very clear and authentic. I didn't find any obvious grammatical or spelling errors, nor was there any extreme bias. It is full of great, informational posts. I have since subscribed to this blog and I am going to make an attempt to follow it (maybe after summer classes are done!:))