K12 Learning 2.0

How easy is Google Docs!!  I believe anyone could begin working in Google Docs with very little training or support.  I tried creating a new document in Google Docs..just began typing and was on my way.  The toolbar is so accessible, the material is saved automatically and it has the wonderful “UnDo” icon..what more can anyone want? 

I then uploaded a document – again, very easy to accomplish, easy to share with others, can add images/sound just by clicking the Insert menu…..I’ve decided I should have the people I plan to share it with in my Contacts ahead of time…it made the sharing process very easy.  I know I could type their e-mail address in but having them in my Contacts already made this process easier.

I also uploaded a presentation for a meeting next week – and shared it with a collaborator.  We both can contribute even though we’re in different locations.  It was interesting to “play” the presentation.  It’s not quite PowerPoint but there were few differences.  The appearance was a little changed (it looked like a web page) but it operated in the same way – using the arrow keys to advance or the forward/back arrow in the lower left of the screen.  Another thing I’ve decided I’d need to do is have the images/clip art/photos assembled in a folder on my computer ahead of time.  It makes the Insert process easier…….I didn’t try the tip about dragging yet…..

 I’m actually going to be using Google Docs to evaluate some materials for the State Dept. of Ed.  Judy Serritella is using this tool for media specialists across the state to collaborate on some documents.  I already plan to use it with the media specialists in our district.  We have a “Best Practices” at each district media meeting.  Each media specialist is expected to contribute ideas/suggestions/titles on a particular topic.  Normally, I get the info and compile it for everyone.  Not anymore – I can share the document before the meeting and have everyone contribute before the meeting date.  Everyone will be responsible for contributing/posting their information in one document.

I also anticipate using this for the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl.  I work with a co-chair in Pickens County.  We create documents, spreadsheets, signs, etc. for a regional competition.  Again, all these documents can be posted in one location where we both can access and contribute.  All documents can be stored there so the day of the competition we can access if needed and print whatever materials we need.  No more saving to a thumb drive, printing extra copies.

I mentioned earlier collaborating on a PowerPoint presentation. Another media specialist and I jointly share responsibilities for a media consortium.  Using Google Docs, we can both access the materials and contribute content as we prepare for 4 yearly meetings.

All my uses are more for posting, sharing and storing documents/presentations.  Knowing I have the ability to access these documents anytime, anyplace (my father’s in Florida who doesn’t have the Office products) is amazing.  I know students working on collaborative projects for class assignments will love being able to use Google Docs as well as all those graduate students attending classes, say at West GA.  Instead of trying to meet somewhere in Georgia, everyone could use Google Docs as their meeting place and again complete group assignments while saving time and gas.

OK, time’s up!!!  You can get lost in both You Tube and Teacher Tube.  Searching for both professional and personal interests – no question, a huge variety of resources available.  I have used both resources previously – for the most part, searching for appropriate video content to support professional development classes I teach and to “enhance” presentations for the media specialists in our district.

I continue to search for effective resources for the Information Literacy class I teach so of course, that was my direction for my search in You Tube.  Copyrights Made Simple by Christopher Mast was a very direct approach with the creator being the focus of the entire video.  Very straightforward and honest – he even explains Creative Commons and warns to follow their guidelines as well.  There were quite a few choices for Information Literacy.  Discover Information Literacy was again a very straightforward explanation of what this topic is, what skills students will need for their future and our responsibility to teach these skills.

On a personal level, we just had our grandchildren visit last week and the youngest one is taking swimming lessons – he loves the pool and the beach.  Sure enough, there was a video on How to Teach Kids to Swim: Teaching a Child the Back Float. Brief in length but very effective with an instructor and child demonstrating different techniques.  For those same grandchildren, I create a gift at Christmas for each child.  I’m working on a quilt for one of them and I was able to find a 5 minute video on Quilt Binding. 

Teacher Tube narrows the “hits” so I know the results I get will be right on topic.  Again, my search was for Copyright, Information Literacy, Books and Media Centers.  There were quite a number of appropriate resources that I can incorporate.   I’m not confident yet of my skills to produce something that I would post on Teacher Tube – I guess I’m not ready to share yet.  It does help the confidence to see the variety on videos posted because a part of me does say “I could do that”.  We have created several short Camtasia movies to use for training textbook administrators in our district that we’ve posted on our district network.  That’s where my focus would be – training on software or online resouces our district provides for staff and students.

A video I enjoyed on Teacher Tube was on Banned Books.  A media specialist produced it for specific book titles challenged at her middle school as well as other book titles that had been banned throughout the United States. Hope you enjoy!

After successfully uploading my podcast to the ETC Learning Podcast page, I’m going to “stretch” myself by embedding the podcast player in this blog.  Here we go…

 
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Yeah – success!!!

Podcasting came into my life about 2 years ago…a fellow co-worker and myself took a podcasting class through KSU’s Continuing Education program and were introduced to the wonders of podcasting.  We not only learned the “technical” aspect of podcasts but we also created several podcasts ourselves and uploaded to iTunes.

 I believe podcasts are another avenue/tool to use with students or teachers to engage them in a meaningful way on a particular topic or standard.  We all know students learn in different ways – podcasts offer another way to reach all learners.  Podcasts provide us with the ability to listen to the information as often as we like.  I know many people who download podcasts on topics of interest then listen to the information as they’re walking, biking, driving, in an airplane…..in our hurried society where there’s never enough time to complete all the tasks assigned, podcasts provide a way to listen to content as we’re multi-tasking.

I listened to a Language Arts podcast in honor of National Poetry Month – famous poets reading their own works.  I also listened to an educator’s mashup on the past presidential election.  I attempted to listen to a student podcast from Jamestown School on Thanksgiving – but could not get it to work (needed additional software download). 

The 3 sources for podcasts I used were the iTunes Store, Education Podcast Network and NPR Podcast Directory. To be able to hear NPR favorites when I want….Yes!  That’s on a personal level – the NPR Directory.  I’m always amazed at the number of podcasts that are available on such a variety of topics. Both on a personal and professional level – to be able to hear podcasts from conferences I wasn’t able to attend from nationally known speakers is always satisfying.   I’ve used podcasts from these conferences to share with media specialists on a variety of topics. 

I promised myself that while I was walking, I would only listen to relaxing music on my iPod…….but I broke that promise.  I’ve downloaded several conference sessions to my iPod and listen while I walk…..it’s another way of staying current with professional content that I hope makes me a better contributor to my job environment.

I especially like students creating book review podcasts for new book titles added to the media center, the Georgia Book Award nominees.  With the automation system we use in our district, we can upload digital content  – we’ve just begun uploading book review podcasts that students created to our system.  Any student searching for reading materials can click on a link and hear the student created book review.

After looking over our baker’s dozen of choices, I decided to try Mixbook  – books in all formats are fascinating.  Using photos from a media conference I attended, I created an account and actually created My First Book in Mixbook.  I loved the variety of layouts available, all the background choices, the ability to add stickers as well add text to the book I created.  One of the coolest features of this tool is the AutoMix feature – where the tool itself mixes all the photos you chose plus adds different page layouts for you.  If you’re not happy with how the book looks, click AutoMix and viola, you can have a different look to your book.  Probably the best feature is the Undo or Null button……..you can make a change, decide you don’t like it, click the Undo button and you’re back to what you had.  Very cool feature that I used frequently.  The user can share what they’ve created with others as well as pay a reasonable fee to have the book published.

I think this would be a great tool to use with students of all ages.  Definitely for Language Arts – students could choose images from appropriate social networking sites (e.g. Flickr) and add their own text to these images.  Or they could take digital phots (e.g. letters of the alphabet, number of items, geometric shapes) and create a book with their own words.  It would be appropriate for all content areas – explaining a concept, creative writing.

Users can share what they’ve created and have others add images/text to the book – a great collaborative tool for teachers working on projects across the nation/world.  The finished product could be shared beyond the school setting – with proud family and friends.

Books, books – oh what a marvelous thing are books.  It is reaffirming to the soul to know there are so many book lovers out in the Web 2.0 world.  All those predictions about books disappearing – I’m still confident it won’t happen.  Haven’t tried a Kindle yet to see if I’d enjoy reading a book on a small screen…may borrow a friend’s to “test”…….

 Library Thing is such a joy for a book lover.  Again, the importance of tagging and having tag clouds is confirmed with this Web 2.0 tool.  It’s how a true book lover makes a treasure availble to others – by providing concise, meaningful keywords so others can discover this print resoucre.  The variety of ways to search for book titles is wonderful as well as having library-quality information regarding each title.  To know one can use the reource without joining is an added plus.  but then to know one can catalog one’s personal collection – is also a plus.

I enjoyed using the Suggester feature of Book Thing.  When I searched two of my favorite authors, I came across suggestions of titles I can try since I had read a particular title.  I like having feedback from individuals who have read the book then offer their worthwhile suggestions for other titles similar to the original.  I’ve already written down 2 titles I need to find – hopefully, at the public library.

One way, professionally, I’ve seen Library Thing used is as a log of titles read during a school year.  Students were required to keep a log of the titles they read throughout the school year.  The media specialist decided to keep a log of all the titles she read during the same school year.  She made her reading log in Library Thing and made it avaialble for students to view – to see if they had read any of the same titles.  It sparked discusiion between the media specialist and the students – also sharing of titles the students recommended to the media specialist to not only read but purchase for the media center.

Two ways I feel I’ll use Library Thing personally: 
- I would love to catalog the titles I own.  Then when I’m out and about, I can verify if I own the particular title already.  With so many personal books ( and with aging), the memory’s not always accurate.  This would prevent me from hearing “Don’t you have a copy of that already?”
 - I’m really going to use the Suggester feature of Library Thing.  I love having others’ suggestions of recommended titles that are similar in style to what I’ve read.  Great feature!!

Delicious has become one of my most favorite Web 2.0 tools, right up there with Creative Commons and Flickr.  As part of my job, I visit our different schools – sometimes I set up my laptop to work, other times I use a computer in the media center or clasroom.  It is so wonderful to have ALL my “web resources” available no matter where I am.  I support a variety of programs/topics and as I age, I no longer can “remember” as much as I need  on all these topics.  By bookmarking resources I need/use, Delicious helps me competently complete job assignments.

Again, with my media background, the idea of tagging (keywords in media terms) makes so much sense.  It’s how media specialists have provided resources for their patrons – by offering keywords to search for items.  Delicious does this plus allows you to add notes to the link – to offer more detail on why/how this resource can be used.

I haven’t imported my Favorites into Delicious yet – I know I want to do some clean up on them before importing.  This class has me doing some thinking about “tagging” and I’m rethinking how I might organize/tag my Favorites.  What I have used Delicious for is saving all the resources I use for the professional development classes I teach.  As so often happens to me, I’ll be working on one project/assignment and as I’m searching, I’ll discover a wonderful resource for another interest.  With Delicious, I can bookmark that resource, continue on with my job assignment and then revisit the new web resource as I’m working on that class.

I did introduce Delicious to a group of media specialists in North Georgia – and they have been utilizing it all year.  One of the ways a number of media specialists are using it is for their Information Pathfinders.  Media specialists provide a “path’ for students to begin researching a topic – we call them Information Pathfinders.  The media specialist (with the classroom teacher) pre-selects web resources as well as including databases and print resources the media center owns to begin the student on the right “path” of research.  I’m personally overwhelmed when I get 550,000 hits on a search term – I imagine students are too………we feel these pathfinders are an efficient, effective, timely way for students to focus on their topic of research/assignment.  The wonderful part about Delicious is that I can continue to add resources as I find them to a particular topic (e.g. American History) and the link I provide students stays the same – I don’t have to re-edit, add, delete………..
I also love that I can Search Everyone’s Bookmarks and see what resources others have found or recommend.  It saves a lot of time and confirms I’m heading down the right path on a specific topic……..

My Delicious links can be found at http://delicious.com/Esther5……

Joyce Valenca’s posts on her NeverEndingSearch blog are always so inspiring and reflective.  I learn from each of her posts.  One of her mosr recent posts deals with dictionaries.  I just had a call today from one of our new schools opening next year – should they buy dictionaries for each classroom?

Joyce offers a multitude of online options that go far beyond a basic print dictionary.  These tools can help extend the students’ thinking beyond basic definitions, parts of speech and pronunciation.  She always includes traditional resources as well as more free-form resources (Wiktionary and Wordie).

And she’s sending me on a quest – I know about synonyms and antonyms but what are fuzzynyms?
They’re part of the Lexiapedia online resource…..hmmm?????

As I previewed the online possibilities for the 2008 Online Conference, the session title that I kept returning to was I Like Delicious Things:  An Introduction to Tagging and Folksonomies.  All those media specialist classes from my past on cataloguing, classification and organizing materials came back to me – I like being organized in my personal as well as professional life.  So Delicious it was – I listened intently to all Chris B, with his wonderful Australian accent, had to say.

The essential questions Chris posed were all valid:
1. What are the qualities of a good tag?
2. How does tagging assist learners in managing their information better?
3. Think of an unusual or innovative use of tagging

As a media specialist, I have been tagging (we call it cataloguing) for years.  I love seeing this same skill  embraced by the Web 2.0 community.  Tagging can change the way we think about information – whether it be pictures, web sites, documents, presentations.  And it definitely is a bottoms-up approach to classifying and cataloguing information.  Media specialists rely on vendors to supply basic information for each book/item they order – it’s called a MARC record.  A really good media specialist evaluates the record that is sent then adds additional keywords that fit his/her specific audience.  So as a good media specialist, I’ve been “tagging” for years without knowing it.

I also appreciated Chris’ point that the tags (keywords) used should prompt the creator to ask:  “What keywords would I use to search for this item?”  The tags/keywords are really important for the person who is searching for information – that is who the tagger must consider as they are adding tags/keywords to the item.  I had thought about that as a media specialist for the print items I purchased but I think that view is more important for Web 2.0.  The searcher doesn’t have a glossary or table of contents to use once they have the item in hand.  They’d never get the item if the tags aren’t relevant and consistent.  The ability to have as many tags as you want is a wonderful component as well as realizing the importance of the correct spelling of each tag.

Tag clouds can be fascinating and Chris’ example of the presidential speeches was very appropriate.  To realize a user can determine the key topics/issues from a tag cloud (being created from the past speeches) was an eye-opener.  The tag clouds do really embody the “spirit of the times” by highlighting the key topics in the cloud – those terms being BIG and BOLD within the cloud.

A wonderful presentation – Chris showed how tags can be applied to a variety of items.  Even how a tagger can add “personal tags” that are important/relevant to him/her.  The Web 2.0 community can utilize and access items by using common tags (e.g. building, Sydney) but the tagger can also quickly access items by utilizing a specific personal tag (e.g. WOW!)……..new concept to me and one I’ll employ.

As part of the Information Literacy class I teach, one of the main topics I discuss is Copyright.  This topic is so comprehensive and dynamic that it is hard to get my own mind around it – and I have a media background – let alone all the class participants.

I decided to look for images in Flickr/Creative Commons regarding Copyright and Plagiarism.  I have incorporated several of these images into a Bubbleshare slideshow.  

 BubbleShare: Share photos – Easy Photo Sharing

Attribution for the pictures included in the slideshow follows:

Copyright

Copyright by Uncommon Depth

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uncommondepth/3204094812/

Copyright2

Copyright Symbols by MikeBlogs

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeblogs/3020966268/

Copyright Criminal

Copyright Criminal by amidanyorai

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amidanyorai/36431935/

Copyright Performance

Copyrighted performance by wseltzer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wseltzer/248490439/

The slideshow, I hope, gives a general view on copyright – with reminders that you need to ask permission to use copyrighted materials and ends with copyright violation is a criminal activity.  A lot to say in 4 slides but I hope the message is conveyed that this is a legal/ethical issue and there are consequences for our actions.