Thing 7: Wikispace exploration task

My first experience with a Wikispace that I created was last year with my 6th graders. We were reading Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli and used the space as a way to comment on and discuss topics from each section of the book. I sure had a lot to learn! Stupidly, I made all their passwords the same. Why in the heck would I have done that??? Oh yeah, to make it easier. You can imagine the situation that ensued can't you--the next day at school one of my kids said that there were several distateful comments posted using his name, but he was not the writer. Then I received a private email message from one of my students. Aw...how sweet, but wait! That means they can send private messages to one another. I don't want that responsibility on my shoulders! So, I frantically sent an email to Caroline and all was resolved.

The above is another reason I am so thankful I'm taking this class. It's easy to get excited and jump right into Web 2.0 with my kids, but I've got to take some time to practice it first. I eagerly checked out the sample wikispaces for this "thing" because I want to make sure the next time I set one up with my class it is totally purposeful, user friendly, and applicable to the kids and the content.

I have seen the idea about "classroom scribes" a couple of times now and I just love it. In this Math 12V Outcomes Portfolio wikispace, the students take turns posting notes from the class on the page. The scribe posts (notes) are very smartly organized by the learning outcomes (GPS here in GA). By doing this, the teacher has documentation of standards being taught and the students are aware of the content they are supposed to be learning.

On the 1001 Flat World Tales Project page I ran across a question of educational ethics. We know we shouldn't disclose information about students in front of other students. The 1001 Tales wikispace was an awesome collaborative effort, and, as I discovered after reading some discussions, an effective tool for students to learn the etiquette of commenting on others' work. This issue of how to comment appropriately was handled on a public discussion between two of the teachers, and they used student names. I don't know if that's necessarily wrong, but I don't think I would handle it that way. Just something to think about if you're collaborating with another class.

Last wikispace I investigated: Grazing for Digital Natives was not really classroom based, but offered lots of resources for technology integration. TONS of stuff on this page, so I really, really, really appreciated that when you first pull the page up, all you see is the avatar and the table of contents and then you can choose where to go from there. Something else, and I know some of the people in this class have them- so sorry, but the avatars FREAK me out! I think my Mii on Nintendo is all I can handle.

Thing 6: The diigo ate my baby!

Hee, hee, hee.

Liking diigo. Pretty easy to use so far. I have only saved 8 websites thus far and minimally tagged them, despite advice from both Jessica and Caroline. I think the reason for that is because I am not using it in a very authentic manner right now. I should be asleep, but I can't deny the compulsion to work on my 23 things. So, I'm wracking my brains for websites that I use frequently just so I can try my hand at tagging and saving them. I think my tagging will improve once I actually come across a new website that I need and want to use.

Diigo can be extremely beneficial for the students if they were working on an online research project. I could save websites to my diigo and they could access them more easily. I just wonder if I can make the diigo info public for those who are not members, say students, for example?

I'm also jazzed about the friending aspect. Much the same way that I snoop around facebook to see what everyone's up to, I think I will be checking into my diigo friends' websites. I mean, I was never a fan of the Decemberists, but as soon as two of my facebook friends hailed their new album, I'm on the bandwagon to give it a try. I'm sure, or at least hoping, that my experience on diigo will be similar.

Here is the link to my bookmarked websites: http://www.diigo.com/user/spatisaul

Thing 5a-Technology saves time when you know how to use it!

1) Love Google Reader! The information all comes to me!! Muhahahaha (evil laugh).
2) The above point is the underpinning of my whole post and is exampled by number 3.
3) My interesting item to share is a post I read about RTI (response to intervention) in my reader on the techlearning page.

I think that as I continue through this course I learn daily that there is no doubt technology can greatly enhance my teaching practice. I was fortunate enough to get a Promethean Board in my room this year, and I just love it! I feel like now I am doing all the kinds of things with my lessons that I always wished I could. I feel my teaching is more nuanced, to steal a phrase I like to use in theatre. So, it's not really a surprise to say that technology engages our students and opens both students and teachers up to a world of information, but it can also help us manage and use our time much more efficiently.

Individualized learning is huge in education. With programs like Response to Intervention, students who need help should receive individualized and specific instruction that is monitored and charted for progress. When you think of the time that teachers must put into testing the students, sorting through resources, planning lessons, monitoring for progress, and recording results---whew! That's a lot of time! There are programs out there, like the one detailed on techlearning, that take on a bunch of that work for the teacher. We are currently using one at my school right now. Of course, there are flaws with everything and I'm not pushing the program mentioned in the blog post--I don't even know about it beyond what it claims to do, but it's just comforting to know it's out there. So for the teachers who say, "How am I going to have time to do all this? When do they expect me to fit this in and do everything else I'm already doing?" the answers are out there. AND IF YOU HAVE GOOGLE READER, THEY CAN JUST COME TO YOU! : )

Google Docs Rock!!

I just have to share this bit of awesomeness:

I'm assisstant directing Sabrina Fair with Winder Barrow Community Theatre (that's not quite the bit of awesomeness I am writing about, but close) and part of my job is to contact the cast/crew and keep them up to date with info.

My first task was the dreaded contact list of all the names, multiple numbers, and emails of all the people involved in the show. Of course there are bound to be mistakes and errors when transcribing all that information. I was set to face this task the old (time consuming) way, by writing it all down, giving everyone a chance to look it over, and making corrections on a hard copy. But this was not efficient because not all cast members are at each rehearsal. So, I decided to send the draft as an email attachment and have the cast email me back the changes. This option was better than the first, but still left me with the chore of checking my email, pulling up the document, making a change, and saving. Sounds easy, but I think we all know how hard it is to get a breath (or restroom break in) during the school day, much less checking email attachments.

Then, literally I could feel the synapses in my brain firing. This amazed me because honestly, I was beginnning to wonder if they worked anymore. : ) I had the (brilliant) idea to use a Google Doc. I set up a spreadsheet with the contact info, sent it to all the cast, and allowed them to make their own changes. So far there have been at least 10 changes or additions to the list. It's awesome because: A) I don't have to do it and B) People are able to change or add at will with no time delay, no problem. I LOVE IT!!!!
And on top of everything else, my cast thinks I am a techno genius! Little do they know...

Thing 3

Setting up my Google Reader reminded me a bit of registering for my wedding. Oh, I want this, and this, and hey that looks cool! Why not try this out? It was like shopping with none of the guilt (and technically none of the stuff either). I was super excited about all the different feeds to choose from on the NYT page. And then I went to the NPR page and got SUPER EXCITED about "grammar grater" but I couldn't subscribe from school because my itunes isn't here. Boo!

All of the above ties in with the item of interest I found in my reader, I promise. I was very intrigued by an idea presented in "A Day in the Life of Web 2.0" in which a teacher records his lecture and then uploads it as a podcast online for his students to listen to. Not only is that a great way for absent students to catch up, but also a handy review and study tool. Well, then I thought about students who may be in the situation I was in--not able to access itunes or some other obstacle that might prevent them from getting the audio. While browsing through my reader I found information on a digital recorder that can transcribe the audio into text. It is a bit tricky and requires software that can be pricey, but allows the teacher to record a lesson, upload as MP3 (I guess, I'm not very saavy with technology) and save as a text document as well. AND for anyone doing research this kind of technology would be invaluable if it works well. Instead of painstakingly listening and re-listening to tape after tape of audio and transcribing by hand, how awesome would it be to have all that done for you?

By the way, I really want to put pictures in my blog posts. I signed up for PicApp, but I'm not sure how to get the images in my post. Told you I wasn't all that technologically saavy. Any tips?

Thing 2

I used to have a pretty negative view on blogs. I guess because my first encounter with them was my highschool friend's blog and I just felt she was being too open, too self-gratifying, too lofty, including too many pictures, too...too...too...just too much I guess. Has anyone every read a blog, facebook, myspace and felt that way? I also used to look down on my sister with such disdain because she updated her facebook status with regularity and spent hours looking at her 'friends' pages. And now, here I sit, meticulously crafting text for my blog. I spent about two hours last night looking at pictures on facebook, commenting on friends' pages, and truly feeling connected with the people there. Ah, me!

The thing is, the 'edublog' appeals much more to me than a personal blog. I guess I just feel like I don't do that many interesting things, and I won't be a witty as others with more personal blogs. Also, the blogs I read for the assignment didn't seem too self-gratifying, too lofty, or too anything. Well, I have to clarify that actually. I enjoyed reading the blogs that were pretty "clean" looking, but still had lots of information: students' samples, pictures, links to other blogs or sites. Lots of pertinent info, but still uncluttered feeling. One blog I read had lots of ads all along the sides and while the post was EXTREMELY informational, I was a little distracted. I guess you could compare it to a book with an unattractive cover. : /

There's also something very cool about reading a piece that you know someone took time to link or add pictures to. If I saw my students doing that I'd be really excited! I absolutely LOVE the ideas I saw on this blog: http://pc40sw07.blogspot.com/2007/03/transformations.html Student analysis/notetaking, synthesis (check their flickr widget). If I had this when I took trig, I may have stood a chance!