I Think, Therefore I Blog

Blogging is therefore to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud. -Andrew Sullivan

Blogs have taken off as one of the most popular mediums on the internet. Over 180 million people have blogged, and two new blogs are coming into existence every second (Richardson, 2010, p. 19). But why? What is the power of the blog?



Seth Godin is a famed blogger and marketing guru. Although the above exchange was captured at a seminar about entrepreneurship, Godin's comments about blogging ring true no matter what the occupation of the writer.

"What matters," he says, "is the meta-cognition of thinking about what you are going to say." Later he states that with blogging we "force [ourselves] to become part of the conversation." His comments get to the heart of the questions I have regularly asked myself with this blog: What is the purpose of my post? What can I connect my ideas to? How can I make this post relevant to today's conversation about education?

Blogging taps into higher-level thinking, which is why it makes such an outstanding project to do with our students. Think about all the skills being engaged at once: planning, writing, researching, linking, synthesizing, critiquing, commenting and responding. When you look at Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, this chart shows blogging at the top:
Will Richardson (2010) points out that true blogging doesn't happen instantaneously; it is a progression from something simple like journaling to something more complex that involves articulating one's understanding of content through links and interaction with your blogging audience (p. 31). It's taken me over two months to start to feel comfortable with the blogging process. It evolves slowly, with patience and self-discipline. It is the process of blogging and the benefits that come as a result that I'm excited to share with students.

References

Fisher, M. (2009, February 27). Digital Bloom's Visual [web log post]. Retrieved from http://digigogy.blogspot.com/2009/02/digital-blooms-visual.html

Innerpreneur. (2009, April 18). Seth Godin and Tom Peters on blogging [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=livzJTIWlmY

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin

A little Housekeeping with Google Reader

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. --Hans Hoffman

As the fall semester draws to a close, I decided to review my use of Google Reader and do a long overdue clean-up.

I went through all my subscriptions in my Teacher-Librarian folder and deleted a few feeds that are either inactive or that, when I reviewed the blog and checked my "trends", I found I wasn't ever reading. Next, I renamed the remaining blogs according to author. I have always found it disorienting to read a blog only knowing it's title rather than the author. Here is my newly renovated folder:

Going through and visiting these blogs one by one was a good way to catch up on a few things I've missed and it reminded me of why I'm reading these blogs to begin with! Here, I found a great check list helping kids to conduct research (Diigo bookmark!) and here I found some useful information on a plug-in called Google Cloud Connect which may finally help me overcome the home vs work document disconnect!

Which blogs do you regularly follow for education/library? I'd like to know what I'm missing out on!

References

Jones, L. (2011, November 6). Deconstructing research [web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.shelfconsumed.com/2011/11/deconstructing-research.html

Whisen, G. (2011, July 9). Google cloud connect [web log post]. Retrieved from http://ideaconnect.edublogs.org/2011/07/09/google-cloud-connect/

Current Events #10: Accessibility of Education

Five years from now on the web for free you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world. It will be better than any single university. --Bill Gates, 2010

There have been exciting developments this week in the area of online learning resources. Recently, the Khan Academy revealed that they are receiving 39 million pageviews per month. This site of free video lessons mostly in the area of secondary math and science now has more that 2700 videos available for free viewing. This article provides some fascinating information on how the Khan Academy got started.

In other online developments, Stanford is offering ten new, entirely free, online courses. In the fall, one of their free courses saw an astounding 58,000 enrollments! These new courses offer a combination of video lectures, quizzes, assignments, exams, discussion forum, feedback and accomplishment certificates.

The high-quality resources being developed online are a testament to the increasing importance of emphasizing digital literacy with our K-12 students.

References:

Barseghian, T. (2011, November 18). The Khan Academy opens its virtual doors - carefully [web log post]. Retrieved from http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/11/the-khan-academy-opens-its-virtual-doors-carefully/

Ferenstein, G. (2011, February 16). How Bill Gates' favourite teacher wants to disrupt education. Fast company. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/1728471/change-generation-bill-gates-favorite-teacher-wants-to-disrupt-education

Open Culture. (2011, November 18). Stanford opens ten new online courses. Retrieved from http://www.openculture.com/2011/11/seven_new_stanford_courses.html

Rao, L. (2011, November 4). The O'Sullivan Foundation grants $5M to online learning platform Khan Academy. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/04/the-osullivan-foundation-grants-5m-to-online-learning-platform-khan-academy/

My First Prezi...Check!

He was a bold man that first ate an oyster. --Jonathan Swift

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Last night, I took the plunge and sat down after the kids were in bed to create my first Prezi. I felt like a toddler taking her first steps as I first stumbled around with the canvas, text tool and "zebra". After about half an hour of perplexed fiddling and referring back to the cheat sheets, I eventually got the hang of it and my presentation started to 'flow'. Drum roll, please:

Exploration of Web 2.0 on Prezi

What helped:

• Adding elements/text off to the side of the canvas, and then dragging them into place (rather than trying to position them correctly to start with)
• Using the 'frame' tool to group items together
• Trying to minimize motion sickness by limiting the zoom in/zoom out
• Using the 'path' tool at a distance show more than one element at a time
  

What hindered:

• Accidently grabbing the 'resize' tool rather than the 'move' tool
• Accidently grabbing one element rather than a frame
• Not having the 'path' tool cooperate with where I wanted it to go
• I just couldn't figure out the 'hidden frame' tool - it wasn't hidden and it didn't group!

The Verdict:

I will certainly use Prezi as a teaching tool. It is appealing because allows students to process information in non-linear fashion by emphasizing connections and the big picture. This post at the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo states that "like a concept map, a Prezi presentation has the potential to help students understand the context or system in which something has meaning -- and context, as the image to the right perhaps demonstrates (roll your cursor over it) -- is sometimes highly revealing." I also like that Prezi is in the cloud and I can easily embed it in moodle or a class blog.

Prezi is a tool I would use for student projects from middle school up. I am sure kids would be engaged by its creative potential, although some patience would be needed to learn how to use it: "Designing a Prezi presentation is conceptually more challenging than PowerPoint because it lends itself to more complex arrangements of ideas, images, and facts." (Centre for Teaching Excellence, n.d.) Solution: Provide an option to use either Prezi or Powerpoint in order to meet the learning styles of all students.

References:

Centre for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.) Prezi. Retrieved from http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_with_technology/netsavvy/prezi.html

Tell Your Story in a Compelling Way

Using PowerPoint is like having a loaded AK-47 on the table: You can do very bad things with it. --Peter Norvig, Google Director of Research



The above video reminded me of my prior life as a conference/event planner, during which I sat through dozens of scientific presentations featuring Powerpoints so filled with bullet points, text and charts that I had to quietly sneak out of the room to get some air.

The point? Those of us who regularly give presentations need to keep on our toes. There is an art to giving a good presentation, and thanks to Prezi, it is now easier to entertain and inform at the same time.

To prepare for the week ahead, I spent some time tonight going over the tutorials provided at the Prezi website. The videos were short and clear, and I like the way the "Learn" area at Prezi also provides cheat sheets that I can quickly refer back to when I'm in the midst of creating. This Prezi created by founder Adam Somlai-Fischer gave me a lot to think about for the presentation I am about to start:

Copy of How to create a great prezi on Prezi

Of course, PowerPoint is not the only presentation tool with detractors. Prezi also has its fair share of critics. This blog post features a Twitter conversation between librarians with some complaining that Prezi makes them feel physically ill. Clearly, too much zooming and animation has its drawbacks, particularly for those prone to motion sickness. PF Anderson finishes the blog with the conclusion that a good Prezi is "especially special" but "if you aren’t a Prezi wizard, maybe you should stick to Powerpoint."

Am I up to the task?

References

Anderson, P. (2011, February 4). Pondering Prezi [web log post]. Retrieved from http://etechlib.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/pondering-prezi/

Estabanb. (2010, March 16). Stop! You're killing me with Powerpoint [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JU48-FVqvQ

Somlai-Fischer, A. (2011, October 11). How to create a great prezi. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/recyyolzxm3e/how-to-create-a-great-prezi/

Sixty Minutes on Twitter

The secret to making progress is to get started. --Mark Twain

Back when I was designing my inquiry proposal, I came across some research that shows educators are using Twitter for three main purposes: 1) to stay current, 2) to network and 3) to participate in conference backchannel (Gerstein, 2011). For the past six weeks, I've jumped into the Twitter stream to try it out and I've blogged about what I've learned here and here.

This morning I did a little experiment. I loaded up Tweetdeck and gave an hour of my undivided attention to it. I organized Tweetdeck into 6 columns (all that would fit onto my screen): #tldl, #edtech, #sschat, #engchat, #bced, #edchat. What evolved in 60 minutes on Twitter?

To stay current (press the EASY button):

• connected to exciting developments at the Khan Academy
• found a link to an excellent resource on teaching digital citizenship
• discovered a new Web 2.0 tool to create personal magazines
• read an article about how to encourage technophobic teachers
  
• was reminded to get out and vote in the Civic elections today
  

To network (press the MORE DIFFICULT button)

• responded to a science teacher in Texas who blogged about Diigo
• tweeted about a post at Culture of Yes about meaningful integration of technology
  
• retweeted four posts I found useful
  

To backchannel at conferences (press the IMPOSSIBLE AT THE MOMENT button)

I have noticed in the past that traffic to my blog has increased when I tweet about it; however, creating a dialogue / collaborative niche in Twitter has proven somewhat elusive to me. I have chatted back and forth with a few people, but establishing an ongoing network is a work-in-progress.

Curiously, just as I was writing this blog, "timbuckteeth" (a.k.a Steve Wheeler) tweeted out a post to a new model for developing a PLN. This post discusses Joyce Seitzinger's idea that Twitter will not be successful if the "user does not follow or is not followed by enough other subscribers to enable the benefits of the network effect." Bingo! Clearly, the challenge (or opportunity) ahead is to build a broader network of like-minded teachers/PLNers who are ready to jump into the fray with their ideas and questions.

Are you on Twitter? Who do you follow?

References

Barseghian, T. (2011, November 18). The Khan Academy opens its virtual doors - carefully [web log post]. Retrieved from http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/11/the-khan-academy-opens-its-virtual-doors-carefully/

Common Sense Media. (2011). Digital literacy and citizenship curriculum for grades 9-12. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/curriculum/9-12

Gerstein, J. (2011). The use of twitter for professional growth and development. International Journal on ELearning, 10(3), 273-276. Retrieved October 1, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2431456601).

Kennedy, C. (2011, November 18). Preparing and supporting teachers to integrate technology in the classroom [web log post]. Retrieved from http://cultureofyes.ca/2011/11/18/preparing-and-supporting-teachers-to-integrate-technology-in-the-classroom/

Kesler, C. (2011, November 19). Diigo is a great tool for teachers [web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.teachersneedtech.com/2011/11/19/diigo-is-a-great-tool-for-teachers/

Stansbury, M. (2011, November 18). Ten way to change the minds of tech-reluctant staff [web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2011/11/18/10-ways-to-change-the-minds-of-tech-reluctant-staff/

Wheeler, S. (2011, November 19) Tools of the trade [web log post]. Retrieved from http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/2011/11/tools-of-trade.html

Current Events #9: A Day in Pictures

"No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline. --Kofi Annan

This post from Free Technology for Teachers inspired me to rethink the opening of my Social Studies and Civics classes. On many occasions, I have used a news clip to start my lesson, but what if every class started with a photo taken in the past 24 hours? What a conversation starter!

Richard Bryne (at Free Technology) uses BBC's In Pictures, but another excellent resource is the blog, The Big Picture, which posts amazing (although sometimes disturbing) imagery of what is in the news. You can use Google Reader to subscribe to both resources.

Connecting with current events visually brings the stories alive, leads students to ask questions, and puts global citizenship at the forefront of the classroom--a great way to make Social Studies meaningful.

References

BBC. (2011, November 18). Day in pictures: 18 November 2011. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-15791213

Byrne, R. (2011, November 18). Using pictures for current events [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/11/using-pictures-for-current-events.html

Nelson, P., Turner, L., & Young. L. (2011, November 15). Dangerous work: "the mine" in Guatemala City [web log post]. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/11/dangerous_work_the_mine_in_gua.html

Evernote for Everything Education!

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. --Aristotle

The internet is overflowing with enthusiastic posts from teachers about how they use Evernote in the classroom. This post from Michael Cruz (2011) provides a thorough look at using Evernote from a teacher's perspective. I particularly like his idea of using Evernote to compile Pro-D material and teaching resources. He also suggests using it as a place to keep/share handouts; however, many teachers use wikis or moodle to provide handouts to kids which also works well.

Buffy Hamilton's (2011) post at Evernote is perhaps the most useful in terms of discussing how students can use Evernote. She writes that "Evernote [is a] perfect solution for the students’ need to archive and organize traditional and non-traditional sources of information". Her write-up got me thinking about how I would encourage secondary students to use Evernote. Certainly, setting up a notebook for each course makes sense. What could go in each notebook?

• Assignments: no more lost work and available from all computers
  
• Notes: scan them in and tag them!
• Relevant websites, emails and tweets

Imagine... misplaced binders would become a problem of the past and notebooks could be shared between classmates AND teachers. Really, it's a revolutionary way to go paperless... it sure makes me wish my district had more access to technology such as laptops, iPads, etc.

My use of Evernote at the online school is a work-in-progress, I currently use it to keep track of notes regarding individual students, as well as course and project sign-up lists, etc. I have attached useful websites to notes for certain students with unique needs. I also use it to keep track of administrative trivia that is easily forgotten or misplaced.

Because of Evernote's infinitely flexible approach to organization, research and file-keeping, when and if I finally land a library position, I would put Evernote at the top of my list as a Web 2.0 tool to highlight with students and other teachers. I would also find it extremely useful in terms of collaborating with departments and individual teachers on their teaching material, as well as keeping track of all the data and ideas that constantly flow through a librarian's head! Evernote has, so far, been a highlight of my web tools adventure.

References

Hamilton, B. (2011, January 5). How my students started using Evernote - education series. Retrieved from http://blog.evernote.com/2011/01/05/how-my-students-started-using-evernote-education-series/

Cruz, M. (2011, January 13). 10 tips for teachers using Evernote - education series. Retrieved from http://blog.evernote.com/2011/01/13/10-tips-for-teachers-using-evernote-education-series/

Evernote for Artwork!

An original idea. That can't be too hard. The library must be full of them. ~Stephen Fry

For the past couple of days, I've been busy experimenting with Evernote's capabilities. With the kids out for a walk with their Dad on this cold but sunny morning, I have a little time to share my discoveries!

I started out by experimenting with my "travel" notebook to test out the Evernote extension in Firefox. I tried clipping portions of travel websites as well as copying whole pages over to Evernote. I like the ease of the extension for adding tags and filing web pages to the correct notebook. I do not like the fact that there is a significant pause as the clip processes and one more than one occasion the entire format of the website--text and images--have been messed up in the transfer. This confirms my original suspicion that Diigo is the superior tool for internet research while Evernote is the superior tool for personal notes and organization.

After playing around with the Evernote Extension, I started to wonder how else I could use Evernote for documentation. Suddenly, an epiphany! I searched around my house, collected some of my son's artwork, scanned it, created a new notebook in Evernote under my Family stack, and then added the scanned files. Voila!

To further test it out, I tried syncing my desktop Evernote with the web version and my iPad App. Here, I had a little trouble. Syncing had some technical glitches and I had to reboot and try syncing about ten times. However, I prevailed and now I can see Ethan's turkey on several devices. Crazy!

I now have a system for creating and viewing digital files of my children's work that will show progression over time. Of course, I'm still going to keep a box of their best work in their closet, but I think this is pretty nifty! I'm playing around with ideas for how to make the file work best. Perhaps I could have a file for each year and in that file I could add photos of milestones (e.g. riding a bike), artwork, etc., so I end up with a little digital scrapbook.

What do you think? How do you or would you use Evernote?

Tidy Up Time! Using Evernote to Manage Your Life

Out of clutter, find simplicity. --Albert Einstein



After starting out on a strong note this morning by stumbling upon the above video, I spent the next two hours fruitlessly searching the internet searching for tips about how to organize my Evernote account to help me run my life. I found posts from GTD (Get Things Done) wizards such as this one and this one, but neither one provided me with the magic key to organization that would fit my life.

I gave up on finding the answer "out there" and fiddled around with Evernote's stack and notebook feature until I started to carve out some areas of my life that could use some housekeeping. Then, feeling inspired, I added some other areas of my life that don't necessarily need cleaning up, but would benefit from some attention and creativity. This is what I ended up with:
I purposely did NOT include school in this set up because I've set up a separate account at work, and I'm going to investigate educational uses later in the week.

As I was setting up the folders, I could envision all the useful things that could go into them: milestones and notes for each child, parenting tips, lists for those ideas I come up with and then forget, journal entries to keep track of important events, a custom made recipe book for all those great ideas I find in food blogs, etc.

I plan to spend the rest of the week populating my new system. I'm going to focus on the travel folder so I can start researching those trips my husband and I daydream about. I love the thought of filling those folders up with pictures and descriptions of where we want to go with the kids someday.

I'm thrilled by the flexibility of Evernote to add almost anything I can think of: you can upload files, scanned documents, photos, web clips, emails, notes you type in, voice notes, etc. Even though I have the Evernote App on my iPad, what I really wished for today was an iPhone so I could add ideas and photos on the go.

Between Evernote and Google Calendar, I just might be turning into a VFP (Very Functional Person).

References

AndrewEvernote. (2009, August 18). Evernote to the Rescue [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNE0R3rEe5Q

Hyatt, M. (2011, May 2). How to organize Evernote for maximum efficiency [web log post]. Retrieved from http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-organize-evernote-for-maximum-efficiency.html

Naslund, A. (n.d.). Getting organized with evernote [web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.brasstackthinking.com/2010/06/getting-organized-with-evernote/

Diving Deeper into Diigo

So you see! There's no end to the things you might know, depending on how far beyond Zebra you go! --Dr. Seuss

I just tucked my daughter in for nap time with some warm milk and a Dr. Seuss. His wild and wacky way with words always gets me inspired (as you might have already guessed from the title of my blog).

Today, I started experimenting with Diigo's ability to highlight, sticky-note, comment and share annotated links. I quickly discovered that one can do a lot more with the Diigo toolbar than the Diigolet button I had previously added to my toolbar. So, I downloaded a very quick plug-in for Firefox and I was off and running.


Trying out Features

First, I experimented with the Highlight and Sticky Note feature to post some reminders to myself on a blog post I found about using Evernote. Then, I discovered that I can use Diigo to create a special URL to share that blog post along with my highlights and sticky notes: Here it is!

The Diigo Toolbar also has a sidebar feature that allows you to create a general comment on a website that will appear in your Diigo library or in a Diigo group. The Diigo toolbar also has a screen capture tool that will save just clips of a website to your Diigo library. Overall, the Diigo toolbar has a lot to offer!

The more I experiment with Diigo the more I think about how it is a tool that can support my various roles:

• As a graduate student to organize and collaborate on research
• As a teacher to share information with my students (especially when I want to draw attention to a particular aspect of a website) and also between students on shared projects
  
• For personal interest (eg. to save my comments on recipes, etc.)

A Closer Look at Classroom Use

Berger and Trexler (2010) prefer Diigo in the classroom to other social bookmarking services as it "has distinctive features that support active learning" because "it allow the students to mark up Web pages as they would a paperback book--with sticky notes, highlights, and comments--and then share those notes with others" (p. 57). Diigo's ability to allow students to engage their reading with opinions, comments and questions is key.

When the idea of sharing and commenting on each other's research using Diigo was put to the test in an English classroom, teacher-librarian Deborah Gottsleben-Delaney (2010) noted that "[i]t really didn't matter if one student found an excellent website. The conversation that surrounded that source became a lesson in itself" (pg. 14). I could imagine this would be particularly useful when critiquing the validity of websites, etc.

I'm excited to put social bookmarking, as well as highlighting/commenting to more use both as a learner and as a teacher!

References

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Gottsleben-Delaney, D.. (2010, December). I Go, You Go: Why You Should Use Diigo. School Librarian's Workshop: New Year Issue, 31(3), 14. Retrieved November 11, 2011, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2237906941).

Current Events #8: Adobe Flash Concedes Defeat

We are not retreating - we are advancing in another direction. --Douglas MacArthur

I love my iPad! LOVE IT! But, the one thing that frustrates me is that it won't play Flash content. I can't watch the multimedia at many websites and I can't browse Ikea! I did a little research and found Steve's Jobs "Thoughts on Flash" to to understand why this aspect of the web did not function on the iPad.

This week an article at Vancouver Sun caught my attention: Adobe throws in the towel to Apple in Web Software War. If it's not going to be developed for mobile devices, I wonder how long it's going to be maintained at all. Here is an article at CNN that states that Adobe Flash is on its way out on all devices.

It looks like big changes are coming down the line for some of our favourite Web 2.0 tools like Animoto, Voicethread and Prezi.

References

Finkle, J. (2011, November 9). Adobe throws in the towel. The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/steve-jobs/Adobe+throws+towel+Apple+software/5683707/story.html.

Goldman, D. (2011, November 10). The beginning of the end for Adobe's Flash. CNN. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/10/technology/adobe_flash/

Job, S. (2010, April). Thoughts on Flash. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/

Have a playdate with your bookmarks!

Wisdom I know is social. She seeks her fellows. --Thomas Jefferson

We've been bookmarking sites for a long time with our browsers, and now we are using services like Diigo to do it so we can access the bookmarks at any computer. But how do I make bookmarking social? What does this mean, anyways?

Berger and Trexler (2010) define social bookmarking as "the ability to share what you find with others and see what they have "tagged" perceiving additional uses" (p. 53). This video from the Common Craft Show explains social bookmarking beautifully (even though it happens to use the tool Delicious rather than Diigo):

Up until now, I have been bookmarking, and I have been tagging, but I have not looked at the social aspect of it. In Diigo, you can choose to follow certain people, and thus, their bookmarks and tags. I did a Diigo search for friends with my Google account and it turns out that two people I know use Diigo, so I sent invitations. (Suddenly, I am having a flashback to trying to find contacts on Goodreads. In real life, I actually do have friends...honestly.)

Another way to utilize the social aspect of bookmarking at Diigo is to use the Group feature. This post on Learn it in 5 provides a great overview of how to use Diigo Groups. I have applied to a popular group called "Diigo in Education" to see what that will yield.

I can definitely see the benefits of setting up groups for classes, and in this way I could easily share numerous relevant websites (with comments and sticky notes) for research or projects. A school could set up a group to share valuable educational websites with teachers and teachers could then share comments about them. Oh, the Pro-D possibilities! My head is spinning.

References

Barnes, M. (n.d.). Diigo Groups. Learn it in 5: how-to videos for the technology classroom. Retrieved from http://learnitin5.com/Diigo-Groups

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Lefever, L. (2009, March 18). Social bookmarking in plain English, for the rest of us [Video file]. Retrieved from http://youtu.be/HeBmvDpVbWc

Diigo vs. Evernote: The Showdown

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time. --Leonard Bernstein

Time to revise my plan! I was feeling bogged down this week trying to tackle both Diigo and Evernote at the same time. I didn't know where to start, so I'm going to slow the pace down and focus more on Diigo this week, and more on Evernote next week.

I've worked with both tools enough to know that there is crossover between what they can do:

• Both can act as internet "collectors". (With Evernote, you clip a webpage or just the URL, whereas with Diigo, you bookmark it.)
  
• Both use tags to organize your information.
  
• Both are searchable.
  
• Both allow you to share content with others.
  
• Both tools would be useful in the classroom for teachers and students alike

However, I am leaning towards using Diigo as a internet research management tool, while using Evernote more as a personal management tool. Why?

• Diigolet is an easy tool to quickly bookmark a page with tags and move on.
  
• Diigo serves as a vast resource center for sharing and commenting on research
  
• Evernote's notebook feature allows to you categorize many aspects of life/work
  
• Evernote has the ability to keep personal notes, photos, and voice memos unattached to websites
  

This post helped me organize my thoughts about Diigo and Evernote. Well, there is a lot to tackle for both tools, so on with Diigo!

References

Ebersole, Ray. (2010, December 23). Evernote vs. diigo - a replacement for Delicious? [web log post]. Retrieved from http://edutechation.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/evernote-vs-diigo-a-replacement-for-delicious/

Tweetdeck to the Rescue!

The qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what make it so powerful. --Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard Law Professor and internet expert

Blogs and tweets. Tweets and blogs. Strange that these little words have become regular terms in our lexicon, and stranger still that we need some skills to manage the sheer volume of tweets and blogs coming our way. What Google Reader is to blogs, Tweetdeck is to Twitter.

What I like about Tweetdeck is the way it simplifies the Twitterverse and shows you want you want to see all at once. It comes with three designated columns (All Friends, Mentions and Direct Messages), but then the rest is up to you. I have set up one column to follow #EDES501, one to follow #edchat, and one that I alternate between #tldl, #edtech and #engchat. But hey, with the blink of an eye, I could sacrifice my quest for higher knowledge and dedicate a column to yoga or chocolate.

As far as jumping into the Twitter stream, I also like the way Tweetdeck manages your tweets by shortening URLs, shrinking your tweets if the need arises, and providing you with a list of recent hashtags. It's like having a personal assistant at your side.

It took me awhile to get comfortable with the icons and I'm still trying to figure out how to use Tweetdeck to see who is following me and who I'm following (help, anyone?), but as far as keeping up with goings-on in Twitterland, I highly recommend this tool.

In case you happen to be searching for a 'how-to' for Tweetdeck, I found this great post on Learn It In 5.

References

Barnes, M. (n.d.). Tweetdeck. Learn it in 5: how-to videos for the technology classroom. Retrieved from http://learnitin5.com/Tweetdeck

The Halfway Point

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. -Steve Jobs

With this experiment to 'be a beginner' with Web 2.0 at the half way point, I think now is a good time to pause and reflect on my learning so far. I have reviewed the essential questions I asked myself in my inquiry proposal, and I am pleased to see that I am slowly uncovering the answers about how and why Web 2.0 can enhance learning, teaching and living.

Pam Berger and Sally Trexler (2010) outline the Stripling Inquiry Model by listing the following phases: Connect, Wonder, Investigate, Construct, Express and Reflect. Although I am still at the height of the investigative phase, I concur that it is "not a linear process" (p. 12). I have jumped forward to express/share my learning, while, at the same time, backing up to wonder about the key applications for each tool I experiment with.

While not wanting the steal the thunder from my final reflection, I think it's useful to summarize my current thoughts on each tool I've used so far:

• Blogging: It's taken a few weeks to feel proficient with basic blogging tools such as navigating the dashboard, editing, labelling, posting and fine-tuning the design features of my blog. I feel the focus in the second half will be to find my "blogging voice" and strike the right balance between being engaging and being academic. I am still wondering how to attract readers outside our class to my blog.
• Google Reader: This tool has become a regular part of my school day, as I check in almost daily to stay current. While most blogs I subscribe to continue to keep me interested, I wonder if I can diversify somewhat. How do I find some blogs for my subject areas?
  
• Twitter: This tool is still very much a work in progress for me. I am comfortable with TweetDeck, hashtags, and posting tweets, but I have yet to really dialogue with someone outside my class circle. I wonder how interacting more on Twitter would help develop my my learning base.
  
• GoodReads: On a personal level, I am curious to see if Goodreads is a tool I will be motivated to keep up-to-date. With many demands on limited recreational time, I'm not sure I would prioritize updating my reading lists, etc. However, from an English teacher's perspective, it's a tool I'm excited to share with my colleagues.
• Jing: What's not to love!? I know I will be using this tool regularly at school to show kids how to use tools and to occasionally provide feedback. Now I wonder how I can get our tech department to install it on my computer at work.
  

I have covered a lot of ground so far, and more is to come. This week I am launching into a comparison of Diigo and Evernote. Stay tuned.

References

Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing web 2.0 tools for learning and teaching in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Current Events #7: Can China Hold Back the Tide?

You have not converted a man because you have silenced him. --John Morley

I found an interesting article in The Guardian this week about how the government in China, worried about political crises in the Middle East and the Occupy movement in North America, is stepping up censorship of social media.

To provide some background regarding the rising popularity of social networking in China, here is a short video about Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter:



The Chinese government's negative reaction to the power of social media provides stark contrast to our own approach.

Considering the rising education levels of the people in China, I wonder: Can the Chinese government hold back the tide?

References

Branigan, Tania. (2011, October 26). China to step up social media censorship. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/26/china-social-media-censorship

TheCorpCont. (2011, July 21). Charles in charge (of China's social media)-- the Mark Zuckerberg of China [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo5_px2m8qk

Assessment via Screencast.... Check!

Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. --James Bryant Conant

This morning I got the go-ahead from one of my students to share my first stab at using a screencast to provide student feedback and assessment. Here it is!

I liked the way I was able to talk through the paper and give the student more feedback than I would by way of handing/emailing back an edited paper with comments. (Keep in mind all my students are online.) I am hopeful that this form of feedback will help emphasize the "big ideas" in terms of what I am looking for in an essay. I tried to make it clear what I'd like to see in the next paper... I suppose I'll have to wait and see what happens.

Doing assessment via screencast takes a bit more energy. You have to take a good look at the assignment, then step back and plan out the main points you want to make in your screencast. I wrote a point form script for this first one I did. I'll probably save this method for important assignments or something a specific student has submitted that I really want to talk about. However, I also noticed that it is easier to make some points by talking about them rather than writing in the margin or on a rubric.

For an online school, this method of providing feedback is a no-brainer. But, it has its place in the regular classroom as well. We've all been in the situation where we're handing back an assignment when the bell is about to go. You've spent hours slavishly commenting on each student's work. Yet, as the students rush out the door, you see them stuffing the assignment into their binder and, with a sinking heart, you realize those comments will probably never see the light of day.

Perhaps an email to the student with a link to your comments would be more a more effective way to share feedback than the typical situation I describe above. Just an idea...

Screencasting for the Classroom: Teacher and Student Uses

I saw old Autumn in the misty morn
Stand shadowless like Silence
--Thomas Hood

It's that time of year again. The excitement of Halloween has passed and the cold, dark and wet wait for the Christmas season has begun. A nasty cold has been descending on me all day. I write accompanied by a box of Kleenex and a hot lemon tea. Nonetheless, I persevere on my Web 2.0 quest in the face of such adversity!

Although my experiment to use Jing to assess student work is not yet complete, I have been gathering ideas about how screencasting can be used in a classroom setting.

For Teachers:

• to create "how to" instructions for using technology
  
• to create a narrated guide to useful websites
• to assess student work with commentary rather than pen marks
• to narrate visual tours (with Powerpoint, Prezi, etc.) (Richardson, 2010, p. 123)
• to provide think alouds about the writing process or other learning process up on the screen
  

For Students (very similar to how teachers would use it):

• to create mini-lessons for classmates on everything from math problems, to grammar, to using Web tools
  
• to create their own guided internet tours (Richardson, 2010, p. 123)
• to narrate stories or poetry with accompanying visuals (Richardson, 2010, p. 123)
  
• to provide self assessment of their own work / writing. With their assignment up on the screen, they could discuss what they perceive as their strengths and the areas that need more work, and they could also reflect on the thinking process that went in terms of doing the assignment (meta-cognition).

What is particularly useful about Jing is you (or your students) can provide a link to the appropriate screencast in an email, or it can be embedded it in a class blog, wiki or moodle.

Whereas I am a high school English/Socials teacher, my colleague in learning, Joclyn Beliveau, is a primary teacher and she has her own post here on how screencasting can be used in the classroom. She connects the higher-order thinking required to create a screencast to Bloom's Taxonomy - excellent! Definitely worth the read.

References

Beliveau, J. (2011, October 31). Screencasting - taking thinking to a higher order [web log post]. Retrieved from http://techtasticteaching.blogspot.com/2011/10/screencasting-taking-thinking-to-higher.html

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousands Oaks, CA: Corwin.