Your Mountain is Waiting. So, Get On Your Way!

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
--Dr. Seuss

My adventure to explore eight different web tools for EDES501 is coming to a close. It's been a whirlwind of a project as I immersed myself in blogging, Google Reader, Twitter, GoodReads, Jing, Evernote, Diigo and Prezi. I've come out on the other side with a much clearer understanding of how Web 2.0 can support learning and living.

But where to next? If I've discovered anything at all, it's that learning about Web 2.0 doesn't end. Just when you think you've got one thing figured out, a new and brilliant tool will present itself to you. Already, I've got several tools on my to-do list:

• Mindmeister – This mind mapping and brainstorming tool was a missed opportunity in my inquiry. I like how it would support almost any student in any course.

• Wordle – I am interested in this tool to show the weight of concepts, to pull out big ideas from my students, and to embed in presentations.

• Survey Monkey – I am interested in learning more about this tool so students completing distance education courses at our school can provide much-needed feedback.

• Sliderocket – I am moving away from PowerPoint because it’s not in the cloud. I love Prezi, but I’m not sure I always want to work with their canvas. I’d like a more straightforward option, both for myself and my students.

Writing this blog has reconnected me to my love of writing. I stated in my final reflection that a blog is a combination of narrative, journalism, show and tell, diarying, research, academia and design. It has completely captured my imagination. Throughout the past several weeks I found myself myself daydreaming about topics, titles, quotes, links and images at all hours of the day and night. I even dreamed about my blog. I'm absolutely hooked! This may have been my first blog, but it certainly won't be my last.

Next week I'll start work on our annual Animoto Christmas video slideshow that has now replaced the traditional cards I used to mail. With the semester coming to a close and the Christmas season upon us, I wish you a most wonderful holiday with friends and family. Best wishes for a Web 2.0-filled 2012!

References

RetroWilliamTV. (2010, November 3). How the Grinch stole Christmas - Welcome Christmas 1966 [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs4S9o-KESE

from...

Jones, C (Producer) & Geisel, T (Producer). (1966). How the Grinch Stole Christmas [TV]. USA: Cat in the Hat Productions.

Hail to the Hyperlink

Sites need to be able to interact in one single, universal space. --Tim Berners-Lee, Founder of the World Wide Web


A hyperlink is a simple enough tool, but now that I've been blogging for a couple of months, I've come to realize the immense power it brings to the medium. When I hyperlink, I participate in what Richardson (2010) identifies as "connective writing", a new genre that calls for careful reading, clear explanations and communication for the purpose of learning. Those hyperlinks are what separates true blogging from simple posting and/or straightforward journaling.

Links are the driving force of the internet and Web 2.0: they are what make the web, web-like! "Hyperlinking is the foundation of the web. As users add new content, and new sites, it is bound in to the structure of the web by other users discovering the content and linking to it" (O'Reilly as cited in Berger & Trexler, 2010, p. 5). This article on internet pioneers shows that hypertexting, or the ability to jump between documents, was at the heart of the idea for the world wide web.

The irony of this post is that I had a heck of time finding good hyperlinks about hyperlinks, which goes to show that linking is so ubiquitous that it becomes something we take for granted. This blogging project has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect on the value of the hyperlink and how it can enrich our learning experience.

References

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

Griffin, S. (2000). Internet pioneers: Tim Berners-Lee. Retrieved from http://www.ibiblio.org/pioneers/lee.html

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