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.