For anyone who thought they were not tech savvy, you might feel better after reading below:
My daughter has been complaining about an "airhead" type of girl in her speech class. We didn't believe how out of it this girl was until my daughter quoted her asking, "When you load music onto your MP3 player, does it get heavier?"
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thing 16 - Exploring Online tools
Okay, I could spend forever looking at these tools, but I only have until Friday, so I looked at Knowtes because my daughter is always making note cards to study. At first, I thought I would just explore it and pass it on to her, but then, the more I played around with it, the more I thought I could use this myself. I quickly developed 7 cards about the type of things I present to students when I am giving them a library orientation. Evaluting a web page is the title I gave to my cards. I made them true false and it would be a neat thing to use during a presentation since students seem to need to see something in front of them. I really think I could make this into a neat learning tool. I will need to explore the site more and actually read some of the information on how to use the site. I was intuitively able to make the cards but then trying to get to them to study was a little trickier and the part that I would need to practice with. So, it seemed to work okay, if you know what you are doing. Students would need an email if they were going to use this, but it looks like a neat way to make note cards for yourself. I am not sure if I would trust someone else's note cards to study from because I can not evaluate their reliability (hey, that's what I am teaching my students, evaluate where the information is coming from, a student? a teacher? some one who has access to a computer and posts anything?)
I will pass this site on to my daughter, once I figure out more how to use it. (She says she is not tech savvy because she can't program the DVR, but yet she has learned how to download something onto her MP3 player so she might be able to figure this out faster then me.)
I will pass this site on to my daughter, once I figure out more how to use it. (She says she is not tech savvy because she can't program the DVR, but yet she has learned how to download something onto her MP3 player so she might be able to figure this out faster then me.)
Thing 15 - Online Productivity
I can see myself using this already. Well, I guess I did, because during the Explore part, I sent the document I tried to put in my wiki to the teachers I am collaborating with (and RESA). I have done the emailing thing to a colleague in the past and then we loose track of which one we have sent to each other. Actually, I am surprised she didn't know about this then.
For students, I can see great things. We don't supply them with server space and they can only save to specific computers. Most of my students have some type of email address. They always have to do group projects and then someone leaves it at home. This is the answer to the dog ate my homework problem!! Yes, I like it.
For students, I can see great things. We don't supply them with server space and they can only save to specific computers. Most of my students have some type of email address. They always have to do group projects and then someone leaves it at home. This is the answer to the dog ate my homework problem!! Yes, I like it.
Thing 14 - Creating Podcasts
Okay, a question I just realized that wasn't answered in all the information I looked at is that of server space. If you use a blog as your webpage, will you also be able to store the audio file on the server that is hosting the webpage? I would think so, but thought it prudent to ask. Can you use a wiki as the webpage and server for the audio file? And why is an RSS feed a necessity of a podcast? If it is set up with a webpage, can't people just visit the webpage?
Wow, I didn't realize I had so many questions. I would love to use podcasting on a daily basis for our morning announcements. Teachers don't always require students to be quite during morning announcements. And since they are being spoken anyway, why couldn't they be recorded and uploaded to the server so students could access them throughout the day or week? High school students certainly could be trained to do this on their own. Hmmmm, sounds like an independent study type of thing that could happen. Obstacles in my district might be filters. I had one teacher attend the recent Podcasting Workshop there at RESA and came back saying some of the websites suggested to her during the work shop are blocked by our filters. I haven't had a chance to test them all, so I am not sure how true that is or what the objection to open up some of these websites would be (I understand the flickr ones.) And then getting the equipment. . . Hey, I was looking for an idea for a supplemental grant for an innovative classroom idea, looks like equipment for a portable podcasting station might just be the ticket. Always stimulating my ideas, this class.
Wow, I didn't realize I had so many questions. I would love to use podcasting on a daily basis for our morning announcements. Teachers don't always require students to be quite during morning announcements. And since they are being spoken anyway, why couldn't they be recorded and uploaded to the server so students could access them throughout the day or week? High school students certainly could be trained to do this on their own. Hmmmm, sounds like an independent study type of thing that could happen. Obstacles in my district might be filters. I had one teacher attend the recent Podcasting Workshop there at RESA and came back saying some of the websites suggested to her during the work shop are blocked by our filters. I haven't had a chance to test them all, so I am not sure how true that is or what the objection to open up some of these websites would be (I understand the flickr ones.) And then getting the equipment. . . Hey, I was looking for an idea for a supplemental grant for an innovative classroom idea, looks like equipment for a portable podcasting station might just be the ticket. Always stimulating my ideas, this class.
Thing 13 - Locating and Subscribing to Podcasts
I liked the idea of the Education Podcast Network but many of the links I clicked on were dead ends. Also, many of them were over a year old and no new ones posted recently. Podcast Alley seemed okay until I started exploring more and then the word sex came up every where (or at least it seemed to). I don't care for the big search engines like google and yahoo so I'll be honest I didn't even try that. (Plus, I have to get these done by Friday and I was busy downloading iTunes)
iTunes is a bit overwhelming until I remembered from the video to click on podcasts (I started by searching TV Shows). So a thing not mentioned is that some of the stuff on iTunes is free while others is not. But again this reminds me a lot of the blogs. Why do I want to subsrcibe to these podcasts? I don't even have time to watch the news. I did subscribe to the book talk podcast listed in Thing 12.
One of my kids has an MP3 player and one has an iPod. I have been trying to figure out the difference between them because I know I would like to download books to listen to, I know my sister does this, but just random podcasts that I have searched for? I'm not sure if I would do that. Although, I would like to try the booktalks out on students next fall.
iTunes is a bit overwhelming until I remembered from the video to click on podcasts (I started by searching TV Shows). So a thing not mentioned is that some of the stuff on iTunes is free while others is not. But again this reminds me a lot of the blogs. Why do I want to subsrcibe to these podcasts? I don't even have time to watch the news. I did subscribe to the book talk podcast listed in Thing 12.
One of my kids has an MP3 player and one has an iPod. I have been trying to figure out the difference between them because I know I would like to download books to listen to, I know my sister does this, but just random podcasts that I have searched for? I'm not sure if I would do that. Although, I would like to try the booktalks out on students next fall.
Thing 12 - Learning about Podcasting
I am listening to a podcast as I write this. Having a hearing impairment I have trouble hearing everything that is being said (I watch TV with the closed captioning on), but I can tell what a professional sounding podcast this is. It is supposed to be a book talk, but I think she is reading a part of it right now. It is from a high school/middle school and I am wondering how the media specialists have time to practice such a show. Now, I have to remember how to link in this program (ahhh!! we've been using so many, okay I see the link symbol) Okay the site is Hopkinton High School & Hopkinton Middle School Library, the link is http://www.hopkintonschools.org/hhs/library/podcast.html
My physical science teachers do an element unit each year where the students come down and have to research an element or two. I actually get to do a little stunt with them where I play the element song and show them the differences between some of the web pages they are going to use (web site evaluation is not a topic my teachers generally teach students) Anyway, back to the podcasting, this Eagen High School site is an excellent example to show the students and teachers, the different type of projects they could do instead of just making a periodic table on paper. Perhaps they could put a power point together to go with the commercial. How do you do enhanced podcasts? (I haven't looked ahead to see if that is covered.) Any way the link to this site is http://www.eagan.k12.mn.us/fletcher/acn/projects.xml
Other than my previously mentioned hearing impairment, podcasting sounds like a motivation tool that I must get my teachers to use. Wouldn't it be great for speech class? Especially those who don't want to get up in front of the class. They could practice and hear what they sound like.
Okay, onto the next thing so I can figure out how to teach my teachers how to do this.
My physical science teachers do an element unit each year where the students come down and have to research an element or two. I actually get to do a little stunt with them where I play the element song and show them the differences between some of the web pages they are going to use (web site evaluation is not a topic my teachers generally teach students) Anyway, back to the podcasting, this Eagen High School site is an excellent example to show the students and teachers, the different type of projects they could do instead of just making a periodic table on paper. Perhaps they could put a power point together to go with the commercial. How do you do enhanced podcasts? (I haven't looked ahead to see if that is covered.) Any way the link to this site is http://www.eagan.k12.mn.us/fletcher/acn/projects.xml
Other than my previously mentioned hearing impairment, podcasting sounds like a motivation tool that I must get my teachers to use. Wouldn't it be great for speech class? Especially those who don't want to get up in front of the class. They could practice and hear what they sound like.
Okay, onto the next thing so I can figure out how to teach my teachers how to do this.
Monday, June 16, 2008
thing 11 - creating a Wiki - a work in progress
I started my wiki for what I mentioned in thing 10. I loaded an image and tried to put a word document attachment but it did not work like I thought it would. I sent an invitation to RESA and the teachers I want to work on the wiki with me. I also made links to the page. It needs a lot of work, but I think it shows that I can use a wiki space. I like that it combined the RSS, blogs, and other skills we have learned while working on our 23 things. Since it is June 16, and I am running out of time, I will limit what I am doing with this for now.
I think the wiki is a more elaborate blog by all means. There is more that you can do with it. One of those things is to make it more of a webpage. I have a Dreamweaver produced web page so I can get a feel for the difference in making a web page with a wiki and one with an HTML editor. There is a difference. But I also am used to Blackboard and downloading documents to that is very easy. Hopefully I will be able to figure it out in the wiki (once I get my other things done.)
The address for my wiki is http://actclassgchs.wikispaces.com/
I think the wiki is a more elaborate blog by all means. There is more that you can do with it. One of those things is to make it more of a webpage. I have a Dreamweaver produced web page so I can get a feel for the difference in making a web page with a wiki and one with an HTML editor. There is a difference. But I also am used to Blackboard and downloading documents to that is very easy. Hopefully I will be able to figure it out in the wiki (once I get my other things done.)
The address for my wiki is http://actclassgchs.wikispaces.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)