Thing 10

My experience with digital storytelling has been limited to trying out Glogster. I would love to use more tools like this because even though students focus on the images, they tend to go deeper with their research and content as well.

I would like to use the cool tool that Roberta and Kelly were using when I have my students create graphic novels. What was that site?

Glogster

I am trying Glogster with two of my classes. They are doing research associate with Grapes of Wrath. I am finding that their products are a lot more creative and in-depth than if you were doing a PowerPoint or paper.

However, we have had some issues with saving. Sometimes the computers freeze or the pages don't save. The site also can be very slow, which may have to do with how many students were using it. They are in groups, so that helps. Links with video and songs were tricky too. I don't think Websense helps.

Overall, they were good guinea pigs on a cool program. However, there were a few kinks. Despite that, I would use it again.

Twitter

I have not tried it yet. I'm thinking about it, but there was an interesting article in the paper today. It talked about celebrities that use Twitter to connect with their fans. The sad thing is, a number of them have never actually used Twitter. They hire someone to tweet for them. The moral was that you never know who you are actually talking to. You might think it's a celebrity, but it might just be their publicist instead. It was a good reminder that the Internet is not always what it seems and people need to be careful about its use.

Screencasting

I love it!! My second video isn't quite as good as the first, but the computer I was on hated me and I lost it. But, I captured the steps to log on to moodle for the next time I set up accounts with my kids. It's awsome because I can show them how as I walk them through it rather than repeating the directions a thousand times to every student. It might be a lifesaver and a sanity saver!!

Wikis

My 2nd and 4th blocks are currently working on wikis. It is a good way to keep all my energetic boys focused!! The only kink using Moodle is if students don't have an e-mail account. He just created one in Yahoo. I'm guessing you have to have an e-mail for most programs. The really nice thing is the student accounts are already set up in moodle, and their name goes on everything they do so they can't have weird screen names that I can't identify.

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it works!

Thing 9

The lesson on creative commons was a really great reminder for me. While I try to follow copyright, I know I have been guilty of stretching the rules. It is ironic, because I beat citations into my students (practically, not really) but I am not good about citing pictures when I use them. It was also great to learn that there are musicians allowing their songs to be used. It is nice because it is so easy to just grab a song, yet we are so against pirating music so we really shouldn't just use it in our presentations either.

The hard part is reminding myself because it is still easier to just grab something when you are scrambling at the last minute than to follow the rules.

Learning Facebook

When I first joined Facebook, I thought it was just a social networking tool. As Karen blogged, it definitely is a powerful one. I have also learned that you can do so much more. I'm involved in daily pillow fights, and I just added good reads to my profile. You need to go to www.goodreads.com to sign up, and then you can link it to your facebook and your friends can join. It is a place to list and rank books you have read, are reading or will read. Your friends can comment on your evaluations of the books and vice versa. As all tools these days, there is more it can do that I have yet to discover but it has been fun enough so far.

I was talking to a student the other day about how glad I am that I joined facebook. This is how they communicate, and now I am aware of what is available to them. Student council and DECA both have groups to get information to students. I feel that it is an important tool for teachers and one that we need to understand because our students have mastered it and use it every day.

PS-I'm up to 32 friends:)

Facebook

Facebook is becoming a bad habit for me. I still do not know all the fancy gadgits, but I can find friends. Instead of doing my grad school work, I've been searching for friends. It's a little sad when you only have 11 and everyone else has at least 100. I'll never compete with social butterfly Travis. Who knew that social networking could be so lonely?

Facebook

Well, I finally joined the 21st century and joined Facebook. I have no idea what I am doing, but I have 4 friends already:) I know it's hard to imagine me with friends!! I already got a mini tutorial from my students this morning, so hopefully they will help me learn quickly!!

Blackle

I feel like someone blogged about this, but I was reminded of www.blackle.com. It is powered by google custom search, but the screen is primarily black so supposedly it saves energy. A student in my class says that it doesn't really save energy because of the new computer screens, but I think it's an interesting concept.

Technology Implication

I read an interesting article in the paper today about Twitter. I know we have talked often about its uses. People are now using it to find jobs. One woman put out a message to some people she had met at a conference that she was looking for a job. A week later she had an interview, and two weeks later she had a job.

It is also interesting because people are now recommending that those applying for jobs make information about themselves more accessible. They said to link personal web sites, blogs or profiles on professional networking sites, and one woman links her blog to her twitter profile and lists it on her resume for recruiters.

As I was reading this I was thinking about my father-in-law who is looking for a job. He has become discouraged because he cannot just pick up a paper anymore. He feels at a disadvantage because he knows most postings are on the internet, but not only does he not own a computer he does not know how to use one.

It also made me think about all the things people post on blogs and Facebook...etc. Not only are people looking at Facebook to check out potential hires, but they are not interviewing people based on what they post. At a time when jobs are so hard to come by, it seems that we have another responsibility to our students to make them aware of the implications for what they post and also try to help them be aware of how they can take advantage of new technologies in the job hunt. Of course, it would be great if I was aware and knew how to use them first. Thanks to MILI:)

Google Docs

Travis set up a google doc for our curriculum process, and I actually used it successfully!!

More Technology Frustrations

As a teacher, I have always looked up to those that use technology with ease and have such creative assignments. Now that I am trying to use more technology, I am continually frustrated by the school's limitations and wonder how other teachers worked with them.

A colleague of mine created a cool blogging assignment to go with Macbeth. However, the computers at our school only allow so many people to create google log-ons on each computer. (Something like that!) With a couple classes already using google accounts, and many more students creating them individually, the computers are already maxed out. So, if I want to use the assignment, students will have to do it at home. I know all my students do not have computers, and I also think the product would be of more quality and more students would actually do it if it was a class activity.

It is just frustrating that some of us are trying to be innovative and improve student learning, but we do not have the resources to allow us to do so. However, we are encouraged to use technology and criticized when we do not. I just wish people would give me what I need then.

No more gripes, I promise!!

Thing 8

I actually use databases quite a bit with my students. Like many of you, I also had extensive opportunities to use them in graduate school. I thought there was nothing else for me to learn about them, but I love the visual search. I am such a visual person, and sometimes databases are overwhelming for me. Knowing that I can search in a concept map-type format is very helpful!

Google Lit Trips

Another thank you to Travis!!

For those of you teaching literature, go to www.googlelittrips.com. There is a wide selection of novels. You need to download Google Earth, and then you can follow the characters on their journey. There are videos, historical info, discussion/journal questions, photos, and other goodies.

It is very cool, and a fun way to get students into a novel. I am going to use it with Grapes of Wrath tomorrow. We are watching a dust storm. FUN STUFF!!

Delicious Frustration

After touting about how much I LOVE delicious, I have found a bug. And no one wants bugs in their delicious items.

I actually think it is an issue with the blocking mechanisms at the high school (weird) and not delicious (because nothing could be wrong with delicious!)

When I bookmark things at school, they happily appear on my computer at home. However, when I bookmark items at home, they do not appear on my computer at school, and that seriously ruins the point!!

If anyone has found a way around this little glitch, let me know. It is not any fun if I can't delicious:(

Thing 7

Once again, I have a whole pile of papers to grade so I am blogging instead. It's even better, because I used up 30 other minutes watching Obama. I figure my kids don't need to know their grades anyway:)

While I do use google quite a bit, I am amazingly overwhelmed by all the things it does that I am not aware of. I love that I can use it as a calculator and to figure out chemistry equations. It may not be completely useful for an English teacher, but it could be a neat trick to have up my sleeve.

Seriously, I am OBSESSED with Delicious. My classmates knew I would be when we learned about it. I am constantly running across things I would like to use in the future, but I've never been that great with my favorites. I knew that favorites aren't a mystery, but I would forget about them or they would be on the wrong computer when I wanted to use them. Now I have delicious everywhere.

The problem is I keep bookmarking things. I have already bookmarked so much that I don't even know what I have. I figure it will be a fun surprise for a rainy day or to use all that free time I seem to be bored with:)

I think the best part is that delicious lets me save all the technology tips I'm getting that I am of course going to use in the future!!

Thing 6

I have successfully used Google Documents with a colleague to work on unit calendars. It is great because we are not in the same house, so we are able to work on our calendar during the day when we can't easily walk to the other house. It's cool because you can comment and edit on the same document at the same time.

I am also interested in exploring bibliography templates on Google docs. I know that using templates is a little controversial in the English world, but I like the idea of getting students in the habit of knowing they need to cite sources in a specific format. (That was the longest run-on sentence)

As far as Wikis go, I have found some really cool English wikis and I would really like to set one up for my students. It would be really cool for students in multiple classes to interact. My problem is that I am finding the final product very cool, but I have no idea where to start. My Milli goal is to create a wiki for my students by the end of the year, and ultimately I'd like them to create pages.

I'll keep you posted:)

Video Question

Hi everyone~
I had this idea to have my students create a found poem from Book Thief and then set it to music, and maybe include images. I was going to try and use Animoto, but it seems complicated. Any great ideas on how I could do this. I'm sure there is a very easy answer. Clearly I'm showing how much I haven't used technology in the classroom!!

Thing 5

On my way home from school today, I stopped at the Chaska Library and got a library card. I spent much of my youth in the Stillwater library, but suprisingly it was a little intimidating to go get a card. Dumb, I know. It was a much bigger deal to me than it was to the librarians.

After getting the card, I walked around a little bit. I had forgotten how cool libraries are. Somehow the college library doesn't quite fit in. Although, I spent a lot of time there too. There seems to be some comfort at a library.

I'm not sure why I was surprised, but I ran into a number of my students. In fact, there were a lot of students working on computers and homework. It was nice to see that students have a place to go after school and access to technology that we all want to use more of in the classroom.

I have a feeling that I will be visiting the library much more frequently, and I'm thankful because I would not have gone if it wasn't an assignment!!