Take a few moments to reflect on your journey. You've covered a lot of material over the past ten weeks. What does it all mean? What are your big "take aways" from this experience? How can you, as an instructional leader, inspire others to bring 21st Century learning to the next level in your school or district?
There is an overwhelming amount of information available to all of us via the internet. Becoming educated in Web 2.0 is essential to bring some kind of order to the massive amounts of data. Web 2.0 is about people learning, sharing, and collaborating. It is about learning to use all the resources available in an efficient manner.
I almost need to separate my take aways into personal and professional categories. I really enjoyed all of the experiences with the various tools. I discovered many useful RSS feeds that I check daily. I also subscribe to several podcasts that I listen to while walking the neighborhood. I am now using delicious on a regular basis as it has brought my both my personal and professional bookmarking together and I am so glad I learned how to tag. I am really looking forward bringing my blog and wiki together to create an interactive site with my staff. I envision creating a web page where I can share all the cool sites I run across as well as embedding some podcasts and videos. I want to encourage staff to be active in the wiki and create their own as well. It all fits well into PLC philosophy we have established at our building. The thing I can do to inspire my staff is to start living in Web 2.0 world and model for them the available tools. I can start providing them the necessary PD and give them the time to play as well. If I take some risks with them, I believe they will take risks in their classrooms. It is essential if I ever want to observe 21st century teaching and learning in my building.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thing 22
In your blog post be sure to include the link to your wiki. Then discuss your feelings about using a wiki. How does a wiki differ from a blog? When is one more appropriate to use than the other?
My new wiki can be found at: https://apmspanthers.wikispaces.com/
I really like how a wiki can bring several of the web 2.0 tools together in one place. I think the greatest challenge to all of this wonderful new stuff is having all the different sites to navigate and manage. Again, if it one stop shopping, I will be more inclined to go there and use the tools. It seems like a wiki can pretty much bring it all together once you do some legwork with the other tools. The difference between a blog and a wiki can be somewhat subtle. It seems to me a blog is a little more personable in terms of voice and audience. A wiki feels like a much more collaborative tool that encourages many people to participate. Both have a distinctive place in Web 2.0. Blogs are very powerful in two way communication on a specific topic. The author has a strong voice in the process. A wiki would be more desirable in setting a collaborative tone that encourages everyone to participate equally.
My new wiki can be found at: https://apmspanthers.wikispaces.com/
I really like how a wiki can bring several of the web 2.0 tools together in one place. I think the greatest challenge to all of this wonderful new stuff is having all the different sites to navigate and manage. Again, if it one stop shopping, I will be more inclined to go there and use the tools. It seems like a wiki can pretty much bring it all together once you do some legwork with the other tools. The difference between a blog and a wiki can be somewhat subtle. It seems to me a blog is a little more personable in terms of voice and audience. A wiki feels like a much more collaborative tool that encourages many people to participate. Both have a distinctive place in Web 2.0. Blogs are very powerful in two way communication on a specific topic. The author has a strong voice in the process. A wiki would be more desirable in setting a collaborative tone that encourages everyone to participate equally.
Thing 21
Describe a wiki you found that inspires you to create one of your own. Do you have ideas for how your staff might use a wiki? What hurdles might stand in the way of using a wiki? What would it take to remove the hurdles? Is it worth the fight?
I really found many of the wikis inspiring. The Arbor Hill elementary website was outstanding. I really liked how it provides an avenue for all the stakeholders to contribute to the website. I loved how they incorporated Facebook into their webpage as well. As I looked through it, it was a vehicle of positive interaction between school and the various stakeholders. So often, the social websites are places where kids get bullied or leave negative responses. This school has modeled a positive approach to using a social network to bring their community together. I was very impressed.
We have used wikis in our district to have collaborative conversations across grade levels and buildings. Most of the time, they were developed by our Media Specialist while working on a special project. It is fair to say the concept/tool has not caught as of yet. Like anything else, the limited exposure has been a killer. I think wikis can/will become a part of everyday life very soon. They are practical, user friendly and in short, the way to go. I think the hurdles to overcome is leadership. If I can provide the training and then model how we are going to use them, I can then "require" that some of our everyday school life be accomplished through wikis. An example would be departmental curriculum maps, guides, course descriptions, assessments, etc. be "warehoused" on a wiki. I could absolutely take many of the administrative things I do for staff and create an interactive wiki. The possibilities are endless and the only real hurdles are some PD and and a commitment to working smarter rather than harder.
I really found many of the wikis inspiring. The Arbor Hill elementary website was outstanding. I really liked how it provides an avenue for all the stakeholders to contribute to the website. I loved how they incorporated Facebook into their webpage as well. As I looked through it, it was a vehicle of positive interaction between school and the various stakeholders. So often, the social websites are places where kids get bullied or leave negative responses. This school has modeled a positive approach to using a social network to bring their community together. I was very impressed.
We have used wikis in our district to have collaborative conversations across grade levels and buildings. Most of the time, they were developed by our Media Specialist while working on a special project. It is fair to say the concept/tool has not caught as of yet. Like anything else, the limited exposure has been a killer. I think wikis can/will become a part of everyday life very soon. They are practical, user friendly and in short, the way to go. I think the hurdles to overcome is leadership. If I can provide the training and then model how we are going to use them, I can then "require" that some of our everyday school life be accomplished through wikis. An example would be departmental curriculum maps, guides, course descriptions, assessments, etc. be "warehoused" on a wiki. I could absolutely take many of the administrative things I do for staff and create an interactive wiki. The possibilities are endless and the only real hurdles are some PD and and a commitment to working smarter rather than harder.
Thing 20
Include in your post the name of at least one podcast to which you subscribed. Describe your experience using the various search tools. Which do you prefer and why?
I have subscribed to many podcasts in iTunes U including: MI State Superintendent, MASSP, Inside Michigan Education, Free Is Good. Some additional podcasts that I have been a longtime subscriber includes: Apple Education, MostMac Now and several software tutorials (iMovie, iPhoto). To be truthful, I spent very little time in both EPN and Podcast Ally. I have had great success searching and finding podcasts of interest in iTunes in the past and it is by far my preferred aggregator. I really like iTunes because I search both professional and personal interests in one application. I also like that I am familiar with the software filing system and can easily navigate and eliminate podcasts. Lastly, iTunes allows me to sync podcasts to my iPod as I often listen to my podcasts while exercising or walking the dog. It is all about the multi-tasking :-)
I have subscribed to many podcasts in iTunes U including: MI State Superintendent, MASSP, Inside Michigan Education, Free Is Good. Some additional podcasts that I have been a longtime subscriber includes: Apple Education, MostMac Now and several software tutorials (iMovie, iPhoto). To be truthful, I spent very little time in both EPN and Podcast Ally. I have had great success searching and finding podcasts of interest in iTunes in the past and it is by far my preferred aggregator. I really like iTunes because I search both professional and personal interests in one application. I also like that I am familiar with the software filing system and can easily navigate and eliminate podcasts. Lastly, iTunes allows me to sync podcasts to my iPod as I often listen to my podcasts while exercising or walking the dog. It is all about the multi-tasking :-)
Thing 19
Which podcasts did you find interesting? Identify one or two podcasts and describe how you would use them in your work. (Be sure to include links in your blog entry to the podcasts mentioned)
Unfortunately, I can never get back the first 10 minutes I spent listening to a podcast created by two Colorado administrators (see link below). I did hang in there to listen to the rest where they got into a few interesting topics including the top ten things they didn't teach you in grad school while prepping for the Principalship. The podcast ended with a review of the ipad and some others thoughts on how to incorporate this new technology into the classroom. While this is not a podcast I would subscribe to, I do recognize the value of this tool and its potential to provide information and professional development. I could definitely see myself researching a few quality podcasts on instruction and share them with staff. I have also broadcast Mike Flanagan's podcasts at staff meetings to keep my staff up to date on important state level issues. Podcasting is a great way to communicate and the potential for weekly podcasts for parents is there as well. It could replace some forms of written communication. I have a little experience with podcasts and I do subscribe to a few through itunes.
http://practicalprincipals.net/?p=176
Unfortunately, I can never get back the first 10 minutes I spent listening to a podcast created by two Colorado administrators (see link below). I did hang in there to listen to the rest where they got into a few interesting topics including the top ten things they didn't teach you in grad school while prepping for the Principalship. The podcast ended with a review of the ipad and some others thoughts on how to incorporate this new technology into the classroom. While this is not a podcast I would subscribe to, I do recognize the value of this tool and its potential to provide information and professional development. I could definitely see myself researching a few quality podcasts on instruction and share them with staff. I have also broadcast Mike Flanagan's podcasts at staff meetings to keep my staff up to date on important state level issues. Podcasting is a great way to communicate and the potential for weekly podcasts for parents is there as well. It could replace some forms of written communication. I have a little experience with podcasts and I do subscribe to a few through itunes.
http://practicalprincipals.net/?p=176
Thing 18
What did you like about the presentation you embedded? How might Slideshare be useful in the classroom? out of the classroom?
Using Web 2.0 in your teaching: applications for educational effectiveness
Using Web 2.0 in your teaching: applications for educational effectiveness
View more presentations from Matthew Allen.
I liked the presentation because I thought with some tweaking it could be very useful with my staff. It does a nice job of summarizing what Web 2.0 is and how the tools and concepts can be integrated into all classrooms. Slideshare is an absolutely awesome tool for teachers. It is very much the "Youtube" of powerpoint presentations. Once staff is introduced to the world of tagging, all of these resources become available. I believe this is one of the best tools I have been introduced to.
I liked the presentation because I thought with some tweaking it could be very useful with my staff. It does a nice job of summarizing what Web 2.0 is and how the tools and concepts can be integrated into all classrooms. Slideshare is an absolutely awesome tool for teachers. It is very much the "Youtube" of powerpoint presentations. Once staff is introduced to the world of tagging, all of these resources become available. I believe this is one of the best tools I have been introduced to.
Thing 17
Give a review of the tool you explored - what worked, what didn't work, how might it be used in your personal or professional life?
I spent some time in Zoho Show. It seems to be a very comprehensive online document sharing suite along the lines of Google Docs. It seems to be limited to Microsoft Office and Open Office software in terms of uploading and sharing documents previously created. If you do not use those applications or have the ability to learn other applications, Zoho provides templates for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, email. I played with the presentations part of the suite and it offered a very similar experience to that of Powerpoint or Keynote (Mac). Zoho is a tool that attempts to bring a one stop shopping experience to software applications and users being able to share their work seamlessly. The drawback is two-fold....you first need to populate your users with people who all subscribe to Zoho and also there is a cost factor. I see this as an excellent tool for a small business starting out or expanding. In my particular situation, I don't see the added benefits of the service.
I spent some time in Zoho Show. It seems to be a very comprehensive online document sharing suite along the lines of Google Docs. It seems to be limited to Microsoft Office and Open Office software in terms of uploading and sharing documents previously created. If you do not use those applications or have the ability to learn other applications, Zoho provides templates for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, calendars, email. I played with the presentations part of the suite and it offered a very similar experience to that of Powerpoint or Keynote (Mac). Zoho is a tool that attempts to bring a one stop shopping experience to software applications and users being able to share their work seamlessly. The drawback is two-fold....you first need to populate your users with people who all subscribe to Zoho and also there is a cost factor. I see this as an excellent tool for a small business starting out or expanding. In my particular situation, I don't see the added benefits of the service.
Thing 16
How might you use this tool in your personal and professional life? Think of ways to use this tool with colleagues -- what benefits or challenges do you see?
I like the idea of creating community documents that can be edited by a group people working towards a common goal. It makes a lot of sense as I have often fell victim to the whole gathering several edits and trying to bring it all together. It is often a frustrating experience can often times end up with mistakes. I could absolutely see my teams uploading curriculum maps, pacing guides, departmental policies, etc. Really any "living document" would be an excellent choice to share with others. I uploaded my football playback to share with the coaching staff I work with. We are constantly updating and tweaking and I am the keeper of the file. I find myself having to do all the clean-up and editing for a group of 6 coaches. The only challenge is to get everyone to create a gmail account. On our coaching staff of 6 it will not be a big deal, but a teaching staff of 40 is a task. Factor into district policy the discouragement of personal email accounts on the machines and it hits a dead end in my building. I wonder if there is something our tech department could come up with to allow access but not open up the entire email concern. Also the space limits Google has would at some point come into play. This is an awesome tool with all kinds of potential, but there are many hoops to jump through in my district.
I like the idea of creating community documents that can be edited by a group people working towards a common goal. It makes a lot of sense as I have often fell victim to the whole gathering several edits and trying to bring it all together. It is often a frustrating experience can often times end up with mistakes. I could absolutely see my teams uploading curriculum maps, pacing guides, departmental policies, etc. Really any "living document" would be an excellent choice to share with others. I uploaded my football playback to share with the coaching staff I work with. We are constantly updating and tweaking and I am the keeper of the file. I find myself having to do all the clean-up and editing for a group of 6 coaches. The only challenge is to get everyone to create a gmail account. On our coaching staff of 6 it will not be a big deal, but a teaching staff of 40 is a task. Factor into district policy the discouragement of personal email accounts on the machines and it hits a dead end in my building. I wonder if there is something our tech department could come up with to allow access but not open up the entire email concern. Also the space limits Google has would at some point come into play. This is an awesome tool with all kinds of potential, but there are many hoops to jump through in my district.
Thing 15
Is RSS becoming easier to understand? Do you recognize new benefits of using this tool? Do you remember to check your feeds regularly? Has it become a habit (or obsession!) yet?
I absolutely love RSS and I would say I fall on the obsession side. What I am really enjoying is that I discovered I can subscribe to feeds right through my mail server on my Mac. So I have all me feeds set up in folders right in my email account. I have a one stop shopping experience with my work email, personal email and all of my RSS feeds in the same place. It is one less place to have to go to check things and I now have added my Delicious feed as well. Great stuff!
I absolutely love RSS and I would say I fall on the obsession side. What I am really enjoying is that I discovered I can subscribe to feeds right through my mail server on my Mac. So I have all me feeds set up in folders right in my email account. I have a one stop shopping experience with my work email, personal email and all of my RSS feeds in the same place. It is one less place to have to go to check things and I now have added my Delicious feed as well. Great stuff!
Thing 14
Include your Delicious username in this blog post so that others can view the bookmarks that you have chosen to share. Then reflect on how you think social bookmarking can be used in your work. Does Delicious seem to be a tool that can enhance your productivity?
My Delicious username is mdawsongreen. I believe social bookmarking is an excellent tool to share resources of common interest. I can see my departmental staffs creating smaller networks by content area. It would be well worth the time to sit down and create a common group of tagging terms to share the resources found. I could then us continue to expand the network to reach our entire staff through common tagging procedures. It would very easy for myself and our Media Specialist to share interesting resources as well. I found this to be a really simple way to build a network of learners that can can share their research with others in a very easy fashion. I also liked the ability to import all my bookmarks from home and work into one place. The ability to mark as private was also very appealing. I am going to discuss with my Media Specialist how we can develop a training session for my staff so we can bring this toll to APMS.
My Delicious username is mdawsongreen. I believe social bookmarking is an excellent tool to share resources of common interest. I can see my departmental staffs creating smaller networks by content area. It would be well worth the time to sit down and create a common group of tagging terms to share the resources found. I could then us continue to expand the network to reach our entire staff through common tagging procedures. It would very easy for myself and our Media Specialist to share interesting resources as well. I found this to be a really simple way to build a network of learners that can can share their research with others in a very easy fashion. I also liked the ability to import all my bookmarks from home and work into one place. The ability to mark as private was also very appealing. I am going to discuss with my Media Specialist how we can develop a training session for my staff so we can bring this toll to APMS.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Thing 13
Share your thoughts about tagging. Is tagging a useful way to organize your digital resources and why? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages? What is important to think about before assigning tags to bookmarks or other Internet content?
I love the possibilities this creates for teachers to share their web research. I think tagging is a great tool to help organize the infinite amount of data available on the internet. I could really relate to the mess described in bookmarking. I have hundreds of sites bookmarked at school and it is more trouble to sort through them than it is to do a google search and find potential resources. I can see how tagging will help organize my resources and allow me quick access to places I have already been. The obvious advantage is organizing a lot of information so it can be quickly accessed and shared with others. The amount of research my staff does on their own could potentially be shared by the entire department or entire staff. I also love that is web based and you are not confined to the computer you are working on. I have found that to be most frustrating while working at home. The disadvantages in my mind is it is another place or site you need to go to update and or organize. I also see coming up with a "common language" to tag items as being critical. I look forward to learning more about this. I think if you can overcome a few of these obstacles, the potential for building an active community is there. Finally, the user must always keep in mind that your tags are public so appropriateness should be considered while tagging your information.
I love the possibilities this creates for teachers to share their web research. I think tagging is a great tool to help organize the infinite amount of data available on the internet. I could really relate to the mess described in bookmarking. I have hundreds of sites bookmarked at school and it is more trouble to sort through them than it is to do a google search and find potential resources. I can see how tagging will help organize my resources and allow me quick access to places I have already been. The obvious advantage is organizing a lot of information so it can be quickly accessed and shared with others. The amount of research my staff does on their own could potentially be shared by the entire department or entire staff. I also love that is web based and you are not confined to the computer you are working on. I have found that to be most frustrating while working at home. The disadvantages in my mind is it is another place or site you need to go to update and or organize. I also see coming up with a "common language" to tag items as being critical. I look forward to learning more about this. I think if you can overcome a few of these obstacles, the potential for building an active community is there. Finally, the user must always keep in mind that your tags are public so appropriateness should be considered while tagging your information.
Thing 12
Write about your Twitter experience and be sure to include your Twitter username so others can see and follow you. What do you see as the comparative strengths and weaknesses of microblogging? Do you love it, hate it, or are you undecided? Is there a place for Twitter in your school or district?
I think Twitter is a very simple yet powerful tool. I love the 140 characters or less concept to keep things brief. I added Twitter as a gadget to my blog so it will be easy to find. I am hoping to build this blog page to replace my weekly bulletin that goes out to staff and community.
The strengths in my mind is how quickly you can send out messages on topics of interest. In contrast, due to space limitations, you might be sending out "teasers" that will require your followers to either request more information from you or go on a search for the information to complete the picture. I know I often receive tweets from Jim Ballard (MASSP) via email and I like the fact he can send us legislative updates in real time from Lansing. I am not sure where Twitter will fit into my whole communication piece yet. I guess that makes me undecided. One of the great challenges is sorting through all the great tools out there and figuring out what works best for you. I believe there is a place for Twitter in my school. I am just not sure what it will look like just yet.
I think Twitter is a very simple yet powerful tool. I love the 140 characters or less concept to keep things brief. I added Twitter as a gadget to my blog so it will be easy to find. I am hoping to build this blog page to replace my weekly bulletin that goes out to staff and community.
The strengths in my mind is how quickly you can send out messages on topics of interest. In contrast, due to space limitations, you might be sending out "teasers" that will require your followers to either request more information from you or go on a search for the information to complete the picture. I know I often receive tweets from Jim Ballard (MASSP) via email and I like the fact he can send us legislative updates in real time from Lansing. I am not sure where Twitter will fit into my whole communication piece yet. I guess that makes me undecided. One of the great challenges is sorting through all the great tools out there and figuring out what works best for you. I believe there is a place for Twitter in my school. I am just not sure what it will look like just yet.
Thing 11
Review the widget you selected. Are you getting comfortable with embedding code? Do you belong to other online communities? Are relationships formed online as meaningful as face-to-face relationships? Why do you think MySpace and other social networking sites are so popular with kids today? Have you formed a professional learning network -- your online contacts that contribute to your professional learning?
I selected a survey poll and asked a question we are currently researching at my school. I have used zoomerang in the past so I had some familiarity in this area. I did struggle at first with getting the widget to embed. I think it was more in creating the poll I wanted to use, rather than the embedding process itself. I use Facebook on a daily basis, but I don't find myself building meaningful relationships through the network. That is probably due to the way I use the network which is mostly to post family pictures and keep in touch with old fiends who now live out of town. I don't know if I could build a relationship from scratch using this tool. I think kids like social networks because they can interact with many friends at the same time, while playing games, doing homework, sharing pictures, etc. I think it allows them to stay connected to one another after the school day is over. I know these are some of the reasons my two kids enjoy Facebook. I have not formed a professional learning network, but I do participate in MASSP's network. I do see the benefit and I can see myself starting one in the future for my building.
I selected a survey poll and asked a question we are currently researching at my school. I have used zoomerang in the past so I had some familiarity in this area. I did struggle at first with getting the widget to embed. I think it was more in creating the poll I wanted to use, rather than the embedding process itself. I use Facebook on a daily basis, but I don't find myself building meaningful relationships through the network. That is probably due to the way I use the network which is mostly to post family pictures and keep in touch with old fiends who now live out of town. I don't know if I could build a relationship from scratch using this tool. I think kids like social networks because they can interact with many friends at the same time, while playing games, doing homework, sharing pictures, etc. I think it allows them to stay connected to one another after the school day is over. I know these are some of the reasons my two kids enjoy Facebook. I have not formed a professional learning network, but I do participate in MASSP's network. I do see the benefit and I can see myself starting one in the future for my building.
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