Thing 11.5

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
I really liked all most all of the exercises, but if I had to choose a favorite, I'd probably go with Thing 2 - image generators. I especially liked Bookr. I can see my students using programs like that one easier than others, and I will probably start there as I begin the year with my class. Then we can move into the more complicated programs like Slideshare.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
Having this program available each summer is great! It keeps me engaged in what is current in technology and let's me continue to learn at my own pace. Library2play allows me to study and learn in a comfortable environment on my time. It's the best of all possible situations for learning in the summer for me.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
The virtual worlds exercise was quite mind-blowing! It didn't work for me. I tried it on my home computer first and it wouldn't run, then when I put it on my school computer, it was too hard to figure out. However, it stays in my mind and makes me wonder if that kind of simulation for learning is really possible. I see kids in these simulation games all the time. They love it! Can this really be done so that my class could go on a field trip to a museum in another state/country/around the world all from our school? I definitely need more help with this one.

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
This year I enjoyed it so much more than last year. I suppose it's because I wasn't doing it all for the "first" time because I had done the 23 Things already. It took me a little while on the first exercise to get back into it, then I had no troubles at all getting involved in each exercise. I used to call people to help me out, and this year I was able to do it all on my own, with only a little support here and there. I love it! Keep on with this program! Stay current with what's new in technology so that I can try to keep up as well.

Thanks for putting together another program for this summer. It is time well spent.

Thing 11

Digital citizenship is not new. It's been a topic of discussion before. At our school, our librarian is always talking to all the students about being responsible with technology. I know she will conduct a lesson with the kids before we even get to use the labs at all. So, what I plan may fall short of her lesson, but I'll give it a try:
1. I would start with the graphic above, and encourage discussion of what it means to kids and to me. It came from http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com
2. Take time to explain each piece: let students share their own experiences with technology use at home and at school and relate that to each category. Digitalcitizenship.net has a great link to the Nine Elements that explains each one.
3. I would give students a topic to research on the internet to see how they could apply all the things we talked about in becoming an appropriate digital citizen. I really liked Cool Cat's blog about how kids just take the first piece of information they find and don't bother to look further. They are just trying to get done, and bringing that to light is important.
4. I need to find good resources to support curriculum, and share with students how I found it. We do this in other content areas when we share our thinking, so it seems right to do the same with technology.
5. This would take more than one lesson. It needs to be ongoing throughout the school year. In elementary school we teach citizenship for years in social studies. The same holds true for teaching about digital citizenship.

The article titled Digital Literacy in the Classroom raises an important issue: banning of sites in schools. In our district we still do that. Last year we lifted the ban on many sites and students were allowed to access more of the internet than usual. We started the year with discussions of what it might be like when you come to something that isn't appropriate for you. We didn't let students just come across it on their own, then teach about it. We started proactively by telling kids that they would indeed come across such sites, and discussed what to do about it. As a result, when it happened it was no big deal and the kids just closed that site and went on. That is critical for students to know.

Thing 10

The whole Sim world sounds fun when you read about it, but when I was actually able to get into the simulation it was really hard to follow. I realize that it probably takes time to figure it all out, but it's way too complicated for my 3rd graders. My daughter and her teen friends love playing games like this, so I let them "play" along with me while I tried it out. Even they had a hard time working all the controls and gave up because it was just too hard to understand how to make it work. I think if I had someone with me to help me learn how to do it, I would understand it better and be able to see it's potential in the classroom. Right now, I just don't see it. There is a real draw for this kind of thing with older students though, so I'm sure a much more savvy user than I can see great uses for a program like this one.

Thing 9

Slide sharing is a neat idea. I've done lots of Powerpoint presentations with students of many different grade levels and the tricky thing is what to do after they've presented. I've had students burn copies to disk to take home. We've copied them onto flash drives. Placing slide shows on the web for a bigger viewing audience is cool. The thing about Powerpoint is that kids like to use it even at home for fun. My kids used to make lots of slide shows when they were younger. Now this creative work can be displayed. I looked at all the links and at first I thought 280 slides would be the best because you didn't have to log in and it has a good look to it. However, it wasn't easy to use and since I work with 8 year olds, I need something more user friendly. So, I went to Slideshare. I did have to create a log in, but importing the slide show was easy and fast. I went to my daughter's 6th grade file on Norway to see what she had that would be fun to play around with. She created a slide show called Zoo. It wasn't done for class. She was just experimenting in computer class one day. The show is comical, but not very factual. Go figure. It was fun to look back and wonder, "What were you thinking?"

Thing 8

I was really nervous about this one. I really didn't think I could do it, but it really wasn't hard. The most difficult part was knowing what to say. I kept messing it up so I had to restart over and over until I ended up with something that worked for me. I wanted my screencast to be something that I could really use, so I made it about saving to Norway. My 3rd graders struggle with getting to Norway at the beginning of the year. I love the idea of having kids make screencasts to share with other kids. That's great because I usually have so many students that need help doing something on the computer and I have to train a few experts to help me out. I know they would love making screencasts like these and because it is so easy to do, I can see them really getting the hang of this quickly. I chose to work with screencast-o-matic because I didn't need to download anything to my computer to work with it. It really was just point and shoot. Nice!

Thing 7

My Dell would not run the video on Fair Use, so I gave up on that computer and switched to my own home computer. If the tech guys are reading this blog, I'll be sending a geek request to do something about my Dell. And so, video resources. The sites were full of good videos and the online video world has really come a long way because I didn't have any trouble with buffering. I really wanted to find some videos to support my curriculum so I looked for some on space and on the rainforest. We cover space early in the year, and rainforests come up later in the spring semester. Both videos were really great and the quality is so much better than what I've previously used on United Streaming on the library resources page. Last year I had several students with dyslexia and attention problems. Videos like these would be great resources because they are interesting, the cover topics that we are learning in class, and they are multisensory. We create a foldable of the relationship between ourselves and the world at the very beginning of the year. Videos give me another resource for information instead of using just books with kids reading independently or in small groups. I found myself asking questions during the video, much like you would during reading. This could be a springboard to deeper learning where kids are reading and writing about topics that are most interesting for them.
I'm still a little fuzzy on the whole fair rights thing. I know my librarian will be up to date on this so I'll be visiting with her before school starts to clarify my misunderstandings.

Thing 6

ITouch is so cool! I wish I had one. I just got a Nano, so I don't think I'll be upgrading for a while. My daughter has an Itouch so I got to play with hers for this activity. I downloaded a few apps. She already had lots on her Ipod. I added Geopedia, Fact of the Day, Did You Know?, and KuGon to her apps. These were all free. I really wanted some other apps, but they had a cost attached, so I stuck to the free apps. I was really impressed with all of them.
How to use them in the library...hmm?
1. Using the book reader feature students could download books into their ipods, then meet in the library to read, discuss, and share their thoughts about the books and authors. It is eco-friendly, in that no paper is used, and you don't have to worry about losing the book (unless you lose your ipod).
2. The graphing calculator feature could be used by students in middle and high school to help with algebra and other higher level math courses. Graphing calculators are really expensive. Students use them in those classes on a regular basis. This would be essential for kids in those classes.
3. The apps for keeping track of assignments would be really useful to keep students on track. When something is due soon, your ipod will show the project/assignment, so work can be turned in on time, eliminating the possibility of forgetting it or turning it in late.
4. Let's say you start your day with Fact of the Day, and that leads to burning questions that students want to learn about. They can use their ipods to get online for more research or head to the library to use the resources there to find their answers.
5. Using the Did You Know? app students can share their thoughts about the information displayed each day, building communication and a sharing of opinions.
6. Using ActivBoards you can text in answers to questions through the use of apps.

There are lots of uses for the Itouch. I am so excited about having them in our library. Think of the active participation we could have. Of course, there are also apps for popcorn and milk, so when kids get hungry there's a snack built in, and it's the kind that won't make a mess or ruin the carpet. Ha! Ha! :)

Thing 5

My Dell and I are not on speaking terms tonight.  So, I'm working on a Mac.  That has me frustrated, but in spite of that, I finally got on the band wagon and joined Facebook.  People have been after me to join for a while.  Last year I signed my husband up and I played around on his profile, but for this activity, I decided it was time I joined in too.  Setting it up and using it is really easy, but it is the group discussions that I think will be really valuable.  The chatting with friends and keeping up with what's going on with everyone is fun and exciting, but I can also stay current with the newest trends in education.  All summer I keep hearing about the RTI model and that our school is not a pilot school so we won't get info on it till next year.  However, when I joined the International Reading Assoc.  group, that was the first posting on the discussion board. Cool!  

Twitter was easy to join, but I didn't get to do much with it because my Dell wouldn't let me go to the site or log in once I finally registered.  I used the Mac to see the site and I need to explore it more because I spent more time fighting with the other computer than working on the site.  I did get to see some of the recent posts from different discussion groups and we had some good laughs reading what others were talking about.  I have heard about classrooms of young children that have used Twitter to discuss different topics, talk about books, etc and I'd love to try that.  I set up a wiki last year with my class, but it didn't work for book talks. It was much better for writing than anything else.  

I would definitely use these sites as long as they can be private because my students are only 8 years old.  I know they understand these sites, but not all of my students are allowed to use the internet at home.  Many parents are wary of the internet because they don't want their children visible on the web.  I can see my class talking about what they read, send links to videos about topics we learn in class, etc.  As I sit here typing I can imagine all the possibilities and they are numerous.  I would just have to make sure they were protected first.  I think I would probably lean toward using Twitter with my class because it does not require the huge profile that Facebook does.  It's easier to set up than Facebook.  We start the year off with a study of the Earth, planets, landforms, maps, etc.  They could look for videos to share, websites, interesting facts, share books they have read about these topics, etc.  Think of the real world writing and real audience possibilities.

As far as back-channeling, I can absolutely see this happening in middle and high school.  My daughter would be so engaged in learning if she could use this type of technology.  I don't think this will work in a 3rd grade, however it would if someone was unable to be in class due to illness or some other circumstance.  Will that ever be possible?  Technologically, I know we have the capability, but realistically will teachers embrace this kind of learning so that all students are engaged? 

Thing 4

I was so excited to be working with You Tube for this activity. I watched the video on how to upload my own videos to the site, then I got to work. I really wanted to use one of the Animoto videos I made, but then I decided to use a piece of music my son wrote for his girlfriend. The problem was that I had no video to go with it. I told him I wanted to put pictures of him and his girlfriend over the music, but he refused. It's funny because he already has videos of himself on You Tube, so I didn't see why he would refuse to put still pictures of himself over the music he wrote. Anyway, I imported his song into Windows Movie Maker and after a bit of trial and error, was able to post a video on You Tube called A Song for Laura. The pictures have nothing to do with the music. My daughter took them on a summer vacation a few years ago. So, both of my children had input into the video I uploaded this evening, one wrote the music, and the other took the photos. It's not a great video, but uploading to You Tube is simple. I mean really simple, like even a child can do it. The real learning experience for me was Windows Movie Maker. I've used other movie programs before and none are as easy to use as this one. I didn't use my school computer for this project for multiple reasons that are too long to bore you with tonight. I hope I have this program on my computer so my kids can use it. I definitely need to teach them how to use a digital camera and how to import pictures and store them in their files on Norway.
The benefits I see from putting kids work on You Tube is that they get to see themselves online and their parents can see it as well. Family and friends can also see what kids upload to sites like this one. That is really reinforcing for kids and highly motivational. It would also be awesome to have some teaching videos for kids who don't understand certain concepts, like subtracting across 0 in math. My daughter used the videos from the online textbook at Spring Forest for her algebra homework on a daily basis. They were so helpful. I would love to see something like that for my students who don't feel confident about a topic or skill.

Thing 3

I began reading some of the articles about video calls and it looked really interesting. We actually have the technology for these kinds of calls now. Wow! I downloaded the software and went through it a bit. I know a few people on Skype and it would be great to talk to them over the internet. I don't have a web cam so I'll have to see about purchasing one so I can try this out.
On that note, I wonder if school will have all the equipment to make something like this a reality.
As far as using this in classrooms, I can see this having great potential in middle and high school. I read the manual from the high school in Lake Placid and it talks about potential problems with the connections, etc. That makes me nervous. 3rd graders aren't very patient when computer problems arise and they aren't good about trouble shooting yet. Way back when, we used to have a video conferencing program where you could take your class to the library and view a program and talk to the presenters. It didn't always work and the setup was often frustrating because we were at the mercy of the phone line and the connection. This feels like that, however I'm always willing to try new things and this just looks so cool. So, my husband is downloading Skype on his Mac because he does web casts for a living. He's excited to connect to his colleagues who are also on Skype to see how it all works. I'm planning to work with him, because his computer has a web cam built in and he has headphones that work for his computer, and see what the user potential can be. It looks great and it's easy to find contacts. Let's see where that takes us.

Thing 2

I decided to play around with Wordle, Animoto, and Glogster. Wordle was so much fun. I started playing around with words, then my daugher took over and she made a few pages of her own. This is a great site! Wordle is so easy to use. Once we get Activboards, I would have my students use this for presentations for any content area. It would be great to use with vocabulary, main ideas and concepts, just about anything related to a topic of study. Because it's so easy to use, kids can do this independently.
I think I spent the most time on Animoto. I think I must be one of the last people to discover this site. I've seen it done. I've heard of it, but I never used it myself. Animoto is cool! I made 3 different videos, and I added the one of my family and friends to the blog. This is so much more fun than Powerpoint. Every year we do a project called Houston Proud. It always uses Powerpoint. This would be so much more interesting to watch, especially since we watch 22 shows. Now all we need are enough working computers for all the kids. Ha! Ha!
Glogster was new for me. I'd heard of the other 2 before, but not Glogster. It has lots of potential to replace standard posters for projects. It's super easy to use too. Whenever you use a computer for work instead of paper and pencil you have to change your thinking. Organization of information would be so much simpler using Glogster. My only worry is that there is a real use for posters that stay up in the classroom for a few weeks. We refer back to them all the time and kids enjoy seeing their work posted. I would use Glogster for presentations, but I don't think I'd replace regular posterboard posters completely.
Finally, I spent some time at Bookr. This is a way to make your own books from photos posted to several picture sites. It was another really easy program to use. This particular site lets you create books with pictures and your own text. I was able to put together a book in no time at all. I chose to do my book on landforms because it's one of the first topics we cover in science. The book we usually make takes a very long time to create because it is all hand done. I wonder if you could save work done in Bookr to a wiki. I set up a wiki for my class last year as a writing tool to begin introducing them to writing on the web. That could end up being a place for us to view the work done in this site and animoto as well. I'll have to play around with that and see what I can figure out.
These are great sites! If you haven't played around with them yet, get going. You're missing out.

New Avatar

Okay, I just had to add a new Avatar. This is my new dream. Perhaps in Hawaii it isn't as hot as it is here in Houston.

The Networked Student; The Movie

I have to say I was a little nervous to take on the next step in Library 2 Play. Last year was really mind blowing for me with the 23 Things. But as I watched the video, I realized that I actually understood all the different parts discussed in the movie. When it mentioned using the reader to keep the blogs organized, and using the RSS stream I wasn't completely at a loss for this new language.
Since I blogged last year, my son has graduated from high school. Unfortunately, he did not graduate from a Spring Branch school. Currently, he does not use My Space, Facebook, or even email to communicate with his friends. He uses his cell phone for texting, but he does not have the computer knowledge that the student in the video had. It was very disheartening to watch where we are going as a school district and know that he missed out on that.
This brings me to my own personal question, not necessarily one that I want the answer to right now. What can I do in my 3rd grade classroom to open the door for my students so they can have the technological skills they need to participate in the world outside or doors? As I go deeper into the 11.5 Things I hope to find the answer to this question.