Mashups

The term mashup brings forth images of my husband's dinner plate where everything is lumped into an unappetizing mess. When I looked at mashups I saw that -yes - they are made from a mixture of different Web 2.0 tools, but unlike the dinner plate, the end result is very cohesive and well put together.

As I was on an airplane when I started my research, I began by reading the book, How To Do Everything with Web 2.0 Mashups by Jesse Feiler. From her I learned that mashups are a "dynamic combination of data from multiple sources or in multiple formats" where "the presentation enhances the information."(page xv) Mashups "synthesize the information so that everything is presented 'at once' rather than through numerous links." She went on to say this makes it much easier for the user as less time is wasted browsing through sites and everything is at your fingertips. It sounds great, but you still need to know what you are looking for and how to find it.

Mashups can be used to sell things, provide information, or create art. Fowler gives several examples of each use in her book. Everything from real estate sites complete with maps and house information, to advertisements and business presentations. The rest of her book became more technical as she discussed in detail how to create a mashup. She explains clearly and goes step by step, but it is intended for someone who is familiar with different scripts and API's, so I started to feel overwhelmed. I did get the sense that if I had lots of time, I could probably create a mashup from scratch using Google and Flickr.

Luckily for me, my plane landed and I was able to go on line to do more research. My first task was to google Voicethread and Animoto. Both home sites were great and to my intense relief showed me that others had done all the hard work outlined by Fowler and things were much more user friendly.

I went first to Voicethread . It calls itself a "simple tool for web collaboration where groups can have conversations that are collected and shared." As I looked through various examples, I realized it does just that. I looked at one site  that had numerous family photos and different people had commented on the specific photos. It was very easy to move from picture to picture and to zoom in on certain parts. The picture being discussed was in the centre, and small pictures or icons of the people who made comments were around the outside edge. To listen to what someone said, you simply clicked on their picture. Some people had recorded their comments: you can do this by phone, webcam or microphone. These you heard. Others had typed in their comments. These appeared as speech bubbles next to their pictures. Another example showed a child's drawing with an explanation spoken by the child. Various teachers, friends etc. had commented about the picture on the outside. This seems to me to be a great way for students to present something, and then get all types of feedback on it. Or, one could put in historic pictures or documents and students could add their comments. Much like a group discussion, but done on line and kept for others to share.

The other example  I looked at was created by an art history teacher for her students. It showed the interactive ability of voicethread in that, as she talked, her 'doodles' to highlight specific parts appeared on the painting. The lines disappear in 5-7 seconds, and she was also able to use different colours to show different things. Students responding were also able to make annotations. This would be awesome for any online course, or for specific lessons you know need visuals to be really clear. I think it would be great for students to create mini-lessons  and share with the class.

Voicethread has an education section which gives a long list of suggestions for how to use voicethread with students. It also claims to help students to find their 'voices'. I agree in that every time students present, they get better and learn more about themselves. I also like that it takes the onus off of them being 'up front and centre' when sharing their knowledge.

The best part about voicethread for me, is the accountable environment it has created. All accounts are private by default and all comments must be approved prior to being made available to others. The teacher who creates the site, controls who gets to edit, view or comment on a site. This is great for those who worry about child safety issues primarily because it eliminates 'bad' feedback or inappropriate comments that could hurt a student. The other part is that the 'creator' can decide to keep it private (among a chosen few) or go public so all can see. Although I believe in giving students control over their learning, I like the idea of the control on this site.

Animoto was quite different from voicethread. It is much flashier and promises to "bring your classroom to life in a magically easy way that grabs attention and creates a visual context."  It creates a polished end product rather than providing an interactive site like voicethread. I looked at several 'productions' and they were very polished. I saw it used by a student to create an anti-bullying video, a teacher provide a mini-lesson and another mini-lesson using a podcast. I can definitley see how these productions would grab the attention of most students. They are quick, flashy and have music. 

The trailfire article "Creating A Simple Library Video  with Animoto"  had lots of information although it was a bit overwhelming. However,  I decided to try to create a production. It was very easy to sign up and it walked you quickly through the steps. Animoto gives you options to download pictures, use your own from your computer, or use theirs. For simplicity, I used theirs. At first I had difficulty moving them around, but soon got the hang of it. I was told a 30 second short could have 12-15 pictures, but in reality, I could only get 9 in if I didn't want anything cut. It was easy to put in text, and I was glad to see that they limited your word count. Most students tend to put too much reading in their presentations. After your pictures are done, you select your music. Again, you can choose your own, or one of their selections. There was an error in saving my pictures, so I had to redo that part, but afterwards the computer put it all together. The end result left out some images, so I edited and reproduced. I saved it to my facebook page and it can be seen there.

Joyce Valenza in her article, "Announcing: Animoto for Education" says it is an easy way to grab attention, produce professional public relations products, archive events or visually showcase best work. She's right. People are always impressed by 'flash' and that is what Animoto delivers. She also points out that some people object to Animoto because the process does not encourage creativity or higher level thinking. To a certain extent that is correct. It did not take any critical thinking for me to produce my 30 s. short. I did however have to plan what I wanted to say, select the images I wanted and decide what music would best suit my message; so although I was not responsible for the final product, it was my creative input that provided the nuts and bolts that produced the end result.

I don't think anyone would want to have students rely on Animoto for all their assignments, but it is certainly appropriate for the type of work mentioned above. I mentioned it to a colleague at a workshop I am attending, and she loved the idea. I'm also going to share it with the teachers at my school in the fall.

 

As a teacher I can see how Animoto would be a great way for students to plan the content of a piece, such as the public service announcements my students did on sustainability last year. It is fabulous for when you want flashy results, but don't want students to spend forever creating them once they have decided on their content and shown their understanding. I can see more uses for voicethread, although again I'm not sure that it is more effective than a well organized small group discussion. I like the fact that it is more permanent however, and available to more than just the 'group' that would discuss around a table. I love the idea of using both forms, and perhaps trying some other mashups with Google maps, to help deliver curriculum to my students. You can create great lessons, share them with other staff, and have them collaborate to hone and improve them. Both tools definitely have a niche in our education system, but I still think we need to hang on to our old, conversational and presentational techniques as well. All things in moderation.

Wiki Spaces

The concept of everyone working for the common good is certainly not new. Various groups throughout history have attempted to develop societies where everyone lets go of personal ownership and works for the betterment of all. Unfortunately, it hasn't always worked. Wikispaces, however, are showing that people from different societies can work together for the common good, without concern of ownership in a system based on a free market principal with no barriers to accessing and passing on of knowledge, where the users self regulate the information and misinformation can be corrected immediately. (Terry Freedman, page 85, Coming of Age). As with any utopian sounding system, there are those who doubt. John Bidder (page 87, Coming of Age) talks about how many distrust wiki due to its openness, while others worry that "anyone can amend information so contentious issues can be passed on as facts and inaccuracies can go undetected." (page 85, Coming of Age) Many teacher librarians worry about its reliability when 'experts' aren't in control of the information, but wiki is about so much more than just the information outcome. 

Both Freedman and Bidder discuss the positive learning outcomes for students. They both point out that Wiki empowers students to become specialists in their own areas. It encourages collaboration and teaches students how to work together; to discuss and question the validity and style of written material. " What is most important is not the source of information, but the pupil's ability to evaluate its plausability and accuracy using a range of techniques." ( Terry Freedman, page 85, Coming of Age) Because it is community driven, it builds teamwork, provides leadership opportunities and teaches students social interaction skills. (Freedman and Bidder, pages 85-88, Coming of Age) As I see it,  wikis give students ownership of their learning and make them into thinking contributors in the learning process rather than receptors of knowledge dished out by teachers. It also allows teachers to teach the necessary 'techniques' that develop critical thinking skills in students. It encourages collaboration and working towards greater knowledge rather that who gets the best mark. One difficulty I foresee in this from a teacher perspective is the assessment. I have long used group activities and collaboration in my classroom, but have never used those in formal assessments as you need to assess each individual on their own merits. For every wiki 'project', teachers will have to ensure they also create some type of assessment that allows for each individual to show their personal learning and understanding of the expected learning outcomes.

As I delved into the world of wiki, I explored numerous sites. I saw some very positive things, such as the wiki on Global Warming which was incredibly well laid out, clear in the explanation of the different aspects of the 'space' and offered great guidelines for anyone wanting to contribute to the site (by encouraging respectful behaviour.) The contents page explained how you could look things up, while the main page had all sorts of relevant, current information. There was a link to a community portal that was very welcoming and let you know what other sites required input. It was very sophisticated and easy to get around.

Another positive was the site created by a teacher for his students to collaborate on study notes.  The site was protected, but I looked at the study notes created for King Lear and the links that had been added and was impressed. It was a very simple site, but clearly useful for any student wanting to review. The beauty of it in my mind is that it encourages students to review material over and over. First they have to discuss what is important to put on the page, then they have to put the information in, then they re-read to edit, plus they reread again to see what others have added and they continue to discuss.

In my AVID 9 class, students are required to participate in self directed tutorials on a weekly basis. At times, tutors come down from the high school to help guide the tutorials, but at other times, no tutors are available and kids are on their own. I can see these wiki spaces being an excellent place for them to put in their Cornell notes on a given topic, where other students not in that specific tutorial, or students requiring the material at a different time of the year, could all contribute. Also, tutors could look at the material when they were available and add to the discussion. At the end of the year, everyone would have a great set of collaborative notes to help them prepare for their final exams. Actually, any group of students can produce any wiki, for anything they are studying. I've had my students create collaborative notes in Social Studies on paper that gets circulated, but the wiki would be a far more effective forum. My only concern, is getting enough lab time to give them adequate access to computers.

Unfortunately, I also came across numerous sites that had not been updated in several years. It seems to me that wikis need to be kept current. If wikis are about the sharing of knowledge and a site is not developing or growing with new information, then perhaps the information is better suited to a different medium. Some other wikis were extremely sophisticated and clearly targeted to an 'expert' group. One example of this type of wiki is Planet Math.  I tried searching through a few math terms I thought I was familiar with, thinking my AVID students might benefit in tutorials, but it was way over my head and it felt like you needed to belong to the ongoing conversation, and have a degree in mathematics, to really understand what was going on.

After visiting one of Joanne's trailfire links , I decided to attempt creating my own wiki. I decided to try the wikispaces link because I liked what Will Richardson had to say about them in his book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts. (pages 55-69) He made it seem easy. Also,  two years ago I attended a presentation by a teacher who used wiki spaces and although my efforts then never really got very far, I remembered her enthusiasm. 

 I chose to set up a library site that my students will be able to use in the fall. It is called Phoenix Book Talk, and I'm hoping that interested students will sign up to log on and talk about the different books they are reading. Also, if any student wants suggestions for books to read, they will be able to go on the site and see what other students are reading and what they think of those books. It was really easy to do, and I had my daughter go in and sign up as a contributer. (I made it a protected site). It is still in its 'construction' stage, but I'm hoping that by September it will be an inviting site that many students will want to visit.

I'm beginning to understand why that teacher I heard two years ago was so excited about wiki spaces. I don't think that wikis should be used as a sole research tool, as students need to double check that the information is accurate, and no one should use only one source when researching. I also agree with John Bidder that students need guidance to truly experience and appreciate the power of a wiki space (page 88, Coming of Age), but with the ability to protect and manage what goes into one's 'space', and the ability to empower students in their learning journeys, I truly think we have created an idealistic, collaborative work environment.

Virtual Libraries

The term virtual library conjures up pictures of a Princess Peach type character running through stacks of books in a Nintendo created library. I can see her going through the stacks and finally pulling out a specific book, then as she removes it, the text opening in front of you for you to read. My foray into virtual libraries proved me wrong, although I still like the image.  As I searched for virtual libraries I found that their were many: general information sites, university sites, government sites, and specific subject sites. Each site promises a world of digital resources, all organized and available. The sites I explored, Virtual Library and Bibliomania had their information organized differently. The Virtual Library had its subjects listed alphabetically. When you chose a specific subject, for example The Arts, it gave you subheadings with a short descriptor under each one. I tried Education first, but was told it could not connect to the server. I chose Art History and it then gave an alphabetical list of all of the topics related to Art History.  there I ended up in the Intute site which promised that each resource was evaluated and categorized. I tried various key words to search for specific information but was not overly successful. In Bibliomania, their content was organized into general categories: text, study guides and reference. The text was then subcategorized into fiction, non-fiction and genres. From there you were asked for a specific author. I also looked at the archives in the University of California, but found it to be very specific and dry. What I learned from this was that as you search for material in virtual libraries, you really need to know what you are looking for, and you need to know what types of tags or keywords will help you to hit paydirt.

On line, I discovered thousands of virtual libraries.  As I happened to be in the Vancouver Regional Library (VIRL), I asked the lady behind the counter what she knew of virtual libraries. Before we could continue, I first had to define virtual library to her. She directed me to the libraries on-line services (digital resources) There, they have links to librarian approved websites, over 10,000 full text magazines, newspapers, journals, encyclopedias and reference materials, and thousands of eAudio and eBooks.  The access is simple. You select a subject, enter your library card and away you go. The categories were easy to read through(alphabetical) and the subheadings were clear and straightforward.

In my exploration, I found a very interesting study entitled,'Virtual Libraries on the Web, Dream or Reality?'  done by Tula Giannini, an associate professor at the Pratt Institute (University of Conneticut) . She is also a Dean. Unfortunately, I could not find a date of publication, but her conclusions were enlightening. In it she compares the 'real' library (a physical library) to the virtual library  (access to information limited to the internet and the web.)   Her definition of the two terms makes complete sense to me, so for the purpose of this blog those are the definitions I will use. 

In her study, Giannini had 22 students do research in both worlds. The results showed that students really enjoyed having a librarian that they could speak with face to face. They found that they were more focussed in a library and their time was managed better. They also felt more assured in the knowledge that the information they received was reliable, and relevant information was easier to find. A library provided students with an instant learning community. Most students also found it easier to read a book than a screen. On line on the other hand, was far more convenient and easily accessible. They also felt the material on line was more updated and current, although they struggled to find relevant material in the overwhelming amount available.

Giannini summarizes the concerns about on line resources by stating that "in a virtual world... distinctions are increasingly blurred between communication and information, published and unpublished, private and public, free and fee, author and reader, written and spoken, edition and update, original and copy, permanence and progress." He concludes that "more online searching instruction and research help is needed." It seems to me that virtual libraries need virtual librarians that can be reached easily and can help students to find what they are looking for just as a real librarian does. I also think that with the way social networking on line is advancing, students can more readily create an on line learning community like the one found in a library.

At our school, our technology expert encourages students not to 'Google' for information, but to use  specific research sites like Ebsco (also used by VIRL) or the Thompson Gale online databases . She is trying to ensure students are accessing creditable materials. and that they are reading at a level appropriate to them. It is the start of the teaching kids how to use the internet in responsible ways that benefit their education. We still have a long way to go in teaching them that just because it is printed, doesn't make it true.

The virtual library sites that I visited, showed me that some of Giannini's concerns are being dealt with. Librarians are starting to compile on line materials that have been researched and found creditable. They are assembling and managing on line materials. This is a huge step. Many sites however, still don't make it easy to find what you are looking for. There is a ton of information and the organization is inconsistent and hard to navigate through. As a librarian, if I can create a list of virtual libraries that have creditable materials at an appropriate reading age for my students, then I have saved them countless hours and they can proceed knowing that what they research is 'ok'. If I can also teach them how to choose keywords that help them with their search, so much the better.

My initial image of Princess Peach in her virtual library, then, is not so far removed from what I feel is needed to make them work. Giannini concluded that real libraries need to integrate with virtual libraries to enhance learning. We need the best of both worlds to truly have an exemplary experience. The virtual world needs to have reliable resources, an abundance of full-text availability, a connection to other learners, and easy to use search engines to enable students to find relevant materials. If real libraries can provide the space, equipment, materials and guidance for people, then virtual libraries will be used more frequently. People need guidance, and they need to be shown how to properly access and use these tools to make them worthwhile. I see that as an important role of any librarian today.

Podcasts

"It would be a pretty cool school that let kids create podcasts." Those were the words uttered by my friend's fourteen year old son as he allowed me to interview him for my first podcast. The idea of kids creating 'radio shows' is not new, but the computer age certainly makes it easier. In Coming of Age: An Introduction to the New World Wide Web edited by Terry Freedman, Chris Smith in his article 'Diary of a Potential Podcasting Junkie,'  likens podcasting to the old ham radio hobbyists (pg. 57). As my father was very keen on ham radios and loved to go on about how wonderful it was to listen to them and create his own shows, I could relate. Smith goes on to point out that the difference with today's podcasts however, is that they are portable and can be listened to whenever you want, not just when they are transmitted. What I like  is that their creation is possible for anyone with an ability to record on their computer.

Prior to creating my podcast, I went on line and decided to look at a few. The first ones I got to were Penguin Podcasts at www.mefeedia.com. These were authors discussing their books and I felt like I was listening to CBC radio. It made me think that podcasts could be used for book review, or book talk, presentations that kids could listen to prior to taking out a book. Much like some record stores have 'listening' areas for albums.

The second site I went to was on itunes. They had some very interesting podcasts dealing with a wide range of subjects. I really enjoyed watching 'The Coolest Stuff on the Planet' which is part of Howstuffworks.com. The podcast was about lakes, specifically Lake Baical in Russia. The podcast included some great slides, had interesting information and was presented as a very conversational, informal discussion between two people.

I could definitely see myself using it in a geography lesson or as an example to students as to what could be done with a podcast. I have had students create slide shows with power point for several years, but adding a voice to it and making it a podcast would be so much more effective and powerful. It would also allow for those kids that don't like to stand in front of the room and discuss their slides, to present their information without being 'on the spot.' My next attempt at creating a podcast will have to have slides attached. I wonder if it can be connected to power point?

As I looked through the itunes podcast site, I discovered that you could: search for podcasts in numerous ways, that you could choose specific episodes or get all podcasts done by a particular person. You could subscribe and/or unsubscribe, see the show notes, share links, add things to your playlist, and generally organize your podcasts. Essentially, it is an aggregator.

 The creation of my podcast was definitely a joint venture. My daughter first played with the Macbook to see what the best way to record would be. We decided Garage Band was the easiest way to go. She and a friend practiced recording and editing, then showed me how it was done.

I couldn't believe how easy and fun it was! We then saved the file and as an mp3 file and tried to get it uploaded. We created a podcast 'blog' on iWeb, but found it cost over $100 to be able to upload to their server. So I returned to my text. I found the section on how to publish your podcasting (pgs. 116-119) in Will Richardson's book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts very confusing. I read it through, then had my friend's daughter go through it, but we got nowhere very slowly. We tried joining Ourmedia.org, but had issues with the password. We explored the Feedburner.com site, but of course, had yet to get a url. We googled and watched numerous how to videos, but three hours later still had no luck. I finally went to podOmatic.com and managed to upload my podcast quickly and easily.

Richardson had some great ideas for using podcasts. My favorite was his suggestion of a school radio to keep everyone up to date on  what is going on around the school. I have long found school newsletters to be incredibly ineffective as a way to communicate with parents. Very few middle school students bother to take them home. They are left lying around the school, parents are uninformed and paper is wasted. With 'podcast central' people could have a link to the podcasts and listen to what is going on. If they don't have time one day, they can listen whenever they want. Since most students and many parents have ipods, they could keep connected easily and listen at their leisure.

My suspense unit in English 9 would have benefitted greatly from podcasts. My students wrote their own short radio plays and they would have loved to record them and listen to them. Last year we tried taping some parts, but podcasting would have been much easier and more fun. Again, I have concerns about accessiblity to computers, but if done collaboratively in groups, you would only need five or six laptops for the entire class. I am eager to listen to more student podcasts to see what else can be done with this amazing tool.

Social Bookmarking

To quote an old, but true saying, learning is a journey. Before you leave, you have to know where you are going. When I first heard of social bookmarking last week, I knew I was travelling into utterly new territory, so I decided I had better get some information before I went anywhere. You need to be prepared before you take a road trip.

My first information came from travellers more familiar with the route. Laura K. Brooks, in her article "Old School, Meet New School Library 2.0" mentions del.ici.ous. Miguel Guhlin in his article, "The CTO Challenge: Building Your Personal Network," talks about both del.icio.us and diigo. Both authors see them as excellent organizational tools for reading on the web. I then watched the Youtube video  'Social Bookmarking in Plain English' which dealt primarily with del.icio.us and the demo video at www.diigo.com/index to learn about diigo. What I learned was that the two tools, although both used for organizing reading, are different. Delicious lets you gather and share bookmarked websites, while Diigo lets you bookmark sites and have online conversations about them. 

In order to gain more information, I then read our text, Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts by Will Richardson.  He helped to further define the differences between the two sites pointing out that  with Diigo, you can save links, annotate, tag, organize and share. He says it enables you to read and connect with what others read to create a community of researchers gathering information for you. Miguel Guhlin called it a personal learning network (PLN).  Del..icious, on the other hand, is more about sharing links with others. It offers less options. 

As I read through the chapter on 'The Social Web' in Richardson's book, I found certain alarm bells going off. First, I was troubled by the comment that in a traditional classroom most student work is done in isolation (pg. 86). I feel my classroom is fairly traditional in many ways, yet my students are encouraged to collaborate and peer assess at every opportunity. I know this is true of other classrooms as well. I don't know if this has increased because of the way we look at learning due to the internet or not, but I do know collaborative groups have been around far longer than the world wide web, they were just far more limited because we could not connect globally like we can now. My other concern is that many classrooms don't have access to computers all the time. In our school,you need to book the lab., and they are not always readily available. If you base your lessons on computer based activities, you might end up doing a lot of filler activities until you can get to the lab, or you get the lab, and the server is down.

The other alarm bell comes whenever I consider time. It is fine to say that now we can access  people who share our  interests and learn from them by looking at their reading lists and getting into discussions with them, but in my head I think,"I can't even read all the things I've chosen to read, how can I now start to look at countless articles others have read and discuss them in a meaningful way?" It is like when you attend a great pro-d workshop and go back to your classroom gung-ho to implement all the things you've learned. You try the first few then the rest remain filed away and forgotten as the next pro-d opportunity arises and more information is sent your way. I'm not seeing the difference between that and bookmarking articles that I never really get the chance to see. I am a strong proponent of quality not quantity

and although I see how the bookmarking cuts down on the quantity and gives us better quality because others of like mind and interest have selected them, it is still more than my brain will be able to deal with in a meaningful way.

I've taken a side trip , and need to get back to my journey. I now felt I had enough information to hit the road and try out the bookmarking sites. I followed the route provided by Will Richardson (pgs. 91-91) and found it utterly enlightening. I started by looking at the George Seimens' article on Connectivism, then went back to join Diigo. I was somewhat frustrated as it took quite  a while for the confirmation email to arrive, so I went to check out Richardson's connection to del.icio.us. I tried out the tag connectivism and, low and behold, one of the articles that popped up was Seimens'. I tried to look for the highlights Richardson had mentioned, but got frustrated and pulled into a rest area. My Diigo confirmation email was now in so I put in my diigolet button and explored the site.

I again pulled up the connectivism article and finally managed to see Richardson's highlights and stickys. I tried my own highlighting and found it very easy to do. I could not however manage to get my diigo account to link to my blog. (I have put my diigo link on my blog and have Myblog listed as one of the items on my reading list in Diigo). I noticed that Diigo also has a link to Delicious, and made a note to check that out later. I checked out another bookmark site, Blinklist, but found it to be smaller than the other two. It described  itself like 'itunes for web pages.' I did not get an opportunity to check Furl.net or ScuttlEDU. I need a lot more time to fully explore this tool, and the fact that  add on tools are constantly being created makes the task somewhat daunting.

Everyone I read who wrote about these bookmarking sites had suggestions for how to use it in a school setting. There were countless suggestions for using it for professional development, for collaboration with other teachers, for student research and for student collaboration. There were also suggestions for creating library reading lists and on line discussions about books. The suggestion that I liked best, was one that helps to answer a concern I had on my first blog entry. I love the idea of using it to give students feedback on their work. The idea of leaving feedback on student blog posts by highlighting and leaving annotations fulfills my need to interact with my text when I read or mark assignments. The fact that students can then collect the feedback across their posts to get an overview is amazing. How great is that for report cards? or just for parents to be able to see the feedback their child is getting?

I have started on this road trip and can see it is going to take many repeat journeys to be comfortable with where I am going. I'm also going to have to take a lot of side trips to keep abreast of the changing road conditions.

Videosharing

My first introduction to Youtube occurred a few years ago when a student in my class eagerly called me over to show me something on their computer. What he showed be was a video of my two sons skateboarding. It had absolutely nothing to do with why we were in the lab, but it was cool to see my boys doing what they love best and my students enjoying it. Until two years ago, the only real exposure I had to Youtube was through my children: watching The Mighty Boosh episodes, or skate videos. 

In 2007/2008, I had the pleasure and privilege of having a student teacher in my classroom. She was incredible, and, being young, taught me all kinds of things about using the web to help me with my planning. We were jointly planning a unit on advertising, and I mentioned we needed to find some examples. "No problem," she said, "I'll just go on Youtube." Every time we were looking for something, she either googled it or went to Youtube. It changed the way I did my planning. I still use all my old files, but now, I also turn to the web for support materials.

When I did a unit on suspense in radio plays, I went to Youtube for the original radio broadcast, when we read the Old Man and the Sea, I went to Youtube for both the movie and the version created by Alexander Petrov with drawings. A few months ago I got a tablet and LCD projector in my class. This connected me and my students and encouraged me to use the web even more while teaching. I really believe that every classroom should be equipped with these machines. They enable teachers to use and share the technology with their classrooms.

I had never before seen or heard of Teachertube, so I eagerly went to the site to see how it differed from Youtube. I looked at a video on Ben Franklin produced in a grade two classroom and a simple explanation by a teacher on how to use a Box and Whisker plot in Math. Deciding to see if there was anything covering the curriculum I teach, I tried to find "Sorry, Wrong Number," one of the radio plays I had covered with my students. Here is where I found the key difference between Youtube and Teachertube. "Sorry, Wrong Number," is a professionally produced and previously broadcast play, and is available both on Youtube and Google video, but not on Teachertube. Teachertube, as promised, is "an online community for sharing instructional videos." I then tried searching for material on the War of 1812 and hit the jackpot. There were numerous instructional videos, and a great song/picture video that used humour and quick images to get the British perspective across. I wish I had discovered this two months ago while covering the material with my Grade 9's. I know they would have enjoyed it a lot more that the Canada: A People's History version that we viewed.

I love that the videos on Teachertube are produced by teachers and students in their classrooms. So much of the work we get students to do never gets seen outside of the classroom, and this allows for everyone to be able to share in the brilliant work produced by some students. This year, after attending a sustainability symposium with my students, I assigned them to create P.S.A.'s (Public Service Announcements) on some aspect of sustainability. Our school media teacher gathered examples of P.S.A.'s off the web for them to get an idea of what was required. They worked in groups, and had to produce storyboards prior to being allowed to videotape. We 'published' some, by putting them on our school television, but how much better would it have been if they had published to Teachertube and shared with others. A note for anyone wanting to try P.S.A.'s but not having the video equipment: digital cameras that take short video clips can be used to gather the footage and then can be edited when put on a computer.

Videos offer far more for a teacher that lesson planning aid and student involvement, they also provide an amazing amount of professional development. The simple fact that you can instruct us to watch something like 'Social Bookmarking in Plain English" on Youtube to learn about it, proves my point. In our district, a great deal of Pro-D is offered through video podcasts. Teachers have also recommended some great videos through out email that take only minutes to watch, yet provide food for thought and allow for discussion in the staff room. Watching videos of teachers modelling different learning strategies or teaching techniques in their classrooms is also a great way for pro-d to happen. We've been doing it for years, but now you can access a lot of it online, so you don't have to be part of the 'learning team' to share the benefits. Videos on the web that cover discussion panels are also great for pro-d.

I have had a lot more exposure to 'video' on line that I have to photosharing and social networking sites, so I have less fear of them. I think this proves my statement in an earlier blog that with familiarity and use come acceptance and understanding.  Yet as Will Richardson points out in Blogs, Wikis and Podcasts, " teenagers use these sites more as social tools than learning tools, and their behaviour is sometime reckless."(pg. 20) I don't think it is just students that abuse these tools, but as educators we need to constantly ask ourselves, "  How do we get kids to realize the amazing power of these tools and use them to collaborate and learn rather than to abuse and embarrass each other? "

I was shocked to read that many districts block the use of Youtube. The more reading I do on the subject, and the more I learn, the less I think that 'blocking' is an answer to anything. I have to admit that at times, I'd love to block Facebook when students should be working on other things in the lab., but I'm willing to take time to have discussions with them about a time and place for everything, and when it is/is not appropriate to be using specific sites. Knowledge is power and students have to be guided through this maze of tools and information, just as they do through anything in life. The speed with which things develop and change makes it a far more daunting task, but aren't we really still teaching socially acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, just with a different medium involved in our interactions, not just face to face? Will Richardson's comment about teaching students to navigate the darker sides of the Web safely and effectively (pg. 11) makes far more sense to me than pretending it doesn't exist, since it is obviously not going to go away. 

In the past week and one half, I have absorbed an amazing amount of information. I am constantly thinking about all of the tools available, and all of the implications for education. They are incredibly powerful tools with so much potential that it boggles my mind. Laura Brooks, in her article, ' "Old School" Meet School Library 2.0,' talks about how "We must know how to select, adopt, and promote new technologies to bump our media programs to a place of prominence as innovative models for teaching and learning in our schools." What an incredibly daunting task. No one person could ever hope to do this alone, but as she also states, Web 2.0 is based on collaboration and sharing. I think that collaboration and sharing are the only ways we will ever get through all of this maze of tools and links and sites. I also think that our students, who navigate through this far more effectively and efficiently, have to be partners in this collaboration and sharing. Video is an excellent way for them to partake in this, and we can learn a great deal from them, while still guiding them in the socially acceptable aspects of using the tools.

 

Exploring Photo Sharing Sites

I am a very private person. I do not share easily of myself until I am comfortable with someone. In the classroom, it usually takes at least one month for my students and I to be entirely at ease with each other unless we have had previous contact.

As I watched the Frontline video, "Growing Up On Line," on Joanne's trail link (http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/trailview/62027) there were two comments that resonated for me. 

1. There is no privacy. Everything is out there. 

2. It is like the wild west. No one is in control.

The students who put up photos of themselves without thought; who publish pictures showing behaviours that are less than acceptable in any other social situation clearly need some type of guidelines. What are they thinking? or are they thinking at all? Is it so much the norm that things that would have previously embarrassed them are now deemed o.k.? The second statement ties directly into that. Who is guiding? How do we regulate or control something that is so readily available and easy to use? One hopes that as the use of these tools becomes more widespread, codes of behaviour for what is or is not acceptable will also grow. 

Having to put pictures of myself and my family 'out there' was an assignment that I approached with some trepidation. I am still not entirely clear on all of the 'protection' that exists for one's privacy.

I began by looking at the Flickr site (Flickr.com) and also checked out the Flickr blog (blog.flickr.net/en) Flickr appealed to me because I had read an article by Andrew A. Duffy (aduffy@tc.canwest.com) in the Victoria Times Colonist entitled "Flickr co-founder makes it big with an arts degree." The article discussed how Stewart Butterfield had succeeded after achieving a degree in philosophy from U. Vic. I liked that it was created in Canada by someone who graduated from the same university as myself, even though it was bought out by Yahoo in 2005.

The Flickr site appears very user friendly. The first page is extremely easy to understand and navigate through. I learned Flickr connects to Yahoo sources and is also integrated with Twitter. They have a blogging service and their blog has interesting pictures from around the globe. I particularly enjoyed the Canada day photos. As a new 'learner' I was pleased to see a Help Forum, as well as, for my privacy and security conscious mind, an area to report abuse based on community guidelines. 

In spite of the appeal of the Flickr site, I decided to post my pictures on Facebook. My reasoning: it is better to face your fears and overcome them than hope they go away, or as Miguel Gruhlin states in his article "The CTO Challenge: Building Your Personal Learning Network," (http://trailfire.com/joannedegroot/trailview/62027) "It is the acts of use that cast out our fear of change."

So I am using to try to cast out my fears. I found Facebook to be a far more daunting and less user friendly site than Flickr. Luckily, my daughter was on hand to guide me through the process. I managed to put a picture of myself on my profile, although I've kept my personal information to a minimum. I created an album of pictures from our family's trip to Mexico at Christmas, which I'm looking forward to sharing with my aunt and uncle in Florida who keep asking for recent photos. I just have to get him as a 'friend.' The highlight for me was having a 'chat' with my nephew as I tried to work through my Facebook pages. I also enjoyed looking at recent photos of him on his site, although I could have done without the ones of him kissing his girlfriend. (Where are those guidelines?)

The pedagogical uses for photo sharing sites are different than those for blogs. At first, I was stymied because I could not see how we could put pictures of students on line, but then it hit me. I could see myself creating photo albums of settings, characters, or situations to help inspire students in their creative writing. When I was a student, my library had vertical files of pictures for us to use for research. How much better would it be to have these photo files online? In the B.C. curriculum, students are required to extrapolate information from non-print materials. In my Social Studies class last year, another teacher and I shared photos of his trip to India while students were studying Hinduism. The amount of information they managed to pull out of the photographs was astounding. With all of the photos available on line, imagine the types of albums you could create for different areas of study. 

As I explore all of these different sites on the web, I am constantly astounded by the interconnectedness of everything. Nothing stands alone, everything leads you to something else. The possibilities are infinite. As I overcome my fears and explore all of the different methods of communicating and sharing, I'm going to have to learn which of these tools will best suit my needs and those of the educational community I work in. 

Introductory reflection

There's nothing like sitting in a car with your thirteen year old daughter and a Macbook learning how to create a blog to get the brain working. Last night was my introduction to blogs. I've never used one before and certainly never created one. We were in a car because at present, we don't have an internet connection at our house. I found the process easy and chose blogger or blogspot for several reasons. First, it was what the other students had used. Secondly, when I googled blogs, it was what appeared. Thirdly, as I checked out the sign in process, it was so direct and simple that before I knew it I'd created my blog.
I like the idea of writing reflections in a blogspace. I teach two classes of AVID ( a type of college prep course which originated in the U.S. and was piloted in several schools throughout B.C. of which mine was one). The course helps middle of the road students to better prepare themselves for post secondary education. One of the key components of the course is to get students learning 'smarter not harder' by trying different study techniques and reflecting on what works and doesn't work for them.
While driving home, it occurred to me that what you were asking us to do, is exactly what I ask my students to do, except they do it on pen and paper. I'm sure they would much rather do it on a blog, and would be far more likely to read each others reflections and comment on them as well. The other advantage would be that parents could check in on their child's reflections and have better direction for meaningful discussions about their child's learning processes at home.
Many students are more at ease with a keyboard in front of them rather than pen and paper. They text each other regularly and seem more comfortable expressing themselves that way.
It is an ideal medium for their reflections.
I have some concerns in that I am a hands on marker and like to interact with the text as I read it, so I am hoping that as the course progresses, I will learn about all of the tools available with blogs and find that I can interact with their work just as easily on a screen as on a printed page.
I am a strong believer in face to face communication, but my brief glimpse of the blog process has gotten me excited about its potential in my classroom.