Thing #11.5: Evaluation or What am I going to do next summer?

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey? I liked Jing. I will make use of that if I'm ever back in the SS world. It will be nice to be able to spend less time showing how to get somewhere or do something on the computer. Of course, I'll quickly find out how well I give directions and who can follow directions. I also liked the iTouch. If I could keep my use of it to...maybe...75% professional/25% recreational, I'll think about it. 

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals? I have found that the immediacy of technology spoils me. I used to enjoy getting lost, but now I can't help but know where I am all the time thanks to my phone, or how far I ran with my Garmin, or being entertained constantly with my MP3. However, it is amazing how information can be accessed so easily. It's nice to be out there armed with everything we've learned the last two summers. I hope I'll be the person I want to be and turn it all off and go back to being out there with just he wife and kids. I'd like to enjoy not knowing what day it is again, but it's also fun to see who's being traded in the English Premier League while I sit at a campsite with WiFi.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I still use my RSS feeds and podcasts from last year. 

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept? Maybe options can be put in for different disciplines. A science 23 things, or a LA version. 

Thing #11: Digital Citizenship

I love to use the internet in my lessons and in my discussions I have with my classes. Because of the spontaneity of the moment, I have to constantly watch out for inappropriate material that comes across while we are looking for whatever it is we are looking for. I try to think out loud as I look for things, and I always spout the personal responsibility I must exercise while I use the internet with them. Whenever I say, "Nope, not appropriate," there's always that one kid who says something like, "I can do whatever I want," or "My parents don't care." I'm sure their parents do care, but unfortunately like many other issues in the world, it falls to the teachers to have to create the foundation of responsible decision making. 

One lesson, and as far as I'm concerned it is the best lesson I have ever learned or taught, is the Registers of Language. Only we would use the Registers to discuss and guide our internet activity. If you're not familiar with the registers, here's a quick rundown:

There are 5 Registers of spoken english language. Some languages, like Chinese have six. 

Frozen (Language that never changes like prayers, pledges, etc." 

Formal (Language used to inform, one speaker everyone else listens)

Consultative (Exchanges of information between two people)

Casual (Language used between friends, insider language)

Intimate (language between lovers)

Everything that comes out of our mouths, from prayers to profanity, fits in a register. The gist of the lesson is to teach the kids that they need to appropriate register for the given situation. 

When using language for whatever reason, a person can go up or down 1 register without offending someone. If that person skips a register, they've committed a social and sometimes serious faux pas. 

These same registers can be used to determine appropriate use of the internet. Like school, their use should be formal or consultative. If they use it for casual reasons, that wouldn't be so bad, but not appropriate. However, if they sunk to the intimate register, they're in trouble. 

It's amazing how quickly students pick up on these registers, and I think it would work for computer use as well. 

Thing #10: Virtual Worlds

After wondering around the SL universe, aimlessly at that, I can't say that I would be willing to use it in the classroom. There's too much temptation to go look at other stuff. I could be the good virtual parent and take the kids right to the spot we were there to see, but I don't see the advantages to going through SL. I'm sure anything we can see on SL we can see somewhere else on the internet. Also, there's no guarantee that the internet will be working up to speed when I would want to do it. As a former gamer, I wasn't too impressed with what I could do. It reminded me of GTA (Grand Theft Auto: a somewhat misunderstood/poorly marketed game that gets a bad rap). If it was more interactive, and maybe it is, I just didn't want to waste any more time than I already did, it would be, to me, at the most, entertaining. 

Thing #9: Slideshare

If students have access to highspeed internet, Slideshare would be a great thing to turn them on to. Getting a chance to see well produced slideshows or the the slideshow that was used in class would help with retention and enrichment. This is great stuff for those who are afraid of technology or not web savvy. Someone else has done the leg work. Also it would be great to allow others to add their expertise to my shows. Being a yearbook adviser for a while I learned that everyone borrows from everyone else. Sites like this just make it easier. 

Thing #8: Screencasts

I've always wondered how these websites did these how-to's and now I know. This was simple, although I made mine using Jing on our Mac. The Mrs. used her PC, but couldn't get it to load. Maybe we should all get Macs instead...anyway, here's my jing about the summer reading list. In the future I will hire the man who does the narration for Frontline on PBS. I still can't stand the sound of my own voice. 

http://screencast.com/t/4iGWsB4kAq

This is great. I can see the benefits for computer lit classes, and just about any class where numbers of kids will be working on the computer. If this can be used to walk kids through story maker or any other application, I will definitely use it. 

Thing #7: Video Resources

My original thought for using videos was to find books that have been made into movies. I'd find key scenes in the movies and then find the text in the novel. We would read the text first, this after mindnumbingly countless lessons of imagery and setting and mood, etc. Then we'd would watch the scene from the movie and see if it lived up to their personal mental images of the scene. My only problem is finding movies of books they would appreciate. I don't think most of my favorites would work. Maybe scenes from Gone with the Wind...but I can't find the parts of GWW I want. I guess I'll have to learn how to pull from DVD's. Would Jing work on a DVD I watched on my laptop. I'll have to experiment...

So then I thought about mash ups. They could take central premises of their books and use bits and pieces of one movie to illustrate their book. That Ten Commandments one on the video for this Thing was hilarious. 

Finally I decided to use non fiction since that is one thing our kids struggle with on TAKS. Instead of read for information, they look up something they're interested in, appropriate for school of course, and do the following assignment:

1. What was the author's purpose

2. Was the author biased or neutral? If biased, was the author for or against the topic? 

3. List five good facts you learned from this video.

4. How will you apply the information you learned to school or your personal life? 

Just about any type of nonfiction video should work for this assignment. I chose the two below. 

Thing #6: I Touch Applications

After doing this Thing, I'm fighting myself from going out and buying an I Touch. The $75 dollar monthly fee for an I Phone discourages me enough, but the I Touch is a one time buy, I think.

I think I'm interpreting the question correctly. It sounds like students will be able to use an I Touch in the library and I'm supposed to think of a list of things they could use it for, yes? I hope...

1. I saw the app that looks up books in libraries. Don't know if SBISD libraries are on there, but it would help students find books without having to walk back and forth to the computers.

2. Study Flashcards: Teachers could make these online and students could practice on the I Touch.

3. Open Culture: This app is for the Open Culture website. FREE educational videos and podcasts from all over the educational world, mostly universities. I looked at the site and it's good stuff.

4. Instant Interactive Math: This app is a tutorial for math. It tracks progress, has tests, and provides helpful hints for the one being tuted.

Thing #3: Skype

How might Skype be used in the Library or classroom?
I love the idea of Skype. I say that because I haven't been able to use it yet. Skype, and I'm sure it works, would be great for talking to authors or connecting with other classrooms around the world. I remember participating in a group discussion with our state rep a couple of years ago. It was a disaster. One kid had to sit by the mic/phone thing and push the talk button when you wanted to say something. I couldn't here any of the other questions from the other classes. And I could't see who I was talking to.
Now with Skype not only can we see who were talking to, if you have the camera, you can talk to just about anyone in the world, if they have an internet connection.
One thing I did notice is that on my PC, whenever I look up a business, Skype makes it peculiarly easy to call them through my computer. If they're answering the call mobily (is that a word? If so, did I spell it correctly?) or with a land line, I get charged for it. Other than the non computer-to-computer calls, it's a great idea.

Thing #5 Micrblogging

Or the thing that keeps people up all night. At first I liked facebook, still do, but it became very old very quickly. I use it to keep in touch with long lost and distant friends. I check it about once a day for messages. I just don't want to know what someone is doing every second of the day. Yes, sometimes it's amusing, but most of the time it's just TMI. I do like getting to see what others are reading and listening to. I also like the way it mobilizes large groups of people, I just don't want to be one of those people so wrapped up in their phone they don't notice the scenery or the other, what are those things called...human beings around them.
This thing called back channeling...it used to be called "raising your hand and asking a question", right? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but if I'm presenting something, I would really appreciate the audience listening, and not tapping away on their phones or laptops. Maybe if they pay attention, their questions will be answered. Gee, I'm just a little sarcastic, but it's just plain rude to not give someone presenting your attention. I would like to think a presenter would take the time to field some questions and offer clarification if needed. I just think back channeling on Twitter could becomes a high tech game of telephone where the message gets lost in all the translations and interpretations. I guess it could be used to see if the correct message was delivered to an audience by following the tweet stream and seeing what it being said. As long as the message is being received the way it was meant to, I can see the power of twitter.

Thing #4 Uploading Videos

I didn't have any diet coke and mentos to make fountains so I chose my little guys as the topic of of my animoto vid for Youtube. If you've never seen the mentos/diet coke thing, it's entertaining, creative, and kind of scary that people digest stuff that reacts that way when mixed.

So I made an animoto vid of the boys, just don't look too closely at their faces... they have some lunch on them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFqlhUqK5-E

Uploading movies was pretty easy once I registered everywhere I had to register.

What would be some advantages of having teaching/learning videos available on online at sites like these? These access to these sites is what makes this valuable. Imagine being able to observe science labs, taking guitar lessons, which I've done, seeing art techniques or anything that someone can learn by watching. It's all possible as long as students have access to high speed internet, which should be free. As for student work, the simplicity would help students create amazing videos. They would be able to see other students' work, maybe even collaborate with students and swap videos and tips and culture while they're at it.

Thing #2: Glogster, Word Thread, and Bookr

Loved all three of these, and they have great promise in the classroom.
At first I wasn't crazy about Glogster because it just looked like an online way of making the traditional movie poster book report. Ack! Then I realized I can use that application to have kids focus on themes in their books with links to other books with similar themes. Use it for mood or setting, all sorts of ideas. I used my Friday classes to do nonfiction, but we can work in some technology on those days and have the kids work on these projects.
Word Thread would be awesome for social studies, especially if the teacher is using History Alive. Students could be turned loose to scour the web for pictures of cultural elements, geographic features, every day life in whatever place they're studying, then they can post their comments proving that they understand the concept. Then, they can send them to people around the world and get their comments. It's a very easy way to get lots of feedback on one thought. Great stuff. For reading, I could use images to get students to see inferences in pictures or explain the mood of scene.
Bookr would be fun if the students have the time to re-inact books. I think they would love staging shots and doing costumes. I could just see them doing Bluford Bookr books.

Thing #1: Connectivism and the 21st Century Student

Howdy All,
It's good to be back in the virtual world with you fellow SB'ers, and thank you to the powers that be that arrange this wonderful, useful, and convenient PDLC credit for us.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, or maybe I'm secretly from Missouri, but I really want to hide and watch the teacher's class and how it is conducted. The video did say that she would spend a good amount of time teaching students to distinguish between good and bad information, and to me, that's where this idea sinks or swims. I keep having flashbacks to certain GT students in the past who had so many ideas, but could never get off the ground floor. As the Information Sherpa for my little mountain climbers (I would love to charge them 65,000 USD), I would really need to know my way around this social/educational networking. However, I think if we gradually introduce and use bits and pieces, by the time our students are in high school, I think they could be turned loose and expected to produce quality research.
If students can pull this off, surely librarians can too...I just hope I can pull it off.