Friday, December 5, 2008

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. -Confucious-

I have to say that this quote sums up my experiences this term. I have used all three of these methods to make it through this journey into my first graduate studies course AND the study of Web 2.0 tools. Let me begin with my challenges (because I always love to leave the best for last).

I think that technologically speaking, my biggest challenge would have to be learning how to podcast. I struggled with the idea that I had to first find the appropriate software that would allow me to podcast (I ended up using GarageBand), learn how to use that software and then find an external site that would host it. Being only somewhat tech-savvy, I had trouble uploading it to the external site (as a whole entity) and then embedding it properly. I read many, many podcasting tutorials but the more that I read, the more confusing and frustrated I got........(note: this would be the "bitter experience" that Confucious was talking about!) So finally, I decided to consult with my classmates. I was luck enough to find Yearn to Learn blog by Heather Eby, who posted her podcast early. I sent an urgent "Help!" email to Heather and then realizing I probably wouldn't be able to get help in time, I resorted to Confucious's "imitation" method. I clicked on the podcast to see which external site hosted Heather's podcast and started over again from that point. I am thankful to say, it worked! Heather was also kind enough to email me back with the steps that she had taken to create her podcast. Thanks again Heather!!

I think that my next big challenge was not technology related. I think that it is getting into the mindset of being a graduate student. It hasn't very long since I was still doing my undergrad after all. The whole idea of being an editor and being a part of creating my own educational content is VERY different from my experiences during my undergrad. There is no "lecturer" imparting wisdom that I faithfully copy down, or dusty library shelves that I search through finding articles that were written ten years before I ever attended the school. It has taken much practice to get use to reading peers blogs and scanning the internet for "gems" to use in my own blog. Even though this is an experience that is wonderfully freeing, I couldn't help but feel that I was stepping off of a cliff into thin air.........have I gotten used to this? I think that I am getting there. I think that my best attempt so far would have to be my blog post on professional development. I think that in that post I finally started using peer blogs as a springboard for discussion.

Another challenge was learning and exploring Web 2.0 tools at a breakneck pace. There were some tools that I would have loved to take more time to explore and create but to get through all of these tools we had to keep moving. Sometime over Christmas break, I would like to come back to one or two of the tools to explore them in more depth. Podcasting is one that I would definitely like more time with so that I can feel more comfortable using it in my classroom.

As for the highlights, there were MANY! I loved the fact that after each week I had something new to rave about. I think that the learning that I have done so far in these three hectic but short months far surpassed any other courses that I have ever taken in my life! Here are a few things that I feel were my successes this term:

* becoming a blogger
* using blogging as pro-d
* finding new social networks that enrich my pro-d
* letting go of my "paper obsession" (the past few assignments have been done solely on the computer, all my readings, besides Richardson, have been online)
* learning about new tools and sharing my learning with others in my district
* getting others excited about Web 2.0 in the classroom

So, to conclude. A very busy, hectic term but so many rewards! Will I continue to blog? Of course? Will I continue to explore Web 2.0 on my own, definitely.

I Just Had to Share!

I don't know if anyone is feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment with report cards, final projects, Christmas concerts, and all the other Christmas-related stress that I am feeling this time of year, but I came across this video that made me smile. Enjoy!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

What's Next?

Taking time this term to learn about Web 2.0 tools emboldened me to try out working online with my students. As much as I wanted to jump right in and show them Voice Threads, Wikis, Jumpcut, Go Animate and other such fabulous tools that I had come across in my journeys this term, I started off by using a Moodle. I posted an assignment for FSL that would require the students to use the internet to research the definition of conjugation and explain why it was important to learn how to conjugate verbs. They also had to search and find three websites that they thought would be helpful for them to practice conjugating verbs. I myself had found dozens of sites that I thought would be useful, but I wanted to see what they could come up with themselves. A week later, I sat down to mark these assignments and found the following:

1. Students didn't know how to upload a word document to Moodle (although they had been doing this for two months with their classroom teacher).
2. When saving their work, students were changing the extension of their document so that it could not be read. For example, a document should be saved with the extension, ".doc" and students were renaming the entire file.
3. Students did not know what a web address was, or where to find it on their browser page.
4. Students were not thinking critically about the websites that they visited.
5. Students were unaware of any other search engines other than "Google".
6. Students written work was not greatly improved by the use of a computer.

The last discovery shocked me. I was sure that written fluency would improve with the use of computers. This online assignment that I had given to my students certainly gave me much to think about in regards to written fluency and information literacy. That got me thinking, how can I use these observations to help students improve? I need to think about which tool will my colleagues be most likely to embrace? I have to think of my colleagues comfort level with technology, how much prep and maintenance will have to be put into this tool, the technology that we have available for use at our schools........ Hmmmm...... I need something that is fast, free, and easy to use and maintain that also creates opportunities to address these issues that my students are having with online learning and information literacy. That is when I decided what tool I should introduce and encourage. Are you ready for it?
Drum roll please..........................
The Web 2.0 tool that I would like to start with is Blogs and Blogging for the classroom. Below you will find my "case" for blogging. Enjoy!!

BLOGS AND BLOGGING IN THE CLASSROOM
WHY?
Even though blogging may begin as an extension of student's notebooks, with your encouraging comments and guidance, your students will begin to see that they belong to a global online community of learners.
Visit Mr. Kuroneko's blog to read about six reasons why you should get your students blogging, or if you prefer, check out this You Tube video that has students talking about why they love blogging in their classroom. In short, this is what blogging can do for your students:

* Create an authentic task and give purpose and audience to your student's writing.
* Provide opportunities for meaningful conversation amongst students and other readers.
* Give your students a global audience.
* Create learning opportunities outside of the classroom.
* Provide an educated guide to communicating on the internet.
* Weblogs promote literacy in your classroom (see article).
* Increase student's written fluency (see article).
* Free publishing!
* Provide a safe venue for sharing.
* Give your students a voice!



ARE YOU INTRIGUED YET?

Here's something to think about. When you are teaching writing, think about how you go about doing it. Mini lessons, peer editing, draft writing, and then finally, the finished product. Who reads it then? The author, his/her peers, his family, and the teacher. The result is that the piece of writing comes to an end, and usually ends with the teacher. That is a relatively small audience compared to world-wide publishing! Blogging allows for the same steps to be taken, but does not end with the teacher. Blogs are posted for the world to read and comment on. What, you don't think that your students will believe that others are reading their work? Well now, there is a widget for that! Have you ever heard of a site visitor feed or a cluster map? These add-ons allow blog authors to see who has visited their website! Visit Kathy Cassidy's classroom blog to see how she is using blogging in her classroom and see what visitors are stopping by to read her blog.Link
Come to think of it, there are many, many wonderful classroom blogs out there to visit. Here are a few that I think are particularly good examples of classroom blogs, don't forget to read the comments, sometimes the most powerful conversations happen in the comments section.
Mr. Miller's English 10 Blog
Mrs. Merk's Blog Titled: Wormbins
Mrs. McNamara's Class Blog
Just a few out of hundreds! If they can do it, you can to!

So, have I won you over yet? If you are sold on the idea of blogging and would like to start your journey into the Edublogosphere, here is a short video on how to start your own blog at Blogger.com.

Stepping Out

So, there you have it. My quick and dirty push for blogs in the classroom. Of course, this is just a start to my plans. I am quite fortunate to have many opportunities to share my Web 2.0 journey with colleagues in my district. Not only do I have access to an amazing TL networking group, I am also a member of a group of TL's that have been approved for a grant to explore and implement Web 2.0 tools into our libraries. I'm also the Literacy teacher at my school. With the role of Literacy teacher and Teacher-librarian, I am able to create opportunities to co-plan and co-teach with teachers, giving them additional support to bring these technologies into their classroom which will further increase the chance of a successful implementation!

Hope you enjoyed this week's post. I would really enjoy reading any comments about how blogs are being used in your classrooms. Please send me links to your classroom blogs as well as I am always looking to expand my cache of great reads!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Redefining Professional Development


This week's topic is Blogs & Blogging for Professional Development. How Web 2.0 tools have redefined the traditional model of Professional Development.

Professional Development used to occur within a school, district, or within a province. Time, money, educational resources and travel limitations would restrict what a professional could do for professional development. With the introduction of the internet and now with Web 2.0 tools, professional development is no longer bound by those limitations. Professional development has become a global collaboration event.

In my school district, we have a "learning communities fund" as well as grants for groups of teachers looking to participate in a professional development activitiy. Although I still believe that there is much to be said for face to face interaction, Web 2.0 tools have greatly increased the scope of a professsional's collaborative team. For instance, a group of teachers in the same district may get together to collaborate, investigate, and explore their teaching practice. That group may consist of 3, 5, or even 8 teachers. That is a lot of collaboration! However, that group is limited by school hours, professional development funds for release time, and extra curricular schedules. But imagine a global professional development opportunity where there is a potential for hundreds or thousands of teachers from around the world to collaborate and respond to one another's queries? That is where blogging fits in.

After reading Ron Lebensky's blog, I started to think about how a blog is like a virtual classroom. It is a space where learning and collaboration take place. There are no limitations like there are in a physical space, anyone can walk in that virtual door and become a participant. Ron refers to this space as a PLE. A Personal Learning Environment. He states that:
“ a Personal Learning Environment is a facility for an individual to access, aggregate, configure and manipulate digital artefacts of their ongoing learning experiences.”

Imagine that! A whiteboard, notebook, classroom, and portfolio in one! As a teacher, I keep a portfolio of my experiences and successes. My portfolio was created by me, alone, in my office and is only viewed by a small audience, usually only at job interviews. Now that I have created a blog, I have a collaborative portfolio that can be viewed and authored by many professionals!
Not only that, I have control over my PLE.

Now in saying that, I hit the web looking for educators that use blogging as professional development. I came across Joel's blog and one of his posts: 8 Ways Blogging Makes Me a Better Teacher. Now, being aware that professional development not only happens by reading the initial post, but by the dicussion that follows, I read to the bottom of the post to see how others reacted to Joel's musings. Trina commented,
"I’ve also found that writing about subjects on a regular basis makes me think about them more deeply, and in a more creative way. The results of having a topic running in the background in your brain on a regular basis can be profound."

Linking from another comment, I found myself at Lisa Huff's blog and really liked what she had to say about the power of blogs as scaffolding tools. Lisa says,
"Blogging teachers are thinking teachers, modeling the habits of mind educators ultimately hope to instill in students. Blogging teachers are models of literacy and 21st Century learning."

I think that not only do those "blogging teachers" become a model for their students but for other teachers. I know that reading other's blogs certainly have helped me become a better reflective practictioner.

As for the implications of this in my classroom, well, where can I start? First of all, reading and writing, and participating in professional discourse via blogs will help me become a more reflective professional, I will be a mentor and be mentored by educators on a global scale, I will have torn down the barriers that limited my professional development, and I will become a model for my students showing them that learning is a life-long activity.

If this has managed to whet your appetite for Web 2.0 and professional development. Here are some other sites to visit to continue your exploration!

Web 2.0 Tools and Your Own Learning- Video
Band of Bloggers- Blogging as a Reflective Practice
The Lonley Teacher- Blogging as the Solution for the Sometimes Isolated Teacher

Sunday, November 16, 2008

KWL on RSS

Yes, the all-too favourite KNOW, WONDER, LEARN is finally making an appearance on my webspace! The amount of new information that is flooding my laptop (and mind) each week is really testing my ability to manage this information overload in different ways. This week, it is going to take the form of a quick and dirty KWL chart.

Know
Unfortunately, this column is going to be quite brief. Here are the things that I know about RSS.
* It stands for Real Simple Syndication
* Google Reader is an RSS
* You must sign up for a reader such as Google Reader to be able to "subscribe" to an RSS feed
* Many websites (including my own blog) have options to subscribe to their feed.
* RSS allow people to consolidate their blog list and or/website updates to one webpage.

Wonder
* What is an aggregator?
* Will I actually use an RSS on a regular basis?
* How easy will RSS be to use and maintain?
* How will RSS affect the role of TL's in the school?
* How can I promote/teach students and teachers how to use this tool?

Learn
* RSS will make my life easier by helping me manage the barrage of new information being posted on my favourite sites.
* An aggregator is a type of software that checks and collects feeds from the websites that a person has subscribed to.
* An aggregator is a way to recieve updates without the added nuisance of spam, advertisements or unsolicited emails.
* An RSS can also be used to locate other websites that are publishing information that have the keywords that are of particular interest to you.
* I have an aggregator on my Blogger Dashboard that allows me to check in with my favourite blogs while I am updating my own.
* RSS feed could help track student's weblogs.
* There are feeds already set up that you can subscribe to!
* There are sample RSS feeds made specifically for educators!
* RSS feeds can be used for on-going professional development
* I can check my friend's Facebook Status's on Google Reader!!!!
* According to 10 Steps to More Productive RSS Feed Reading, you have to constantly streamline your streamlining....

Although this was helpful documenting what I learned this week about RSS feed and blog aggregators, it really doesn't do much for you, my readers. So......if you would like to begin your own journey of RSS feed and blog aggregator learning, here are some great websites to get you started!

A Quick Start Guide for Educators- Will Richardson

Top Ten RSS Feed Readers
Adding RSS Feed to Your Teaching Tool Kit




Sunday, November 9, 2008

I'll Facebook You Later.............

I do it, she does it, they do it, and even you do it! You don't have to be a social butterfly to have multiple social networks, even networks within networks.......OK, I'm getting a little ahead of myself now. I'll begin with the definition:
What is social networking? Simply put, a network is a group of people that are linked in some way. Maybe the group of people went to the same highschool, or university, or worked at the same company at one point in their lives. That is their link to one another. Social networking sites are websites created to foster social networks. These sites can be as SPECIFIC as the Techer-Librarian Ning or Flickr or as FLEXIBLE as Facebook or MySpace. I love the fact that through online social networking, I can have access to social networks that are half-way across the globe. So far, I have ventured into the world of social networking sites as a participant and as a reader. I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring Facebook and Flickr and am now totally hooked on the Teacher-librarian Ning.......

Wait a minute......."Ning" that's a new word in my vocabulary, is it new to yours? If so, let me enlighten you.............
A "Ning" (which means peace in Chinese) is a relatively new site that has been developed for those who have not found a social networking site that meets their social networking needs. The purpose of Ning was to enable anyone to create their own custom social networking site that meets their specific needs. In EDES 501 this week, I followed a Trailfire that led me to the Teacher-Librarian Ning that had been created by Joyce Valenza, specifically for Teacher-Librarians to meet and discuss issues directly related to this unique role. Wow! Now, if you are familiar with Facebook, imagine a Facebook for Librarians! Many of the same useful applications but all the members on this Ning have very similar interests. What an amazingly powerful tool. I could go on and on about the great things that I am learning from this site, but, I have a better idea.........why don't you take a moment now to check it out? Don't worry, I'll wait............When you come back you can read my thoughts on some of the other social networking sites out there now and decide for yourself which ones (if not all) are best suited for your personal and professional goals. OK, see you later then!

Welcome back! Alright, now that I have your attention again, I thought that I should do a brief overview of some of the social networking sites that I have explored:
Facebook
Fun Factor: First of all, I am a huge fan of Facebook. Once on it, I was able to connect to so many people that I have lost touch with. It literally saved me hours of work finding high school alumni for my ten year reunion. Members can post and view pictures, notes, songs, videos, and links and search out long lost friends. Members can also keep updated on friend's status' and track birthdays with FB's birthday calendar. There are many fun (and useless) applications that can be added to your profile to personalize your page.

Ease of Use: It takes approximately one minute to sign up and be on your way. It is very user friendly.

Useful for Educators: Somewhat, yes it will capture their attention, yes they will think it is cool that their teacher is into Facebooking, yes you can post pictures, websites and other useful things. But, and it's a big but, other websites can do this and more and, as an educator, you can have more control over more things on other websites (a private blog for instance).

Downsides: Some past students have found me and added me as their friend (which I don't mind), in fact, I have added past teachers to my friend's list as well. BUT (there it is again), sometimes there are things that I rather NOT know about my students. Once you enter that realm you may find out more than you would like to know and then you enter the very grey area of professional ethics. As a new teacher, I would prefer to use a tool that I have more control over that is made specifically for my purpose in the classroom. Personally, I also have very little control over what people post on my wall and in their photo albums and I would prefer to keep my students out of that part of my life.

Flickr
Fun Factor: Very fun, very engaging. This social networking site not only serves it's purpose for connecting people with similar interests (photography), but it also is a great way to share multimedia. I've already discussed this site on my blog, so I won't go into much more detail as I already have.
Ease of Use: Very easy! Again, one minute to set up a few short steps to upload photos and instant access to public photos!

Uses for Educators:
I've already gone on about this in a previous post, so feel free to search for it on my blog. But, there are MANY great uses for this just for the photos and photo tools. In regards to it being a social networking site, you can easily find others who share your interests/hobbies as they have posted or linked to photos of those interests/hobbies. Many of my grade six students do a country project every spring. Why not find a Flickr user that has actually been to that country OR who currently resides in that country? Awesome!

Downsides:
Pssst! It's no secret, but not EVERYONE on Flickr is an educator or share our interest of keeping the site PG13, so there may not be content suitable for the younger audience (or even a more mature audience...........).


MySpace

Fun Factor: I did a quick tour of MySpace, I did not sign up for an account though. I found a friend's MySpace page and it looked very interesting and fun. More customizable than a Facebook page but I noticed that many of my friends, peers, and colleagues do not have accounts on MySpace. Hmmmm...........so, probably not for me. Do I really need another page to check and maintain weekly? The few friends that I did find hadn't updated their profile in at least three months.................

Ease of Use: Very easy to use. Templates, fast uploads make this fun and easy to use.

Uses for Educators: It is another way to connect to your students on their level however, I feel that there is always a danger of blurring the lines between professional and friend. Using it as a professional, it would be handy to search out people with similar interests/areas of study, but I still feel that there are other sites out there better suited for pro-d networking.

Downsides: Public access issue again. Pg13 please!

The Teacher-Librarian Ning
Fun Factor: Five stars! I absolutely love this site. It is the Facebook of Professional Development! In fact, I just attended a TL network meeting and told everyone about it and invited them to join : )

Ease of Use: Again, so easy! Less than a minute to set up and your customizable page has templates to choose from. You do not have to know HTML to change the look of your "page".

Uses for Educators: This site has unlimited potential for professional development. With separate forums for secondary TLs, middle school TLs and elementary TLs, you can connect to other educators with similar interests and pro-d goals. For example, just now I was browsing forums and other TL's pages and came across an animated video made by GoAnimate. I loved this video so much, I am going to take some time to learn how to use this great tool. In the thread below the video, several TLs are discussing how to use this tool.

Downsides: ANOTHER website to add to your toolbar, Diigo, and or Delicious account........ life is hard..........

Well, that is about it for me. Please feel free to comment on your experiences on these sites or recommend your favourite sites for me to check out.
Talk to you later!



Sunday, November 2, 2008

A Whole Lot of Sharing Going On!

SOCIAL BUTTERFLY: MEDIA SHARING

Alright, so this week's topic is, for lack of a better word, VERY BROAD! Social media sharing. This topic covers what I have been learning about for the past two months and then some. Here are some of my thoughts on Social Media Sharing:

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?

According to Wikipedia (sorry, I know it is not the "be all, end all" of research databases, but I'm new to the Wiki-world and am loving it!) "Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.[1][2] The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences." Simply put, it is the sharing of EVERYTHING with other human beings with the capability to not only share but to respond and construct meaning as a social interaction.
I have been doing just this by blogging, wiki(ing?), using Flickr, and just now, using Voicethreads.

SO, WHAT'S NEW?

">What's new? Voice Threads, that's what! Up until now, I had been exploring Web 2.0 tools that I had at least heard of. This week is the first time that I had ever heard of Voice Threads. So what is Voice Thread? Voice Thread is like Wiki, Flickr, and Podcasting in one! The purpose is to be able to upload an image and invite people to join you in a conversation about that image. You can also choose how you would like to participate in the discussion. You can type comments, record your voice, "doodle" on the picture, or even record a video of your discussion. I've posted my Voice Thread on this blog, so please, feel free to join in my discussion!

OK, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE?

">Yes! As a matter of fact, there is. Jumpcut. This is a social media sharing site where you can upload pictures, video, and audio and create movies. If you have ever used a program called Nero, you will love Jumpcut. It is very similar to Nero in how you edit your clips and add audio and effects to your product. You can drop in and visit my page on Jumpcut here.

ALL FUN AND GAMES? CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS.............

href="http://deeppersonalization.wikispaces.com/Participatory+Pedagogy">Participatory pedagogy: The idea that students will receive a richer educational experience through "interactive experience and communication".

I remember many things from my elementary and high school experience, but there are many things that I memorized for a test and then promptly forgot. I used to call it a "mind dump". I would cram the night before and then "dump" it onto my scantron or essay sheet and then move on to the next unit. Some of the most important, life altering lessons, I learned through interactions with my peers. Drama class, peer counseling, student council and other socially focussed activities.

What educators are trying to do by bringing social media sharing into the classrooms is combining the best of both worlds: the interests of their students, interaction and adult support. I could go on to list practical applications of Jumpcut and Voice Threads but, I would just be repeating myself. Blogging, Flickr, Wikis, and all other social media can be used in the same ways, you just need to choose the tool that best matches the interests and abilities in your classroom. It is the most recent way to differentiate your instruction. Many educators have embraced this idea with enthusiasm and energy.


KEEPING IT ALL STRAIGHT............

">Alright, so now I have all these great (and free) tools at my disposal. I know how to use them and I am ready to bring them into my classroom as well as share the tools with my friends......but wait, who is going to want to join the many communities that I just have to access ALL of these tools........ I came across this website, Emokoo. It seemed to be the answer to my Web 2.0 woes. It is ANOTHER community, but it integrates all other communities, such as Blogger, You Tube, and Flickr. A one stop shop for your social media sharing needs! I was very excited, except, when I tried to join, I was turned away with a message stating that they are no longer accepting new memberships at this time! Argghhhh! I tried to find another site that made the same promises as Emokoo, but I have yet to find another. I will keep you posted on the status of my quest...... In the mean time, I plan to share as must as I can on my blog so that I have a central place to send my new experiments.

Trial Voice Thread

What's a VoiceThread anyway?

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Wanna Wiki with Me?

After a whirlwind weekend of TL pro-d in Victoria, my head is spinning with great new ideas! This has been a tiring, but very fruitful weekend. I hope to have time next week to blog about my amazing trip to Victoria for the BCTLA Mission: Literacy Conference. So, stay posted! Anyway, my Web 2.0 exploration led me to Wiki Spaces this week and I am sooooo pumped about Wikis!

Please visit my wiki: EDES501 to learn more about my exploration in Wikispaces!

Monday, October 20, 2008

We Are More Than Just Customer Service Agents.....We Are Information Missionaries!

Virtual library? Yeah, sure, I'm going to put myself out of work!
Never. I'll admit, there used to be a time when I had a limited view of librarians. I thought that their job descriptions were limited to certain tasks:
* Checking out books
* Checking in books
* Library volume control, "Shuuuush!"
* Customer service agent (aisle one for cookbooks, aisle 14 for Canadian History)
* Book "doctors"
* Collections agent (you have $1.70 in late fees)

Sure, an online library would diminish the need for this type of librarian, but not all of us are THIS type of librarian (many of us actually!!!). Further more, if one digs deeper into the realm that is the Virtual Library, one would find (where did that third person come from??) that a talented and creative librarian can create a hybrid library were a virtual library would extend the reach of the librarian into the homes of all their students (and beyond!). Virtual libraries are being called a "second door" into your library. In Virtual Library: E-ssential, Carol Grantham states, "If one of the roles of the teacher librarian is to organise and provide access to information then this should not be confined to the physical collection."
A virtual library can be a repository for online books and articles, meant to be searched and accessed or it can be an interactive experience engaging the student beyond the classroom walls.

What would I want in a Virtual Library? Well, I did some exploration online and found some amazing Virtual Libraries that I think epitomize the idea that Librarians are Information Missionaries! Here are the features that I found to be of most use in a virtual library:
* searchable database of the "physical" library's catalog
* links to research tools and tips
* interactive activities (such as read alouds and book talks)
* independent inquiry opportunities
* professional resources that extend the library community to the whole school
* virtual display case for student work
* leading students to sources of information that they may not have found on their own "A virtual library offers curriculum support for students and teachers by providing access to quality online resources that complement the library’s print resources."
* pull down menus that allow students to access specific information without crowding the website
* section to recommend and/or discuss books

Benefits of Virtual Libraries
* You will be meeting the needs of a new generation of learners who live, play, and seek out information in this venue.
* You will be able to reach more students outside of library hours.

OK so, if you hadn't guessed already, I am sold on the idea of virtual libraries BUT only if the Virtual Library is going to represent my library and acts as a hybrid virtual library that will work to enhance the work I already do and extend the scope and practice of my fight for information literacy! The teacher-librarian is the perfect person to build and maintain a virtual library, the teacher-librarian has the following that makes them an invaluable resource:
* knowledge of user's needs
* knowledge of the curriculum
* established relationships with the students and teachers at the school
* knowledge of web 2.0 tools that will enhance user's experience
Improving the way we connect to our students and colleagues will NEVER render us useless, in fact, the more we demonstrate our flexibility as educators, the more valuable we become.
Just a few of the wonderful Virtual Libraries that I've Come Across:
* Grandview Library (my favourite!!)
* Birch Lane
* Barbara Bush Virtual Library (I know, I know, but it's good!)
* John Newberry Elementary

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

ADD ME!

I invite you to find me on Delicious, the social bookmarking site or on Diigo. You will find me under the user name adhilland.


Great Things About Social Bookmarking Sites


1. On Delicious you can create networks with like-minded individuals and share bookmarks with one another.
2. No more "check out this wicked site!!" in your work email inbox : ) With Delicious, you have your own inbox that your friends can share websites with you that they think that you will enjoy.


A Gem Uneartherd Using Delicious:
1. Slideshare is a website that you can use to find and share powerpoint presentations!

Differences Between Diigo and Delicious

Diigo has dubbed themselves "Delicious with Brains"

1. In Diigo, you have a "My Messages" rather than an "Inbox". I like this feature as it allows you to start discussions and have a thread to track your ongoing discussions. Very similar to Facebook inboxes actually.

2. "The page you have requested can no longer be found". When searching others bookmarks on Delicious, I kept finding myself at dead-ends. Not with Diigo. Diigo takes a snapshot of the webpage and archives it so that you will continue to have access to it even if it is removed from the web. (Wow, talk about being careful with your online portfolio.....)

3. Diigo offers tags the same as Delicious, but goes a step beyond. With Diigo, you can highlight specific areas of the website that you would like to draw attention to and attach sticky notes (well, virtual sticky notes) to that website for others to see. Others will only see your highlights and stickies if you forward the site link to them so that your personal notes won't be available for all to see.

4. Have you ever found a really great website and your connection fails? Or the website's server goes KAPUT? With Diigo, it automatically caches the address so that your bookmark will be saved no matter what!

Social Bookmarking in the Classroom

1. I came across Clay Burell's Blog, BEYOND SCHOOL and he demonstrates a way to create a quiz using Diigo and student blogs. Using highlighting and sticky notes. The way in which he structures his quiz ensures that students are actually reading each other's blogs and thinking about one another's opinions and thoughts.

2. Out with the red marker, in with the invisible ink! A few years ago I attended a workshop titled, "Mark Less, Assess More". One of the topics discussed in this workshop was the fact that the "red marker" way of assessment or marking was not setting the right tone for teacher-student interactions as teachers were defacing students' intellectual property with our red pens. Sticky notes were the (somewhat pricey) solution to this. Now, with Diigo, teachers can assess/mark students' work directly on their blogs (using Diigo's highlighter and stickies) and show respect for students' work.

3.Student collaboration on projects. They can share sites with one another, helping each other with finding sites to suit each other's projects or co-ordinate on one project.
4. On-going professional development with your peers during the hours that suit YOUR schedule.
5. Creating networks with like-minded individuals doesn't have to be time consuming or restricted to your local area....or even hemisphere!

So, to conclude, I see many ways in which social bookmarking can impact my teaching and change the way I organize my classroom and my professional development. I have tried both Diigo and Delicious and prefer Diigo. My goal this week is to hunt down my contacts so that I can share my growing list of bookmarks (the list is very short right now...). I have installed the Diigo toolbar, have experimented with bookmarking, highlighting, and using sticky notes on the web pages. I look forward to spending more time frequenting this useful and inspiring tool!

Monday, September 29, 2008

You Tube, Not Utube, and NOT Just for Watching Stupid Pet Tricks Videos.....

Some things that I have learned about Video sharing sites:
1. Not JUST for entertainment purposes.
2. Although students knew about this site before I did, they still could use lessons on copyright infringement, You Tube netiquette, and what posting videos does for their online portfolio.
3. Highly addictive.
4. Great source for instructional videos for free pro-d!
5. Great source for videos to supplement educational resources.
6. Another tool that can help reach out to parents/care providers.
7. Need an attention grabber for a unit or lesson? There is probably a video for it. Check out this plagiarism video for a lesson opener on academic honesty.

What You Tube and Teacher Tube can do for the classroom:

1. Teaching a difficult concept in Math? Create an online tutorial using Teacher Tube so that parents can follow along with the children to help them with their homework.
2. Not enough Library admin. time to go to each classroom and deliver book talks? Create a video that students can access online to see what is new in their library.
3. According to Wikipedia, there is are 65,000 videos posted everyday. With this many videos in a searchable database, teachers are sure to find videos that would tie in with their curriculum content. For example, I was teaching a unit on Pow Wow dancing and found many videos that I could use in the classroom.
4. Expand the way that students express their learning. Have the students trade podcasts with another classroom across the city or the WORLD! Students can share their projects online, create tutorials for other classrooms, and see what other students their age are doing in their classrooms.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Truth About Teacher-Librarians and an Epiphany.....

Yes, I'm a Teacher-Librarian...........but I'm also a Music teacher, a French teacher, a Literacy teacher. This is not at all uncommon in BC. For a school with 200 students I only have .203 allotted to me to be the librarian. So tonight, while I rather be reading, I am planning and prepping to teach my five French classes next week. So, being the techie that I am (hehe)I am online searching out activities and games for my classes. I've come across crossword puzzle makers and word search makers and actually started making some for my classes to complete. It hit me then......why couldn't my students be involved in this process?

My two grade seven classes have access to laptops and love to be involved in deciding what they learn and how they learn. So, here is my plan. Post the learning outcomes for the term (this will be my criteria by which I mark students) and ask the students what they want to learn. Would they like to learn about Quebec's Winter Carnaval? Great! I can lead the students through the research portion online and we can decide what the important vocabulary is for the unit, what "survival French" we would need for a visit to the city during the Carnaval and then students can search for and use (and create) tools to practice/learn the vocabulary. In fact, in my own research for Quebec Carnaval resources, I decided to create a blog to hold my videos and websites that I have found relevant to that topic. I figure, when it is time to begin this unit, I will have a one-stop-shop for the resources that I would like to use.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Photo Sharing Online


Stained Glass Roof
Originally uploaded by April Hilland
Again, this is not my first forage into photo sharing online. I have used Picassa in the past due to the fact that I have other friends using Picassa and we are able to share albums that way. Apparently, some time ago, I created an account with Flickr but never posted anything to it. Today was my first experience uploading, tagging, posting notes, and blogging my photos. I have to say that I think that I will convert!

MY OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH MY PHOTOS
Back in the days when we had to develop our photos to view and share them, I was the person who was always asked to "print doubles" or even triples of pictures so that I could give them away. That got a little bit pricey and if forgotten, I would have multiples of pictures floating around my house for months! I was so excited to make the switch to digital photography. Instead of printing out every photo, I could share photos online and invite specific people to view specific albums in a few simple steps. However, in doing so, I am also making the decision to put pictures of other people online. I am still struggling with the idea of giving my friends access to pictures of themselves but also giving them the option of keeping the pictures just to themselves. I haven't come up with an easy solution to that issue yet............

PROFESSIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF ONLINE SHARING

I am not going to delve into the professional implications of sharing my personal photos online as I trust myself to put in place the necessary precautions and securities to keep my personal photos (the ones that I wish to keep personal) safe. Instead I would like to focus on the professional implications of the use of Flickr and other photo sharing sites. Here are some of my ideas of how Flickr could become an integral part of my Language Arts curriculum:
1. Following Richardson's lead: Flicktion. I would either choose photos for students to write about or have students choose their own photos. There are plenty examples available to show students such as :

2. Choose photos for students to write dialogues for. This would work well in any second language course. Students could also create their own "comic books" by creating a slide show and writing subtitles for each picture.

3. Students could post pictures of poetry and use the "notes" function to label parts of the poem and/or explain personal connections throughout the poem.

4. A Day in the Life Of ________? Not much different from scrapbooking, but students could upload pictures from home and give other students a glimpse into their own lives. Maybe one student's cat is having kittens? Or maybe another student is learning how to ATV? How about A Day in the Life of a student from Africa?

5. Non-fiction writing. If students groan or quake at the idea of writing reports, they may be intrigued enough by the photos on Flickr to search out photos and facts and create an online report.

6. Poetry Slam. Instead of the traditional poetry reading at the end of the yearly poetry unit, have students create presentations including their poem, music and pictures to their writing?

Anyway, my head is swimming with all of the possible ideas and I know that I have only brushed the surface of what I could do with Flickr in my classroom. I can't wait settle in for another afternoon of playing around with this tool. I am still trying to find the best way to search for specific items on Flickr. Does anyone have any search tips that they can pass along to me?

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Not My First Blog

Although I am not new to setting up a blog, I am new to using a blog as something other than a glorified journal. None of the other two blogs that I have set up have amounted to anything beyond a three post site that have since faded into the vastness that is cyberspace. I chose blogger.com as my host for my blog because I am familiar with the layout and find that it is very user friendly.

I have high hopes for this blog as it already has a clear focus and purpose. I am going to use this blog to explore new web tools, reflect on my experiments, and share my experiences with fellow teachers. I have used websites to communicate with my students and their parents, but it has only been a read only experience for them. My concept of blogging has been greatly altered by reading Will Richardson's thoughts on their purpose. In the past, the weblogs that I have followed have been online journals of friends. Although reading their blogs has given me insight into their experiences and beliefs, it has not lead me to new experiences or grow personally or professionally.

In my professional life, I am proud to say that I take my professional development seriously and am always looking to take extra coursework or go to workshops to further develop as a teacher. I am ashamed to say that I have overlooked perhaps one of the most accessible resources for professional development. I did not realize that so many teachers out there had professional weblogs that I could access at any time of the day or night, for FREE! To tell you the truth, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of weblogs out there and am having trouble choosing a few to follow. I am one of those people that tends to get lost, following link after link until I have forgotten what I was originally looking for! My goal is to find a balance between trying new things and being able to keep these tools organized and updated so that they don't float away, forgotten with my past blogs.........

Hypertext Minds, Parallel Cognitive Structures, Or Just Making Connections?

Will Richardson reflected on William D. Winn's ideas on the changing nature of student's cognitive structures. Winn called it "hypertext minds"(pg.7 Winn, Richardson). Non-linear thinking, jumping around between ideas. Although this idea has major implications on how we organize and present data to today's students, is it truly an earth-shattering idea? Please correct me if I am misunderstanding the idea of hypertext, but isn't that a new way of saying that we learn by making connections? Making connections is not a new concept for education. Technology is just enabling us to act on our connections as readers (clicking on a link) or to share our connections with others (posting links for our readers).

One of the most common traits of good readers is their ability to interact with the text as they are reading. In today's classrooms, I think teachers are making great leaps helping students make those connections. Although many students are responding well to the increased emphasis on making connections, many are also failing to make meaningful connections. Can we help those struggling students by presenting them connections at their finger tips?

Do I agree with Richardson when he states, "All of this paints the picture of an educational system that is out of touch with the way students learn" (pg.7 Richardson)? Maybe not. Have we found a way to reach MORE learners in a variety of ways? For sure!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008