here to listen!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Garage Band
A few weeks ago in class we were playing around with Garage Band and as I was cleaning out my e-mail today I can across the song that Jessica and I created. Click here to listen!
here to listen!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Blog Surfing: Stop Number #2
Stop Number #2 on my blog surfing spree was the blog of Liz B Davis . Her blog title was the first things that grabbed my attention: The Power of Educational Technology – Demonstrating the power technology to transform learning, energize communities and inspire innovative thinking. This statement represents for me the overall goal that ECMP 355 has set for me to aim for as I continue learning about and using technology in my personal life as well as bringing this knowledge into the classroom. Time and time again I am reminded by a story here or there or a lecture in class how powerful technology is when students get a hold of it and how, it in turn, transforms their learning process.
One of Davis’s posts, Foursquare & Buzz: Building Community or too Close for Comfort? really struck a chord with me. She describes how recently she started playing with two social media applications, the first one was Foursquare , an iPhone application where you “check in” to different places when you visit them. If you are the first to check in, or you check in the greatest number of times, you can become the mayor of that location (just like how Alec is or was a one time the mayor of the University of Regina). Davis goes on to say how she DM’d the mayor of her local Starbucks, Kevin Palmer , a social media blogger who she not follows on Twitter but also lives just a few blocks away from her to meet up for coffee.
The second social media tool mentioned was Google Buzz which can be described as a new Twitter like service that is integrated into Gmail . An iPhone application displays who is buzzing near by and will give a person’s approximate street address.
Davis’ point of view on these two social media applications is as follows:
-[She is excited that she could connect to people in her neighborhood, however it also] pushes her privacy boundaries.
-“These might be great tools for my community, but they also scare me a bit. For the most part I've gotten over my fear of making virtual connections. I remember when that was pretty terrifying. Now it is just a way of life. Maybe the logical next step is to bring those virtual connections full circle, back to the real world. That is still a little outside of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to give it a try.”
Because I do not have an iPhone, I can’t say that I have had any first hand experience with these two applications however, I can relate to having to get over a fear of making virtual connections. I have definitely progressed from the beginning of the semester however; I still have a little bit more to go to officially say that I am not afraid of virtual connections. I really like the point Davis made about bringing virtual connections full circle, I am no where near that point yet, but maybe in a year or two.
One of Davis’s posts, Foursquare & Buzz: Building Community or too Close for Comfort? really struck a chord with me. She describes how recently she started playing with two social media applications, the first one was Foursquare , an iPhone application where you “check in” to different places when you visit them. If you are the first to check in, or you check in the greatest number of times, you can become the mayor of that location (just like how Alec is or was a one time the mayor of the University of Regina). Davis goes on to say how she DM’d the mayor of her local Starbucks, Kevin Palmer , a social media blogger who she not follows on Twitter but also lives just a few blocks away from her to meet up for coffee.
The second social media tool mentioned was Google Buzz which can be described as a new Twitter like service that is integrated into Gmail . An iPhone application displays who is buzzing near by and will give a person’s approximate street address.
Davis’ point of view on these two social media applications is as follows:
-[She is excited that she could connect to people in her neighborhood, however it also] pushes her privacy boundaries.
-“These might be great tools for my community, but they also scare me a bit. For the most part I've gotten over my fear of making virtual connections. I remember when that was pretty terrifying. Now it is just a way of life. Maybe the logical next step is to bring those virtual connections full circle, back to the real world. That is still a little outside of my comfort zone, but I'm willing to give it a try.”
Because I do not have an iPhone, I can’t say that I have had any first hand experience with these two applications however, I can relate to having to get over a fear of making virtual connections. I have definitely progressed from the beginning of the semester however; I still have a little bit more to go to officially say that I am not afraid of virtual connections. I really like the point Davis made about bringing virtual connections full circle, I am no where near that point yet, but maybe in a year or two.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Educational Blog Surfing...Hang Ten!
Doing a bit of blog surfing today…
First stop: Will Richardson’s Blog and all I can say is…WOW! Not only has he been consistency blogging since 2002 which is an inspirational feet for a new blogger like me to see, but the links and information that he provides his readers is as vast as it is useful. One site that Richardson linked to was SupportBlogging.com . The best way to describe this site is an educator’s dream in blog format…and it’s even alphabetized! There is everything from educational blogs to classroom blogs and podcasts to a list of blogs by students as well as blogs written by parents, professors, principals, administrators, library/librarians and psychologists.
One aspect of this site that was not included in the list above is the vast list of Teacher’s blogs which, when I have a spare moment or two, I will be revisiting. Even with a quick glance, I am amazed at the variety in terms of what a global list this is and how valuable it will be in broadening my teaching perspective.
Out Richardson’s vast collection of blog posts, one in particular catch my attention, it is titled Reality Check for good reason. The post recalls a story that Richardson recently heard from a school administrator describing how a group of parents requested a meeting to discuss the methods of a teacher and his use of technology in the classroom. This teacher had students write on their own wikispace’s , use Skype to interview people who they had researched and identified as valuable voices in their learning. He also shared all of this lectures and class work online so anyone (his class included) could access them under the Creative Commons license.
Once I got to this part of the post, I have to admit that I couldn’t see why the parents felt the need to discuss this particular teacher practices except maybe for privacy concerns regarding their child’s online presence. My guess was way off…
When the administrator took a phone call from the parent who wanted to set up the meeting and asked for some sense of what the problem was. The reply was, “Our students don’t need to be a part of a classroom experiment with all this technology stuff. They need to have a real teacher with real textbooks and real tests.”
Richardson ended his post with one word. Sigh. I agree with him 100%. Before this class, I dabbled using technology in the classroom with the students however, I was too scared that it would fail or I would run into technical difficulties to try anything outside of my comfort zone. Now, I am glad to say that I am ready to jump in however; this story about parents not being receptive to technology being used to enhance their students learning was not on my mind in terms of potential opposition that I will face. I figured that my main battle (so to speak) would be with administration (if they were not accepting of it) not parents however, now I realize that I need to be prepared to defend my point of view on using technology in the classroom to any critic out there.
Just a quick note…some of the other blogs (plus one ning) that I stopped at today and am now following are:
Liz B Davis
Drew McAllister
Educations PLN
In my next couple of posts, I plan on finishing up my Digital Nation “series” with Part III plus write about the above mentioned blogs and ning.
First stop: Will Richardson’s Blog and all I can say is…WOW! Not only has he been consistency blogging since 2002 which is an inspirational feet for a new blogger like me to see, but the links and information that he provides his readers is as vast as it is useful. One site that Richardson linked to was SupportBlogging.com . The best way to describe this site is an educator’s dream in blog format…and it’s even alphabetized! There is everything from educational blogs to classroom blogs and podcasts to a list of blogs by students as well as blogs written by parents, professors, principals, administrators, library/librarians and psychologists.
One aspect of this site that was not included in the list above is the vast list of Teacher’s blogs which, when I have a spare moment or two, I will be revisiting. Even with a quick glance, I am amazed at the variety in terms of what a global list this is and how valuable it will be in broadening my teaching perspective.
Out Richardson’s vast collection of blog posts, one in particular catch my attention, it is titled Reality Check for good reason. The post recalls a story that Richardson recently heard from a school administrator describing how a group of parents requested a meeting to discuss the methods of a teacher and his use of technology in the classroom. This teacher had students write on their own wikispace’s , use Skype to interview people who they had researched and identified as valuable voices in their learning. He also shared all of this lectures and class work online so anyone (his class included) could access them under the Creative Commons license.
Once I got to this part of the post, I have to admit that I couldn’t see why the parents felt the need to discuss this particular teacher practices except maybe for privacy concerns regarding their child’s online presence. My guess was way off…
When the administrator took a phone call from the parent who wanted to set up the meeting and asked for some sense of what the problem was. The reply was, “Our students don’t need to be a part of a classroom experiment with all this technology stuff. They need to have a real teacher with real textbooks and real tests.”
Richardson ended his post with one word. Sigh. I agree with him 100%. Before this class, I dabbled using technology in the classroom with the students however, I was too scared that it would fail or I would run into technical difficulties to try anything outside of my comfort zone. Now, I am glad to say that I am ready to jump in however; this story about parents not being receptive to technology being used to enhance their students learning was not on my mind in terms of potential opposition that I will face. I figured that my main battle (so to speak) would be with administration (if they were not accepting of it) not parents however, now I realize that I need to be prepared to defend my point of view on using technology in the classroom to any critic out there.
Just a quick note…some of the other blogs (plus one ning) that I stopped at today and am now following are:
Liz B Davis
Drew McAllister
Educations PLN
In my next couple of posts, I plan on finishing up my Digital Nation “series” with Part III plus write about the above mentioned blogs and ning.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Digital Nation - Part II
According to Shakespeare, we are consumed with that which we are nourished by. In 1609, these words rang as true as they ring today in relation to the state of South Korea’s technology use. Prior to my viewing of Digital Nation , I thought that gaming was a issue in terms of teenagers as well as some adults devoting to much of their time to this virtual reality however, I never knew this habit could transform into something life threatening or fatal. One of my previous posts, Real Baby Dies as Parents Raise Virtual Daughter goes into terrible detail around how escaping reality to live in a virtual world can have real consequences in real life. One particular point that I found quite interesting is the concept of Internet Rescue Camps for South Korean students who either feel the need themselves or their parents desire them to disconnect and get back into touch with life without technology.
Technology enhances my everyday life. Because I was born into an era when computers were just starting to take off, I must admit that even though I am quite fond of the old way of doings things (writing a letter with pen and paper, calling someone on the telephone instead of texting or chatting on MSN) I am addicted to the instant gratification that a website like Google can provide. Back on the farm before we got high speed, I used to think that dial up was fast. Now, if a webpage does not load instantly or ads or pop up screens block my view of the site, I find myself getting anxious and a tiny bit irritable. If my current self have to put up with dial up, I do believe that I would reach new heights in terms of frustration level. But why do I feel this way? Because I was born close to the beginning a new computerized generation where, according to the Teaching with Technology section, technology is like oxygen. However, as a older member of this generation, I plan to ensure my students not only know how to use a variety of technology tools but also educate them in regards to keeping a balance between their virtual and real worlds since, as displayed in the Digital Nation video, in some cases, too much of a good thing can turn out to not be a good thing after all.
Technology enhances my everyday life. Because I was born into an era when computers were just starting to take off, I must admit that even though I am quite fond of the old way of doings things (writing a letter with pen and paper, calling someone on the telephone instead of texting or chatting on MSN) I am addicted to the instant gratification that a website like Google can provide. Back on the farm before we got high speed, I used to think that dial up was fast. Now, if a webpage does not load instantly or ads or pop up screens block my view of the site, I find myself getting anxious and a tiny bit irritable. If my current self have to put up with dial up, I do believe that I would reach new heights in terms of frustration level. But why do I feel this way? Because I was born close to the beginning a new computerized generation where, according to the Teaching with Technology section, technology is like oxygen. However, as a older member of this generation, I plan to ensure my students not only know how to use a variety of technology tools but also educate them in regards to keeping a balance between their virtual and real worlds since, as displayed in the Digital Nation video, in some cases, too much of a good thing can turn out to not be a good thing after all.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Project Hero Program: Noble Cause or Promotion of Militarism?
My attention today was drawn towards an issue making substantial waves around not only the University of Regina campus but across the country as well. I honestly had no prior knowledge of its existence until my boyfriend mentioned it to me in passing.
Apparently, a new scholarship program called ‘Project Hero’ will waive tuition and course fees for four years and will pay residence for one as well as provide $1,000 per year to successful applicants who are had a parent lose their life serving in Afghanistan.
This Project Hero Program will start in the fall across Canada and is being adopted by various universities and post secondary institutions including the University of Calgary, Memorial University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Windsor just to name a few however, what is making the majority of the waves (so to speak) is that 16 professors from the University of Regina sent in a open letter to Vianne Timmons, President of the University, asking for the withdrawal from Project Hero program.
The letter argues that the University’s involvement in such a program promotes militarism and that, according a quote by Jeffrey Webber, a political science professor, the “program is a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan.”
On the other side of the issue, Andrew Tyler, a fourth-year history major and naval reservist said he was upset and irritated by the professors' letter.
"These are ultra left-wing people who have no idea what it's like to be in the boots of a soldier," Mr. Tyler said. "I'm tired of [them] pontificating to us about what we should do." –
National Post
According to The National Post , Barb Pollock, a spokeswoman for the University of Regina, said there would be no debate on the issue and that Project Hero would proceed.
So the question is: Is the scholarship program fair or foul?
For more information about Project Hero and a list of the post secondary institutions that have adopted it, click here.
You be the judge.
Apparently, a new scholarship program called ‘Project Hero’ will waive tuition and course fees for four years and will pay residence for one as well as provide $1,000 per year to successful applicants who are had a parent lose their life serving in Afghanistan.
This Project Hero Program will start in the fall across Canada and is being adopted by various universities and post secondary institutions including the University of Calgary, Memorial University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Windsor just to name a few however, what is making the majority of the waves (so to speak) is that 16 professors from the University of Regina sent in a open letter to Vianne Timmons, President of the University, asking for the withdrawal from Project Hero program.
The letter argues that the University’s involvement in such a program promotes militarism and that, according a quote by Jeffrey Webber, a political science professor, the “program is a glorification of Canadian imperialism in Afghanistan.”
On the other side of the issue, Andrew Tyler, a fourth-year history major and naval reservist said he was upset and irritated by the professors' letter.
"These are ultra left-wing people who have no idea what it's like to be in the boots of a soldier," Mr. Tyler said. "I'm tired of [them] pontificating to us about what we should do." –
National Post
According to The National Post , Barb Pollock, a spokeswoman for the University of Regina, said there would be no debate on the issue and that Project Hero would proceed.
So the question is: Is the scholarship program fair or foul?
For more information about Project Hero and a list of the post secondary institutions that have adopted it, click here.
You be the judge.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Digital Nation - Part I
So after looking over my blog as well as my notes for this class, I realize that I have yet to write up a post on the Digital Nation video. So better late than never...
During the first segment of the feature, Distracted by Everything , several points were made that I found not only true but insightful as well. I am in totally agreement that students do need to be stimulated in ways that they haven’t been stimulated before in terms of how we as teachers teach. We need to come up with creative and new ways to grab and hold their attention and using technology within our classrooms is one of the sure fire ways to do that.
Besides the video stating that “geeks are normal now” (which I always knew to be true!), I also found the discussion revolving around multitasking to be particularly interesting. I like to think of myself as a multi-tasker when it comes to balancing my social life with my academic one however, according to the research that that was done in the second segment, What’s It Doing to Their Brains? , I am questioning whether or not I should continue to practice this philosophy. I honestly had no idea that according to classic psychology, multitasking just is not possible. The study conducted by NASA proved that you are significantly slower when doing more than one task than if you were to do just one task continuously. However, I was not surprise to hear that the students in the study still believed in the success of multitasking since I am of the same opinion.
Maybe this has something to do with feeling over connected with the world as well as feeling the pressure to stay on top of everything constantly in your life? I mean, think about it, I personally feel like I have accomplished something and have had a more successful day if I managed to work on and maybe complete as many assignments as possible. On the days, that I don’t managed to work on anything except one particular subject or assignment, I feel restless, disconnected and worried that I will not get everything in by the due date. It’s like I am juggling way more bouncy balls than I have time to handle. However, I feel the urgent need to focus on each one for a moment just to see where it is in the air but if I keep that focus too long I jeopardize the whole routine so to speak.
The same can be said for technology, at least for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being connected with my friends, family and society through a variety of technology tools however, that is a juggling act that is still quite new to me and occasionally I forget the steps. I am starting to see how our much our world is connected and that, as it was demonstrated via Skype in class on Tuesday, can be of great use and value in the classroom but from time to time I think I do enjoy, as the video says, ‘pressing the pause button’ temporary just to make sure that my multitasking juggling act has not bounced too far out of control.
Stay tuned for Part II :)!
During the first segment of the feature, Distracted by Everything , several points were made that I found not only true but insightful as well. I am in totally agreement that students do need to be stimulated in ways that they haven’t been stimulated before in terms of how we as teachers teach. We need to come up with creative and new ways to grab and hold their attention and using technology within our classrooms is one of the sure fire ways to do that.
Besides the video stating that “geeks are normal now” (which I always knew to be true!), I also found the discussion revolving around multitasking to be particularly interesting. I like to think of myself as a multi-tasker when it comes to balancing my social life with my academic one however, according to the research that that was done in the second segment, What’s It Doing to Their Brains? , I am questioning whether or not I should continue to practice this philosophy. I honestly had no idea that according to classic psychology, multitasking just is not possible. The study conducted by NASA proved that you are significantly slower when doing more than one task than if you were to do just one task continuously. However, I was not surprise to hear that the students in the study still believed in the success of multitasking since I am of the same opinion.
Maybe this has something to do with feeling over connected with the world as well as feeling the pressure to stay on top of everything constantly in your life? I mean, think about it, I personally feel like I have accomplished something and have had a more successful day if I managed to work on and maybe complete as many assignments as possible. On the days, that I don’t managed to work on anything except one particular subject or assignment, I feel restless, disconnected and worried that I will not get everything in by the due date. It’s like I am juggling way more bouncy balls than I have time to handle. However, I feel the urgent need to focus on each one for a moment just to see where it is in the air but if I keep that focus too long I jeopardize the whole routine so to speak.
The same can be said for technology, at least for me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being connected with my friends, family and society through a variety of technology tools however, that is a juggling act that is still quite new to me and occasionally I forget the steps. I am starting to see how our much our world is connected and that, as it was demonstrated via Skype in class on Tuesday, can be of great use and value in the classroom but from time to time I think I do enjoy, as the video says, ‘pressing the pause button’ temporary just to make sure that my multitasking juggling act has not bounced too far out of control.
Stay tuned for Part II :)!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Prezi Presentation
For my EPSY 332 class this semester, we divided ourselves up into groups and chose a disability to research and present. I was in an awesome group that consisted of Danelle Mondor, Katherine Shepherd and Megan Tokaruk.
I originally decided to make a Power Point presentation however, I had already made one this semester for another presentation and working with that program, in my opinion, was starting to get redundant. Even though it took me a good portion of my weekend, I dived head first into the Prezi program...and you know what? I survived to tell the tale. I managed to figure out the majority of things either on my own or through the instructional video on their site. However, I have to give a huge thank you to both Jessica Ward and Daelynn Estabrooks for helping me figure out how to control my zooming in and out as well as how to embed a YouTube video, called Asperger's Syndrome , which to my joy and delight worked no problem during our presentation!
Anyways, below is my 1st Prezi Presentation...and I have to say that I am quite proud of it!
I originally decided to make a Power Point presentation however, I had already made one this semester for another presentation and working with that program, in my opinion, was starting to get redundant. Even though it took me a good portion of my weekend, I dived head first into the Prezi program...and you know what? I survived to tell the tale. I managed to figure out the majority of things either on my own or through the instructional video on their site. However, I have to give a huge thank you to both Jessica Ward and Daelynn Estabrooks for helping me figure out how to control my zooming in and out as well as how to embed a YouTube video, called Asperger's Syndrome , which to my joy and delight worked no problem during our presentation!
Anyways, below is my 1st Prezi Presentation...and I have to say that I am quite proud of it!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
BREAKING NEWS! Tech Task #7
My group members for Tech Task #7 were Ashley Enion and Jessica Ward . We decided to take the perspective during our PowerPoint of news reporters covering a breaking story.
READ BEFORE WATCHING!
Along the way, we recorded our voices via the recorder in PowerPoint however, we never did quite manage to get our recordings to start playing each time the slide changed so...unfortunately the little yellow bell at the corner of the slides needs to be clicked to here our 'newscast'. We also added in a a few visuals to enhance the effectiveness of our story.
ENJOY!
Tech Task #7
EXPERIENCING TEMPORARY SOUND DIFFICULTIES...PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON :)
READ BEFORE WATCHING!
Along the way, we recorded our voices via the recorder in PowerPoint however, we never did quite manage to get our recordings to start playing each time the slide changed so...unfortunately the little yellow bell at the corner of the slides needs to be clicked to here our 'newscast'. We also added in a a few visuals to enhance the effectiveness of our story.
ENJOY!
Tech Task #7
EXPERIENCING TEMPORARY SOUND DIFFICULTIES...PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON :)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Flickr Spelling Application
As I was going through the recent blog posts, I found a very interesting post titled, Flickr Spelling by Erica . She had discovered a Flickr application that will allow you to spell your name with pictures of single letters. I think that this was quite creative and have been inspired to try it myself...Thank You Erica!
Below is my final result:
Overall, I found this application to be fairly easy to navigate however, the site that I used to create the above image looks slightly 'unofficial' but you still arrive at the desired result. I definitely could see classroom applications for this technology tool specifically relating to letter recognition and spelling.
Below is my final result:
Overall, I found this application to be fairly easy to navigate however, the site that I used to create the above image looks slightly 'unofficial' but you still arrive at the desired result. I definitely could see classroom applications for this technology tool specifically relating to letter recognition and spelling.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Real Baby Dies as Parents Raise Virtual Daughter
I was watching the news recently and was, quite frankly, shocked at what I heard. It was only a short clip of a story but it certainly grabbed my full attention to the point where I felt the need to search and find out more information.
In South Korea, a couple addicted to computer games let their real life baby starve to death while raising a virtual daughter online. According to various articles I read, the couple spent up to 12 hours per day at an Internet cafe while their 3 month old daughter was left home alone at their apartment in Suwon, South Korea. They raised their avatar baby, named Anima, through their profiles on a Second Life-style game called PRIUS, while their real daughter was given just one bottle of milk a day.
The couple was reported to be on the run since their daughter died in September and was finally arrested five months after reporting the baby's death. The autopsy revealed that the infant girl had indeed died of malnutrition, a severe sign of neglect on the part of the parents.
In the Fox News article, I found the comments made by Dr. Keith Ablow to be very interesting. Ablow stated that "humans are at a critical moment in society — "when our fascination with online activities is beginning to eclipse our attention to reality." He believes that sites like Second Life can cleave vulnerable people from their genuine relationships and emotions and turn them into "pretenders" who live a fake, if not delusional, existence." I agree with Dr. Ablow to a point. Technology is a extremely useful tool in today's world when used in moderation. Connecting has never been easier to do and entertainment for example YouTube and online gaming, like Second Life, is constantly been taken to the next level providing us with fantastic experiences that allow us, for the moment, to ignore or escape reality. The problem occurs when it is taken to the extreme, as seen in this case.
Everything PR 's article on this story raises a very good point when it states that the a person should "use the virtual environment as a point of inspiration for what [they] want to do in the physical world, and [then proceed to] create your own reality."
Looking at this issue from a teacher's perspective, technology is a great tool to use in the classroom and the power of it in society should not be ignored. However, technology awareness needs to be taught right along side with the "How to's" in order to aid students in maintaining a healthy balance between their virtual and real lives.
In South Korea, a couple addicted to computer games let their real life baby starve to death while raising a virtual daughter online. According to various articles I read, the couple spent up to 12 hours per day at an Internet cafe while their 3 month old daughter was left home alone at their apartment in Suwon, South Korea. They raised their avatar baby, named Anima, through their profiles on a Second Life-style game called PRIUS, while their real daughter was given just one bottle of milk a day.
The couple was reported to be on the run since their daughter died in September and was finally arrested five months after reporting the baby's death. The autopsy revealed that the infant girl had indeed died of malnutrition, a severe sign of neglect on the part of the parents.
In the Fox News article, I found the comments made by Dr. Keith Ablow to be very interesting. Ablow stated that "humans are at a critical moment in society — "when our fascination with online activities is beginning to eclipse our attention to reality." He believes that sites like Second Life can cleave vulnerable people from their genuine relationships and emotions and turn them into "pretenders" who live a fake, if not delusional, existence." I agree with Dr. Ablow to a point. Technology is a extremely useful tool in today's world when used in moderation. Connecting has never been easier to do and entertainment for example YouTube and online gaming, like Second Life, is constantly been taken to the next level providing us with fantastic experiences that allow us, for the moment, to ignore or escape reality. The problem occurs when it is taken to the extreme, as seen in this case.
Everything PR 's article on this story raises a very good point when it states that the a person should "use the virtual environment as a point of inspiration for what [they] want to do in the physical world, and [then proceed to] create your own reality."
Looking at this issue from a teacher's perspective, technology is a great tool to use in the classroom and the power of it in society should not be ignored. However, technology awareness needs to be taught right along side with the "How to's" in order to aid students in maintaining a healthy balance between their virtual and real lives.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Gadgets and...Joining Twitter!
For the last couple of days, I have been really trying to make my blog my own personalized space. Now, for tech savvy people, this post probably will not be the most entertaining to read however, I feel very proud to say the least of how I have managed to dive into the inner workings of my blog page and (to my amazement) actually understand the majority of it!
As the title of this post states, I tried to spice up my page by adding gadgets. My first priority was finding out how to add a Clustr Map which I discovered was not as hard as I thought. Next, I went on a search to see what other gadgets are out there and how hard would it be to place them on my blog? Well, not very difficult at all. I added a Date and Time gadget and found a Poll application that was easy to add through my settings. Since the Olympics have just ended, I thought that this would be the perfect topic to practice my poll creating skills on by having people vote on the best overall moments. This idea was good in theory until I never included the Ice Hockey Gold for both men and women as an option. This little slip then brought about a minor speed bump due to the fact that I could not change the options once a vote had been cast. Overall, the process was remarkably easier than I thought and I find myself becoming increasingly engaged in searching not only for more cool gadgets but others things that I could do with my blog as well.
My success on my blog has finally tipped me over the edge and strengthen my bravery to the point where…drum roll please…I have decided to join Twitter ... the thought of which a couple of months ago scared me to death!
One of the main reasons that brought about my joining was that my previous post, Making a Connection was tweeted out by Alec Couros and as a result, I not only received 4 comments on that particular post but also have had 40+ visits to my blog from a variety of countries. This type of social networking power is difficult to ignore when it is staring you right in the face. I decided that even though I was slightly intimated about signing up I would just be doing myself and my future students a disservice by not including Twitter in my PLN.
So far, I have been welcomed with many gracious tweets and had connected with a variety of educators who have also put me onto some great sites and resources…which I hopefully will have time to blog about in the future!
As the title of this post states, I tried to spice up my page by adding gadgets. My first priority was finding out how to add a Clustr Map which I discovered was not as hard as I thought. Next, I went on a search to see what other gadgets are out there and how hard would it be to place them on my blog? Well, not very difficult at all. I added a Date and Time gadget and found a Poll application that was easy to add through my settings. Since the Olympics have just ended, I thought that this would be the perfect topic to practice my poll creating skills on by having people vote on the best overall moments. This idea was good in theory until I never included the Ice Hockey Gold for both men and women as an option. This little slip then brought about a minor speed bump due to the fact that I could not change the options once a vote had been cast. Overall, the process was remarkably easier than I thought and I find myself becoming increasingly engaged in searching not only for more cool gadgets but others things that I could do with my blog as well.
My success on my blog has finally tipped me over the edge and strengthen my bravery to the point where…drum roll please…I have decided to join Twitter ... the thought of which a couple of months ago scared me to death!
One of the main reasons that brought about my joining was that my previous post, Making a Connection was tweeted out by Alec Couros and as a result, I not only received 4 comments on that particular post but also have had 40+ visits to my blog from a variety of countries. This type of social networking power is difficult to ignore when it is staring you right in the face. I decided that even though I was slightly intimated about signing up I would just be doing myself and my future students a disservice by not including Twitter in my PLN.
So far, I have been welcomed with many gracious tweets and had connected with a variety of educators who have also put me onto some great sites and resources…which I hopefully will have time to blog about in the future!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Making a Connection
During the break, I had a chance to comment on a few of the the Grade 5/6 blog's from Comox, B.C. I commented on one blog in particular, written by "An Actress in the Making" Tatiana . She had written the most lovely poetry as well as a post or two on the movie Twilight which I also enjoyed watching. While on her blog, I also noticed that she had a Clustr map in the corner (...hmmm...I must figure out how to get me one of those!)
Since I was in L.A. for a while during the break, I figured that I could help some of these students get a red dot on their map since I always enjoyed seeing the red dots appear on our EPS blog in 3rd year. Anyways, I finished my comment to her and honestly, wasn't expecting much of a respond back...well, I was definitely wrong in that assumption!
She commented on my comment (I think that's how it works) and started asking me questions about L.A. and if she could write a blog post about my trip since she wants to travel there in the future. I must admit, I was amazed how excited she sounded and I was so honoured that she wanted to write about little old me...a person she had never even heard of prior to my comment. As a teacher, all I wanted to do was fuel that excitement for writing! She ended up writing an excellent post: Trip To Los Angles
Before this class, I thought I understood why people liked putting their thoughts out there on the internet. I figured was that they just wanted their voice to be heard. But talking with Tatiana made me realize that it is much more than that. It doesn't matter if your opinion is out there if you don't make a connection with someone else. A page or blog could exist forever and never really perform its purpose if someone else does not take the time to reach out and comment. I really was touched at the connection I made...and I hope to make many, many more :)
Since I was in L.A. for a while during the break, I figured that I could help some of these students get a red dot on their map since I always enjoyed seeing the red dots appear on our EPS blog in 3rd year. Anyways, I finished my comment to her and honestly, wasn't expecting much of a respond back...well, I was definitely wrong in that assumption!
She commented on my comment (I think that's how it works) and started asking me questions about L.A. and if she could write a blog post about my trip since she wants to travel there in the future. I must admit, I was amazed how excited she sounded and I was so honoured that she wanted to write about little old me...a person she had never even heard of prior to my comment. As a teacher, all I wanted to do was fuel that excitement for writing! She ended up writing an excellent post: Trip To Los Angles
Before this class, I thought I understood why people liked putting their thoughts out there on the internet. I figured was that they just wanted their voice to be heard. But talking with Tatiana made me realize that it is much more than that. It doesn't matter if your opinion is out there if you don't make a connection with someone else. A page or blog could exist forever and never really perform its purpose if someone else does not take the time to reach out and comment. I really was touched at the connection I made...and I hope to make many, many more :)
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