Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Final Blog: We've Only Just Begun
This has been an amazing summer! When I think about all that I have learned, I am simply blown away. But, I also recognize that most of what I've learned about mulitmedia is just merely scratching the surface. For example, I now know how to use Movie Maker, but I am nowhere near the point where I feel like I have mastered all of the "tricks." And, I feel that way about most of the tools we've learned about; I've certainly improved my competency, but I have a lot of room for growth. I think that's a good thing (well, a GREAT thing would for me to be a guru on all of these tools, but that probably isn't possible). It gives me the chance to really think about which tools are worth investing extra time in -- for myself, my colleagues, and my students.
As I look ahead to my first year as a teacher librarian, I see three tools/resources that I want to focus on: Google, the AEA, and podcasting.
It goes against my nature to support BIG Corporatism, but like it or not, Google is the cutting edge on so many "free" tools. Though not perfect, I have really found our class site to be useful, and it's made me think about how I could incorporate this feature into my library. I definitely think it could be a great way for kids or teachers to collaborate. I am also thinking about how I can use Google Reader. I love the idea of kids being able to collect up-to-date information about a given topic, and I'm thinking about ways to promote this approach in a systematic way.
I know that as a teacher, I was not very good about using the AEA or promoting it with my students (or colleagues). Now that I've seen its full potential: DE Streaming, AP Photos, SIRS, EBSCO, etc., I feel the need to really promote this resource as a place students should always go to when they start a research project.
Finally, I am excited about the potential that podcasting holds. I'll admit that, at first, I did not think it would be that powerful of a tool. But, now that I have seen how it works (and how easy it is), Ireally think it is something that not only kids could get into, but it is also something that teachers might be likely to incorporate into their lesson plans. I think it has a huge potential to give kids ownership of a lot of what goes on in school, even outside of classroom.
As far as who I am following, I have RSS feeds going in my Google Reader on both Joyce Valenza (one of the best websites I've seen in the field!) and David Warlick. My plan is to closely follow a couple of people for a while and then choose others to follow for awhile -- it's good to get all kinds of different perspectives. But, as far as Valenza and Warlick, I really appreciate the enthusiasm and vision that both of them bring to the field. I particularly like how Warlick has stopped refering to what we are doing as 21st century learning and instead is calling it "contemporary literacy." I know it's just semantics, but I think that it seems to better capture what educators have always needed to do. Compared to our predecessors, we're not anything special, we just have different ways to get at the same goal.
I would be remiss if I did not address the most powerful personal learning network we all have going right now and that is the 20 of us and those professors who have taught us so far and will teach us in the future (and hopefully, eventually, the second cohort, as well). I get just as many ideas from all of you as I do from any other thinker or practitioner on the subject. Even better, we can continue to bounce ideas off one another, laugh together, and cry together. Hopefully not much of the latter, but Darla is leaving Bdorf Monday, and it's not going to be a fun time : ( Anyway, I have learned so much from all of you, and I think it's great that we have this amazing group of people to draw from. THANKS!
As I look ahead to my first year as a teacher librarian, I see three tools/resources that I want to focus on: Google, the AEA, and podcasting.
It goes against my nature to support BIG Corporatism, but like it or not, Google is the cutting edge on so many "free" tools. Though not perfect, I have really found our class site to be useful, and it's made me think about how I could incorporate this feature into my library. I definitely think it could be a great way for kids or teachers to collaborate. I am also thinking about how I can use Google Reader. I love the idea of kids being able to collect up-to-date information about a given topic, and I'm thinking about ways to promote this approach in a systematic way.
I know that as a teacher, I was not very good about using the AEA or promoting it with my students (or colleagues). Now that I've seen its full potential: DE Streaming, AP Photos, SIRS, EBSCO, etc., I feel the need to really promote this resource as a place students should always go to when they start a research project.
Finally, I am excited about the potential that podcasting holds. I'll admit that, at first, I did not think it would be that powerful of a tool. But, now that I have seen how it works (and how easy it is), Ireally think it is something that not only kids could get into, but it is also something that teachers might be likely to incorporate into their lesson plans. I think it has a huge potential to give kids ownership of a lot of what goes on in school, even outside of classroom.
As far as who I am following, I have RSS feeds going in my Google Reader on both Joyce Valenza (one of the best websites I've seen in the field!) and David Warlick. My plan is to closely follow a couple of people for a while and then choose others to follow for awhile -- it's good to get all kinds of different perspectives. But, as far as Valenza and Warlick, I really appreciate the enthusiasm and vision that both of them bring to the field. I particularly like how Warlick has stopped refering to what we are doing as 21st century learning and instead is calling it "contemporary literacy." I know it's just semantics, but I think that it seems to better capture what educators have always needed to do. Compared to our predecessors, we're not anything special, we just have different ways to get at the same goal.
I would be remiss if I did not address the most powerful personal learning network we all have going right now and that is the 20 of us and those professors who have taught us so far and will teach us in the future (and hopefully, eventually, the second cohort, as well). I get just as many ideas from all of you as I do from any other thinker or practitioner on the subject. Even better, we can continue to bounce ideas off one another, laugh together, and cry together. Hopefully not much of the latter, but Darla is leaving Bdorf Monday, and it's not going to be a fun time : ( Anyway, I have learned so much from all of you, and I think it's great that we have this amazing group of people to draw from. THANKS!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Fun With Photoshop!
So, I began my photoediting experiment with IrfanView, and let's just say it did not go well. After spending about 15 minutes altering a photo, it just started running a slideshow of all of my photos. Though I could get back to my original photo, I could not get back to my edits (yeah, I know, I should have saved...but I was still playing around at that point). Moreover, it just wanted to run the slideshow. When I tried to start over, it kept going into slideshow mode. I don't normally give up that easy, but I'm starting to get a little bit freaked that Irfanview (aka Infrared) is taking over my laptop. It's totally commandeered all of my image files and weird things have been happening to my desktop icons, and...well, I'd love to hear from anyone out there who a) can explain the slideshow sideshow or b) LOVES IrfanView and wants to sell me on it/enlighten me.
I ended my photoediting experiment with Photoshop. I have used Photoshop before, but it was a different version. My version is taking a little getting used to, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I worked on a few photos, practicing cropping, some of the auto features, and some of the filters. Here is one of my "final" projects, a picture of Chris Dodd. I've included the original so you can see my changes.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
What It All Means
This chapter was extremely helpful in laying out the new ways we all need to be thinking about teaching and learning. Examining the "Big Shifts" is a useful way for me to see where I am in terms of being a 21st century teacher and teacher librarian. The good news is, while I still have some things to wrap my brain around and fully embrace, I feel like I am in a good place.
Also, I texted Google for the definition of "stickleback" a la page 133. How COOL!
Also, I texted Google for the definition of "stickleback" a la page 133. How COOL!
Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming
On Sunday, Casey Kasem broadcast his last countdown on the public airwaves. Talk about the day the music died. When I was a kid, I listened to Casey Kasem and Rick Dees every Sunday. My best friend and I used to create little radio shows we taped on my first "stereo" (In addition to recording and introducing music, I distinctly remember doing play-by-play of a Cardinals game and a Boris Becker/Ivan Lendl tennis match -- Boris Becker ended up with a tennis ball stuck in his ear; we created a Culligan commercial and a new episode of Three's Company; and, I insisted upon carrying on with the worst Pee-Wee Herman impression ever recorded). When MTV arrived, video did not kill the radio star because this radio star lived in the country and did not have cable. Corporate ownership of radio stations killed the radio star. When my favorite radio station KIIK 104 decided to change its format and go to an all-oldies radio station, well, I started going crazy for CDs.
So, I am thrilled by the emergence of podcasting. It's beautiful -- Pump Up the Volume hits the 21st century. As a lover of independent music, I think the possibilities are incredible. As an educator, I think back to my goofy self as a kid and know that I would have thriven on such a medium. There, too, the possibilities are incredible. As we discussed in class, podcasting for fluency would be a great way to use the tool. I also really like the idea of a "school radio station" where both academic and non-academic information and performances can be shared. For those who are somewhat leery of public sharing, it is a great way to test the waters with a little bit more anonymity than a video offers. Having had just a little practice with it already and found it to be very easy to use, I feel like many teachers would be comfortable implementing into their lesson plans.
So, I am thrilled by the emergence of podcasting. It's beautiful -- Pump Up the Volume hits the 21st century. As a lover of independent music, I think the possibilities are incredible. As an educator, I think back to my goofy self as a kid and know that I would have thriven on such a medium. There, too, the possibilities are incredible. As we discussed in class, podcasting for fluency would be a great way to use the tool. I also really like the idea of a "school radio station" where both academic and non-academic information and performances can be shared. For those who are somewhat leery of public sharing, it is a great way to test the waters with a little bit more anonymity than a video offers. Having had just a little practice with it already and found it to be very easy to use, I feel like many teachers would be comfortable implementing into their lesson plans.
Implementation
1. I would welcome any advice on developing my personal learning network (all of you are certainly in that category for me right now -- thanks!!!!). Who feels like they have something that is working?
2. I loved the line about how teaching technology would be like teaching pencil (160)...I'm not sure the analogy totally works, but I think it's a great way to think about what we do as educators.
2. I loved the line about how teaching technology would be like teaching pencil (160)...I'm not sure the analogy totally works, but I think it's a great way to think about what we do as educators.
Ethics and Context
I thought Warlick's statistics about what students do online -- suggesting that their activity is much more likely to be school related than most people imagine -- is telling information. While many parents are very open to Classroom 2.0 innovations, many are also leery about the possibilities. It is going to be a challenge for us (and our colleagues) to start alleviating some of these fears by teaching our communities about the benefits that await our young people (and the possible detriment to their future success if we don't embrace some of these new learning tools).
Along those same lines, I do have a question. Because I have taught only at the high school level, this has not been much of an issue. However, I know that in recent years, there have been concerns about the practice of students switching papers and correcting one another's work. For some lower-performing students, this has been an embarrassing experience and some teachers have stopped doing it altogether. So, how does this transfer into the digital world? What if some students (and/or their) parents do not want their work published -- even in a "private"/"protected" wiki or blog? (Anyone who has done peer reviewing in a class has surely run into a multitude of issues here, of course.) Certainly, I can imagine alternative assignments, but how might one go about addressing this, en masse?
Along those same lines, I do have a question. Because I have taught only at the high school level, this has not been much of an issue. However, I know that in recent years, there have been concerns about the practice of students switching papers and correcting one another's work. For some lower-performing students, this has been an embarrassing experience and some teachers have stopped doing it altogether. So, how does this transfer into the digital world? What if some students (and/or their) parents do not want their work published -- even in a "private"/"protected" wiki or blog? (Anyone who has done peer reviewing in a class has surely run into a multitude of issues here, of course.) Certainly, I can imagine alternative assignments, but how might one go about addressing this, en masse?
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