My Summary of Learning

Summary of Learning
My Multimedia Experience

“Overwhelmed” is the word the first comes to mind as I summarize my learning. Just a few days ago that may have had a more negative connotation to it as I felt inundated with all I needed to do in such a short amount of time. But today as I am wrapping everything up and looking over all that we have learned and created, “overwhelmed” actually feels good. My summer multimedia experience has been, to say the least, “multi-valuable.” Metaphorically speaking…I feel as though we got a taste test of this gourmet buffet and now I’m ready to go back and fill my plate with some of my favorite entrée`s and even try some new things. I am excited to put my personal digital library to use in my 21st Century Library. I am a list-making person so I sat down and generated and organized a list of what Kristin has ambitiously taught us. I thought I was to the point where I didn’t want to open my laptop or read any more books for at least another month, however, I am finding myself eager to get back to Picaso and Movie Maker and to explore the possibilities of the Web 2.0 tools I have collected in my toolbox, and check in on my iGoogle page to see what new RSS feeds and Blogs have arrived. Again, it is “overwhelming.”

To choose one thing to demonstrate what I have learned seems impossible but in order to calm this feeling of being overwhelmed, I have decided to focus on the tools I plan to use immediately when school starts in August. I have narrowed it down to three: iGoogle, Wikispaces, and Blogger.

· iGoogle is the perfect organizational tool for me. Everything is in one location and as I said earlier, I am a list-maker and this site lets me see lists of my bookmarks, my RSS feeds, Blogs I’m following and even lets me create my own lists. I am considering purchasing a Smartphone, and iGoogle is my main reason for wanting it – everything in one spot, easy to organize, easy to find at my fingertips.

· Wikispaces will be a work-in-progress. I haven’t set mine up yet, but I plan to very soon. My initial thought is to use this two ways. One – as a portal for teacher and student resources and a place to collect and share; and two – as a tool to use teacher-to-teacher for collaborating and for teachers (myself included) to use with their students. I plan to promote this as a tool to:
o Collaborate/communicate within their classroom and outside their classroom – locally and
globally
o Showcase their work ( PwrPts, podcasts, video, Voicethreads…)
o Post their ideas, thoughts, reflections
o Post links
o Gather information on a common topic
o Serve as a portal to post lessons, resources, other tools
o To use as a teaching opportunity about respecting other people’s work, ideas.

· Blogger will be used to continue being connected with other’s ideas and resources. I initially thought this would not be of much use to me, but now I am hooked. Who will I follow? These are the resources that are tops on my list right now:
o David Warlick
o Will Richardson
o Debbie Abilock
o Free Technology for Teachers – recommended by Beth Swantz
o Kathy Schrock
o Edutopia
o And last but certainly not least: My UI Cohort and Kristin Steingreaber’s blogs

· Also, with all that we have learned, I would now like to go back and re-read the Warlick and Richardson books. I think I would pick up even more the second time around and be able to better absorb their ideas.

Overwhelmed, excited, and ready to get started with my 21st Century Library. But first I am off on a VACATION! And when I get back, I might even share my pictures with you! Hmmm...Flickr? Picaso? Voicethread? Animoto? ...the possibilities are endless!

Thoughts on 6 Activities for July 13th

• 
  I thought the Abilock article was interesting. I know when I look at pictures I think many things, but never really thought about all the components I bring to the visual information: personal, moral, ethical, historical, social, political, economical, cultural, aesthetic, critical, metaphoric. I will certainly be more "aware" next time I look at photos, etc.
• The "Snow" project looked like it had a lot of educational components to it. At first my thought was, "how long did this whole thing take?" but then it looks like they broke into groups and did different projects. I liked this idea, looks like they hit on the multiple intelligences and was definitely cross-curricular. I also liked the rubrics...I went to the website: http://makinghistorysnowadventure.googlepages.com/home.
• 
  As for images: Since we have Macs at my school, I have used iPhoto. But after I downloaded Piccassa, I think this looks like a site I want to spend more time playing with. Flickr has its benefits as well. I have used both Snapfish and Shutterfly, but I think I would like to find one site that does everything well and stick with it. Based only on the brief look at Piccassa, I'm thinking this may be that site. Just need MORE TIME!
• 
  Flickr, as I said definitely has its benefits, and seems to be widely used so I will definitely explore the potential. I can definitely see several educational values especially with the Maps feature.
• 
  Wes Fryer's video was a good reminder that even Kindergarten and 2nd graders can use these technology tools! I also liked his comment regarding kids and internet safety, "We teach our kids to swim if we know they are going to be around water..." in otherwords, we shouldn't get so freaked out about letting children have access to the internet, we just need to give them some "swimming" lessons so they can avoid dangerous situations.

Diffendoofer Day

Joan Fredrickson's Podcast

My June 21st, 2009 VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com/share/551315/

Richardson - Chapter 7 - Flickr

Wow! I thought Flickr was just a sight were anyone could share pictures and that alone had some possibilities. I had no idea about the RSS feed or the abililty to create groups, tags, comment, use with Google Maps or Google Earth, and all the Flickr Tools. My equipment order for the school includes 6 digital cameras for the students to use..I think I may need to order more! I can see having my upper elementary students using their own photos for projects, but the lower elementary could possible use photos that I or someone else has uploaded for less involved projects. I think Flickr is a tool with a lot of potential for K-12 education and I plan to spend more time exploring this resource.

Richardson - Chapter 6 - The Social Web

First, some random person overall thoughts... As I read these chapters I feel like the character in a movie with the devil sitting on one shoulder and an angel sitting on the other shoulder having conversations with me about whether or not the social web is good or bad. I love the enthusiasm Richardson writes with as he explains the Read/Write Web because it gets me excited about trying new things with the staff and students at school and also for my own personal use. But I also can't help but feel a little anxious about the fear of the unknown. I completely agree with the idea that these web-based tools provide networks of resources connecting us to a plethora of valuable interests, ideas, professionals...the list is endless. I know from my personal learning experience with the classes we are taking that I love the idea of interacting with others and have gained so much from networking with my co-hort and other professionals. These tools definitely have their place in the educational setting and I can't wait to share them with others, but (the little devil speaks) I start having "what if" thoughts - such as "what if we go overboard with all this connectivity - I can see where there may be students who go through class with little effort because they can get lost in a group that does everything for them. Can all this technology create lazy learners? But then (the little angel wakes up) I think of specific students who struggle and I think of how this will work great for differentiation in the classroom. I go from great ideas to feeling overwhelmed.

Back to Chapter 6... I have been curious about Twitter, find it funny that there is a whole new "twitter vocabulary," but again have some reservations about it. I see some great potential and love the examples Richardson provides, but can it become too much? I also see it as sucking my valuable time by getting addicted to the idea that I need to read everyone's tweets.

How do we balance it all out and sort the good from the bad before we become "addicted." I kind of envy those that just dives right in, but for me personally, I think I'll just wade in and see if I want to become a "Twitter-ite."

Richardson - Chapter 5

I knew RSS feeds were about subscribing to selected information that would be delivered to you personally via the internet - somehow. But this chapter does a great job of explaining how it works, how to get going using them and why it makes sense. I especially liked the idea of using RSS feeds for news searches. What a great tool for helping students (and me) find news articles on specific subjects - delivered to my Google Reader.

School/Classroom Blog Camparison

I was especially curious about the blogs created by Elementary classrooms. I looked at each one but will compare KinderKids Blog with a Kindergarten classroom and Mighty Writers with a 3rd grade classroom. They each served a different purpose. KinderKids was more of a journal of activities that the teacher posted. I can see it as way to share what the students had done with the parents or for the students to go back and revisit what they had done. It also looks as though it may be used in conjunction with an older class because of the comments that were posted. Initially, I wasn't sure blogging in Kindergarten would be of much value, but I am getting some great ideas: In our school, we have Kdgn.-5th grade buddies and I can see this being a great project for them and a way for them to interact.

Mighty Writers is a blog where the classroom students contribute. I liked how the teacher posted the assignment or question and the students responded. It appears as though the students can continue to blog throughout the summer. I think that is a great way for the students to stay connected. I can see creating a reading blog and have students share and discuss what they are reading. I had mentioned in a previous post that I would like to start a book club. This would be a way to continue the book club during the summer...! For a blog like Might Writers, I think it would be important as the teacher to encourage the students to comment on their peers' blogs in order to keep that interaction and communication component going. This would be a fantastic way for students to work with partners or small groups. So many times I hear the teachers tell their students to read a book when they are finished with their work, which is fine, but wouldn't it be nice to differentiate and be able to tell students they can blog (about the book they are reading or an assignment) if they finish early.

Educator Blog Comparison

I compared David Warlick's 2 Cents Worth http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ to Brian Crosby's Learning is Messy http://learningismessy.com/blog/. Although I am not an expert on blogs, my initial response was that Warlick's blog was that of an expert and Crosby's was average. However, after spending more time on each, I will keep my same opinion of Warlick's blog, but have changed my mind about Crosby's. According to Kathy Schrock's evaluation guidelines, Crosby's blog passes the test for being a reputable blog, so I took a closer look. Crosby appears to have some very good credentials, has been a presenter at numerous technology-related conferences, and has won some awards for his work as well. What I found useful with his blog is that he provides examples of what he has actually done in his classroom, he discusses what has worked for him and isn't afraid to share and question what hasn't worked or what went wrong.
David Warlick's blog is a tremendous resource for the big Web 2.o picture. I have no doubt he is an expert in the technology field. I have heard him referenced at the ITEC conference and got sucked into his blogs immediately - jotting down notes for future use with my colleagues. His blog is very professional, yet has a personal flare. He poses information that gets the reader thinking. I plan to revisit both of these blogs, but will be will be checking Warlick's on a regular basis!

Blogs, Wiki's, Podcasts..Ch.2

Teacher Librarian to Staff:
I think blogging would be a great tool to use with teachers to share ideas and resources, but also to communicate information from committee meetings and have it all organized in one place for the participants to access rather than sending out numerous emails and trying to find information in old emails.

It could also be used as a follow-up tool after an in-service. Especially for teachers to share with colleagues any great ways they are implementing the new information into their curriculum. (i.e., technology, differentiation, etc.). Or share additional resources/links for teachers to use.

Teacher Librarian to Students:
I have been thinking about starting a book club with the 5th graders and a blog would be a great tool for me to pose questions to the students and have them respond.