Task 6

I had already used Skype and Quizlet for the first times this year.  About a month ago, we did our first Skype with a guest speaker, who was out in California, and I was amazed at how easy it was.  I've been trying to get my in-laws to buy-in to Skype with the grandchildren - but so far only have the one who's already in town.  I had only used Quizlet to make quizzes for my daughter's vocabulary tests, but this weekend I made one for my class to prepare for their next vocab. test - http://quizlet.com/1911412/vocabulary-test-210-flash-cards/.   I had also used Library Thing - about a year ago and hadn't used it since.  I went back and set up separate lists, for home and school.  I love the idea of recommendations, but the ones that were actually given didn't seem very on-target.

I have tried teachertube a few times this weekend, and I'm not having much success.  I tried typing in "A Separate Peace"  because our class is getting ready to do that book, but it kept giving me listings for "rate". Weird.  If I figure it out, I'd like to find some things I can link to the blog I've set up on the book - http://piaseparatepeace.blogspot.com/

I also experimented with Pixton, which seems like a great tool.  I would like to have my class make cartoons that include all the vocab. words form the upcoming list.  I signed up for the free teacher-trial that supposedly allows 30 people to use it, but I'm not sure if it will really work once all the kids log on.  In order for them to log on individually, their parents have to first approve via an email link.  I also can't figure out how to change my password - I'd rather them not have my tried-and-true one!  The badges, points, etc. seem quite confusing, and I hope that the kids don't run out of "points" before they're done.  Has anyone tried ToonDoo?  Are there advantages/disadvantages?

Task 5

The thing I found most useful is the google news search by topic that can feed to your reader - http://www.google.com/reader/view/#overview-page.  Since I teach a course on Race, Class, & Gender, I was able to enter "social class", "racism", and "gender inequality" in order to find possible articles - and they'll keep on coming.  My class is currently zeroing in on a topic related to race that they want to study in depth, and once that's decided, I'll enter their specific topic to find more.  


Not as successful for me was  http://education.alltop.com/.  I kept trying to enter similar searches as above but wasn't getting to anything.  I found it very confusing.  I also could not figure out how to search within the actual Google Reader - http://google.com/reader.  I couldn't find the "discover" button, which is supposed to be the first step.  I may be blind.

Task 4

A couple of years ago, I took a class on RSS.  At the time, I was utterly and completely overwhelmed by it.    In fact, I had not looked at my Google Reader since.  But, lo and behold, it was still there.  I found some great stuff, scrolling through the recent arrivals, especially an episode of Grammar Girl.  She does podcasts on various grammar-related topics, two of which I'm studying with my class right now.  Here is one on among vs. between for all you grammar nerds out there:  http://c4.libsyn.com/media/273/grammar207_between.mp3?nvb=20100225150304&nva=20100226151304&t=037dc79f94d0f848b87b5

One thing I learned this week was how to set up the folders, which I like.  I have them labeled with the names of my individual classes to which they might apply, as well as one for home and one for Pi 2.0.

I have a couple of questions about the whole RSS thing.  One is I'm having trouble finding the feed icons on the sites I visited.  I was able to add a bunch manually, but I wonder if I'm missing something easier.  

Also, one you scroll by the articles and don't open them, I understand that it sees it as you having read them, but is there a way to keep them from disappearing without starring them?  I think I would like four categories: ones I haven't read, ones I have read and want to delete, ones I have read and want to save, and ones I glanced at but haven't read and want to go back to.  Is that possible?

And one more:  do the posts automatically delete after a certain amount of time if you don't open them?  I had several posts but all recent - not two years worth.

Adios.

Question

Once you post on a blog, can you go back to it and change/add something? If so, how? J

Task 3

In terms of what I noticed about blog writing in general, it seems more inter-connected. By that I mean that it is hard to just read a part in isolation, since one post references another and so on. I was surprised to find that the language was more grammatically correct than I expected. I thought it might be more text-speaky. I've always thought of blogs as what whiny people with too much time on their hands do, and I didn't see how they'd be professionally helpful. I'm getting a better sense of that now.

The blog I found the most useful for my purposes was the Woodward site on EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE. It provided a great template of how to set up a blog on a book. It seems like the kids were using class time to do many of their posts, since they were all around the same time during the school day. Many of them commented that it was such a relief to have a change of pace, after sitting through discussion classes all day. I just wish I could find a general description of the requirements for the kids - how many posts in which categories.

I'm thinking of doing a similar thing with A SEPARATE PEACE, which we will be starting in a few weeks. Once we have our netbooks, it will be much easier, but I suppose we could set up in the lab. I wouldn't want to totally give up discussion, but I would like to incorporate blogging in lieu of discussion sometimes - I am especially curious to see what the quieter kids have to say.

#1 - Continued

How do I edit my previous post?? I tried "Edit Posts", which seemed a natural, but it wouldn't let me in to edit.

Task #1

In watching the videos of last week, the biggest thing that struck me was the idea that students are in school preparing for jobs that do not even exist yet. How, then, do teachers prepare students? I cannot imagine that my teachers ever envisioned the state of technology today. At the same time, though, I do feel prepared to handle it (with lots of help from the technology staff!). Perhaps it is that whole learning-how-to-learn concept. But I also don't think we can not just throw up our hands and say we can't keep up. Because of how kids operate today, technology is a way to meet and engage them where they are. Of course, where they are is often way beyond where I am. I do feel frustrated at times when I am trying to do something technological, make a mistake, and all the kids start telling me what to do. On the other hand, they love it - and they can almost always solve the problem.

I had a few 2.0-based ideas last week: having kids do on-line discussions of a lit. book in blog format, podcasting class discussions so that parents could engage kids in discussions that began in class, having a huge ongoing curriculum/resource map of everything that is being taught in every part of the school, getting kids to read part of their stories in a podcast and coming up with images to accompany them. Last week, I had kids do podcasts for the first time, with the eighth graders teaching the seventh graders (so I didn't have to know how to do it). This week, the eighth graders will be podcasting part of their stories. One thing I'm learning is that I've got to count on glitch-time when I start a new project - just expect it, rather than being surprised and frustrated by it.

Okay, how do you spellcheck these posts???