1.0 vs 2.0

When I first started my journey through grad school I didn't think much about the use of Web 1.0 technology. I honestly probably couldn't of defined what Web 1.0 was and most likely would have listed off Web 2.0 tools. This summer we had the experience of learning more in depth about the affordances of using Web 1.0 to design a telecollaborative project. I designed a project where students were competing with other groups to plan and build the tallest tower possible only using 200 pennies. Students were supposed to post their plans, results, and reflections on a pre-made webpage. The submissions were all due on a certain date and everything would be turned in at once.
I think using the 2.0 tool of a blog would be a great way to improve this project. Students could blog throughout the process of planning and creating their towers. It would be more authentic to have them reflect in real time using a blog. It would be much more efficient to have them blog than to have them create a response on paper and then transfer it to a website. Using 2.0 tools would also create a lot of more options for the timeline. Teams could have deadlines to post plans and attempts at building the tower if they could post their ideas using a blog type forum. It would still allow for students from multiple locations to participate while allowing for them to stay more on pace with each other. I think from the curator's perspective using a blog would be much easier. I was going to have to filter through emails and upload all the information at the final due date. One issue that may come up is that people may only want to post their final photos on a certain date so they can be sure their ideas stay their own.

    This semester I have started to feel a lot more comfortable with my ability to use digital video editing. I had some experiences using in camera editing, but I like that results of using an actual program to complete the editing. I think the videos that my group has created using the video editing have all be been nicely done. I think the best way to create professional looking videos is to keep things simple. We have used a lot of screen shots and images in our videos. I think adding a lot of action can sometimes complicate the video. I am also not well versed in using a camera, so I think having editing skills helps me create a more professional looking video.
   In my opinion having the right music and transitions are very important when creating a professional video. In creating our videos we realized that we would often need to add transitions to show a change in scene. Some transitions were better for creating a flow between scenes, while others created the element of separation. Using different tempos and volumes of music, we were able to create mood in our videos.. Overall, I have seen the benefits of understanding how to properly use digital editing when creating videos. I think students would really enjoy using this type of editing within the classroom. I could see them creating a video to show an explanation or create a summary of something they have read.

Sci Girls Training

Last week I was lucky enough to attend a wonderful professional development given by my county on the Sci Girls curriculum. Sci Girls is a program by PBS that incorporates TV, Internet, and hands on activities. The goal of Sci Girls is to engage female students in STEM. The professional development was intended to give us background information about the program and how it can help girls with their understanding in Science and Math. During the professional development we were able to view resources and see examples of the hands on activities being done by real students. The activities were great in that they related our Science curriculum to real life. At the end of the professional development we were given all the resources that we viewed, which was my favorite part. So often we attend professional developments that try and sell us a product that is usually very expensive. I am really trying to incorporate this program into my school within the next year. I think it would be very well received by the population at our school. I never been a part of an after school program, so I am nervous about the logistics of setting up the meetings and finding a space. I do think because there are such great resources available at no cost it would a great program to start.

Social Networking Skills

    My school has become very big on using Google Apps for Education the past few years. Our SBTS has done a really good job of getting the staff and students educated on the affordances of GAE. Recently there has been a lot of discussion about the using of Google Plus feature on our GAE accounts. Once the Google Plus feature has been enabled teachers can then bring people into the classroom via Google Hangouts. We are always trying to find ways of bringing in outside mentors to talk with our students and enabling Google Plus will make this a possibility in a virtual sense. We have been cautioned that using a social media network like Google Plus has its downfalls. We are entering a virtual world that isn't protected by our county. We have to be smart about what we say and what we post on our Google Plus site. 

    I personally think this type of Social Networking is a wonderful way of showing students the appropriate way to use these types of sites. I think teachers should show students how we can use the sites for educational purposes and finding information. It also gives teachers the opportunity to highlight the importance of being responsible when using these sites. We can talk about how posting pictures of comments may turn someone away from wanting to connect with me because my profile is offensive or inappropriate. It would also be good to show students how connected everyone is and that when you post something, everyone can see it. I realize teachers have a lot to teach students these days and adding social networking responsibility is just another thing we have to do, but I feel like it is very important. We have so many useless skills we teach students that they will never use (obsoledge), but being responsible on the internet is a skill that needs to be taught. Modeling appropriate usage with explicit teaching will help students form healthy and safe internet usage skills.

Podcasts

I have had some experience with listening to podcasts in the past. My husband will play podcasts in the car on long road trips. They range in topics from current events to sports. I don't mind listening to podcats if I am interested in the topic. I think they are a good way of getting across information to an interested party. I do think it is much more enjoyable if you are listening to something interesting. Since podcasts are only auditory it is very easy to become distracted when you are listening. Creating my own podcast was a very interesting experience. I found it very awkward to listen to myself when we were checking over our recording. I liked learning about the different sections of the podcast and their purposes. I was able to relate the information to some of the podcasts that I have heard. I realized they all start and end in a similar fashion to the ones that we created.

All about Wikis

When I first thought about Wikis I immediately thought about Wikipedia and how I have often been told not to use it. I too warned my students about the dangers of using wikis because people can easily edit the information posted. After reading Richardson's book I began to see the benefit of wikis within the classroom. I think the most powerful way to use them would be to have students create their own wikis about a topic they were passionate about. I think this would be a really powerful way to show students how they have the power to create wikis for others to use. The authenticity of having them create their own wikis would be very motivating for my students. Since my students are considered a very "me" generation, I think having them create their own wiki would be great. I also think it is a good way of teaching students about netiquette and the power of making good choices online. We could talk about how posting false or misleading information could be harmful to others and to the reputation of their wiki. I think by having students create wikis teachers would be able to teach academic, social, and technological skills together.

Blogging about Blogs

I honestly never thought that I would ever be writing a blog. Over the years I have had some acquaintances start blogs about random topics. Some of them were fun to read, but honestly I thought the whole thing was kind of odd. I never would have the confidence to put myself out there. Some of the stuff I was reading was super personal and putting that kind of information out in the Internet seems really scary. I understand that some people find it very therapeutic, which I think is awesome, but it still seems very intense to put all your thoughts and feelings out their for strangers to read. I always wondered how you would react to someone negatively responding to your inner most thoughts. I guess the issue with my thinking about blogging in that sense is that I am not realizing that a lot of people may blog for themselves, not for the reactions of others (I am sure some want the attention, but you know what I am trying to say).