Thing 11.5 Evaluation

Wow-I am all done and have learned some amazing new tools for my classroom. I have enjoyed "playing" with all of you in this exercise and have gained valuable insight from the other blog posts I have read and all your experiences. As an HISD teacher, there are so many resources that are out there that I don't have access to, and I am so happy to find some alternatives that I that will work in my classroom.

The one tool I will put to immediate use is Screencasting. This was by far my favorite "Thing" and I was thinking last night how I could use this with my ESL students who need visuals to fully understand many of the concepts I teach in BCIS.
Second Life still intimidates me of all of the "Things" I have learned, but I guess one out of 11 isn't too bad!

Thing #11 Digital Citizenship

The last, and possibily the easiest, THING for me to do!

I taught an entire until on Digital Citizenship last year and own the book. I also had two classrooms of ninth graders participate in the Digiteen Project which is an online collaboration project with 20 schools all over the world participating in a study of digital citizenship.

So here is a SHORT synopsis of my unit, as taught to 9th grade:

-Introduction to the idea of Video Citizenship by watching Frontline PBS Special "Growing Up Online" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

-Look at website and discover 9 elements of digital citizenship http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html

-Creating a Wiki Dictionary with digital citizenship vocabulary http://whswega.wikispaces.com

-Powerpoint Presentations on one vocabulary word of their choice

-Ongoing participation in Digiteen Project (this was a 6 week project), which was the "meat" of the unit

-"Elluminate" discussion with author Mike Ribble (yes, we really got to speak to him virtually).

This was by far the coolest unit I taught last Spring, but it got an interesting reaction from my students. Because they are all digital citizens and I am a digital immigrant, they thought all of this was "just common sense". Their parents, on the other hand, were pretty amazed--I actually had a mother come in for a conference so I could give her a hands on demonstration of a wiki, which she was trying to learn at work!

Thing #10 Second Life

I have a 16 year old son who is a major gamer. When I told him this assignment was to create an avatar and explore Second Life he rolled his eyes at me. Mom--it is a VIDEO GAME-and you HATE VIDEO GAMES. So I trudged in expecting to hate it!

It is now 5 hours later and I can't stop exploring. Weirdly, my name is Dean Jestyr. I tried to pick my real first name and it told me all the last names are taken (lot of Kims, I guess). Don't tell anybody but Dean is my high school boyfriend's name. Then it gave me a list of last names I could pick!

I initially had a difficult time with the commands and I am still pretty slow with it. So I have not had a lot of communication with others in Second Life today because I am still figuring it out. Mostly have been a passive observer, which is not the point, but a good start. I am enjoying reading others postings about this expereince, becasue htere is so much to see and do--and I need to figure out how to find it all! There is an amazing body of work out there, and I can see endless possibilities for the classroom. I go back to work tomorrow--I am assumming Second Life is blocked like everything else so I am going ot have to try and figure out how I can use it.

Thing #9 Slideshare

Here is a slideshow I created to introduce myself to my classes at the beginning of the year:

All About Me

View more presentations from kaclayton1.

Once you upload your slideshow to Slideshare, you can then make it into a Slidecast by adding an mp3 file. I tried this, but had technical difficulties with the mp3 file. For one; slideshare does not host audio files, so you have to upload your audio file from somewhere else. I think it would make it much easier if slideshare hosted audio files or allowed you to create one right from its website.



Here is one I created last year to market our Westside Engineering and Geosciences program to 8th graders who might be interested in applying:

Westside Engineering And Geosciences Academy

View more presentations from kaclayton1.

I think this is another very useful way for students to share their Powerpoint Presentations without having to actually insert them into an e-mail, and a good teaching tool for presentations in general. This is also useful as a research site if students and teachers are looking for examples of presentation to use for a particular topic. Like YouTube and video sources, you can organize and search by tagwords and by category.

Thing #8-Screencasting

Oh boy--is this one ever fun! I could always think of lessons I could use screencasting for, but never knew it was so easy to create one! Here is a quick screencast I created (complete with errors) to show members of my neighborhood Womens Club, many of whom are older and not very computer literate, how to access and register for our new website for which I am the webmaster. I used Screencastle for this and found it VERY simple to use; I did not need to download any software or special devices, as my computer has a built in microphone.


The one problem I did have is my initial recording was about 4 minutes long and took a very long time to upload; then IE shut down my browser and the upload didn't finish. I re-recorded a "shortened version" of about 2 minutes and did not have a problem.


I would like to see students be able to do this as perhaps an assessment item to show that they know how to perform steps in creating an Excel Spreadshhet!

Thing #7-Video Resources

Here is a link to a video I have used in my classroom http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/

This is a one hour special from PBS about safety on the internet an usuage by teenagers. I used this as part of my Digital Citizenship unit last year. It is a great video and kept the kids very engaged, as it was easy for them to relate to the scenarios presented of online predators, social networking, and indivuals who "create" online identities. I also posted a link to this video to my class Ning last year so that students could review it and parents could watch it at home.




This is a very popular "Did You Know" video about globalization that I have also shown to my business students, only about 5 minutes long and really grabs your attention. I have found this on YouTube but it is also on TeacherTube and other "school district friendly" sites it is also a great video to show at back to school night or when you are trying to convince an audience why it is important to take Business and Technology classes!

I also teach a marketing class and found that in the 2007 Super Bowl, Coca Cola had 4different advertisements each appealing to a different target market. I like to show the videos in class and ask the students to detrmine who the advertiser is trying to target:

Thing #6-itouch Applications

Okay, up front, I must admit--I don't own an ipod. Everyone else in my family does, and everytime I have bought one thinking it was for me, someone has taken it before I ever even get to open it. So, amazingly, even though I am pretty savvy (or think I am) on Web 2.0 technologies, this goes to Web 3.0 and I am still getting there. Hey-I am still figuring out all the things my Blackberry can do!

I am the brand new owner of an itouch, though. It came "free" with my college students new computer. So I got it out yesterday to start on this assignment. OMG. Did you know there are 208 different apps for sale on itunes just under "Education"?? And that the top selling apps are for TODDLERS? I am definitely behind the times.

So I have discovered that an itouch can hold about 140 different apps. I found a couple of really cool organizing apps--I especially like one that counts down due dates (Datewheel) , and also a schedule organizer (IstudiezPro) which would be great for my college student. Then I found the Google Apps! Google Earth! I used this last year and didn't know there was an itouch app for it. Oh, and the touch graphing calculator! How cool is that for a Math teacher! A visual that you can plug into your computer without having to have a Smart Board to demonstrate.

I was having a hard time "visioning" why it might be better to use these apps rather than the PC/WEB versions or a thumb drive, but I guess it all goes back to portability and also speed. Last year I was a floating teacher. It would have been good to have these apps all loaded in a portable device where I could just plug it into the projector rather than taking the time to have to access the computer, access the website, and wait, wait, wait burning up valuable class time. I've already made a note I need to buy that cord so I can actually DO THAT this year.

I'm interested to know "Real Life Examples" from somebody that has actually used this in the classroom!

Thing #5-Microblogging

This is an easy Thing to do this morning, as I already have all of these things set up and operational!

Facebook. Facebook is not the enemy in the classroom. Facebook is not the enemy period. Parents and teachers who are scared of Facebook and think it is some kind of cult have never tried it. See my earlier blog post. I am a 46 year old Facebook user and proud of it. Be my friend! Kim Covington Clayton, if you want to find me. "Facebooking" is now making e-mail a dinosaur. This is how our students communicate! You can set up a group for any purpose, and sending a message, document, or video, as well as sharing pictures, is EASIER than e-mailing an entire group.

I have seen the SBISD commentary about not communicating with students via Facebook and whether or not there is a policy. I have some former students (just a handful) that communicate with me via Facebook; I almost think this keeps them honest because if I see e-mails or pictures that are inappropriate I almost always mention it. Furthermore, if I know STUDENTS are watching me, I am not going to say or post anything inappropriate either!

We did have an issue at our school last year that involved Facebook. A student in a classroom illegally hacked into his own Facebook account during class--yes educators, it is called a proxy and just ask your students--they KNOW how to hack through the firewalls), but when the bell rang, left the classroom without logging out. The next class period, the student sitting at that computer placed a threatening message on the first student's Facebook page about a Columbine type shooting which was being planned at our school as a joke. The two students did not know each other. When the first student logged into his Facebook account, he saw the message, realized he had not put it there, and became scared. He immediately reported it to the school, which was the right thing to do, but it caused a panic among students and parents until it was found to be a hoax. The lesson is--not that Facebook is evil, but that students and teachers need to exercise caution, know who they are talking to, and use Facebook safely and ethically, just like anything else on the Internet.

An alternative to using Facebook in the classroom is a Ning. I used a classroom Ning for both student and parent communication last year and plan to also use it this year--I've just taken down the one from last year but my new one is http://whswolvesden.ning.com The kids call this "school Facebook". You can even set up a Parent group on this that the students can't have access to and the parents can chat and blog as well.


Twitter. Also not the enemy or scary. Follow me! kaclayton1 What I really like to follow on Twitter is weather reports, oddly. I follow my congressman. I follow ABC News.

Now, I manage to do all of this AT THE SAME TIME because I have an application that connects this blog, to Twitter, and then to Facebook. So this blog post will show up on my Facebook account and as a Tweet in just a few minutes. Even though Twitter is limited to 140 characters, the Tweet shows up as "Just blogged ths" and then gives a link to click on, so you can acutally tweet much more than 140 characters.

thing #5 down!

Thing #4 LibraryPlay2Play

Thing #4 is using a video uploader, specifically YouTube. Here is a video I created last year of some of my students asking questions to their teacher and 3 other students who were participating in a conference in Qatar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScadLHck3fU I shot the video using a Flip Cam, which if you don't have one is a really cool little handheld video camera that costs about $100 and hold about one hour of video. It is invaluable for student projects and plugs into a USB port right in your computer for uploading with no special software. Very easy for even young students to use and create their own videos. What was awesome about this little project was that we were able to communicate with our classmates over time zones thousands of miles away; they then filmed an answer from Qatar and sent it back and we got to view it in class the next day. Students love to create videos, and it really reinforces the topic and gives the students a creative outlet to express opinions. Most of mine (high school) have phones that can do this, so you don't even need any equipment now a days!

I have found video services such as YouTube, TeacherTube, and SchoolTube to be an invaluable resource in the classroom. You can find a video out there for ANY subject or topic you are trying to cover.

Last year I was trying to introduce my 9th grade engineering students to a Google application called GoogleSketchUp. I found a series of short hands on instructional videos posted on YouTube; by using those videos as well as verbal instructions it made the whole process of learning a new application much easier for my students who are visual learners to follow rather than reading a set of instructions from a handout. I also had the same students create videos of different class projects (mousetrap car trial runs, egg drop contest footage) and then was able to use these when recruiting students for the program for next year.

Now of course, since YouTube is blocked in my district and probably in most districts, I had to convert the file using Zamzar and save it on a flash drive when it would have been simplier to play it directly off YouTube, but a small inconvenience. I have found that Discovery Channel also has very good videos available for teachers at a very low cost and my district uses Ustream, which requires an account but is free of charge.

Thing #3 Library 2 Play 2

Okay-little bit of a blogging break while Spring Branch ISD decided if I could be in the course!

Thing 3 is about video conferencing, which can be Skype or a variety of other programs that are similar. I have just downloaded Skype on my home computer; I had it on my school computer last year but didn't get an opportunity to use it because of TECHNOLOGY (always a problem) --had a very old computer that wouldn't support it--but it seems to work just fine from here.

I am very excited about Skype. Last year we had an audio conference with an author in my classroom; the author was in New York and we could hear him but not see him through a program called Elluminate. The kids could talk on mike and ask questions, even see visuals on a virtual whiteboard, but I think Skype and video conferencing would have been so much better! Also, this would be a way to conduct distance learning if you do not have podcasting capabilities, and I could call into my classroom if I am not there, and even be teaching in multiple classrooms at the same time! I have used video conferencing in my professional life; students need to be equipped with knowledge in this area to be better prepared for the working world.

The one thing I do not like about Skype--and maybe there is a solution I do not see, is that it searches for contacts only through a limited list of supported e-mail servers. Since my primary e-mail is through comcast.net and my secondary e-mail is through my school district, it is difficult if you don't already have a skype name to find someone. I have like 5 e-mail accounts but those are the two I use and have all my contacts.

Animoto.com

Thing #2

Here is my Wordle, which is actually the text from my school's website that talks about HISD's policy about non-discrimination. Boring if you stop to read it, but cool in a Wordle. We oftne assign a collage or a word wall; this is a very cool alternative. You can be creative by rearranging the positioning an size of the words and choosing color schemes.

I have used Animoto in the classroom. Last year my 9th graders used this to create video introductions of themseleves for an online collaboration project; we actually saw it first by a class from Qatar using it to do THEIR introductions. This is a very simple way to produce a video, even by very young students. My embed refused to work due to Shockwave; I am still figuring out how to add my sample, which is a video of graduation photos of my son.

I had never seen Bookr before; I found that this works better if you already have a Flickr account, which I do not. This looks suspiciously like a simple form of Powerpoint, and since I teach Powerpoint, I am a little biased. but this would be a great way to teach the concepts of storyboarding, or how to organize thoughts in a logical, sequential manner. It would also be good for young writers or non "techno" folks to create their own book.

Thing #1

I know-it's a weird title. I'm participating in an online professional development of 11.5 More Things, which you can find out about at www.library2play2.blogspot.com which discusses way to use technology more effectively in the classroom.

So my first assignment is to :

Watch this video. We want our students to be able to create videos like this. We want our teachers to facilitate this kind of learning.

The Networked Student; The Movie
( http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=64972&title=The_Networked_Student___The_Movie )

For Thing #1 - Post you thoughts about the student, the video, and the teacher and her role. Can a Librarian play the role depicted in the video?

Okay, so let me explain my experience about this simple assignment, because it gives some great examples of hurdles we come across using technology in the classroom.

I am sitting at my home computer; it is Saturday morning. I click on the link, through Internet Explorer, and my computer immediately shuts down and closes Internet Explorer because it thinks TeacherTube has a virus. Does this 3 times. Being the savvy technology teacher that I am, I also have Firefox. So I open the website with Firefox, and am told I don't have the most current version of Adobe Flash. I click to download, but must close everything else to download, then open it back up again, in Firefox. Only then do I finally get to watch the video.

This is an example of what both teachers and students often go through in the classroom when trying to use technology, mainly because school districts often block video sites and downloads of recent technology for safety purposes. Teachers often have to work hard to find ways around hurdles; many teachers just give up. That is why it is so much easier for teachers to "lecture".

I am in full agreement with the video--students want to be more active participants in learning, and become much more excited about learning when they get to structure how it is and what it is (within guidelines and curriculum, of course) what they learn. The role of a teacher (or librarian) should be that of a facilitator. This is harder on the teacher, but much more rewarding for the students. Also-this is a fairly simple video in terms of production--this could be used in any type of classroom, for any subject, and doesn't require sophisticated equipment to produce. Still, there are so many hurdles to use this technology effectively in our classrooms.

Easier said than done, as most of the non technology classrooms in my school don't have computers for student use, and many non technology teachers are intimidated by their teacher computer, still in 2009. Will we ever get there as educators?