Monday, July 12, 2010
Thing #16
Wikis will be a great way for teachers to share their student's work and it will be helpful to students when they are doing group projects. One of the problems with the whole group project idea is that it is difficult to get together and share research and exchange ideas. This will allow more freedom to work from home. I do love Common Craft. They do a great job of simplifying the information. Like blogging, teachers will need to make sure the students understand the parameters for their Wiki contribution. The Sandbox portion was good just to show how easy it is.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Thing #15
What is the future of libraries and the future of the web in 10 years? When I think of how much the library at our school has changed I'm amazed. i Pods, wii's, Mac books, kids sitting around listening to their music, making music on Garage Band, and some still reading books. The furniture is different with almost the old soda fountain decor. But the biggest change is-----there are more kids in the library and that's because they have fun in there.
These readings were fun because it made me think of where we are going even if I have no idea. I'm one of the "older" teachers at my school and I didn't grow up with computers so I have had to adapt to new teaching styles. Let me say it has not been easy and I still kick and scream sometimes; but I have confidence in my students and they carry me with them.
Probably just when the district installs the last Active Board, we'll be off and running in a new direction. Maybe not me but some of you will. That certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't have installed the Active Boards but things are changing so rapidly that I see the next big step is all the students will have a lap top and be more responsible for their own learning with teacher guidance. The Active Board is still a teacher directed way to teach and after reading these articles it looks like we will be learning in communities.
Our librarian has done a fantastic job of keeping us in the mix. She provides us with materials and outreach, but also she listens to the students and bases services on their needs. She has a great web site so kids do not have to go the the "library" to get help, they can get on their computer in the classroom or at home and find what they need.
What will libraries look like in 10 years, I don't know? Hopefully, something like this.
"But Library 4.0 will add a new mode, knowledge spa: meditation, relaxation, immersion in a luxury of ideas and thought. In companies, this may take the form of retreat space for thought leaders, considered an investment in innovation; in public libraries, the luxurious details will require private partners as sponsors providing the sensory treats. Library 4.0 revives the old image of a country house library, and renovates it: from a retreat, a sanctuary, a pampered experience with information—subtle thoughts, fine words, exquisite brandy, smooth coffee, aromatic cigar, smell of leather, rustle of pages—to the dream economy’s library, the LIBRARY: a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library.
I'll meet you there! "
http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/6.htm
These readings were fun because it made me think of where we are going even if I have no idea. I'm one of the "older" teachers at my school and I didn't grow up with computers so I have had to adapt to new teaching styles. Let me say it has not been easy and I still kick and scream sometimes; but I have confidence in my students and they carry me with them.
Probably just when the district installs the last Active Board, we'll be off and running in a new direction. Maybe not me but some of you will. That certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't have installed the Active Boards but things are changing so rapidly that I see the next big step is all the students will have a lap top and be more responsible for their own learning with teacher guidance. The Active Board is still a teacher directed way to teach and after reading these articles it looks like we will be learning in communities.
Our librarian has done a fantastic job of keeping us in the mix. She provides us with materials and outreach, but also she listens to the students and bases services on their needs. She has a great web site so kids do not have to go the the "library" to get help, they can get on their computer in the classroom or at home and find what they need.
What will libraries look like in 10 years, I don't know? Hopefully, something like this.
"But Library 4.0 will add a new mode, knowledge spa: meditation, relaxation, immersion in a luxury of ideas and thought. In companies, this may take the form of retreat space for thought leaders, considered an investment in innovation; in public libraries, the luxurious details will require private partners as sponsors providing the sensory treats. Library 4.0 revives the old image of a country house library, and renovates it: from a retreat, a sanctuary, a pampered experience with information—subtle thoughts, fine words, exquisite brandy, smooth coffee, aromatic cigar, smell of leather, rustle of pages—to the dream economy’s library, the LIBRARY: a WiFREE space, a retreat from technohustle, with comfortable chairs, quiet, good light, coffee and single malt. You know, the library.
I'll meet you there! "
http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/6.htm
Thing #14
The video on Technorati was great! It pulled the pieces together and made tags and blog networks make a little more sense. A few of their links were under construction including their favorites and widgets. I can see that this technology is moving so fast that even the innovators can't keep up with it. I know these sites need ads to keep them going but I found the ads interfered with the page.
The whole idea of tags made a little more sense although in searching things for my history curriculum I was not successful. I can see how politicians, sports figures, BP executives, etc. must keep up on the bloggers and this would be a great site to do it. Right now I'm not sure how much I will use it but it is interesting to see what is out there.
The whole idea of tags made a little more sense although in searching things for my history curriculum I was not successful. I can see how politicians, sports figures, BP executives, etc. must keep up on the bloggers and this would be a great site to do it. Right now I'm not sure how much I will use it but it is interesting to see what is out there.
Thing #13
This was a tough one. The delicious site was down last night and I could not get signed in----of course, I thought it was my problem, but I think it was the site. This morning, using my Yahoo account I was able to sign in. I can see that having my bookmarks available online will make it easier when I find things at home or want to share sites. This would be a great help to researchers or college students working on collaborative projects. I do now have an icon on my desktop and will be transferring my bookmarks to this new system. It seems like putting this information on my website for my students would be easier than having them find the links on delicious, but maybe I am missing something.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thing #12
Blogging is new for me. I've heard about it for years and read some blogs; but I never got past reading - to the commenting phase which sounds pretty normal after reading the articles. The two pieces of information that were most helpful to me were:
One of the things I often dislike about blogger's comments is their negative bias, but that is what I dislike about so many talk shows on TV/radio. I want to use this avenue to allow both the negative and the positive and emphasize both.
As for commenting, I have commented on my friends 23 Things blog, my daughter and her roommate's blog, (which she said I inspired when I sent her the link to mine), and Rick Casey's article in today's Houston Chronicle about the inaccuracies of the TAKS scores. They were all pretty fun and I was able to confirm that they reached the intended receivers so I'm off in the blogging world----at least for now!
- If I want to be a blogger I need to respond to other people's blogs and sometimes people's comments on my blog---- which lets them know I've heard them.
- There are rules of engagement just like all of life. I can see if we expect the kids to blog that we will need to be specific about our expectations and respond to their comments.
One of the things I often dislike about blogger's comments is their negative bias, but that is what I dislike about so many talk shows on TV/radio. I want to use this avenue to allow both the negative and the positive and emphasize both.
As for commenting, I have commented on my friends 23 Things blog, my daughter and her roommate's blog, (which she said I inspired when I sent her the link to mine), and Rick Casey's article in today's Houston Chronicle about the inaccuracies of the TAKS scores. They were all pretty fun and I was able to confirm that they reached the intended receivers so I'm off in the blogging world----at least for now!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Thing #11
This was one of my least favorite sites. I am a reader and belong to a book club at my school that I thoroughly enjoy but I do not like to keep up with book clubs online. I was part of Goodreads and I found it tedious. There were too many messages sent about what others were reading and I was just not interested in reading the posts. I enjoy talking to others about books. I can see how this might be more helpful for LA teachers. I did look at the history groups but again nothing particularly made me want to know more about this site.
Thing #10
I thought this might be an interesting way to correlate current events from the summer and our study this year. According to a New York Post article on July 2, 2010, 26% of Americans did not know who we fought in the American Revolution. I'm wondering what kind of discussion this might generate.This image came from Sign Generator.
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