BP12_2010063_One_Minute_Evernote

Here is my one minute message about Evernote. Please post a comment below.

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See my comment to Justin's post here.

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See my post on Kristi's blog here.

BP9_2010063_Web_2.0_Evernote

Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your notable life using your computer, phone, and the web. With Evernote you can capture everything. The use of Evernote in an educational setting is expansive. For example, students could use their cell phones to capture images for a field trip scavenger hunt, instantly upload them for viewing later. If you can see it or think of it, Evernote can help you remember it (Evernote, 2010). You can type text notes take a screen shot of web pages or snap photos (Evernote, 2010). Evernote will keep it all safe (Evernote, 2010). Everything you capture is automatically processed, indexed, and made searchable (Evernote, 2010). If you like, you can add tags or organize notes into different notebooks (Evernote, 2010). Search for notes by keywords, titles, and tags. Evernote magically makes printed and handwritten text inside your images searchable, too (Evernote, 2010).

I plan on using Evernote in class for assignment where students have to prove with a visual image that they have completed a task. I would also like to use it for field trips to museums where students need to capture images, and tag the phote with the proper tag to not only prove they went to the areas but also that they know what they viewed and can explain what they learn. I would also ask the students how they want to use Evernote. It is a great program that has many uses. Like other great programs, it is free which is a plus.

Evernote. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.evernote.com/about/learn_more/

BP8_2010062_Schoology_One_Minute_Message

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See my comment on Patrick's post here.

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See my comment on a blog here.

http://ngonic3.blogspot.com/2010/06/quizinator.html#comments

BP5_2010062_Schoology

I have finally found a Web 2.0 tool that is truly an all-in-one place for classroom interaction. Schoology does everything a social networking site like Facebook does but adds the ease of grading and other school related activities. The video above does a good job explaining the features and benefits.

Setting up an account is easy. Complete your name, email address, and your school name, and once you get a confirmation email, your account is active. Also like Facebook, Schoology is free.
I am going to test and use this to teach summer school. It will serve me well to practice with this technology before I am able to use it in my classroom during the school year.

I will also be able to use it for action research. The ability to post assignments, grade, blog, and collaborate makes this program one of the best I have seen for teachers.

BP3_2010061_Web_2.0_T1_Skitch

The free program, Skitch, is a Web 2.0 tool with many uses. It can be used to snap screen shots and easily manipulate images. You can use Skitch to grab an image of something on your screen or within view of your iSight camera, and then modify it with text, arrows, drawings, and other basic sketch tools (Snell, 2007). Once you've finished marking up your image, you can drag its Drag Me tab into an iChat window to add it to your chat, press a hotkey to e-mail it, or click on the Webpost button and watch as Skitch uploads your image to your blog or Flickr account (Snell, 2007).
With the purchase of a Wacom-Bamboo Pen and Tablet, $69.99 at Best Buy,
(http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Wacom+-+Bamboo+Pen+and+Tablet+-+Black/9469014.p?id=1218110423543&skuId=9469014&st=bamboo&contract_desc=null), and with access to a projector, Skitch can also be used as a whiteboard or blackboard in your classroom, depending on the settings. Skitch can be used to provide information on lessons or it could allow in interactive way for students to participate in the lesson.

If you want to have some fun, for a review students could play a game of Pictionary using terms or concepts from past lessons or units. Again, Skitch is an interactive, useful way create and modify images. Everything can be saved by clicking the Save button or a simple drag-and-drop to the desktop or wherever you need it.
I really like the how easy it is to share created images or snapshots. I put a few examples of some of the different ways Skitch can be used. Simple drag and drop.

Snell, J. (2007). Skitch. Macworld, 24(9), 32. Retrieved from Academic Search

Premier database.

This Skitch captured image shows how you can highlight buttons easily to show information easily using highlights and arrows.


This Skitch captured image highlights where you name and drag and drop images.

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The traditional classroom needs to be ready for the changes Web 2.0 tools provide. Web 2.0 is an integrated Internet program that allows users to not only consume content but also create content. The Web 2.0 tool called the Weblog, or blog, has several uses in education. Blogging allows students to publish their own writing to get used to public scrutiny and overcome shyness (Beeson, 2005), build camaraderie, closeness, and community (Beeson, 2005), and participate by creating, commenting, and collaborating with different content (Churchill, 2009).

Content produced and published by students improves because “many students take extra care in editing their [work] prior to posting” (Beeson, 2005). This helps the students focus on the content and the assignment because they know it is not going to be read by just the instructor.

The sense of closeness and camaraderie created by blogging can be compared to what a family experiences. Carolyn Mason, journalism opinion instructor at University of Alabama states, “There’s a group closeness and compassion I’ve never seen in all my years of teaching. I can only figure that it’s from the blog” (Beeson, 2005). Blogging allows classroom and student unity that was not available.

The greatest change blogging allows in education is the ability for students to participate in learning in a variety of ways. They can create, comment, and collaborate in ways like never before. This also changes for the instructor. [Blogging] takes the professor out from behind the podium (Beeson, 2005). He is a participant instead of a fountain head (Beeson, 2005).

Blogging can change the way instructors teach and students learn and create content. Education has to change and embrace blogging and other Web 2.0 tools. The positive effects are clear and will only become clearer as implementation grows.

Beeson, P. (2005). Bringing blogs into the classroom. Quill, 93(6), 27-29. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

Churchill, D. (2009). Educational applications of Web 2.0: Using blogs to support teaching and learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(1), 179-183. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00865.x.

BP3_2010033_web2point0tools

I chose the Web 2.0 tool Story Jumper. On of the classes I teach is Creative Writing for high school seniors. I wanted to choose something that can be used in the classroom, is free, and is easy to use. I found Story Jumper to fit all of these areas.

Home Page (Figure 1)


Before starting the online application, you can play with the interface but in order to save anything, a user name and password needs to be created. By clicking "sign-up" you will be able to create an account (see Fig. 1). Once that is done it is time to play.

Interface (Figure 2)


The interface is easy to use (see Fig 2). The top panel shows all the pages in the book you are creating. The left panel has different scene templates and objects. It operates with common point and click control and even allows layering. Click on the page then the object and the object appears on that page. You can copy, rotate, and re-size objects. I also found that the graphics are vector files which means the size of the object doesn't degrade the object or create pixelation (see Fig 3).The program also allows a user to import personal photos.

Vector Objects (Figure 3)


The only possible drawback to this program is the temptation to order a copy of your book for $24.95.

Ken
(Screen shots taken with Skitch)

BP4_2010061_GoogleReaderPost

I chose the following RSS feeds for the following simple reasons:
Apple-Technology leader. We all know Apple could be better but they do create the very best simple products for the masses. The iPad and iPhone are leaders in the market and they will only get better and more powerful as they permeate the live of people who love technology, like me.


Education Technology- I support and promote the implementation of technology in schools. I believe we need to not only get better technology in schools but also give teachers the opportunity to learn how to use this new technology. Most of the times I believe a lot of technology goes to waste because of the lack of training. This blog will help me learn and understand current issues with technology in schools.



Edutopia- Great info on education, technology, and teaching. I have found there are a lot of videos that show real teachers and real students implementing technology in schools. The videos are not only inspirational but they also motivate me to become a better teacher.




PBS Teachers: Media Literacy- I am hoping for information for improvement and integration of media literacy. I know that my Action Research project will deal with media literacy. I believe it is often ignored and needs the same attention as other academic areas.


TED Talks- Amazing. Inspiring. Unbelievable. Get ready for an eye-popping, jaw-dropping experience. TED Talks are the very best presentations on the internet. They can be used in all academic areas. The presentations are between three and 20 minutes so being able to watch them is a breeze. Even if you don't care about the topic, TED Talks are useful representations of how to give a presentation. The formula is called the TED Commandments; ten rules all TEDsters must follow during their presentation. Watch. Learn. Enjoy. You will not be disappointed.
YouTube: TED Talks- Never too much TED.
Thanks, Ken

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