Thing #14: Flow With It

Interesting blog assignment this one is. It's all about the visual, really. How can basic concepts of planning, communication and thought processes that are so important to teachers be displayed and shared with the new forms of web-based tools that seemingly come out every week?

Mindmeister: I couldn't get my head around it. It's simply not my kind of thing. I see the value and use, but I don't see utilizing it as a teacher. It's far too convoluted. Bubble was far more user-friendly and best of all, entertaining. I think a big part of dealing with 21st century digital flowcharts is enjoying putting them together. Not seeing them necessarily as a chore. Flowchart was somewhere in between a hurdle (more because of the interface) and an effective tool. Once I got over some of the design details, it was a piece of cake. I could see myself putting the program to use in my history class. Last but not least, Gliffy. This was by far my favorite of the web-tools. Lots of effective layouts; a simple yet detailed environment to work within and results that paid off. Flowcharts aren't going away anytime soon. They have their place in the academic world. In fact, with the right the ideas and right concepts in using them, they can be a teacher's best friend.

Thing #13: Web-based Applications

Here are two examples mentioned in this exercise. The top image is document from Zoho, while at the bottom, is a spreadsheet made from Google Docs. All things considered, I prefer Zoho over Google. It's cleaner, more streamlined and doesn't present a host of options that aren't needed. I'm led to believe sometimes that Google thinks too much of itself. They want to be the primary content provider of everything. Bigger doesn't always translate into better. That said, they do have a platform that offers terrific compatibility between shared information and users, which is a very important resource for teachers in the digital world. But Zoho offers it as well. While Zoho may not have all the bells and whistles that Google does, it gets the job done just fine.

Thing #12: Got Google?

Like many of you who have been posting about this particular "thing" already, it's safe to say that Google has impressed all of us. Where to start about my own experience? Well, I'm very fond of Google Voice and have been using it over the last few years. I also use and enjoy iGoogle. One of the things that impresses me the most about this application is the continuing development and evolution of it. It's anything but static. As a teacher, I can envision adding specific tabs to assist my lesson and day planning. Picasa is nice - but in my opinion, there are a glut of image viewing programs available today that are so flexible and user-friendly, I don't see the need to take on one more. On the other hand, Google Scholar definitely has its place. While it isn't JSTOR by any means, it is a valuable academic article portal in its own right. It's also a solid introduction for high school students who might be researching scholarly data for the first time.

Thing #11: ISO good feeds

I'm voting for the Edublog Awards site and Topix as my favorites for this exercise. Both opened up a wealth of sources configured specifically for my interests in education and history. In fact, there were so many blogs and feeds to choose from regarding these two sites and my preferences, I had put a limit on what I was adding to my subscription. I'm not much of a fan of Technorati. Its layout and dated material/links didn't suit me very well.

One of the more unusual and interesting Topix feeds that came up when searching under the title of history, (which also highlighted how global the internet information world truly is) was a discussion forum based out of India with the title "History of the Tyagi (Taga) Pandits". They are, for all intents and purposes, a rather heated and opinionated group discussing social castes in and around New Delhi. On another front, I found Stump The Teacher from the Edublog site. It's a terrific, insightful blog written by Josh Stumpenhorst, a 6th grade Language Arts and Social Science teacher in suburban Chicago.

Thing #10: RSS feeds

The world of RSS feeds. Some people are into them. A lot. And some have never found an interest. It truly depends on how connected and "tapped in" one wants to be with the real-time information and happenings. I personally think they are useful and offer a wealth of details of what is going on in the digital world regarding current events, opinions of bloggers and the content they want to share. Simply put, when used in moderation - and I say that within the context of anyone who has so many subscriptions that they lose their original intent and effectiveness - they provide an amazing amount of insight. 

As an historian and history teacher-to-be (and the majority of my news feeds have to do with that very subject) they can be very useful in an educational sense. For example, teachers can utilize feeds as Bell Ringers. On Monday, the class would view a "this day in history" feed. On Wednesday, it would be from a "history in the news" source. And on Friday, something silly and fun. Enough time would be allotted for questions and answers, discussing the relevance and importance of what was read. The RSS format would also educate students on how information and content is delivered and displayed, in comparison to general websites.

Thing #9: Generating fun

These were created using Text to Logo! website and Text Glitter Maker site. I think it goes without saying that with proper direction, guidance and oversight - along with reinforcing the idea of being creative and having fun - students could have a ball with these word generators. By having access to create and save the material, they would be able use them in classroom email and website design.

Thing #8: Mashing

The application I've chosen in this exercise is Flickriver. Essentially, it's a web-based, alternative Flickr viewer that allows hundreds of photos to be looked at and researched quickly and easily. It offers a "seamless 'river of photos' view" - never needing to hit 'next' to load the next page. I can definitely see the constructive use of the program in my future history class. My students would use the simple search option to research visual subject matter based on tags and/or places, then easily navigating through the material in order to find what they need.

Thing #7: Let's Flickr!

It goes without saying, I enjoy Flickr very much. While Shutterfly and SkyDrive are also quite useful and enjoyable, I do believe Flickr offers a very user-friendly, easy-to-digest platform to share and explore internet imagery. Best of all, its content is quite vast in comparison to other image sites. It also has done a solid job in dealing with copyright issues while establishing an important relationship with the non-profit advocacy group, Creative Commons. I do believe that photos have a place in the public square, but at the same time, privacy needs to be upheld as the dynamic nature of the internet and global data sharing continues to evolve. I'm also a strong advocate for using this program in the classroom. Not only would it be a valuable visual resource for students regarding projects, it would also educate them on important copyright and privacy issues.

Thing #6: In praise of Skype

With so many award-winning 2.0 applications that were available, it was difficult to nail down one. Especially when it comes to education. But in the end, I had to go with Skype. I've been a fan, advocate and supporter of this VOIP (voice-over internet protocol) program from its humble beginnings in 2003. It put the traditional telecommunication carriers that had dominated the real time, person-to-person and video conferencing communication market on the defensive, changing they way they did business. It still does, even with Microsoft purchasing the program in 2011, primarily because its voice and video services are free (not counting data usage charge/internet subscription costs or international via mobile). One of the remarkable things about the program is how it is kept up with mobile technology. No longer designated for computers alone, a larger and larger number of its 35 million simultaneous users at any given time are putting the software to work on their smartphones. Regarding education, Skype can be effectively utilized in the schools and classrooms. Students can communicate with other students in various parts of the country or world, and teachers/faculty can collaborate in real-time with each other, all it no or very little cost. It has enormous potential as a global education tool and can be used to facilitate language exchange. Besides occasional outages and downtimes, there is very little I don't like about the resource.

Thing #5: Thoughts and values on 2.0

It is clear from the web links that were provided for this exercise and my familiarity with the Montgomery County School System (as I'm a parent to a 3rd grader to be at Glenellen Elementary) that 2.0 digital education has transformed the context and dynamic nature of teaching. Specifically, I found the Horizon Report very insightful and far ahead of where the technology resources were at the time (2008). It spelled out in many ways what was around the corner regarding emerging technologies in the classroom and how to utilize them. I also believe it was a genuine wake-up call for teachers, informing them very clearly of what was to come.

But as all the reports state, such as the "Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas" and "Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators", digital applications for educational purposes are only as good as the educators and teachers who use them. Or if they use them at all. In other words, School 2.0, as a vast environment of experimentation, successes and failures, won't teach students by itself. It takes a knowledgeable teacher to investigate the resources, fashion them to fit their educational plan/curriculum, and make them work as effectively as possible. And it truly behooves those teachers to be up to speed, trained and most most importantly, unintimidated with all the options that 2.0 offers. At best, School 2.0 keeps today's students thinking digitally in an educational sense. It creates a seamless transition from their life away of school, which is already inundated with technology, to the classroom itself, where that very technology is continued to be applied for teaching their minds. My biggest concern is that teachers begin to rely on it so much, they remove themselves from being teachers all together and become merely technology facilitators instead. I don't want to see 2.0 resources take over the meaningful roles and relationships that teachers have with their students.

I found this interesting link while perusing 2.0 sources: "School 2.0 in South Africa: How can Web 2.0 transform teaching & learning?"

Thing #4: The interactivity of blogging

After many years of following and responding to a variety of blogs on the internet, it's become clear to me that if readers do not verbally react to what they are reading, the blogs themselves are meeting their full potential. In short, their effectiveness can be gauged by what others have to say about them. 

Communication between the blog writer and his or her audience in extremely important in a variety of ways. It gives the reader an opportunity to offer opinionated perspective that can enlighten to the blogger, while giving the blogger functional access to create a dialogue with those that may or may agree with the subject matter at hand. Public feedback isn't always used with all blogs, but when it is, it enhances and creates an effective level of discourse that educates and entertains at the same time.

I chose to follow the blogs of five fellow classmates: 

Charles Hodgson

Jennifer Kaiser

Mike Madden  

William Cothron

and Kaitlynn Edmonson

They all varied in style, opinion and thought. And each had its own foundation and dynamic, which made them fascinating to keep up with and respond to. At risk of repeating myself, we as bloggers for this entire assignment took a great deal of time following and fulfilling the requirements. It was important to hear from others regarding how we were doing and what mattered to them. The comments made by my classmates certainly made my blogging experience and blog itself, a better one.

The two non-educational blogs I frequent and comment on are the Daily Kos and The Daily Beast.

Both offer topics of news, culture, the arts and politics that I find worthwhile to invest in. Not merely an echo-chamber of opinion, both sites consist of a depth of feedback that cover a wide range of opinion I look for.

Thing #3: Imagine if you will...

     ...a blog (and Bell Ringer) specifically created by and made for a 10th grade history class. The kids come into the room and takes their seats; look up onto the screen; and see an historical event that took place on that particular day. Their daily journals have been placed on their desks before they arrived, and they are then asked to write a sentence or two of what that event means to them or why it is important in the context of history. The designated person of the day (chosen via alphabetical order from the start of the project) reads their entry out loud and it is later entered into the classroom blog for fellow students, family and friends to see. The journals are turned in and the rest of hour continues.

Thing #2: Get Blog-ified

     It's all about presentation and display. The blog, that is. And it has to look good and be easy for others to digest in order for it to be effective. Bells and whistles aren't necessary - but a design based delivering the content is. Having  countless choices at the outset in bringing this digital assignment to life was akin to being a kid in a candy store. What was the background going to look like? What would I name my blog? Would my avatar haunt me in my dreams? So many options...

     Creativity was embraced, ideas were tossed around (many of which were tossed out) and the final product was welcomed with all the anticipation that goes with it. Bringing this blog to life and nurturing it in the coming weeks has nothing to do with work. It's fun. Which is one facet of teaching that should never be forgotten.

Thing #1: Two Habits of Lifelong Learning

     It may sound cliché but I do consider myself a "student of life". That's because life in and of itself is an educational process. As the slideshow states, we learn in and out of the traditional classroom. And being a non-traditional student - one who is older, a parent, and with years of career experience and skills - over the years I've meshed together the concepts of learning via the university environment with the choices and results that have had an impact in my adult life.  

     The particular habits of lifelong learners described in the slideshow are thus are familiar to me. It's safe to say that I've had some measure of experience, difficult and not so difficult, with each one, so choosing which is easiest and that which is most difficult made me ponder for a bit. It also gave me the terrific opportunity to reflect. 

     Habit #7, teach and mentor others, is by far the one that I find the "easiest". I'm a natural teacher and leader, as I enjoy working with others in order to see them succeed and develop. I find the social aspect of education and the relationships that are formed in the academic environment, along with achieving goals with others, incredibly rewarding. The habit that is most challenging, or I should say was, is #2; accept responsibility for your own learning. I spent years struggling with my college education. During my 20's, I would embrace it and succeed for a semester, then lose the focus and fail miserably the next. It took me years to get the courage to return and face the mistakes I had made during those difficult times at school. But when I did go back to college in 2007, was awarded my bachelor's degree and continued on in the teaching licensure program, it was with a renewed passion and dedication.