Saturday, April 16, 2011
Diigo vs. Delicious (Bookmarking)
Before this assignment I had already had some experience with both of these Web 2.0 apps. I prefer Diigo over Delicious due to its advanced features like the "highlighting" option. Basically both of these sites allow you to bookmark your favorite websites and allow you to access them from any computer. Personally even though I have accounts with both of these sites, I use my Yahoo homepage for my bookmarking. I don't have near the features but it is easy to use and I love the simplicity in that I can access my mail and my favorite sites all from my homepage.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Second Life
I did some digging while in Second Life and found a neat learning environment created by Ohio University. Not Ohio State University... They have really cool educational kiosks set up over a range of topics where students can watch short videos, take quizzes over what they watched, and also play educational games while in Second Life. I think they did a wonderful job. Also another fascinating aspect of Second Life is the ability to take virtual field trips for free and really get your kids excited about seeing and exploring the world. Using Second Life you can have your kids visit famous places, monuments, etc they will most likely never get to see in real life. You can teach them all about the place, show them literally what it looks like, and at many of these places there is educational opportunities you can take at advantage of along the way. You can also virtually visit a host of universities which often have educational games, information about their university and other videos that will benefit your students. You can lead all your students around the world from your desk! How cool is that?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Portable Devices
I must start out by saying I am one of the few Americans left who does not own a fancy portable device like an Android or Iphone. I don't have a sleek tablet either, but my in-laws have it all so I got to mess around with theirs for this blogging assingment.
Limitations of Portable Devices: Although there isn't much these devices can't do, I found these limitations to be the most obvious when compared to a PC or laptop device. In my research I used Apple's Ipad. Here are my top five limitations:
1. No Multitasking-you can't listen to music and browse the internet.
2. No Flash-many websites and online games run via Flash and the Ipad is not compatible.
3. No USB ports available.
4. The Keyboard is nice, but I wouldn't want to type a paper on it.
5. Only 64 G's of storage- they make ipods with 160G's but left the ipad with only 64?
Another debate worth looking into would be to buy an ipad or another small computer like the Asus here are the comparisons:
Physical Aspects: The Ipad screen 9.7" and weighs 680 grams; the Asus screen is bigger at 10.1" and slightly lighter 675 grams. As far as screen resolution the Asus wins with a resolution of 1280x720.
Speed: Both devices come with a 1 GHz processor
Ram: Ipad 256 MB Asus 1 GB
Storage: Ipad: 16-64 GBs Asus: 32-64 GBs both comparable.
Operating System: Ipad: Iphone 3.2 OS Asus: Windows embedded compact 7
Camera: Ipad: none Asus: 0.3MP web cam
Battery Life: Ipad and Asus are both measured at 10 hours of life.
Price: Ipad: $499 Asus: $399
Unlike the ipad, I have never used or even seen an Asus Eee device. Based on the specs alone I am definately interested in checking it out. On paper, it looks to be an upgrade to the ipad that came out last year.
Even though I have listed some key limitations the Ipad has, they do have some ways around most of these problems. For example, Apple now has a docking station for the Ipad that comes with a keyboard that is traditional. It also has an accessory piece that does allow you to connect your USB storage device up to it, or you could use the Dropbox app. to store documents and other forms of data digitally. As the ipad evolves they are fixing these problems from the first generation.
There are hundreds of ways to use a tablet device in the classroom like an Ipad, I will give you my favorite three.
1. Subscribe to various periodical apps like the New York Times and have the students read and discuss articles on what they uncovered.
2. Subscribe to ebooks and have the students read in small groups through a book and assign various projects that correspond with their reading. They can create their projects using Google Docs on their Ipad.
3. Have the students research free education apps and have them review and catogorize their favorites and make a library of apps for the school to use for a future reference.
That's all I have I hope you found this interesting, I know I did.
3.
Limitations of Portable Devices: Although there isn't much these devices can't do, I found these limitations to be the most obvious when compared to a PC or laptop device. In my research I used Apple's Ipad. Here are my top five limitations:
1. No Multitasking-you can't listen to music and browse the internet.
2. No Flash-many websites and online games run via Flash and the Ipad is not compatible.
3. No USB ports available.
4. The Keyboard is nice, but I wouldn't want to type a paper on it.
5. Only 64 G's of storage- they make ipods with 160G's but left the ipad with only 64?
Another debate worth looking into would be to buy an ipad or another small computer like the Asus here are the comparisons:
Physical Aspects: The Ipad screen 9.7" and weighs 680 grams; the Asus screen is bigger at 10.1" and slightly lighter 675 grams. As far as screen resolution the Asus wins with a resolution of 1280x720.
Speed: Both devices come with a 1 GHz processor
Ram: Ipad 256 MB Asus 1 GB
Storage: Ipad: 16-64 GBs Asus: 32-64 GBs both comparable.
Operating System: Ipad: Iphone 3.2 OS Asus: Windows embedded compact 7
Camera: Ipad: none Asus: 0.3MP web cam
Battery Life: Ipad and Asus are both measured at 10 hours of life.
Price: Ipad: $499 Asus: $399
Unlike the ipad, I have never used or even seen an Asus Eee device. Based on the specs alone I am definately interested in checking it out. On paper, it looks to be an upgrade to the ipad that came out last year.
Even though I have listed some key limitations the Ipad has, they do have some ways around most of these problems. For example, Apple now has a docking station for the Ipad that comes with a keyboard that is traditional. It also has an accessory piece that does allow you to connect your USB storage device up to it, or you could use the Dropbox app. to store documents and other forms of data digitally. As the ipad evolves they are fixing these problems from the first generation.
There are hundreds of ways to use a tablet device in the classroom like an Ipad, I will give you my favorite three.
1. Subscribe to various periodical apps like the New York Times and have the students read and discuss articles on what they uncovered.
2. Subscribe to ebooks and have the students read in small groups through a book and assign various projects that correspond with their reading. They can create their projects using Google Docs on their Ipad.
3. Have the students research free education apps and have them review and catogorize their favorites and make a library of apps for the school to use for a future reference.
That's all I have I hope you found this interesting, I know I did.
3.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Moodle vs. Blackboard
This was a great assignment being able to examine both products from a teachers perspective. In the end I would choose Moodle because it does the job (although with less bells and whistles) effectivley and more importantly its free. This project got me thinking about what other institutions are doing and I found this great research project from the University of North Carolina at Charolette on this exact topic. Here is the link.
This 38 page research paper concludes that:
"The evidence gathered by this committee strongly favors a transition to Moodle on both pedagogical and financial grounds. Moodle provides better or comparable functionality with the benefit of increased relevance and control for what in the long run will be lower cost.”
After reading this paper I found there pedagogical results to be the most facsinating. Here are the numbers from their final report which they evaluated over 2 semesters:
Pretty interesting stuff...if I taught High school, and had enough classroom computers, I think I would start my upperclassmen on using Moodle to prepare them for college.
This 38 page research paper concludes that:
"The evidence gathered by this committee strongly favors a transition to Moodle on both pedagogical and financial grounds. Moodle provides better or comparable functionality with the benefit of increased relevance and control for what in the long run will be lower cost.”
After reading this paper I found there pedagogical results to be the most facsinating. Here are the numbers from their final report which they evaluated over 2 semesters:
Fall 2008 Details: Moodle courses taught during this semester included those that were hybrid (60%)
and on-line (40%). The faculty and students involved rated Moodle very highly on key factors of
ease of use, flexibility, facilitation of teaching/learning goals, and correspondence to one’s
teaching/learning style. Tools and functions crucial for designing and implementing Moodle courses
(Assignments, Discussions, Learning Modules, Assessments, etc.) were rated as being preferable to
those available in BbV by both faculty and students. While there were a few cases in which a basic
function (web links, etc.) were rated by students as being “about the same as Blackboard,” there were
no cases in which a Moodle function or tool of any kind was rated by either faculty or students as
being “worse than Blackboard.” (See Appendix A, page 8, and Appendix B, page 10)
Spring 2009 Details: Data from this larger group of students and faculty confirmed the findings from
the Fall semester. Data were collected from 35 faculty and 313 students. On all tools and functions
evaluated, a large majority of faculty expressed a preference (either pro-Moodle or pro-BbV), and as
in the Fall, these preferences consistently favored Moodle by wide margins. Once again, ease of use
and learning, adaptability, and sufficiency of Moodle tools were important factors for these faculty.
When asked to indicate an overall preference, 81% of faculty surveyed preferred Moodle. (See
Appendix C, page 12, and Appendix D, page 26).Pretty interesting stuff...if I taught High school, and had enough classroom computers, I think I would start my upperclassmen on using Moodle to prepare them for college.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Video Projects
Couple of thoughts...
1. Camstudio is horrible, it was difficult to use, difficult to figure out, and impossible to turn in using the right format. I hated this project, I worked on it for hours and all it did was leave me extremely frustrated...
2. Camtasia is wonderful, it was easy to use, easy to figure out, and extremely easy to turn in using the right format. Kudos to the designers! I loved this project, it was simple and only took a couple hours to play with to understand its features and use it. I love you Camtasia!!
Here is my video created on Camtasia, I would give you my video using Camstudio but it wouldn't work anyway.
1. Camstudio is horrible, it was difficult to use, difficult to figure out, and impossible to turn in using the right format. I hated this project, I worked on it for hours and all it did was leave me extremely frustrated...
2. Camtasia is wonderful, it was easy to use, easy to figure out, and extremely easy to turn in using the right format. Kudos to the designers! I loved this project, it was simple and only took a couple hours to play with to understand its features and use it. I love you Camtasia!!
Here is my video created on Camtasia, I would give you my video using Camstudio but it wouldn't work anyway.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wix Project
One of the coolest classroom assignments I have done this year was having my students create and design their own website about a topic we have studied so far using Wix.com. The students have absolutely loved this project and really impressed me with their technology skills. Designing a website takes learning to a whole new level, because the students must research, and find pictures, videos, charts, etc. that correspond directly with their topic.
The classes I used this project for were World History and Geography, and I was really excited about the results. We had topics ranging from the Black Death, to Martin Luther, to country-based websites in Geography like Greece, and Australia. They did a fabulous job, and they learned a lot in the process.
I required them to create 4 Main pages and 2 sub pages off of each Main page. All pages must pertain to their topic and I required each website to include one video and one chart backing up their website theme. It was a real challenge at first teaching them the basics and how to setup an account and a web page, and do all the technical aspects but it was worth it in the long run. Now students are asking their teachers if they can make websites for their classrooms.
The classes I used this project for were World History and Geography, and I was really excited about the results. We had topics ranging from the Black Death, to Martin Luther, to country-based websites in Geography like Greece, and Australia. They did a fabulous job, and they learned a lot in the process.
I required them to create 4 Main pages and 2 sub pages off of each Main page. All pages must pertain to their topic and I required each website to include one video and one chart backing up their website theme. It was a real challenge at first teaching them the basics and how to setup an account and a web page, and do all the technical aspects but it was worth it in the long run. Now students are asking their teachers if they can make websites for their classrooms.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Animoto
Of all the Web 2.0 applications I have learned about this year, my favorite has been Animoto. I love making professional videos, but who has the time? Animoto is the solution. They have amazing templates to choose from, and uploading photos and videos is a cinch. They have a wonderful selection of music to choose from, or you can even upload your own.
My Mom has breast cancer, and had to have surgery yesterday. Just before she went into surgery I made her a video of her only grandchild, my son Isaac, on Animoto. It brought my mom to tears, and it impressed everyone in the waiting room so much that I had all my family and friends asking me how I created such an amazing video in under 10 minutes. I explained to them just how easy it was using Animoto.
I have learned more in this class in only 7 weeks, than many of my other master courses combined. This class is not easy, but it allows us to use, experiment, and discover many new technologies that we can actually use in the field of education that will benefit the students tremendously. I would just like to thank our teacher, even though she really makes work hard, and always keeps us busy even while she is on vacation :)
My Mom has breast cancer, and had to have surgery yesterday. Just before she went into surgery I made her a video of her only grandchild, my son Isaac, on Animoto. It brought my mom to tears, and it impressed everyone in the waiting room so much that I had all my family and friends asking me how I created such an amazing video in under 10 minutes. I explained to them just how easy it was using Animoto.
I have learned more in this class in only 7 weeks, than many of my other master courses combined. This class is not easy, but it allows us to use, experiment, and discover many new technologies that we can actually use in the field of education that will benefit the students tremendously. I would just like to thank our teacher, even though she really makes work hard, and always keeps us busy even while she is on vacation :)
Monday, February 21, 2011
Jing and Web 2.0
I really thought Jing was easy to use and a great way to make howto videos for educational purposes with ease. I love the "sun" idea, it gives the program novelty, and makes it very easy to use. I wish they gave you more time to make your videos, but I understand they need to make a buck too and charging for a premium service is the only way to make this application profitable.
Here is my video on Wix.com:
3 other apps I would use in classroom would be:
1. Cobocards.com -this website allows you to create digital flash cards with illustrations, etc. What an awesome learning tool.
2. Doink.com- this websites allows you to create custom animations. This would be a creative way for students to recreate a historical scene.
3. Storyjumper.com - this websites allows users to create their own stories using pictures, animations, etc.
Here is my video on Wix.com:
3 other apps I would use in classroom would be:
1. Cobocards.com -this website allows you to create digital flash cards with illustrations, etc. What an awesome learning tool.
2. Doink.com- this websites allows you to create custom animations. This would be a creative way for students to recreate a historical scene.
3. Storyjumper.com - this websites allows users to create their own stories using pictures, animations, etc.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Cloud Computing
I have to admit before watching this video, I really had no clue what cloud computing was. How sad is that? As I understand it now, Cloud computing is the ultimate, "networks of networks". As cloud computing is optimized the goal is to have one computer and everyone else uses personal devices to access that computer via the internet without having to use their own hard drive space and download software and hardware devices. How cool is that?
When using Cloud Computing not only can you access software you never have to download; you can also save, share, and collaborate projects and not use a single kb of your device's harddrive. I also learned that I already use several forms of Cloud computing like Dropbox. I am excited for the future of the internet, this video was really enlightening for me.
When using Cloud Computing not only can you access software you never have to download; you can also save, share, and collaborate projects and not use a single kb of your device's harddrive. I also learned that I already use several forms of Cloud computing like Dropbox. I am excited for the future of the internet, this video was really enlightening for me.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Week 5-PhotoStory and Animoto
I learned a lot this week trying to use both of these programs. Although you can make really fun and awesome looking videos using Animoto, I found it very hard to use for adding text, etc. I loved how easy PhotoStory was to use.
I think for my beginning level students I would definately use Photostory. It is easier to use and create videos with. Any slide show, or "how to" project would be great for this program.
I think for my beginning level students I would definately use Photostory. It is easier to use and create videos with. Any slide show, or "how to" project would be great for this program.
For my more advanced students I would have them use Animoto. I would also use Animoto for personal use, fun videos, cool vacations. The music and action is really exciting. I think my students would love this program for making online collages concerning a subject.
Here is my PhotoStory video: (TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN) Sorry, you were warned!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
How can you teach students about copyright?
I think there are several ways to teach copyright? But what exactly should we teach? According to the Texas Technology Standards we should teach our students these principles before they leave high school.
1. Students should discuss copyright laws/issues and model ethical acquisition and use of digital information, citing sources using established methods
2. Describe the consequences regarding copyright violations including, but not limited to, computer hacking, computer piracy, intentional virus setting, and invasion of privacy;
For my classroom I would first teach these issues by the Socratic Method, hosting an in-class discussion over piracy/copyright/and the consequences. The following day I would show a series of short videos via YouTube, in this order:
1. Internet Piracy
2. Digital Copyright Violations
3. Copyright, Digital Media, and Education
4. Copyright, What's Copyright?
5. Explaining Copyright Term and Fair Use
I would then assign a small group project where the students work together on a certain aspect of these issues and make a presentation on these various issues. They would have to make a Powerpoint presentation over their subject matter. After two weeks of hard work, research, and collaboration; I would have the students turn them in only to let them know (after they turned it in) The next hour class (same subject) has not started to do this project yet, but I will allow those students to use any aspects PowerPoint's etc. you created for their own presentations and get the same grade you did for copying it, using it, and putting their name on it.
This hoax of course would be done to get a reaction from the students. I would hope they would be outraged, and say things like, "That's not fair" We did all the work, they can't use our stuff and turn it in??" Then I will say something like, "Then why do you do it with movies, music, and games that you don't pay for and download for your enjoyment?" I think they would never forget it, the best part is I would let them leave the room believing the lie. Only to tell them the next day, after I get a few parent phone calls, and they have 24 hours to stew about it, and Facebook about how angry they are. It would be hilarious and really drive home a point they would never forget.
1. Students should discuss copyright laws/issues and model ethical acquisition and use of digital information, citing sources using established methods
2. Describe the consequences regarding copyright violations including, but not limited to, computer hacking, computer piracy, intentional virus setting, and invasion of privacy;
For my classroom I would first teach these issues by the Socratic Method, hosting an in-class discussion over piracy/copyright/and the consequences. The following day I would show a series of short videos via YouTube, in this order:
1. Internet Piracy
2. Digital Copyright Violations
3. Copyright, Digital Media, and Education
4. Copyright, What's Copyright?
5. Explaining Copyright Term and Fair Use
I would then assign a small group project where the students work together on a certain aspect of these issues and make a presentation on these various issues. They would have to make a Powerpoint presentation over their subject matter. After two weeks of hard work, research, and collaboration; I would have the students turn them in only to let them know (after they turned it in) The next hour class (same subject) has not started to do this project yet, but I will allow those students to use any aspects PowerPoint's etc. you created for their own presentations and get the same grade you did for copying it, using it, and putting their name on it.
This hoax of course would be done to get a reaction from the students. I would hope they would be outraged, and say things like, "That's not fair" We did all the work, they can't use our stuff and turn it in??" Then I will say something like, "Then why do you do it with movies, music, and games that you don't pay for and download for your enjoyment?" I think they would never forget it, the best part is I would let them leave the room believing the lie. Only to tell them the next day, after I get a few parent phone calls, and they have 24 hours to stew about it, and Facebook about how angry they are. It would be hilarious and really drive home a point they would never forget.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Week 3-RSS
RSS FEEDS
Before this project began I had never used a Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeder, and I had very little understanding of what they were or how to use them. A very simple definition of an RSS feeder is, “A mechanism to syndicate content from an originating site out to many different locations (Fatcow.com). According to author Robert Vamosi, in an article he wrote reviewing RSS readers for Cnet.com he called RSS, “News you choose” (Vamosi, Robert). My concise definition after using two different RSS feeders would be, “a great tool to view all your favorite websites, and blogs in a short amount of time.” I use the web everyday to find the latest news, sports, and weather information available. The problem is to really open and read all the websites that I love to explore on a daily basis can take more than an hour of my time on average. I just got into blogging websites a little over a year ago regarding some of my favorite sports teams, and now I am addicted to checking those sites as well; this too has increased my daily surf patterns. I average between an hour to two hours a day reading new information on the web. As mentioned before, I had never used an RSS feeder prior to this assignment; I had heard of RSS feeders, and commonly seen the orange emblem on all my favorite sites, but I never made an attempt to use one.
This assignment has really opened my eyes to the time saving benefits subscribing to RSS feeds can provide. All last week I logged onto my Google Reader account, and used my Omea Reader 2.2 program to follow my daily blogs, and news sites. The results were incredible; I averaged around 30 min viewing and reading all of my daily sites instead of spending an hour or more of my time. Saving time in my opinion is truly the greatest value to using an RSS reader.
To setup, subscribe, and use a RSS feeder you must first locate and download a reader. Setting up an RSS reader to use is a pretty simple process if you do a little homework first to find a reader that best suits your needs. I went to Cnet.com and found an article concerning their favorite RSS readers that included the pros and cons of each at http://reviews.cnet.com/1990-10088_7-5143606-1.html?tag=txt. After reviewing their critique of each reader I chose JetBrains Omea Reader 2.2. Setup was a breeze, you simply follow the links, and download it right from Cnet.com. Based off of my experience, I believe setting up an RSS reader is comparable to setting up a Facebook account in the sense that once setup, it is very easy to discover all the basic tools and features all on your own and use the them without reading or viewing any tutorials.
Using an RSS reader has allowed me to expand my horizons and find educational blogs pertinent to my field, so I can stay up to date with all the latest tools and trends in teaching. One educational blog that I would like to share that I now read daily via my RSS reader is titled, Educational Technology. This blog helps keep me updated with all the latest news and technology that is coming out, and how it is impacting education. I enjoy reading the tweets and discussions posts that correspond with the various posts within the blog, and I like knowing what is coming up next as far as classroom technology is concerned. I subscribed to this sites RSS feeder, and now I can keep up with it along with my other sites in half of the time.
There are many opportunities to use RSS in education concerning the students; here are just a few that I came up with. One, research, having the students find websites concerning a specific topic and have them track news sites and blogs that will help them collect research over a period of time. The students will not only learn about their topic in depth, they will also learn how to use an important internet tool that will help save them time and help them narrow down on the exact information they were needing. Two, keeping up with blog journals, many teachers assign student blog projects, and what better way for all the students to keep up with one another by setting up an RSS feeder to track all the other students blogs within their class. Instead of going blog to blog the slow way, students could quickly read, and collaborate using their RSS reader. Lastly, data tracking, for some classes tracking current data is very important. For example a stock market project in an economics course. Students could create an RSS to follow all of their stock investments on a day to day basis and try to stay ahead of the game. Another example of data collection where students could use an RSS reader could be utilized for a statistics course where specific changing data could be tracked with ease. Now that I’ve given you a couple of examples of how students could use an RSS feeder let me share with you how RSS feeders could be used by teachers and administrators. Professional development is such an important part of teaching and education in general. What better way to stay ahead of the curve as a teacher, and always be on the cutting edge as an administrator by locating 25 or more blogs concerning your field within education and tracking them using an RSS subscription so you could always stay current and not waste tons of time.
Clearly the biggest advantage to using RSS is the time saving factor. Problogger.com agrees saying that RSS, “…provides you with a method of getting relevant and up to date information sent to you for you to read in your own time. It saves you time and helps you to get the information you want quickly after it was published,” (problogger.net). Utilizing RSS on a daily basis gives you more freedom, and allows you to explore a topic more in depth.
References
Fat Cow Web Hosting (18 January 2011). Definitions. FatCow.com 2011. Retrieved from http://www.fatcow.com/knowledgebase/read_article.bml?kbid=5530
Rowse, Darren. (1 November 2010). What is RSS? Problogger.net 2011. Retrieved from http://www.problogger.net/what-is-rss/
Vamosi, Robert. (15 July 2004). RSS, News You Choose. Cnet.com 2011. Retrieved from http://reviews.cnet.com/1990-10088_7-5143606-1.html?tag=txt
Before this project began I had never used a Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeder, and I had very little understanding of what they were or how to use them. A very simple definition of an RSS feeder is, “A mechanism to syndicate content from an originating site out to many different locations (Fatcow.com). According to author Robert Vamosi, in an article he wrote reviewing RSS readers for Cnet.com he called RSS, “News you choose” (Vamosi, Robert). My concise definition after using two different RSS feeders would be, “a great tool to view all your favorite websites, and blogs in a short amount of time.” I use the web everyday to find the latest news, sports, and weather information available. The problem is to really open and read all the websites that I love to explore on a daily basis can take more than an hour of my time on average. I just got into blogging websites a little over a year ago regarding some of my favorite sports teams, and now I am addicted to checking those sites as well; this too has increased my daily surf patterns. I average between an hour to two hours a day reading new information on the web. As mentioned before, I had never used an RSS feeder prior to this assignment; I had heard of RSS feeders, and commonly seen the orange emblem on all my favorite sites, but I never made an attempt to use one.
This assignment has really opened my eyes to the time saving benefits subscribing to RSS feeds can provide. All last week I logged onto my Google Reader account, and used my Omea Reader 2.2 program to follow my daily blogs, and news sites. The results were incredible; I averaged around 30 min viewing and reading all of my daily sites instead of spending an hour or more of my time. Saving time in my opinion is truly the greatest value to using an RSS reader.
To setup, subscribe, and use a RSS feeder you must first locate and download a reader. Setting up an RSS reader to use is a pretty simple process if you do a little homework first to find a reader that best suits your needs. I went to Cnet.com and found an article concerning their favorite RSS readers that included the pros and cons of each at http://reviews.cnet.com/1990-10088_7-5143606-1.html?tag=txt. After reviewing their critique of each reader I chose JetBrains Omea Reader 2.2. Setup was a breeze, you simply follow the links, and download it right from Cnet.com. Based off of my experience, I believe setting up an RSS reader is comparable to setting up a Facebook account in the sense that once setup, it is very easy to discover all the basic tools and features all on your own and use the them without reading or viewing any tutorials.
Using an RSS reader has allowed me to expand my horizons and find educational blogs pertinent to my field, so I can stay up to date with all the latest tools and trends in teaching. One educational blog that I would like to share that I now read daily via my RSS reader is titled, Educational Technology. This blog helps keep me updated with all the latest news and technology that is coming out, and how it is impacting education. I enjoy reading the tweets and discussions posts that correspond with the various posts within the blog, and I like knowing what is coming up next as far as classroom technology is concerned. I subscribed to this sites RSS feeder, and now I can keep up with it along with my other sites in half of the time.
There are many opportunities to use RSS in education concerning the students; here are just a few that I came up with. One, research, having the students find websites concerning a specific topic and have them track news sites and blogs that will help them collect research over a period of time. The students will not only learn about their topic in depth, they will also learn how to use an important internet tool that will help save them time and help them narrow down on the exact information they were needing. Two, keeping up with blog journals, many teachers assign student blog projects, and what better way for all the students to keep up with one another by setting up an RSS feeder to track all the other students blogs within their class. Instead of going blog to blog the slow way, students could quickly read, and collaborate using their RSS reader. Lastly, data tracking, for some classes tracking current data is very important. For example a stock market project in an economics course. Students could create an RSS to follow all of their stock investments on a day to day basis and try to stay ahead of the game. Another example of data collection where students could use an RSS reader could be utilized for a statistics course where specific changing data could be tracked with ease. Now that I’ve given you a couple of examples of how students could use an RSS feeder let me share with you how RSS feeders could be used by teachers and administrators. Professional development is such an important part of teaching and education in general. What better way to stay ahead of the curve as a teacher, and always be on the cutting edge as an administrator by locating 25 or more blogs concerning your field within education and tracking them using an RSS subscription so you could always stay current and not waste tons of time.
Clearly the biggest advantage to using RSS is the time saving factor. Problogger.com agrees saying that RSS, “…provides you with a method of getting relevant and up to date information sent to you for you to read in your own time. It saves you time and helps you to get the information you want quickly after it was published,” (problogger.net). Utilizing RSS on a daily basis gives you more freedom, and allows you to explore a topic more in depth.
References
Fat Cow Web Hosting (18 January 2011). Definitions. FatCow.com 2011. Retrieved from http://www.fatcow.com/knowledgebase/read_article.bml?kbid=5530
Rowse, Darren. (1 November 2010). What is RSS? Problogger.net 2011. Retrieved from http://www.problogger.net/what-is-rss/
Vamosi, Robert. (15 July 2004). RSS, News You Choose. Cnet.com 2011. Retrieved from http://reviews.cnet.com/1990-10088_7-5143606-1.html?tag=txt
Monday, January 24, 2011
Open Source
I have a very basic and limited knowledge about Open Source, but here is a little about what I do know. Open Source makes the source code behind an application available to everyone. A few of the major differences between Open Source applications and Proprietary apllications are the cost and the availability of the access. Almost all of free software uses Open Source and allows anyone to openly access them. On the other hand Proprietary software gives legal authority to the creator, and the creator of the software can legally exclude users, control access, and distribute the software as seen fit. It is my understanding that most OS applications use General Public Liscences which are free, and copylefted instead of copyrighted.
There are two OS apps that I think are useful in education, that I have used so far. One is Moodle (like BlackBoard only free). I really believe online courses are the way of the future, not only are they here to stay; I believe they will take over colleges, universities, and secondary education as we know it. Getting students ahead of the curve by using Moodle is a great experience for students. I also have used Open Office. Sure it is not quite as good as MS Office, however it is free, and very comparable. Students who can't afford MS Office need to be directed to this free resource for their home PC's. Just because you have MS Office doesn't mean your students will at home.
Here are the links where you can download these apps:
http://moodle.org/
http://www.openoffice.org/
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Drop Box
Drop Box is one of my favorite tools. Technically, Dropbox is a file hosting service operated by Dropbox, Inc. which uses cloud computing to enable users to store and share files and folders with others across the Internet using file synchronization (wikipedia-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropbox_(storage_provider)). To me it is a useful tool that I use so don't have to worry about losing a thumb drive with all my important data on it. Not only do I use it for storing personal documents for school, work, and projects for my masters; my principals and teachers use it at my school to track students behavior, tardies, and attendance using a shared Excel document. If we write a referral for a student we can open up our shared Excel document find the students name, and write a brief statement of what happened, the date, and any follow up. Using this technology, anyone on staff can see all of our students and track their discipline, attendance, and tardies. This allows all of us to work together, and be on the same page. If I am having trouble with a student, I can look and see if other teachers are having the same problems. This helps us identify students who need extra attention and guidance, and helps us to collaborate on useful solutions. I can honestly say that Dropbox has helped our whole staff collaborate more efficiently.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Introduction
Hello everyone, my name is Jeremy Cross and I live and teach here in Springfield, MO. My wife and I just celebrated our 6th anniversary, and we also just finished celebrating our son Isaac's first birthday. Speaking of celebrations, I am also a huge sports fan specifically an Auburn fan (I have been since I was 5), so I am still celebrating our national championship run! War Eagle! It has been a great year so far. I am really excited about starting a new semester. I am just 4 classes away from finishing my masters; the end is in sight, and I am ready to finish strong. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the other members of this class as well. Have a great semester everyone!
The last good book I read was actually a book within a book. I read I John in the Bible and it really encouraged me to be more loving, compassionate, and authentic in my faith. I love books that challenge my mind and soul. You can read I John here by following this link: http://bibleresources.bible.com/passagesearchresults2.php?passage1=1+John+1&book_id=69&version1=9&tp=5&c=1.
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