1 day ago
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Week 4 Evidence of Learning: Free Movie Making Websites
A fellow teacher showed me this website, and I've had a real blast playing around with it. Making this video made me laugh out loud a couple times, I have to admit - it is enjoyable. She uses it as a tool to insert some fun into her lessons, having students use the website to make tutorials on course content. A great idea!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Week 4 Reflection: Interview with Chris Harris
In comparison to Prensky's article last week, this week's reading was a much more realistic and balanced look at the growing phenomenon of technology in the education system. Michael Stephens' interview with Chris Harris on how libraries are changing digitally was a fair and understandable approach to the shift we see happening before our very eyes.
A part of this interview that stood out for me was when Harris said that "the role of the school librarian in ten years will be to serve as a guide through the chaos of information" (Harris 2006). This may be because partially jobs and job descriptions are a huge issue at the moment considering that a possible twenty percent of VSB teachers will be laid off this coming fall, including myself. It may also partially be because at lunch last week, I told my friends that I was doing my TL diploma. One friend, who teaches secondary school, laughed and said, "What do librarians even do anymore?" But most of all, this quote stood out at me because it shows how much technology will continue to change: this is just the beginning. Since internet really 'began' in 1995, the changes in how we teach and learn have been overwhelming. This change is only going to continue, just as dramatically, as we move ahead.
Another part of this interview that resonated with me was Harris's tone of encouragement. How should those who feel left behind get started? Simply to "play" (Harris 2006). To "experiment" (Harris 2006). This course has taught me to be really true - I feel like I've learned so much just by fiddling with, toying with and playing with Web 2.0 tools. Who knew that these tools were here the whole time, ready to be learned?
This interview also brings up the issue of how we are planning on dealing with this digital re-shift, for example, how we anticipate using blogs, problems with blogs, etcetera (as per our discussion board this week). For my personal use now, I'd really like to use this shift as a way of establishing a connection for parents. As an online teacher, for example, I know how 'in the dark' parents can be sometimes. Some parents don't even know that their child has signed up for my course (they are hence very surprised when I call home)! A lot of parents don't know how to access their child's account, so they don't know how to see what and how their kids are doing. I wonder if I could do a type of blog for parents, so that parents can learn and understand how to see what their children are doing.
For future use, when I get to a library (one can hope), I love the idea of a BookBlog, as Harris mentioned in the interview. At the moment, most online courses, including mine, have discussion boards, which is something similar. A BookBlog, however, would invite the write-ups to be more in-depth, and perhaps not so brief and conversation-like.
Reference:
Stephens, M. (2006). The digitally re-shifted school librarian: A conversation with Christopher Harris. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/02/the-digitally-re-shifted-school-library-a-conversation-with-christopher-harris.html
A part of this interview that stood out for me was when Harris said that "the role of the school librarian in ten years will be to serve as a guide through the chaos of information" (Harris 2006). This may be because partially jobs and job descriptions are a huge issue at the moment considering that a possible twenty percent of VSB teachers will be laid off this coming fall, including myself. It may also partially be because at lunch last week, I told my friends that I was doing my TL diploma. One friend, who teaches secondary school, laughed and said, "What do librarians even do anymore?" But most of all, this quote stood out at me because it shows how much technology will continue to change: this is just the beginning. Since internet really 'began' in 1995, the changes in how we teach and learn have been overwhelming. This change is only going to continue, just as dramatically, as we move ahead.
Another part of this interview that resonated with me was Harris's tone of encouragement. How should those who feel left behind get started? Simply to "play" (Harris 2006). To "experiment" (Harris 2006). This course has taught me to be really true - I feel like I've learned so much just by fiddling with, toying with and playing with Web 2.0 tools. Who knew that these tools were here the whole time, ready to be learned?
This interview also brings up the issue of how we are planning on dealing with this digital re-shift, for example, how we anticipate using blogs, problems with blogs, etcetera (as per our discussion board this week). For my personal use now, I'd really like to use this shift as a way of establishing a connection for parents. As an online teacher, for example, I know how 'in the dark' parents can be sometimes. Some parents don't even know that their child has signed up for my course (they are hence very surprised when I call home)! A lot of parents don't know how to access their child's account, so they don't know how to see what and how their kids are doing. I wonder if I could do a type of blog for parents, so that parents can learn and understand how to see what their children are doing.
For future use, when I get to a library (one can hope), I love the idea of a BookBlog, as Harris mentioned in the interview. At the moment, most online courses, including mine, have discussion boards, which is something similar. A BookBlog, however, would invite the write-ups to be more in-depth, and perhaps not so brief and conversation-like.
Reference:
Stephens, M. (2006). The digitally re-shifted school librarian: A conversation with Christopher Harris. Retrieved December 22, 2008 from http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/02/the-digitally-re-shifted-school-library-a-conversation-with-christopher-harris.html
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Week 3: Evidence of Learning: Youtube
Above is a video that I created today for the students in my online English 12 course. Another teacher showed me how to do this, and I find it to be an excellent way of video blogging to my class. I don't need much equipment - just a webcam, microphone and internet access. I can then record the video and publish it in a matter of minutes (except that I'm so paranoid that I re-record the video a thousand times over). I also like video blogging because it puts a face to a name for my students, something that I can really appreciate as an online teacher.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Week 3 Evidence of Learning: Google
Above is a screenshot of my iGoogle homepage, which links my gmail, docs and reader tools together. So far, I like it - it's nice to have the a little joke to read when I log on, stuff like that. More importantly, it's a nice starting point for all my tools that take cover under the big Google umbrella.
Above is a screenshot of my Google Reader, which I signed up for and began last week. I've subscribed to about twenty blogs at the moment, a combination of recommended sites, my own personal interests and my classmates. I'm finding it to be a very handy tool, especially as I'm trying to incorporate keeping up to date with blogs, tweets, etcetera into my daily routine!
This screenshot is of my gmail, an account which I opened last week. I'm still figuring out how to get back to my iGoogle homepage from my my gmail, which isn't obvious.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Week 3 Evidence of Learning: Twitter
I've been investigating how to link my other profiles and accounts with my blog. Today I learned how to embed my tweets:
My Twitter Updates
My Twitter Updates
Week 3 Reflection: Finding that middle ground
I'll tell you one thing: even though there's spellcheck, I'm glad that I still know how to spell.
Call me old-fashioned. Call me a dinosaur. But there's something within me that feels wary about Marc Prensky's eagerness to toss out the old in favour of the new. Do we really have to throw out EVERYTHING to make room for the new? "As our kids all get their own phones and laptops," he asks, "do we really need to teach them the old ways" (Prensky 2008)?
Well, yes. Yes, we do. And don't get me wrong - I don't want to teach kids the "old ways" and ignore the new ways, leaving them unprepared for the future. The point is that there has to be a middle ground, where students still learn skills needed for coping with the world: both old and new. The invention of technology does not mean that we should ignore key skills, such as reading and writing skills, which, frankly, are very empowering tools, even more empowering than knowing how to wiki, blog and tweet.
Prensky wouldn't agree with me. Teachers like me are trying to give students a mere "backup" education, in which students aren't prepared for the world, but rather prepared for a technological meltdown - so that when the escalators stop, they know how to walk. So that when watches stop, they can still tell time. So that when all the calculators in the world explode, we'll still be able to figure out how much to tip. He claims that "the real issue lies in the fact that by continuing to teach the "backup" stuff, there is no room to teach for the future" (Prensky 2008). But this isn't true at all. I'm just trying to find a middle ground in this technology war. Why can't we do both? What is so wrong with still reading a book? Not everyone can afford a kindle. What is so wrong with learning how to write cursive? Not everyone has to type everything. Can't we do both?
B. Nesbitt produced a video called "A Vision of K-12 Students Today." It's a powerful video (despite the fact that the kids look totally miserable), but one scene jumped out at me. A boy holds up a sign: "Let me tell a story." Then another boy adds: "Digitally." Digital storytelling is wonderful, I'm sure. But what happened to just plain storytelling? What happened to sitting and listening to a story and enjoying it, the way that generations of the past did? Suddenly just plain storytelling seems inadequate and outdated, and that makes me sad. I hope that there can be a happy medium, where storytelling is not viewed as backward, but one equally important format of communication. It doesn't have to be digital to be a worthwhile activity.
To conclude, let me give you an analogy, which you may or may not agree with: have you ever looked at your children's toys - toys that light up, play music, make noises, open and close, and flash pretty colours? Have you ever stood there looking at all these toys, and then thought back to the cardboard box that you loved to play with when you were a kid? If so, what is your next thought? Perhaps your next thought is a clue as to what side of this "technology fence" you are on.
References:
"A Vision of K-12 Students Today." http://www.youtube.com. Web. 20 Jan 2010..
Prensky, M. (2008). Backup education. Educational Technology 48(1). Retrieved Oct. 31, 2008 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-Backup_Education-EdTech-1-08.pdf
Call me old-fashioned. Call me a dinosaur. But there's something within me that feels wary about Marc Prensky's eagerness to toss out the old in favour of the new. Do we really have to throw out EVERYTHING to make room for the new? "As our kids all get their own phones and laptops," he asks, "do we really need to teach them the old ways" (Prensky 2008)?
Well, yes. Yes, we do. And don't get me wrong - I don't want to teach kids the "old ways" and ignore the new ways, leaving them unprepared for the future. The point is that there has to be a middle ground, where students still learn skills needed for coping with the world: both old and new. The invention of technology does not mean that we should ignore key skills, such as reading and writing skills, which, frankly, are very empowering tools, even more empowering than knowing how to wiki, blog and tweet.
Prensky wouldn't agree with me. Teachers like me are trying to give students a mere "backup" education, in which students aren't prepared for the world, but rather prepared for a technological meltdown - so that when the escalators stop, they know how to walk. So that when watches stop, they can still tell time. So that when all the calculators in the world explode, we'll still be able to figure out how much to tip. He claims that "the real issue lies in the fact that by continuing to teach the "backup" stuff, there is no room to teach for the future" (Prensky 2008). But this isn't true at all. I'm just trying to find a middle ground in this technology war. Why can't we do both? What is so wrong with still reading a book? Not everyone can afford a kindle. What is so wrong with learning how to write cursive? Not everyone has to type everything. Can't we do both?
B. Nesbitt produced a video called "A Vision of K-12 Students Today." It's a powerful video (despite the fact that the kids look totally miserable), but one scene jumped out at me. A boy holds up a sign: "Let me tell a story." Then another boy adds: "Digitally." Digital storytelling is wonderful, I'm sure. But what happened to just plain storytelling? What happened to sitting and listening to a story and enjoying it, the way that generations of the past did? Suddenly just plain storytelling seems inadequate and outdated, and that makes me sad. I hope that there can be a happy medium, where storytelling is not viewed as backward, but one equally important format of communication. It doesn't have to be digital to be a worthwhile activity.
To conclude, let me give you an analogy, which you may or may not agree with: have you ever looked at your children's toys - toys that light up, play music, make noises, open and close, and flash pretty colours? Have you ever stood there looking at all these toys, and then thought back to the cardboard box that you loved to play with when you were a kid? If so, what is your next thought? Perhaps your next thought is a clue as to what side of this "technology fence" you are on.
References:
"A Vision of K-12 Students Today." http://www.youtube.com. Web. 20 Jan 2010.
Prensky, M. (2008). Backup education. Educational Technology 48(1). Retrieved Oct. 31, 2008 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-Backup_Education-EdTech-1-08.pdf
Sunday, January 17, 2010
More Week 2: Learning about RSSs and aggregators
Today I decided to find out exactly what an aggregator and an RSS was. Every time I pictured my search for the RSS and the aggregator, I couldn't help but picture myself out in the wild, hunting down R.O.U.Ss (rodents of unusual size - any Princess Bride fans out there?).
Turns out, RSSs are NOT related to R.O.U.Ss, and neither are aggregators. I found this out after I spent a long time linking blogs up to my personal blog, as you can see to the right. I thought that perhaps this is what an RSS feed service was, but then I logged into my Google account, which magically showed me "Google Reader" - and I realized that the two aren't exactly linked up. I then stumbled upon an article by Will Richardson on Stephen's Lighthouse Blog, which talks about what an RSS guide really is. I understand now: an RSS basically collects all the information that you want from blogs, and feeds them into one place for you. This way, instead of clicking through a billion weblogs, they magically all end up on one page for me.
Technology really is amazing. I mean, the RSS feeds "make it possible to 'subscribe' to the content that is created on a particular Weblog so they no longer have to visit the blog itself to get it" (Richardson 2005). Whoever thought that the pace of life would be so fast that I wouldn't even have time to click? Or more importantly, whoever thought that the computer gods would deem clicking a waste of time?
Richardson gives instructions on how to sign up for bloglines, but I already have an account with Google so I'm trying to stick with Google Reader. I'm following almost twenty blogs, including my classmates and those on the recommended list for the course. I'm interested to see how well I cope with all the information that will be waiting for me when I find time to sit down in front of the computer at the end of the day.
Some questions to investigate (feel free to point me in the right direction):
1. Can I add more links (not just my facebook link) in the panel on the right?
2. Can I link this blog to my Google Reader so that people who check out my blog can see the shared items on my Google Reader?
References: “Blogging and RSS — The ‘What's It?’ and ‘How To’ of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators” at http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/richardson.shtml
Turns out, RSSs are NOT related to R.O.U.Ss, and neither are aggregators. I found this out after I spent a long time linking blogs up to my personal blog, as you can see to the right. I thought that perhaps this is what an RSS feed service was, but then I logged into my Google account, which magically showed me "Google Reader" - and I realized that the two aren't exactly linked up. I then stumbled upon an article by Will Richardson on Stephen's Lighthouse Blog, which talks about what an RSS guide really is. I understand now: an RSS basically collects all the information that you want from blogs, and feeds them into one place for you. This way, instead of clicking through a billion weblogs, they magically all end up on one page for me.
Technology really is amazing. I mean, the RSS feeds "make it possible to 'subscribe' to the content that is created on a particular Weblog so they no longer have to visit the blog itself to get it" (Richardson 2005). Whoever thought that the pace of life would be so fast that I wouldn't even have time to click? Or more importantly, whoever thought that the computer gods would deem clicking a waste of time?
Richardson gives instructions on how to sign up for bloglines, but I already have an account with Google so I'm trying to stick with Google Reader. I'm following almost twenty blogs, including my classmates and those on the recommended list for the course. I'm interested to see how well I cope with all the information that will be waiting for me when I find time to sit down in front of the computer at the end of the day.
Some questions to investigate (feel free to point me in the right direction):
1. Can I add more links (not just my facebook link) in the panel on the right?
2. Can I link this blog to my Google Reader so that people who check out my blog can see the shared items on my Google Reader?
References: “Blogging and RSS — The ‘What's It?’ and ‘How To’ of Powerful New Web Tools for Educators” at http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan04/richardson.shtml
Friday, January 15, 2010
Web 2.0 Workshops
Reading my blog, in LIBE 477, and living in Vancouver? I want to invite you to some workshops that I'm already signed up for. Just go to www2.vsb.bc.ca/vsbprograms/prod, click on current opportunities, and then look for the technology workshops.
I'm attending TL Studio 1: Using Web 2.0 Tools and Applications in Classrooms and School Libraries and Digitally Yours: Using VSB online resources and Web 2.0 Tools in Classrooms and School Libraries. If you are interested in attending and would like some company (i.e. me), get in touch!
I'm attending TL Studio 1: Using Web 2.0 Tools and Applications in Classrooms and School Libraries and Digitally Yours: Using VSB online resources and Web 2.0 Tools in Classrooms and School Libraries. If you are interested in attending and would like some company (i.e. me), get in touch!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Find me on other Web 2.0 tools . . .
Facebook: Diana Liao (ttdliao@hotmail.com)
Twitter: @dianaliao
Google: dianaliao477@gmail.com
Twitter: @dianaliao
Google: dianaliao477@gmail.com
School Library 2.0
This week's reading was about School Library 2.0, and it really clarified this idea of Web 2.0 and education. Before this article, I completely understood that I needed to keep up with technology as a teacher/TL, but I didn't really understand exactly how Web 2.0 fit into education. I mean, I wasn't planning on friending any of my students on facebook, ever - none of them need to see those pictures of me getting pushed around in a shopping cart in the middle of the night.
The reason I now understand why Web 2.0 is important to me and my teaching career is thanks to Jo-Anne Naslund and Dean Giustini's article (http://asselindoiron.pbworks.com/f/14>2naslund_giustini.pdf). It did something very important for my fixed and uncreative mind: it put Web 2.0 into categories, and called all these categories School Library 2.0. Then it discussed how each category worked. A quick run-down of the categories within School Library 2.0: blogs (online journals), wikis (online collaboration), social bookmarking, social networking, microblogging and social media-sharing sites. This kind of categorization is exactly what I need.
Of these categories, I'm most interested in wikis. I used to work with this really phenomenal TL, and she used wikis for book reviews and that kind of thing. She reported it as a big success, and I kind of pretended to understand what she was talking about. A classmate in 477 was also talking about a kind of online book club, using these kinds of collaborative websites. That sounds right up my alley.
At the moment, I teach English 10 and 12 online, and we have online discussion boards where students debate certain topics. I wonder - would something like a wiki or a Googledoc be a better or more interesting activity? Or is it just more of the same thing? How could I make a googledoc worth marks in an online course? Web 2.0 and online learning is definitely something that I'd like to explore.
Okay, I know this is getting quite long for one posting. I hope my lengthy posts aren't why nobody's following my blog. Come on people! I'm the only classmate with no followers! It's sad . . .
The reason I now understand why Web 2.0 is important to me and my teaching career is thanks to Jo-Anne Naslund and Dean Giustini's article (http://asselindoiron.pbworks.com/f/14>2naslund_giustini.pdf). It did something very important for my fixed and uncreative mind: it put Web 2.0 into categories, and called all these categories School Library 2.0. Then it discussed how each category worked. A quick run-down of the categories within School Library 2.0: blogs (online journals), wikis (online collaboration), social bookmarking, social networking, microblogging and social media-sharing sites. This kind of categorization is exactly what I need.
Of these categories, I'm most interested in wikis. I used to work with this really phenomenal TL, and she used wikis for book reviews and that kind of thing. She reported it as a big success, and I kind of pretended to understand what she was talking about. A classmate in 477 was also talking about a kind of online book club, using these kinds of collaborative websites. That sounds right up my alley.
At the moment, I teach English 10 and 12 online, and we have online discussion boards where students debate certain topics. I wonder - would something like a wiki or a Googledoc be a better or more interesting activity? Or is it just more of the same thing? How could I make a googledoc worth marks in an online course? Web 2.0 and online learning is definitely something that I'd like to explore.
Okay, I know this is getting quite long for one posting. I hope my lengthy posts aren't why nobody's following my blog. Come on people! I'm the only classmate with no followers! It's sad . . .
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Google thing
I've signed up for google! Hooray for me! My e-mail address is dianaliao477@gmail.com. Send me an e-mail and brighten up my day. It'll give my sense of existence a bit of an ego boost (it's still smarting from finding out that every combination of diana liao has been taken).
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
My first post
Okay, so here is my first post. I'm only posting now because I've only just realized, from looking at other blogs, that blog posts don't have to be huge paragraphs discussing my day. Now I've looked at other blogs and realized that posts can kind of look like tweets - just a couple sentences talking about my latest thought.
Let me introduce myself: my name's Diana, and this is my blog. This blog is going to record my journey as I attempt to learn all about Web 2.0. I can't promise it'll be interesting, but I can promise that it'll be honest.
So far, I'm on facebook and twitter. My plans for this week are to join the google thing, and one more social networking website. My biggest question: who reads this stuff? Who has the time to read other people's tweets? Do people log in to their computers, sit down with a coffee, and read through tweets? I'm following about thirty people right now, and went away for the weekend. I came back and there were something close to three billion tweets waiting for me to read.
My other question: who would care to read about ME?
Let me introduce myself: my name's Diana, and this is my blog. This blog is going to record my journey as I attempt to learn all about Web 2.0. I can't promise it'll be interesting, but I can promise that it'll be honest.
So far, I'm on facebook and twitter. My plans for this week are to join the google thing, and one more social networking website. My biggest question: who reads this stuff? Who has the time to read other people's tweets? Do people log in to their computers, sit down with a coffee, and read through tweets? I'm following about thirty people right now, and went away for the weekend. I came back and there were something close to three billion tweets waiting for me to read.
My other question: who would care to read about ME?
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