Monday, February 22, 2010
BP9_2010023_Web2.0Tool3-Instructables
Well looking through the link WebTools4U2Use, I came across an article titled, “Top 50 Web 2.0 Tools for Info Junkies, Researchers, and Students.” One of the Web 2.0 tools in that article was categorized as a learning Web 2.0 tool – Instructables at http://www.instructables.com/.
This site’s purpose is to give do-it-yourself instructions on how to build or make many things related to a variety of categories. The have step by step directions, some even have pictures and video. The categories range from arts, crafts, kids, cooking, science and technology. As soon as I saw it had a section on science I was hooked. Looking through the science section provided many useful instructions on building items at a much cheaper cost, and I could use them in my science classroom. I was interested in the DIY instructions on building a Van de Graaff generator. At my previous school district I had one of these available to use and it always captured the students’ interest in a unit for static electricity/electricity. I have always wanted to buy one, but they are rather expensive. When I looked at the directions it had plans that I think I could follow, it also had a section listed next to it titled, “related.” This section gave images and brief heading of other similar instructions. I found one that provided instructions to a hand held Van de Graaff generator, and I think I am going to try building it.
For teachers the site Instructables has many possibilities. It gives directions on how to make many useful things for a classroom, and you will save money in the process. There are sections for art, technology, kids, music, outdoors, science, tech, green, and many others. Looking through them I see many examples of how teachers could take the instructions and build things to use in their classroom, and many of them would be great for students to do as well. The one thing that I really liked about the site is that is has many instructions for items in each category. In the science category in had nearly 200 items. It also had guides in the science section to lead the user to similar topics. Science had sections on science fair projects, high voltage and catapults – just to name a few. Although I feel this would mostly benefit teachers by giving them directions to many different things. The students could also use this. For students, the section on science fair projects would be a great tool to give them ideas and help. I could see students finding a science fair project and asking questions to clarify directions. I could also see students creating original science fair ideas and posting them to this site, and then being the ones to answer questions.
When I first started looking through this site it didn’t seem like a typical Web 2.0 tool, because it doesn’t have a real-time collaborative feature. However, I did find many social features that allow for collaboration. It has a community section that has forums for each of the listed categories. You can post questions or answers responses. It has a marketplace, and a help section as well. The user can receive RSS feeds or sign up for an email feature that lets them know when new material is in their selected category. When viewing the Instructables for specific items it has features that allow you to post the link to your Facebook, Twitter, Email, Embed or Print PDF. The PDF feature you must me a paying member to use though. You can also post comments to the article, ask questions, or answer questions posed by others. Users can also submit their own Instructables. The more time I spend in this site, the more I like it.
Mini Van De Graaf... M & M style! - More DIY How To Projects
Monday, February 15, 2010
BP7_2010022_Link_to_Comment
BP6_2010022_Link_to_Comment
Please follow the link to view my comments for Jeff Kohl's Web 2.0 tool - Xtranormal. BP5_2010022_Web2.0-sliderocket
I looked at sliderocket for my second web 2.0 tool review. I have made many PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, and have also had my students create PowerPoint presentations for various projects. I know that students enjoy making and presenting their PowerPoint projects to the class, but they have their limitations. With sliderocket those limitations are removed.
I used sliderocket to create an animal presentation, something like I would have my science students build. I find this program is much more user friendly. To start with, adding images is very simple. You can select images that you already have or you can select images from Flickr and Marketplace, which sliderocket has teamed up with. I know with PowerPoint it was often difficult to search for and insert images. Using Flickr is very simple, just type it what you want and it brings up images that can be quickly selected and placed into a presentation. When the pictures are in, it is simple to resize and move around. I didn’t use Marketplace, but did look it over. I like that it allows you to purchase audio and images for a reasonable fee. This would be beneficial if designing a presentation that was going to be used for presentations for other purposes than teaching. Sliderocket has features that allow presentations to be collaborated on by more than one user, or shared. This program allows you to add customizable charts and tables. I added a customized chart and found it simple to use. Sliderocket also gives you the ability to add movies, flash videos, hyperlinks, and plug-ins. I especially liked the quote plug-in. I was able to type in a topic and choose from a variety of quotes that it offered up. It also lets you record audio on any slide. It has effective transitions and 2D and 3D effects as well. What I like most about this programs is that it brings things to you, rather than having to go look for them by other methods – like Google. I also know that my students always want to share projects that they created with their parents and others, but with PowerPoint that is often difficult. Sliderocket allows them to go online from anywhere and view their work.
Taking this further, I think this could be a great resource for teachers in a district. Teachers are creating presentations all the time to use in the classroom. If a district had an account with sliderocket it would make collaboration and sharing presentations among teachers very simple. They could simply add tags to a presentation and make them easy for others to access. If each presentation was tagged with, at minimum, the teacher’s name and grade level it would make searching for desired material very simple. One could then type in a teacher’s name or grade level and find all relevant presentations. This would save teachers from always having to reinvent the wheel. One could search tags for what other teachers in their grade level are doing and use their presentations instead of creating one of your own, or asking them to email it to you.
Monday, February 8, 2010
BP4_2010021_Web_2.0
I had a hard time with discovering a Web 2.0 tool that I wanted to use in my class. Since I teach science, I wanted to find something specifically science based. I was trying to find a tool that fit my exact needs, instead of adapting the tool to fit my needs. There was only one tool that I found, Ecoloko, that had a science theme to it, but it wasn’t in English and I couldn’t hear any audio from it. So I gave up that tool rather quickly. I did find another tool that I really liked named YUDOmagic. I start out many of my science classes with a science demonstration that many of my students think is magic, but then explain the science behind it. I thought if students could learn some magic from this site they could be the one doing the class demonstration; however, after looking at their tutorial vault I found that they have to few to be feasible – only 9 tutorials. I do think this tool has a lot of potential if it gets a larger library of tutorials. I finally elected to go with gliffy at http://www.gliffy.com. This is an online diagram tool that be used individually or in collaboration.
I decided to go with gliffy because my older students do a lesson on drawing a house to scale. One of the assignments I have them do is to create their dream house. We then take that house and scale everything to an appropriate scale. The big problem I have with this assignment is with the students who don’t like or want to draw. They will usually just put a bed, couch and TV in their house. I always set a minimum requirement for the number of items needed in the house, and those students that don’t like to draw (or say they can’t draw) usually only do the minimum. Gliffy has Floorplan software that would be perfect for adapting this assignment. I could have the students work in groups to collaborate the design of their dream house. This tool would allow them to work together on every part of the house, or build sections individually. It also has a library of shapes that will really make their dream house look dreamy – it would have everything including the kitchen sink. I like how this has shapes that include the type of floor covering, fireplace, and most items you would find in a typically house. It allows the user to resize, rotate, and incorporate images of their own. They can add windows, doors, and walls to their design, which is key to designing a realistic house. What I find is students usually spend two or three days drawing their dream house because they make so many changes and try to create realistic drawings. Gliffy would give them the ability to have their house designed in a day. They could then take this dream house and actually create a hand drawn scale model. I think that the students would draw images more like this program – ones that architects would use. That would cut down on the time they spend with their objects in their actual drawing.
I did design most of a house and felt that it is very simple tool to use once you get the hang of it. It would be nice if it had some tools besides the grid to help align wall ends and other items you put in the house-something that automatically aligns and/or centers. With a few minutes of practice I believe my students would have no problem creating a masterpiece.
There are also some added abilities that gliffy has. I think the only other aspect I would be able to incorporate with my students in the flowchart. They could use that feature to plan out projects or brainstorm about topics. The tools would easily be adaptable for those purposes. I also think it would be possible to use this tool to create an assignment of directions. I could have them use the Floorplan software to show how to get from one part of our school to the other. They could use this to show visual directions and then include written ones later. I don't see my students using the network diagrams, wireframes/UI mockups, business process, SWOT analysis, or UML.Sunday, February 7, 2010
BP3-2020021_GoogleReader
Even though I spent last month in my EDE class helping create a website to show how to take a podcast from conception to publishing, I never actually signed up for an RSS feed myself. I find that it is easier on my eyes to read my subscriptions that are printed on paper; however, I do understand that RSS feeds can be up to the minute information. Since I am new to subscribing to RSS feeds, I searched for feeds that I think would benefit me in my current position as a science teacher and possible future position in the classroom.
NYT > Technology: I chose this feed because I felt that they would provide reliable and credible information on the latest technology. I want to incorporate technology into my classroom and I feel this feed will give me information on new products, software, and technology relate items; as well as, interesting perspectives on how technology is being used.
http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/Technology.xml
Webware: Cool Web apps for everyone – CNET: I felt that this feed would keep me up to date on all the current Web 2.0 tools that are made on a daily basis. This site looks at apps for everyone, so I am hoping some of them will apply to the classroom. The best part is I don’t have to go looking for new ones every couple of weeks. They will come to me.
http://news.cnet.com/8300-17939_109-2.xml
AppleInsider: Through this program at Full Sail, I am quickly becoming an advocate for Apple products. I am finding that they are user-friendlier and have many programs that can be easily included in the classroom. I am hoping that I will be able to stay current on everything Apple.
http://www.appleinsider.com/appleinsider.rss
Science: Current Issue/AAAS: I have taught science for nearly ten years now and have subscribed to many science magazines. This science feed should help keep me current with scientific research and news.
http://www.sciencemag.org/rss/current.xml
The Art of Teaching Science Blog: I chose this feed because I wanted to get another perspective on teaching science. It looks at things related to science teaching.
http://www.artofteachingscience.org/?feed=rss2
Saturday, February 6, 2010
BP2_2010021_Educational Uses for Blogs
When I first started looking through the assignments for my Emergent Technologies in a Collaborative Culture (EMT) class, I wasn’t thrilled to see ones that included blogging. I have never blogged myself, or even looked at a blog, so this was a completely new adventure for me. My impression of blogging was that it was just an online form of a diary that others could read. I also heard of others that used it to rant about whatever came across their mind, whether they were qualified to assess the topic or not. After spending sometime researching and preparing to write my own blog, my opinion has changed dramatically.
The first article I found on blogs was written by Alison Sawmill and titled, “Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning?” Since I teach science, this article was of particular interest to me. I was surprised to read all the uses for blogs that could be incorporated into a science classroom; and in particular, ones that I could see myself doing. Sawmill discussed using it for prior learning, collaboration on projects, and to teach scientific concepts; not to mention it captures their interests, and can be used to differentiate instruction (Sawmiller, 2010). This article got me thinking of how I might use it in my classroom. I know that my students like to share their stories when I start a new topic. This would allow all of the students to share their stories with the entire class, and I wouldn’t have to limit it to just a few. I have tried having the students write these as well, but that usually takes the fun out of it. By allowing them to use the computers, which they already want to do, it would keep the fun in.
I have also found through reading some blogs that these are more than people ranting and writing online diaries. I find them to be more of a collaboration of ideas and experience. I now see educational blogging more like the teacher across the hall that teaches the same subject that you do, the one that you go to for advice. Except now that advice comes to you and can include advice from educators across the country, or even world. You gain more ideas and have greater experience to draw from.
Sawmiller, A. (2010). Classroom Blogging: What is the Role in Science Learning?. Clearing House, 83(2), 44-48.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
BP1_2010021_iGoogleScreenShots
Of all the tabs, I think the ETC will be the most helpful. I like the layout and what we have included. In setting up Google Reader I have started receiving a science feed, and I saw many others I would like to add - as I have time to go through them. 
