Scott has been playing with a groovey little text message voting tool called Live Audience Polling. Are you interested in playing along? It's kind of like when you vote for American Idol. You get a number to send the text to and you have to start your text with different number followed by your answer.

Here's a question you can answer and contribute to our pole: Have you ever used a cell phone as a learning/teaching tool in the class room? Any thoughts beyond yes or no?



To send a message, Text 52020 plus your message to 99503. Give it a shot. Text us your answer!



As they say in Massachusetts, wicked easy.



Just Playin'
Lee Anne

ODLA - Oklahoma Distance Learning . . . and then some!

Yesterday I attended and presented at the ODLA conference in OKC. It was fun . . . and believe me when I tell you that is not something I say very often about presenting at conferences. But it was fun. I think I know why, too -- for three reasons.

One, I got to present with two instructors I work with A LOT here on the Eighth Floor, Dana Linda and Linda Jones. We facilitate the Online Learning Series together each semester. We have this team teaching thing down to an art and it always feels good to fire up the classroom with them.

Two, I got to talk about online learning, and I LOVE to talk about online learning. Our topic was The Critical First 48 Hours. Great topic - Dana's brilliant idea. If our good intentions bear fruit, we'll post our presentation at some point. (go ahead - hold your breath)

Three, I met some seriously cool people from around the state that have jobs similar to mine. There was SO much to talk about. Just a few short years ago, I rarely met folks who had teaching positions similar to mine. I am excited to see instructional design and technology integration finding a permanent home in educational institutions across the state.

Bonus, I expanded my professional learning network. From that, I have some fantastic shares, but one really good "share" that I can't just keep to myself. It would be wrong. Kelly Fitzmorris from OSU Stillwater sent me a list of Web 2.0 tools she created. It is quite well done. She gives short explainations of various tools and groups them by purpose. A few of the tools are new to me, and I can't wait to play with them. Take a minute to have a look. http://osuweb20.blogspot.com/

Scott also has a really good "share." He went to a presentation on mobile phone tools for the classroom and is already planning a class for the fall. The presenter was Jim Britton from NSU and here are some links you might be interested in - just sayin'.

http://technology4teachers.com/ ( link to his web site with PPT)
http://textmarks.com/
http://polleverywhere.com/
http://twitter.com/
http://tweetlater.com/
http://crowdststus.com/
http://winksite.com/
http://qik.com/ live video streamed

The ODLA Fall Conference is in Tulsa on November 12th. Pencil yourself there!

Just Sharin'

Lee Anne

YouTube Launches Higher Education Landing Page

Now this is cool. YouTube has launched a higher education page. (link to YouTube EDU - http://www.youtube.com/edu) Here is the very short article from Campus Technology

YouTube Launches Higher Education Landing
Page
·
04/01/09
You Tube EDU aggregates video from colleges and universities. The launch was made quietly this past week, but with contributions from Dartmouth, Stanford, University of Minnesota, UNC Chapel Hill, Purdue, Harvard, VirginiaTech, and more than 100 others, the site stands a chance to get attention easily. There are already more than 20,000 videos on YouTube EDU. Content is varied, ranging from lectures on quantum physics to "Snow Day in Chapel Hill." With no plans for indexing the videos with a controlled vocabulary (confirmed by Obadiah Greenberg of the Strategic Partnerships team at YouTube) it's starting out eclectic but browsable--typical YouTube.

Many of you may be aware that YouTube is not the only vehicle for watching and uploading videos for your students. TeacherTube and SchoolTube may be more appropriate. I have found a number of videos on TeacherTube that I use in the classroom. Educational sharing at its best!

I poked around a little. For the most part the topics are strongly scholastic – good news. The quality of some of the videos wasn’t great – but the topics are fantastic. Check this one out on Googling the Brain on a Chip.

If you know of any other “tubes,” please share!

Just Sharin’
Lee Anne

Is Encylopedia Britannica a Wikipedia Wannabe?

Do you think Encyclopedia Britannica can do what Wikipedia has done? I guess they are going to try, but I admit, I am a bit skeptical. When I first skimmed over a post in the AppScout blog, I was intrigued, even a little excited. I thought this was a great idea, for EB to adapt to a new way of learning and free information – very altruistic of them, in fact. But, then, I started to think about it and read some of the comments made on the post, especially the ones made by Tom from Britannica. I love that there is always another side to “things.” And, there is absolutely another side to this thing.

From what I can understand EB has created an online version to which users/readers can contribute. When folks make contributions, the EB staff will review that information and, I guess, regurgitate it online. Essentially, you submit what you have to offer, and they decide if it is worthy and correct – they edit it. At least I think I get the process, according to Tom from Britannica. Again, it sounds great to me at first, but the more I think about it, I’m a little disappointed by what they are offering. If I feel I am expert enough to contribute to a page or topic, do I really want them editing my contribution? What if they missed my point? Will they ask ME if what they are publishing is in line with my thoughts – true? How is this really a contribution from me if they make all the decisions?

And another thing . . . I don’t believe EB is free. That’s not very “Wikipedia like.” What’s wrong with EB just being EB? How financially necessary is it for them to compete with Wikipedia? Hang on . . . Who thinks it is totally bizarre that I am suggesting Encyclopedia Britannica is competing with Wikispaces out of financial desperation?

So, what do you think? Will EB’s answer to Wikispaces keep them relevant?

Just sayin’
Lee Anne

Open 24 Hours!

“The only scarce resource left today is your attention span. How do you choose to use the next 24 hours?” Richard Malinski

I recently stumbled across this short documentary and can't stop thinking about it. There are so many ideas here that I don’t know where to start, so I am going to set you loose on the video, Information Bombardment. What do you think? Can you be open 24 hours?

Just Sharin’
Lee Anne

Teachers Love SmartBoards!

Our SmartBoard classes are among the most popular we offer on the Eighth Floor. Every semester, classes fill with long waiting lists. SmartBoards are just one of those kinds of tools that everyone can use. We have SmartBoards in two of our classrooms, and I find myself walking over to them when I want to REALLY show or discuss something on the screen. This is much better than making everyone's eyes jiggle when I shake the mouse pointer at whatever I think is so important. So, in order to get better at using the SmartBoard when I am teaching, I've been taking the SmartBoard classes we offer - I know, you guys think Scott and I already know everything, don't you. I'm gonna come clean, we don't. Well, actually, Scott might . . . I DON'T. The classes are fantastic and the teachers are fantastic!! Pam Burgess and Shaun Beard teach the bulk of our Smart classes.

Okay, so why am I tell you all this? SmartBoards are a deep and wide tool. Once you get a taste of what is possible, it's almost like you can't get enough! Sometimes, when you want more information on something, it can be hard to find a solid resource with a lot (not a little) for just about everyone. Earlier this week in the What About Blogs? class, Deana McCloud from Pryor shared a blog with us, and now I am going to share it with you. I poked around for a bit - it's cool. :-D

http://smartboards.typepad.com/ - called, Teachers Love SmartBoards!

It looks like the author posts about once a week - so not so overwhelming that you can't digest the ideas he shares. If you know how, I recommend subscribing, - if not, at least save it to your favorites and visit it about once a week. If you decide that you think it is a worthwhile resource, share it with others!

If you have a Smart resources that you just love, PLEASE share it with us!

Just Sharin'
Lee Anne

What About Blogs? - February 2009

What About Blogs?
Welcome to the Eighth Floor class about blogging in education. As a collaborative and constructive tool, blogs have found their place in education. As educators, we are using them as learning tools not only for our students, but also for ourselves. Our objectives for this short workshop are to become familiar with blogs as a Web 2.0 tool, explore uses for your classroom or professional development, and set up a practice blog of your own.

Blogs in Plain English


Lee LeFever of the Common Craft Show


So What’s a Blog?
Let the 6 & 7 year olds from Room 9 at Nelson Central School educate you about what they think a blog is and why they love using them!





Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in the Classroom



Education Professional Development Blogs
Weblogg-ed - A blog by Will Richardson
Moving at the Speed of Creativity - A blog by Wesley Fryer
Blog of Proximal Development - a blog by Konrad Glogowski
Blogs about Educational Blogging - a wiki by Support Blogging.com

Classroom/Student Blogs
Arthus - NewlyAncient (high school student blog)
AP Calculus AB (An interactive log for students and parents in my AP Calculus class. This ongoing dialogue is as rich as YOU make it. Visit often and post your comments freely.)
The Good Habits Blog (blog for students and teachers)
Mrs Cassidy's Classroom Blog (elementary)
Blogical Minds (This is a blog created to explore what happens when 5th graders blog and converse about literacies in class and beyond)

Google Search for Blogs
http://blogsearch.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wb

Check out the following education/safety focused postings and articles:
MySpace Education
Change Agency BlogSafety.com
Blogs, Fair Use, and Paying to Play

Blogging Tips and Tricks:
Web Blog Basics Blogs - Anatomy
Blogs for Learning
Evaluating Blogging
Blogging Best Practices Top 10 Blog Writing Tips
Use of Blogs in an Online College Classroom

Let’s Talk About Blogs

• How is a blog different from a website?


• How is blogging different from other types of writing or online communication?


• Why do you think you or your students might be attracted to this as a form of expression?


• How might you use a blog in your classroom or for your professional development?


• What obstacles might you face using blogs with your students?


• The first step to being a good blogger is to be a good blog ____________?

___________________________________________________________
QUESTION!

Since this is a class about blogging, we thought you might want to do a little, well, blogging. So, what are some advantages to using blogs? What are some disadvantages? What can you do to minimize the disadvantages? ___________________________________________________________

Add your comment to this post. Take a minute to think about the above questions. (Or share something else, if you choose, like an idea your already have for using blogs) Click on the "comments" link below and then type your answer. You can comment as "anonymous or other." Be sure to include your name somewhere so we know who you are. Read others’ comments and feel free to comment on their comments!

Thanks!
Lee Anne

Animoto is Awesome!

Last week I posted a Top 10 List of Web 2.0 tools. A couple of the tools, I had not played with before. Animoto.com was one of them. Well, I'm in love with this tool! Here are my reasons why:

• Too easy to use!
• Perfect tool for digital picture projects
• Has an educator's version!
• Level of effort hardly reflects the sophisticated result.

I have applied for my educator's site on animoto. They take a couple of days to respond/review. But, in the mean time, I played with the regular version. This is a 30 second video. You can create 30 second videos or full length (haven't tried full length yet). Animto walks you through the process - it really is quite easy. Frist, I grabbed some pictures that looked like they had to do with the Eighth Floor. Second, I choose music that they provided. You can supply your own if you want, but they have a pretty good collection. Finally, I hit finalize and waited a few minutes for this:



I can't wait to get into the educator's version. If all goes well, I am going to incorporate this tool into the Digital Picture Projects class.

If you do one, share it!

Thanks!
Lee Anne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Digital Picture Projects
Feb 25 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm
Apr 22 from 8:30 - 11:30 am

We Shouldn't Ignore the Wiki Challenges

I wanted to share an article from Campus Technology, “3 Challenges to Wiki Use in Instruction”. I was impressed that they narrowed it down to three! (smile). I’ve been using and teaching the use of wikis in the classroom for several years now. I knew when I started developing classes using Web 2.0 tools that we were perhaps ahead of the curve – and we may still be – but not surprisingly, being ahead of the curve is part of our mission. I’ve been sharing the benefits of wikis for some time, things like collaborative environment, shared construction of knowledge, self-directed teams, facilitates higher level thinking, etc. I’m not so sure I always share the challenges. And I should!

The author, Ruth Reynard, gives it to us something like this:

Create meaningful assignments. Often teachers are unfamiliar with the potential of the tool. That’s okay, that comes with experience, but we need to keep in mind creating a connection to the overall purpose.

Grades reflect the process along with the product. I’m not sure this isn’t more of a “Boomer” need than a “Net Gen” need, but never the less, a great deal of work and learning happens in order to get a result in this sort of collaborative environment. It’s much easier to grade a product, don’t I know, but the process is actually just as important here.

Collective knowledge use. How will this be used to reinforce learning? Reynard says, “rather than simply an argument or debate, a paper, or a project, a wiki-based assignment can illustrate stages of development in thinking, collaboration, synthesis, and application. This helps to contextualize the learning that has taken place for immediate benefit to students and for future use in learning.” Is this project relevant?

I like this discussion of challenges. It’s relevant!

Just Sharin’
Lee Anne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eighth Floor Class on Wikis:
Wiki When You Wanna
Feb 17th from 1:00-4:00 pm
April 1st from 8:30 -11:30 am

I love Top 10 Lists

I enjoy a well thought top 10 list, don't you? Here's one from The Journal that I think is particularly well done: Top 10 Web Tools for Young Learners.

Gail Lovely, an education technology consultant and speaker at the FETC 2009 conference in Orlando, FL in January, developed a "top 10 list" of go-to technology tools to help inspire young students and empower under-funded teachers. (Raise your hand if you know an underfunded teacher! )

You will notice that the Eighth Floor offeres classes on a number of the tools on her list, blogs, wikis, VoiceThread, etc. I have played with Voki and love it. I use Skype quite often for instant messaging and voice or video calls - it's quite groovy. There are a couple on the list that I am going to MAKE time to check out: Glogster, Aminoto, and YackPack. If you have used any of these I'd love to know what you think?

Just Sharin'!

Lee Anne