FREE Software - ThinkFree.com Provides Free "Office-like" Web Services

If you are in the market for free software, you may already know about this site. Just in case, I thought I'd pass this information along. In Wesley Fryer's blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, he discusses the ThinkFree software and provides links to several articles and reviews. Check out his post, ThinkFree Challengs MS Office Dominance.

If you have anything to share regarding this software or others, please do.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

"What About Blogs?" - May 2006

We thought the participants in our May course, What About Blogs? might be interested in looking at a few of the blogs we find particularly relevant to education and technology integration. There are thousands and thousands of blogs out there. You will find blogs on any topic from pet grooming to dissertation research. People of all ages are drawn to blogging as a form of social networking.

As a collaboration and communication tool, blogs are finding their place in education. Many teachers use them on a professional level. Two that I read on a regular basis are, first, Will Richardson’s blog Webblogg-ed . We like Will’s blog so much, and the book he just released, that we have invited him to do a workshop on blogs, wikis, and other cool tools for the Eighth Floor this coming October. You really won’t want to miss this. The second blog I read often is Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer. There are many, many others. Although it is impossible to read them all, you will probably find a few you go to over and over.

Several teachers are using blogs in the classroom as a tool for collaboration and communication. They find that blogging results in much more authentic learning for students. You might want to look at are Mrs. Watts Second Grade Computer Classroom . You have to check out the journals on the Oregon Trail. Also, take a look at SAS China . This is a website at an overseas American school that is run by two instructors in different disciplines, and their blog is part of their website. The work the students do in both classes is quite impressive.

There has been much discussion lately regarding the safety of student blogs. Internet safety is an important issue that we should all be helping our students understand and deal with. A couple of blog posts you might find interesting on this topic are MySpace Education, on Wesley Fryer’s blog Moving at the Speed of Creativity and Stephanie Sandifer’s blog Change Agency .

Being as this is a class about blogging, we think you ought to do a little, well, blogging. (Those of you reading this who are not enrolled in the class, please jump in!) We’d like you to share some of your thoughts or concerns about setting up and using blogs either professionally or in the classroom. Here are some questions to get you started thinking:

- What do you want to know about blogs?
- What do you already know about blogs?
- How do you think you can use blogs?
- How do you see others using blogs?
- What are you concerned about when it comes to blogs?
- What experiences (good or bad) have you already had with blogs?
- How important is digital literacy for our students?
- OR anything else you would like to blog about.

Post comments by clicking on the “comments” hyperlink at the bottom of this posting. You can contribute as “other.” Be sure to include your name. Read others’ comments and feel free to comment on their comments.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

If you are interested, check out the February 17th posting on the 8th Floor Blog called “What About Blogs?” and read some of the comments made by the last class.

The Eighth Floor's Podcast about Blogs

Over the next several months, we will be "broadcasting" podcasts that highlight new technologies for the classroom. The first podcast looks at blogs: what they are, how difficult (or simple) the technology is and how blogs are used in the classroom.
Check it out by clicking on the link below!
Pam Vreeland


8th Floor Podcast-Blogs


The music is thanks to Internet Archives, an internet website publishing open source music, and Korhan Kaya, the artist making the music available.

Libraries have issues - did you know?

"Many of the current issues facing libraries revolve around the central theme of technology. Technology affects what we do, how we do things, and what our users expect from us as gateways to information. Two labels that arise in this discussion are Web 2.0 and Library 2.0. . . ."

This is a post I found in the HigherEd Blog, April 13th. Kind of interesting.

Still Sharin'
Lee Anne

Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that offers flexible copyright licenses for creative works.

Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators. They have built upon the "all rights reserved" concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach. They're a nonprofit organization. All of their tools are free.

I have not explored it fully, but it looks pretty cool.

Just sharin'
Lee Anne

Mrs Watt's 2nd Grade Computer Class Blog

FUN example of a classroom blog. Go look. (click here) I'm just sayin'.

Lee Anne

How to Use Blogs in the Classroom

Wow! You have to check this out. Exploring our Dynamic Earth - Using Blogs to Learn. I'm impressed by the creative and collaborative design of this site. Instructors are always asking how in the world would they ever use a blog for learning. Well, here's their answer. The blog is just one component of this venture.

Want to know more about blogs and the classroom? Check out Weblogg-ed - the read/write web in the classroom.

Kudos to both instructors.

Lee Anne

Understanding/Making an RSS Feed

I don't know about the rest of you, but I find this RSS Feed stuff a little confusing. I understand it is vital if you want your blog read, but how it all works is a bit mysterious - a bit. I generally manage to stumble through it, somehow.

I ran across an article that might help it make sense to you. There are several suggestions and a lot of explanation. Check it out.

Have fun!
Lee Anne

Are Blogs Really What is Meant by "Digital Literacy"?

I ran across a blog post that intrigued me. Wesley Fryer, the author of the post, speaks of President Bush's reference to blogs - more precisely, milblogs - as a primary source for information about what is happening in Iraq - a broader civil perspective.

Fryer used Bush's comments as a springboard into NCLB issues. His question is, are students getting the [digital] literacy skills they need for the 21st Century? Are students getting skills that will help them solve the real problems, the problems that are not prefabricated and solvable by rote? Fryer does not feel NCLB is properly preparing students for anything important, especially not for the digital age.

I'm gonna let that whole NCLB discussion sit - interesting article.

Here's my question: Are blogs really what is meant by "digital literacy"? Or, are blogs nothing more than open text messaging or IMing? I have heard countless teachers and parents condemn blogs. Faith in them as scholarly or righteous modes of communication is not wide spread. I completely understand why they feel that way. Blogs have certainly had a lot of bad press these days. On the other hand, I can't help think that there are blogs out there that ARE scholarly or righteous. There must exist some that are credible primary resources. One or two must be fine examples of citizen journalism? No?

Okay. If you had a student working on a project on current civil issues in Iraq, would you allow him or her to use an American military blog as a credible primary source? Sure, sure - it depends on the topic and the perspective. That aside, do YOU trust the resource? How would you discuss this with your student? How do you help your students solve the problem of evaluating credible vs. not in the world of blogs? Is this a skill that is important?

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
Lee Anne

Student Decision Making - Digital Citizenship

I recently ran across this web page. It is chuck full of articles - some more interesting than others - but certainly a lot to think about.

Summary: Welcome to the Digital Citizenship Website
Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers and technology leaders understand what students should know to use technology appropriately. But Digital Citizenship is more that just a teaching tool, it is a way to prepare students for a society full of technology. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology. The issue is more than what the users do not know but instead what is considered appropriate technology usage.

Digital Citizenship Today
Now is the time for educators as well as other adults to begin to evaluate how they are using technology. Within this website are many examples of how educators can begin the process of teaching their students how to use technology more appropriately. These resources can be used by any adults who are interested in helping students better understand appropriate technology use.

If you find an article particularly helpful or informative, please post a comment by clicking on "comments" at the bottom of this post.

Thanks!
Lee Anne