Checking out these Web 2.0 tools has been really fun. My favorites have to be Delicious and Facebook. Those are the two that I know I will use the most. I've also been interested in Netvibes. Just checking it out for now, but who knows what'll happen in the future.
I consider myself pretty tech savvy, but this experience has developed my knowledge of available tools immensely. I feel more knowledgeable in the Web 2.0 arena and hope to bring this knowledge to my fellow teachers.
I am most surprised by the sheer volume of programs available. Too many to visit. There's definitely something for everyone!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Discover Web 2.0 for Yourself!
Just looking around, I found a couple websites I really think will come in handy.
1. StumbleUpon - I have used this website for years. It cures boredom for sure! Just tell the site what your interests are and then click "Stumble." The program will take you to websites that show your interests.
2. Glogster - Here's another site that I love using with students! Create digital posters of your work. Only setback: they're charging now! They're even charging teachers on their educational version of their site. That's a shame.
1. StumbleUpon - I have used this website for years. It cures boredom for sure! Just tell the site what your interests are and then click "Stumble." The program will take you to websites that show your interests.
2. Glogster - Here's another site that I love using with students! Create digital posters of your work. Only setback: they're charging now! They're even charging teachers on their educational version of their site. That's a shame.
Online Productivity Tools
Today, I'm going to talk about a few online tools available. Some I'm familiar with, some I'm not.
1. TinyUrl - This website offers you a place to create a small url out of a larger, unsightly url. It's handy for MLA citation or Twitter.
2. Jing - Perfect for those who want to create instructional videos through screencasting. One drawback with this program is that it only lets you create videos that are 5 minutes or less. If you want more time, you have to purchase the pro version. Recently, I found a screencasting program called Screencast-o-matic. It works just as well as Jing and allows you to create longer videos (15 minutes).
3. Print Friendly - I'm not too familiar with how well this site works, but it seems very handy. It turns any website into a printer-friendly version. This is great for those busy websites that you just want to quickly print out for either student handouts or just to take with you and read.
4. Gliffy - I love Gliffy. I think Gliffy could be useful for all content areas. This website allows you to create all kinds of diagrams and charts. You can even create floorplans!
5. SlideShare - I think SlideShare is really neat and would like to use it more, but unfortunately, it is blocked in my district. I could request it be unblocked, then maybe they'd either unblock it or tell me why it's blocked. Very cool presentation sharing tool.
6. Skype - It seems like all the kids like Skype. It's the video phone that was dreamed about when I was a teen. I've not tried it because there has to be another party that's interested in trying it with you. I've not had any luck with that part yet. Teens are more open to trying than adults.
Try 'em out! See what you like!
1. TinyUrl - This website offers you a place to create a small url out of a larger, unsightly url. It's handy for MLA citation or Twitter.
2. Jing - Perfect for those who want to create instructional videos through screencasting. One drawback with this program is that it only lets you create videos that are 5 minutes or less. If you want more time, you have to purchase the pro version. Recently, I found a screencasting program called Screencast-o-matic. It works just as well as Jing and allows you to create longer videos (15 minutes).
3. Print Friendly - I'm not too familiar with how well this site works, but it seems very handy. It turns any website into a printer-friendly version. This is great for those busy websites that you just want to quickly print out for either student handouts or just to take with you and read.
4. Gliffy - I love Gliffy. I think Gliffy could be useful for all content areas. This website allows you to create all kinds of diagrams and charts. You can even create floorplans!
5. SlideShare - I think SlideShare is really neat and would like to use it more, but unfortunately, it is blocked in my district. I could request it be unblocked, then maybe they'd either unblock it or tell me why it's blocked. Very cool presentation sharing tool.
6. Skype - It seems like all the kids like Skype. It's the video phone that was dreamed about when I was a teen. I've not tried it because there has to be another party that's interested in trying it with you. I've not had any luck with that part yet. Teens are more open to trying than adults.
Try 'em out! See what you like!
Podcasts
Earth Eats - latest podcast
The above is a podcast on a topic of interest to me. Green living. I found this podcast on NPR.org. I am so glad I found it. I didn't know it existed before today.
This particular podcast is like a documentary or news article. The advantage is that I can do something else while I listen. I don't have to stare at a screen. Listening to the articles could be helpful to auditory learners.
The disadvantage is there is no visual aspect that might be helpful at times. Another limitation of podcasting might be the fact that it's not as popular as it could be. There are many that know about podcasting, but not as many as could know about it.
The above is a podcast on a topic of interest to me. Green living. I found this podcast on NPR.org. I am so glad I found it. I didn't know it existed before today.
This particular podcast is like a documentary or news article. The advantage is that I can do something else while I listen. I don't have to stare at a screen. Listening to the articles could be helpful to auditory learners.
The disadvantage is there is no visual aspect that might be helpful at times. Another limitation of podcasting might be the fact that it's not as popular as it could be. There are many that know about podcasting, but not as many as could know about it.
YouTube
Bob Ross - I enjoyed watching him as a child.
YouTube definitely has a purpose beyond that of simply entertainment. YouTube can be used in education. I use it in my English classes to show clips of some movies or TV shows that are connected to curriculum. Many students are visual learners and require that visualization. I will be using it in the future when I "flip" my classroom. I will create videos and post them on YouTube for students to view before entering class, so they have been front-loaded with information. This will enable them to be ready to start activities immediately upon entering the classroom. I know there have to be more ways to use this software. The world is your oyster!
I have a twitter account, but very rarely use it. I think this is because most of the people I know use Facebook, so I just stick with them. I've tried inviting some of them to twitter, but they just won't come. Even students. They're not interested in following their teacher's tweets.
I think twitter can get a little ridiculous depending on who you follow and who follows you. Some of the celebrities who tweet are just not that interesting. I have my twitter locked so that people have to ask my permission in order to follow me. I am constantly getting requests from "girls" who are ... let's just say, not exactly modest people. This annoys me and is one reason why I won't recommend my children use twitter.
Then again, there are the interesting celebs. For example, I follow Wil Wheaton who could very well be a male version of me. We have the same thoughts only he speaks his thoughts through twitter, GoodReads, and Tumblr. He has one central location where all his thoughts go and then they are broadcast across all his accounts. His blogs go to tumblr and GoodReads, his shorter comments go to twitter, and everything links to Facebook which is how I follow him. I want to find out what this program is called. If I do, then I'll blog about it. It seems useful to be able to reach everyone through their interests rather than making them come to you. This could be quite useful in a library. They could follow or subscribe to your feed through the networking site they prefer and still see all your comments.
Twitter could be good for library patrons to keep up with new developments in the library.
I think twitter can get a little ridiculous depending on who you follow and who follows you. Some of the celebrities who tweet are just not that interesting. I have my twitter locked so that people have to ask my permission in order to follow me. I am constantly getting requests from "girls" who are ... let's just say, not exactly modest people. This annoys me and is one reason why I won't recommend my children use twitter.
Then again, there are the interesting celebs. For example, I follow Wil Wheaton who could very well be a male version of me. We have the same thoughts only he speaks his thoughts through twitter, GoodReads, and Tumblr. He has one central location where all his thoughts go and then they are broadcast across all his accounts. His blogs go to tumblr and GoodReads, his shorter comments go to twitter, and everything links to Facebook which is how I follow him. I want to find out what this program is called. If I do, then I'll blog about it. It seems useful to be able to reach everyone through their interests rather than making them come to you. This could be quite useful in a library. They could follow or subscribe to your feed through the networking site they prefer and still see all your comments.
Twitter could be good for library patrons to keep up with new developments in the library.
I do have a Facebook account and have had for quite a few years. Facebook is more my cup of tea than MySpace. I used to enjoy the games quite a bit, but now only go on as a way of sharing ideas about my interests and staying in touch with family that I wouldn't normally see or hear from. I've got so many picture albums stored on there of my family. I check it every morning and every evening. I generally do not look at it during the day while at work. It's not blocked, but I don't feel the need to do that. I know several people do feel that need. If there are people that are "friends" with me on Facebook who cannot keep it clean, I tend to remove those people from my friend list. It's not been a big deal.
One concern I have about Facebook is the recent increase in employers asking for employees' or job seekers' passwords to their Facebook accounts. I feel this is a violation of privacy. Looking at an employees page is one thing. Asking for their password is another. No one should have to give their password to any account.
One concern I have about Facebook is the recent increase in employers asking for employees' or job seekers' passwords to their Facebook accounts. I feel this is a violation of privacy. Looking at an employees page is one thing. Asking for their password is another. No one should have to give their password to any account.
MySpace
I used to have a MySpace account years ago. It was fun while it lasted, but I think it's something geared more toward the younger crowd and I just grew out of it. One thing about MySpace I did not like was that it was more about glittery cartoon pics and music and less about staying connected with your friends and family. It became a contest to see who could come up with the coolest MySpace page. For me, social networking shouldn't be a contest. It should be a connection.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
LibraryThing
LibraryThing seems interesting, but I need to play around with it more. I still prefer GoodReads. I don't see the point in using both because then it's just too much to keep up with. I'm used to GoodReads. The tag clouds really don't mean much to me. I definitely prefer free sites to paid ones.
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2237666-jennifer
If you enjoy reading, you'll enjoy Goodreads. Find me and friend me. I love this website. This is where I go for all my recommendations and reviews. There are shelves on favorites, recommendations, and lists on all topics. There are chances to win advanced copies of books.
If you enjoy reading, you'll enjoy Goodreads. Find me and friend me. I love this website. This is where I go for all my recommendations and reviews. There are shelves on favorites, recommendations, and lists on all topics. There are chances to win advanced copies of books.
Google docs
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gPABrXHzwZMCEZ84S55ZJtjpcEzCuzajHq9qQjvgQck/edit
Above is a document I created in Google docs. I think Google docs is useful for collaboration for both students and teachers. Projects can be completed remotely in order to accommodate busy schedules. I wanted to use Google docs this school year in my classes, but my district had it blocked.
Above is a document I created in Google docs. I think Google docs is useful for collaboration for both students and teachers. Projects can be completed remotely in order to accommodate busy schedules. I wanted to use Google docs this school year in my classes, but my district had it blocked.
Blog Searching
I went on Technorati and searched for Web 2.0. I found several blogs discussing the subject. For the most part, these blogs gave the latest up to date information about Web 2.0. When I did a similar search in plain Google, I came up with Wikipedia, commercial websites, and other sites trying to define Web 2.0.
I find this to be very helpful both professionally and personally. It's a great way for teachers and librarians to stay updated on their professions and it's a great way for me to find others that are interested in the same topics I am interested in.
I find this to be very helpful both professionally and personally. It's a great way for teachers and librarians to stay updated on their professions and it's a great way for me to find others that are interested in the same topics I am interested in.
Instant Messaging
I don't really care for instant messaging. If there's someone I have to talk to right away, I'll call or text them. That's just my preference. I used to enjoy chatting online much more when I was younger (early 20s), but not so much now. I even have the option turned off on my Facebook because if I don't people will catch me off-guard and try to chat me when I don't really feel like chatting. It's just not something I'm interested in.
Our school computers have an instant messaging system for the teachers and that is something I will use. My colleague across the hall and I will communicate this way on occasion. We're scared to do it too often because we're not sure how much we are monitored. They have instant messaging blocked to students here.
Our school computers have an instant messaging system for the teachers and that is something I will use. My colleague across the hall and I will communicate this way on occasion. We're scared to do it too often because we're not sure how much we are monitored. They have instant messaging blocked to students here.
Social Bookmarking
http://www.delicious.com/jennasita
That is my Delicious site. It's pretty straight forward. Reminds me of Pinterest. I like this site.
That is my Delicious site. It's pretty straight forward. Reminds me of Pinterest. I like this site.
Tagging and Folksonomy
I went to Amazon.com and searched for the book I'm currently reading - A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. I looked at tags customers created. Most of them were good, but a few did not seem to fit. Example: the fallen angle. I'm assuming they've misspelled the word angel. Even still, there isn't a fallen angel in the book. Another one: mediocre. How is this helpful? I see tagging as useful for Amazon and its customers because more product will be sold if people click on some of the tags like the author's name or the genre's type (fantasy, high fantasy, etc.). They will be led to additional books containing similar subject matter. Customers buy more books; Amazon makes more money.
How can I transfer this knowledge to my future library? Well, in the card catalog I believe there is a tagging option where you can connect students to other books they may enjoy. Additionally, the concept could be transferred to signage in the library. Example: If you like books about cats, you may enjoy: _____"
My Flickr account has pics of my chickens. I used tags like: chickens, Easter eggers, backyard chicken. This will help anyone who is looking for other pics of chickens to find my site.
How can I transfer this knowledge to my future library? Well, in the card catalog I believe there is a tagging option where you can connect students to other books they may enjoy. Additionally, the concept could be transferred to signage in the library. Example: If you like books about cats, you may enjoy: _____"
My Flickr account has pics of my chickens. I used tags like: chickens, Easter eggers, backyard chicken. This will help anyone who is looking for other pics of chickens to find my site.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wikis
I love wikis. They're so easy to use and easy to share. You can have them as open or as closed as you wish. Wikis are useful both personally and professionally. I use wikis with my students as a teaching tool - sort of a second textbook. I have students post on the discussion panel of the wiki and lock the actual pages. I have allowed students to actually amend pages of the wiki in the past and that has worked out as well. Some teachers worry about students having access to the actual page, but it hasn't been an issue for me. They know that anything they do will be seen by me with their name on it. It's not like they can get away with anything and if they accidentally mess something up it can always be fixed.
I went to Wikipedia and searched for "urban chicken." There is information there about keeping chickens in the city limits as a source of food. I noticed there was some bias in parts of the article. The article seems to push toward the keeping of chickens rather than giving both sides of the argument. I looked at the "talk" section for this article, and found that others felt the same way about the articles neutrality/bias. Some felt this was an American way of speaking and others disagreed.
I went to Wikipedia and searched for "urban chicken." There is information there about keeping chickens in the city limits as a source of food. I noticed there was some bias in parts of the article. The article seems to push toward the keeping of chickens rather than giving both sides of the argument. I looked at the "talk" section for this article, and found that others felt the same way about the articles neutrality/bias. Some felt this was an American way of speaking and others disagreed.
RSS
As I stated in my previous post, I probably will never use Google Reader. Maybe it's because I am not used to it. Maybe over time, I'll pick it up. Who knows? I added the following sites that I thought might be useful to my RSS feed on Google Reader:
http://gamification.co/
http://librarianbyday.net/
http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/
http://gamification.co/
http://librarianbyday.net/
http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/
Readers & Aggregators
This is a good experience for me because now I know what these things are, however, I don't see myself actually using them very often. I prefer RSS feeds that go to my email or Facebook, but these collect on Google Reader. If they went to email or Facebook, then I'd see more use for them. I guess I don't follow enough blogs to have a need to keep up with them. I, personally, will just go to a website and check for updates rather than go to Google Reader.
Having said that, I can see the importance of knowing how to use this tool in order to teach students and teachers how to keep up with the latest coming from websites they're interested in.
Having said that, I can see the importance of knowing how to use this tool in order to teach students and teachers how to keep up with the latest coming from websites they're interested in.
More photos & images (BeFunky)
I decided to go with BeFunky because I enjoyed the effects particularly those that created a vintage look. The photos I funkified: 
These are very cool tools for students to use in projects. I could see students really enjoying this.
These are very cool tools for students to use in projects. I could see students really enjoying this.
Photos & Imaging (Flickr)
Flickr is highly useful. The Creative Commons section offers many photos teachers and students can use and manipulate for projects and presentations. This is where I found the candy and sweets photos to use in my class wiki: http://jonesbookwormspap.wikispaces.com
I hadn't started my own photostream until today. I uploaded pics of my chickens both when they were younger and now. They're almost a year old now. They'll be one on March 21st. Beautiful Easter Eggers that lay blue, green, and yellow eggs. The link to my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jensjunkdrawer/
My experience with Flickr was ok. I enjoyed the final product, but I have seen other programs that were easier to use. I found Flickr to be fun, but slightly frustrating. I think it could be more user-friendly than it is. I had a hard time adding to my photostream once it was created. What I mean is I couldn't find the options for adding photos. I eventually figured it out, but it took longer than I thought it should.
I hadn't started my own photostream until today. I uploaded pics of my chickens both when they were younger and now. They're almost a year old now. They'll be one on March 21st. Beautiful Easter Eggers that lay blue, green, and yellow eggs. The link to my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jensjunkdrawer/
My experience with Flickr was ok. I enjoyed the final product, but I have seen other programs that were easier to use. I found Flickr to be fun, but slightly frustrating. I think it could be more user-friendly than it is. I had a hard time adding to my photostream once it was created. What I mean is I couldn't find the options for adding photos. I eventually figured it out, but it took longer than I thought it should.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Thing 2 - Blogging
As I've already discussed Web 2.0 (see below), I'll devote this to blogging. Blogging is a wonderful way to express your interests creatively and to illicit responses to from fellow Internet aficionados who may share your interests.
Teachers can use blogging in the classroom as a form of distance education or for class notes. I've actually done this in the past. Here's the link! http://jonesenglishrss.blogspot.com/
Teachers can use blogging in the classroom as a form of distance education or for class notes. I've actually done this in the past. Here's the link! http://jonesenglishrss.blogspot.com/
Thing 1 - Introduction
Hello, I am a library science major at University of Houston - Clear Lake. The purpose of this blog is not only for Media and Tech Selections, but also to develop my skills as a blogger. I have started several blogs, but I tend to drop them and return to them at various times of my life as time allows.
Personally, I am a mother of three (soon to be four). My children are 11, 9, and 22 months. Number four will be born in June. I'm very excited to be completing my family.
Professionally, I teach high school English to sophomores and Film as Literature to juniors and seniors while working toward my Library degree. I will graduate in May and we'll see what happens after that!
Personally, I am a mother of three (soon to be four). My children are 11, 9, and 22 months. Number four will be born in June. I'm very excited to be completing my family.
Professionally, I teach high school English to sophomores and Film as Literature to juniors and seniors while working toward my Library degree. I will graduate in May and we'll see what happens after that!
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is very easy to use, but the only complaint I have (if you can call it a complaint) is that there is SO MUCH out there. We, as browsers of the Internet, have power over our domain. We can get our voices heard with the click of a mouse. As a kid, I was very shy and closed off from others, but with the development of the Internet and Web 2.0, my social skills have blossomed! I'm no longer afraid someone will not like what I think. I don't have to worry about whether anyone likes my creations or my thoughts. This is because everyone has the freedom to express themselves in the safety of their own homes via the Web.
There are so many opportunities for students and teachers when it comes to Web 2.0. One example I can think of is by using the Web to teach from a distance. I personally use a wiki with my Pre-AP students. I see them everyday, but I still require them to view and make changes to the wiki via discussion.
http://jonesbookwormspap.wikispaces.com <-- this link to the class wiki!
There are so many opportunities for students and teachers when it comes to Web 2.0. One example I can think of is by using the Web to teach from a distance. I personally use a wiki with my Pre-AP students. I see them everyday, but I still require them to view and make changes to the wiki via discussion.
http://jonesbookwormspap.wikispaces.com <-- this link to the class wiki!
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