Podcasting-
I am in amazement that so many people are listening to things. I had no idea. I do not know where people find the time, but perhaps when they are listening to their mp3players, they are listening to more than just music. I just never thought of it.
I guess I am being picky now on what I subscribe to. Earlier in 23 Things, I just subscribed to a bunch of blogs, only to have to delete them later as I just didn't have time to read them and they were filling up my feed area. I still subscribe to a few. Now, with this podcasting, I really do not see me using it for any personal use. I would much rather read the material than listen to it. I am however, interested in how I could use this in the classroom and so I spent a few hours exploring different podcasts on ITunes that I could actually use in my class. What I found were that most are pretty long. It took me a while to find a podcast that was under 2 minutes and pertained to my content area. I plan to use this once a week with students for diversion/variety. What I am now trying to figure out is how I can subscribe to an RSS fee via my email at work. It doesn't look like I can and so this is getting frustrating. I guess I will have to subscribe through my google email. I am still exploring possibilities.
This is what is frustrating to so many educators- the tech issues that get in the way of doing what you want to do. I am tired of having a thousand different sites I have to go to in order to do things.
Right now I am subscribes to a Cousteau Society video-podcast that updates. It is less than 2 minutes long and is high interest. I found this on ITunes- which I found kind of easy, but thought that there were too many steps to get what I wanted. When I went on Podcast Alley, it was much easier to navigate. While the graphics were not there as they were in ITunes, it was much easier to just take a quick listen before you subscribe. I subscribed via my google reader to the Teacher 2.0 podcast. It is between 5-7 minutes in length- as close to perfect for me!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
PodCasting- Thing 19
It seems like each site is a little different. A few sites I couldn't get work.
I am currently looking for podcasts I can use with my drama class- to help students speak clearer and use expression. We can even make our own podcasts of stories. My
6th grade drama class works on Reader's Theater, and this would be a great way for them to "perform" to others.
In science, students can podcast what we did in class each week. I could also put on a podcast to explain science concepts. In terms of using podcasts already made, I have to find some that I could use in my classroom. This NPR "Science Friday" is a start.
ScienceFriday.com has an area of the site dedicated to teachers. This is so cool because you pick the topic you are looking for. For instance, I picked Earth Science. From there, it gives you specific objectives to choose from. Once this is picked, the site directs you to a synopsis of the podcast with a link to it. How cool is that? I will definately be using this!
I am currently looking for podcasts I can use with my drama class- to help students speak clearer and use expression. We can even make our own podcasts of stories. My
6th grade drama class works on Reader's Theater, and this would be a great way for them to "perform" to others.
In science, students can podcast what we did in class each week. I could also put on a podcast to explain science concepts. In terms of using podcasts already made, I have to find some that I could use in my classroom. This NPR "Science Friday" is a start.
ScienceFriday.com has an area of the site dedicated to teachers. This is so cool because you pick the topic you are looking for. For instance, I picked Earth Science. From there, it gives you specific objectives to choose from. Once this is picked, the site directs you to a synopsis of the podcast with a link to it. How cool is that? I will definately be using this!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sliding Away with Thing 18
Slideshare. This seems to be a pretty new site. I had a hard time finding slideshows of things I was interested in. Lots of specific slideshows for businesses or schools. This is definately a site where I plan on making my own presentation.
I could definately use this in my class. Lots of ways. I could use it for content and students can view at home when absent; I could use it for assessment; I could use it for presentations. Students could take pictures that we upload and create slideshows with.
I picked this show because it had a lot of the sites we have been on- along with a few more that I have yet to explore. I wanted to save these sites to check out later!
I could definately use this in my class. Lots of ways. I could use it for content and students can view at home when absent; I could use it for assessment; I could use it for presentations. Students could take pictures that we upload and create slideshows with.
I picked this show because it had a lot of the sites we have been on- along with a few more that I have yet to explore. I wanted to save these sites to check out later!
Twelve Essentials for Technology Integration
View more documents from Richard Byrne.
On My Own- Thing 17
Oooh! A shopping list of sites! Being the shopper that I am, I tried all of them! Here are my notes and concerns about each one:
Bubbl.us: I could definately use this in my drama and science classes. This provided easy access to a webbing tool. Recently we have had issues with "Inspiration" being installed correctly at school and this will eliminate my need for it AND be available for students at home. I need to play around with the site a little more. I am not sure on how to use the webbing tool correctly yet.
ZohoShow: This site is eerily similar to Google. It looks like Google in its design and the applications it presents. I do not see using this as I have google.
Remember the Milk and 30 boxes: Another organization tool. Again, the gmail calendar that I have in google does the same thing.
Library Thing: I put this on my Delicious account. I haven't figured out how to use this in my science classes or drama classes yet, but I can see telling my language arts colleagues about this site. I am also working on the library at a local private school and I was able to get onto the discussion boards with librarians around the country, so this is a possible resource for me.
TrailFire: What????
Knowtes: Really cool looking site; but I had a heck of a time trying to figure it out. Not very "newbie" friendly. I did send them a comment about this. I thought that this would be the one site that I could really get into, so was disappointed to find out my techno-challenged brain couldn't follow along.
I was excited to read a comment on the Thing 17 board about WordLearner. This is one site I will definately use with my classes. It was so easy to use and set up. I can make flashcards, puzzles and other games. I am really excited about the possibilities of this one!
Well, checking out these sites is like going clothes shopping. You try a lot on, but come home with just one or two pieces. This is perfectly fine and I am excited about "wearing" my new sites!
Google All The Way- Thing 16
Talk about cool! I get a headache of just thinking of all the ways I can use Google Docs in my personal and professional life. Here are some of those ideas that I came up with before I needed an aspirin:
Personal:
*I am on the Board at a private school. I am needing information from everyone on the board. No one has responded to my emails. I created a "form" in docs in which they just had to answer 3 simple questions. Google then puts this right into my document when they answer. I have a ready-to-go spreadsheet. How cool is that?
*I am also working on developing the library for said school. I can see using Google docs to create working lists and letters that I collaborate with the staff with.
Professional:
*Working with other colleagues on one item. This item can just be opened up and edited without other copies made of it. We do have something similar to this at work in which we can access a "shared" file, so I do not seeing using Google docs with my colleagues much.
*Working with colleagues in different schools/different states. Now here is where Google docs can come in handy. Unfortunately, I do not do any of this as of yet.
*Students: Last year I had some students who would submit a Word document file for me to read and grade. I would highlight parts and make comments. I then had to save it to my computer- reattach it in an email and then send it back to them for revision. What a pain. Google docs would eliminate that for me I believe.
*I could create graphs and questionaires and things for my students to work on. I see a lot of possibilities with this being a science teacher. Collecting and storing data, for example.
Not Sure About:
*While this tool is great, I do not think I would be able to have all of my students get their own google account. If everyone doesn't have an account, then the purpose of saving time is defeated.
Our district runs on Moodle and I am trying to understand that at the same time go through this class. I believe students can send me files, but I have yet to see if they are files that I can just edit without making new copies.
I will continue to explore Google. I am definately switching my main personal email to them as they have so much more to offer.
Personal:
*I am on the Board at a private school. I am needing information from everyone on the board. No one has responded to my emails. I created a "form" in docs in which they just had to answer 3 simple questions. Google then puts this right into my document when they answer. I have a ready-to-go spreadsheet. How cool is that?
*I am also working on developing the library for said school. I can see using Google docs to create working lists and letters that I collaborate with the staff with.
Professional:
*Working with other colleagues on one item. This item can just be opened up and edited without other copies made of it. We do have something similar to this at work in which we can access a "shared" file, so I do not seeing using Google docs with my colleagues much.
*Working with colleagues in different schools/different states. Now here is where Google docs can come in handy. Unfortunately, I do not do any of this as of yet.
*Students: Last year I had some students who would submit a Word document file for me to read and grade. I would highlight parts and make comments. I then had to save it to my computer- reattach it in an email and then send it back to them for revision. What a pain. Google docs would eliminate that for me I believe.
*I could create graphs and questionaires and things for my students to work on. I see a lot of possibilities with this being a science teacher. Collecting and storing data, for example.
Not Sure About:
*While this tool is great, I do not think I would be able to have all of my students get their own google account. If everyone doesn't have an account, then the purpose of saving time is defeated.
Our district runs on Moodle and I am trying to understand that at the same time go through this class. I believe students can send me files, but I have yet to see if they are files that I can just edit without making new copies.
I will continue to explore Google. I am definately switching my main personal email to them as they have so much more to offer.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
RSS again. Thing 15
I have yet to find my RSS feeds useful. This is excluding the blogs through 23 Things that I subscribe to- as I find these useful. I do not think that I will keep any of the other ones. I scan the titles and nothing is of interest or importance. I do keep tabs on my son's band tweets. If a title does not catch my interest within the time it takes me to read it, I delete it.
At this point, I have deleted all but a few. I did add the Free Press and am trying to add Delicious, but am having some issues.
In terms of finding RSS feeds, I think it all boils down to finding the right match. If I could find an RSS feed on Rick Wormeli, I would probably read everything he wrote. If I can find a feed on class management or teacher tips- I would subsribe. Same goes for recent science news that I could use in the classroom. I just haven't found these yet.
While my RSS days are dreary now, I do forsee using it in the future with the right match.
At this point, I have deleted all but a few. I did add the Free Press and am trying to add Delicious, but am having some issues.
In terms of finding RSS feeds, I think it all boils down to finding the right match. If I could find an RSS feed on Rick Wormeli, I would probably read everything he wrote. If I can find a feed on class management or teacher tips- I would subsribe. Same goes for recent science news that I could use in the classroom. I just haven't found these yet.
While my RSS days are dreary now, I do forsee using it in the future with the right match.
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