Online Collaboration & Wiki

This past Tuesday Derek, Sarah and Lois presented on Online Collaboration and Wikis. Their presentation came with several activities we had to accomplish. There was an email sent to the class with the directions/steps we were to follow before, during and after class.

When we got to class we were broken up in groups and sent to different parts of our building to begin our online collaboration. To do this we used Google Groups. Setting up the groups account was the easy part. The difficult part came into play when we had to actually collaborate. Google Groups was suppose to work like Google Docs, yeah right! The biggest problem was trying to update the information at the same time. What happened was if I was typing it would lock my group members out and they would have to wait and vice versa. It worked out okay for my group because we had different parts to do for the assignment that if one was locked out of one page then the others will work on the second or third part of the assignment.

My feeling about this process...it would be a good tool to use but because of so many issues (technical) it would take the fun and the purpose out of the assignment.

I was also HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!! we did not have to use a wiki. I have a strong dislike of wikis. I just have so much trouble working with something so simple that it frustrates me. So thank you for keeping it the way you did

Good presentations, fun activities...great job!

Yulia-Window Movie Maker

I love Yulia's
podcast and her adding windows movie maker to it. I loved the concept and know it took a lot of work. I wish I could understand what she was saying but nevertheless I can tell she was very passionate about her topic. Good Job Julia

Tif-Snapshot

Hey Ms. Tiffany its funny you bloggged on snapshot. I recently had the opportunity to use this software and I must say its pretty easy to use and fun to use. I had a great time creating my video but I made my window to small and was unable to view it. Please see Tif blog for more information on this tool.

Derek-18 year old

We recently presented on digital video and youtube. In my discussion I talked about internet celebrities and how popular are they. Well my classmate found a video uploaded on youtube about an iphone. This young man was just making a video showing off his phone and this launched a career with apple for him. So you see ladies and gentlemen your hard work will not be in vain, when you create your videos for our assignment who knows, you may become the next internet star. For more information on this blog please visit Derek's Blog. Good piggyback Derek...

Image from:www.kottke.org

Megan- Religious YouTube

It was interesting to see that my friend and I aren't the only ones that know about GodTube. This week was a very depressing and unfulfilling week for me and a very good friend sent me an email with a video from GodTube and made me realize some things about myself which eventually led to me breaking down and accepting or beginning to accept the plan God has for me. I love that religion is crossing over and is getting into "mainstream". It is important that we are not ashame of our religion and our beliefs. Thanks for being the first to blog about a religious aspect Megan. Good Job.


Here is a link to this video I hope it will touch you the way it has touched me. Thank you friend :)

The Popularity of Second Life

prblog.typepad.com
In our Emerging Technology class we learned and created an account with Second Life. I am not sure how many of us have visited this site since our first assignment was posted but this site is more popular than I realized. It is so popular, CNN will be entering Second Life and allowing those residents to provide them with news occurring in Second Life. They will send CNN information on upcoming events, etc. within their communities. To read more on this please click on the following link. Second Life

High Tech or What?!

Are we going high tech or what? I recently came across an article on CNN entitled Google at the gas pump. The headline was so captivating that I had to read it. This article talks about how Google will display mapping services on gas pumps in color on a small screen. So your next gas pump will have access to the Internet. How much fun will that be, this is especially a good device for those of us who like to take road trips and need to make sure we are on the right track whether we have a map in our possession or not.

I have added a link for you to read the article yourself, please click below to view:
Google at the gas pump

Review of Rapid eLearning

I just listened to Steve's podcast on Rapid eLearning. I chose to listen to this broadcast because it is a subject that I really knew nothing about. I had heard of it but never really researched to see what it was all about. Steve did a great job and describing what eLearning is and how to use it in business. I noticed Steve had quotes in his podcast which means he also researched his information. I loved the music Steve. Great Job!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Blogging, Second Life, Wikis, Youtube, Google Docs, Flicker, Tweeter, did I hit them all? I think not....passwords, which one goes to which account, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is anyone feeling what I am feeling? All of this technology is good but overwhelming. I enjoy learning about new technologies but good grief. Whats funny is, when you get comfortable with gadget something better comes along and it's back to square one. How do we keep up with it all?

Second Podcast

Please click on the link below to listen to my podcast. I hope you enjoy it.
Technology Integration in Haiti

E-book

I just finished reading the articles posted by Dr. Z on Blooks and E-books. Short articles and both very easy to read. The article that stood out to me the most was the article on E-books because it gives me some ideas on how technology can be introduced in our educational system as well as the educational system of those in third world countries. I found an article at the Rod library discussing the integration of technology in secondary school library media curriculum.

Please click on this link to read more on this topic:
Beyond the Book: Technology Integration Into the Secondary School Library Media Curriculum

My First Podcast

http://www.icompositions.com

Here is the link to my first podcast.....I had difficulties getting through this podcast from beginning to end but am happy to say it's done. It is very rough and towards the end a piece was not deleted as planned (lol) so please stop listening to it after I thank you for listening please (lol) I don't know how that happen but I was tired and frustrated...but here goes...click below to listen
My First Podcast

Youtube

Everyone knows youtube allows us to view videos for all purposes. Well I go on youtube when I need to laugh. Like me, many of you may be having a bad day and need to smile here are a couple videos that I hope do just that.

1. The first video is of a teacher and a student and how he reacts to the student answering his phone in the classroom. What would you do if this happened to you?

2. The second video is just for fun. I want you to watch and think of the preparation that went into making this video. Such dedication...Enjoy
(p.s. how many of these dances can you do?)

Ferdi's Assignment

1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:
-Students will use a video camera to recreate a commercial. In other words they will make a commercial for a project already out there and will post this commercial on Youtube.
A. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
-Students will use existing commercial to figure out ways to make it better and as effective if not more effective than the previous commercial.
B. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
-Students will use their creativity and have no limitations in expression as long as the commercial those not offend or disrespect others.
C. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
-Graphics will be added to the commercial to make it more appealing to the audience.
D. identify trends and forecast possibilities.
-Students can talk about Youtube towards the end and show other students what can be done and learned on Youtube.

2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
-If a teacher has a unit they are teaching on a specific country, Skype can be used to communicate with students and a teacher from the country the students are learning about.
A. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
-Students can use Blogs or an email thread to write down their thoughts or just to post different assignments they can be working on together.
B. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
-Students can also use Wikis as a form of communication and with this platform they can go in and add or edit each others assignments.
C. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
-Using Skype or Video Conferencing (whichever is cheaper) students can see as well as talk to other students from another country (keeping the same theme as above). They can share facts about each others cultures and see that we are not so different after all.
D. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
-As stated before the best way to do this would be the use of a Wiki.

3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
-The best tool I can think of would have to be the use of a WebQuest. Using googlepages.com students can create a WebQuest on a specific topic using data collected from all types of media.
A. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
-Teachers have used a WebQuest before to engage students in learning, well why not give the students a topic, put them in groups and have them come up with a WebQuest of their own.
-Using a WebQuest students have a specific taskonomy they have to follow where each of them is assigned a role and have to follow different steps to completing a tangible project (in this case it will be constructing a WebQuest with their findings).
B. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
-Using the Internet, the library, and other venues students will follow all copyright guidelines as they begin to construct their project.
C. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
-This is where the teacher comes in, he/she will have an evaluation sheet on how each role and use of media will be evaluated. Also questions will be asked at the end of the project to see what students have learned.
D. process data and report results.
-All results will be listed and seen in the final outcome which is the tangible project in this case it will be a WebQuest demonstrating their findings.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
-Students will use different search engines such as google, ask, and yahoo to answer questions provided by their instructor. (Ex. Virtual scavenger hunt…What color were George Washington’s eyes?)
A. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
-Students will have to list problems they encounter while searching and provide questions on how to make the search easier for the instructor.
B. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
-Depending on the subject or unit their can be as stated before a history scavenger hunt and with the resources/answers found they must create a story line on a specific period in history (Ex. WWII)
C. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
-Using the example before based on the questions asked by the instructor and the answers found by students online they will analyze the data they’ve collected based on what has been previously learned in the unit (resources that they can use to check validity of answers will be their textbooks).
D. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.
-Students should work together. More than one search engine should be used to locate answers and presentation of final project should be presented in a creative manner. (Ex. Pictures, journal entry, etc.)

5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
-Students will research and create a PowerPoint on the Fair Use and Copyright Guidelines on using pictures, video, music, etc.
A. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
-Students will give examples on how each of these examples should be cited when used in a paper, project, or website.
B. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
-Students will work together and will list their different views on the issues of copyright and fair use guide lines and come up with one pro and con on using these resources instead of a resource from your own collection.
C. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
-Students will follow these guidelines in projects to come.
D. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
-Based on the information found students will be able to evaluate themselves on fair use and copyright issues when each project they’ve created is completed.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
-Students will be given a digital camera and asked to take pictures of their school and community. They will then use Picasa (Google Tool) to create a photo album to send to the students they’ve been communicating with via Skype of Video Conferencing.
A. understand and use technology systems.
-Students will demonstrate their ability to use the software following an outline given to them by their professor.
B. select and use applications effectively and productively.
-Students will use tools provided in the software to crop, trim, add frames, etc. to pictures they’ve selected.
C. troubleshoot systems and applications.
-Students will demonstrate their ability to figure out how to edit what they’ve previously designed and also what should be done if the system freezes.
D. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
-Students will then take what they’ve created a figure out how they want to send it to their friends overseas. (Ex. As a QuickTime movie using the Ken Burns effect, or as a slideshow in a PowerPoint document, or just a general album through email).

Radio WillowWeb

Willowcast #25

I loved this podcast, it was so cute. Before I listened to this podcast I read Eric Rice's article on How to build a 10 minute podcast. As I listened to the podcast I had the article in front of me to see if the students followed the guidelines provided by Mr. Rice.

I must admit the podcast followed every rule provided by Mr. Rice. My favorite were the transitions, they consisted of jokes or riddles and I must admit I chuckled at a few of the jokes. I also like the music the students chose to play within their podcast. The music was patriotic and also fun.

It was also helpful to have the little menu on the site just in case I forgot who and what I was listening to. In this section I liked the option of going to Social Studies for Kids. I spent more time playing with the map and finding out about the fifty states then exploring the other links.

This was a fun podcast to listen to. In the end the students thanked their audience for tuning in and had music playing to end the segment as directed by Mr. Rice.

Good Job Willowdale Elementary!!!!

RSS

I don't really have much to say about this article except for the fact that it reminds me of the link on my computer entitled FAVORITES. The only difference is RSS organizes the data being sent and stores them accordingly.

This tool can be useful to do research but like searching for data and using certain websites, there are risk to using RSS but what program doesn't have risks.

Point seven also points out that RSS can be used as a communication tool between student and teacher. In reading this section I was reminded of WebCT because it serves as the same function with the updating of assignments and contacting students or teacher for questions or information.

Podcasting (Get ready to get Juiced)

I listened to Brad Neisssen on the new technological tool that can be a good resource for educators everywhere. Mr. Neissen talks about a program that allows you to watch television on the internet and gives a list of some television stations that provide different programs that can be viewed on this platform. I love this idea because it is an easy way for teachers to incorporate technology into their classroom. If you (a teacher) is doing a lesson on Africa, you can get a video from Animal Planet that focuses on animals that live in Africa. I view this as taking a Safari without leaving the classroom.

This can also work in the professional field. In an industry such as welding or construction I can see where a meeting can begin with the history of the bridge or highway your workers will be repairing. This can give them a sense of pride knowing thy are working on something that may be an important aspect of their community or state. You can also talk about the advances we've made in technology and have a discussion on how easier or harder things are to fix or rebuilt using the technology then and today.

I believe this tool can be use in both the educational and professional settings as you can see from my examples above.

Making Art Class Fun!!!!!!!!!

I was searching youtube for videos on new or emerging technology and came across this fun new brush.

This brush would make a classroom so much fun and students could do so much with this brush. I am not sure how much this brush would cost or how many would be needed in the classroom but nevertheless it is a fun idea.

This can also be used in a college art class, an advertising agency, and graphic designers can also use the brush to create lots of interesting projects....take a look and think about how this brush can be used?

P.S. my favorite is the eye

Scavenger Hunt (I'm Done)

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am done with finding all twenty-five flags. I had difficulties finding flag number 9 because the clue had to do with this past NECC conference which I did not atttend. I went into Second Life today and while in there I met Ms. RavenPhonenix Zenovka (IsteIsland Manager) and she told me a story about the conference which led me to flag #9 SO I AM DONE WITH THE SCAVENGER HUNT, thanks to Ms. Zenovka, yeah.

Here is a pic of me, Ms. Zenovka, and one more person. I had difficulties getting close to her without bumping so I just stood there and took the picture.....

Second Life

Second Life, what can I say but how addicting. I spent close to four hours on ISTE Island exploring and taking pictures for my extra credit assignment. I also had fun making my avatar look more like me. She went through lots of changes before I was satisfied with what I currently have. I still have more changes I would like to add to her but decided to save that for another day because my head began to hurt.

It was fun figuring out what I can make my avatar do such as sit, fly and dance. I also had difficulties getting her up when she landed on the floor after she flew. I had to teleport her to another place on the island to get her up so I'm still learning. I also had fun looking for all the flags but got a little frustrated because I have one more flag to find and I can't find it. I spoke to another avatar on the island but he had no clue what I was talking about because he was just exploring.

It was funny to get off the island and visit other island because I ran into other scary avatars. I tried not to get to close and just went back to where I started.

I will keep you posted of my finding of the last flag.....til then keep searching.

Twitter what's its purpose?

Okay, I'm not sure if I'm the only one but what is the deal with twitter? I mean really what is the purpose? I have been sitting here for about 30 min trying to figure out what to do with it. I have followers and am trying to follow others. I also have options to do nudge some and not others, I added a pic but that's about it. I also read Dr. Z's blog and followed the steps to add it to my computers so okay what now?

I nudge Dr. Z just because, I just wanted to see what it meant. Is twitter like instant messaging? Is that why I added it to my desktop? I need some clarification please?

Jena 6

I am writing a blog on this issue because of the media frenzy it is receiving and also how injustice, racism, and ignorance (whatever you want to call it) is alive and well in 2007.

I understand this has nothing to do with technology but if you have been following this story technology allows us to know what’s going on, it allows us to post our comments about the situation and also allows us to communicate with people from all over.

Examples of media being used….text messaging (cell phones), emails, television, youtube, blogging just to name a few.

Double Standard or Not, You be the judge....

If you are not aware or haven't heard of this story I will summarize it for you.

Jena High School is the center of this controversy. On the grounds of the school was a tree that many believed was used to hang black people in the past (not proven just an assumption). This tree was an area where white students sat during the day at school. One of the football players (black boy) asked an administrator if he could sit under the tree and he was told you can sit wherever you want to, and that’s what he and other black students did, they sat under the tree.

The following day three nooses were hung from that tree and the three white students who hung the nooses where expelled. This expulsion did not stick, their punishment was overturned and they were just suspended for just a couple of days because it was viewed as a prank (wow, I guess, I mean really who plays like that). The FBI viewed this as a hate crime but US Attorney Donald Washington said he saw no need to pursue this issue because the three boys had no priors as far as racist crimes are concerned…. (SAY WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, I just don’t understand how he could not see this as a hate crime).

Jesse Jackson mentioned something that was very interesting when being interviewed. He stated, if a picture of a swastika is considered a hate crime, why not the hanging of nooses? So I want to know what makes this different, it’s still a symbol of racism.

To continue….This decision and the suspension instead of expulsion cause lots of tension between the black and white communities. Another incident took place at a private party where a 22 year old white male beat up a black high school student and received a slap on the wrist (I want to know what he was doing at a high school party to begin with?). This caused more tension around school. Well after this incident the district attorney, came to school to speak to the students and his comment was, with the stroke of this pen I can change your life (say what, what are you implying and are you talking to everyone or just a certain population?)

But that wasn't it, a white student was at a gas station, felt threaten and because of this feeling he went to his car, got his shot gun for "protection" and walked over to the black boys. The three black boys wrestled the gun out of his hands and one of the three boys was charged with aggravated battery and attempted battery or murder I believe (say what!!!!!!!!!!!! Who is the judge making up these charges because he needs to go back to law school)? Um, can we get premeditated murder or attempt on the white boy that thought about getting his gun and then going to get it...come on people get with the program.

The main incident that we are all focus on is the six black boys who are charged with beating a white boy in a high school fight. There are so many sides to this story, the black students say racial comments were being made and the white students say the black boys just jumped on the white boy for no reason. Well this case was taken to court because the boys were charged with all types of ridiculous charges including murder. Murder was one of the charges because one a tennis shoe was viewed as murder weapon (I’m sorry but this is just a joke to me. I don’t know how many of you were disciplined as young kids but I remember my mom hitting me with a tennis shoe so I guess she should be charged with murder also). Well at their trial no witnesses were called to defend them or to even mention if any of the black boys were even involved in the fight. But the story gets better; one of the boys who hung the nooses on the tree was a key witness and pointed out who was involved in the fight. (Okay people, what is the deal here, are they serious?)

Well the black community is angry, not at the town of Jena but at the charges these young men are facing. The punishment should fit the crime, period. If racism is not a factor why did the white offenders get a slap on the wrist and these young men are getting the book thrown at them?

Well black people from all over supported these young men by leaving their home and going to Jena to protest and to show their support. Some of the big name included, Jesse Jackson, Tyler Perry, MosDef, Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and brothers of the Nation of Islam just to name a few. Everyone came out for the same cause, mass emails, text messaging and so on were being sent out to ask people to wear black to support the Jena 6. (I know I wore my black in support of these boys, those that received the text, how many of you wore black?)

Seriously folks, this was not about wearing black or taking a trip to Jena, this was about how in 2007 racism is alive and well. It really vexes me when we have to keep going through this! The only difference with it happening down south is the fact that racism isn’t hidden but I can’t say the same for other places because racism tends to be hidden. What everyone fails to understand is there is one superior leader and that is God (those that don’t believe disregard this sentence because you can believe what you want. But my parents raised me to believe in God and his race of Angles to me are the superior race and will always be).

No matter how superior you think you are you will never be immortal. I get so tired of all this crap because if I cut you on your arm and then myself I bleed blood just like you. I am also so tired of hearing friends tell me they’ve been called monkeys or told to go back to Africa. Well if those individuals consider themselves a superior race, they need to educate themselves about on the evolution of man. I was not born in Africa and am pretty sure most of us weren’t so when they say go back to Africa, they show their ignorance because my ancestors may have been from Africa but I am my current generation were born in places other than Africa.

The black community is not saying these young men are innocent; we just want the charges to be fair, we want the punishment to fit the crime. Equal justice is all we are asking for.

Let me know what you think, it is an interesting topic in my opinion and if not it was nice to let you know a little of what is going on and what is important to me.

image from:www.chinadaily.com.

Podcast on Wikispaces

I listened to the podcast on wikispaces and thought it was very interesting. There were two interviews, one with the creator of wikis (Mr. Adam) and the other with a teacher (Vicki Davis) on how she uses wikis in the classroom.

I went in and actually viewed some of these wikis such as the flat classroom project and horizon. I also found it interesting when Ms. Davis talked about youtube and teachertube as search engines for her student’s search for videos. It is interesting because we use both of these sites for our Ed Media students and it is nice to know that teachers actually use these search engines.

I also like the layout of the flat classroom project because it is just like a unit of instruction/a lesson plan that lays everything out for you so you know what is going on in each section and what the final product will be.

The first time I used a wiki was this past semester and when she talked about the issues of editing, and saving multiple times I related automatically because some of what she mentioned is what I did, saving to many times especially after I made a change.

Adam mentioned how user friendly wikis are for students and how the tools are used especially because the wiki was not created for k-12 use. Very interesting podcast.

My impression on Emerging Technology

As stated before by many of my classmates, Emerging Technology is something new and interesting, something that makes you say that's cool. I also think it is something that is interesting, maybe useful but is still in the developing/testing stage.

I could not find a specific definition for the phrase but decided to break it down;

1.) Emerging had many definitions but the one I chose that best describes what I am looking for is: coming into existence, evolution (dictionary.com)
2. )Technology also had lots of definitions but I chose to go with this one: the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science. (dictionary.com)

To simplify: emergent technology is the coming to existence or evolution of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment.

Here is an article which talks about how emerging technology can reshape learning in a face-to-face or online classroom....(enjoy)
link: http://www.virtual.gmu.edu/pdf/AJDE.PDF

Introduction

On the year of our Lord 1977, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, a child was born, her parents decided to call her Regine (LOL!!!!). After six years in Haiti, her family decided to move to Miami, Florida (Dade County Baby, 305!!!!!!).

She graduated from high school and went on to receive her AA and her Bachelors Degree in Social Work. She is currently working on her Masters Degree in Performance and Training Technology at the University of Northern Iowa

Her greatest accomplishment and most precious work of art is her beautiful daughter Erica (lol, can you tell I love my baby)

She has two younger sister and have no need and never wanted a brother (for what!!!!)

She also has the cutest nephew you have ever seen. (Watch out ladies, he is a heart breaker, purrrrrrr!)

Her best friends in the whole world are her cousin Claudel and her mother, whom she shares everything with, well almost everything.

Oh and did I forget to mention her Faith is also important to her....like many Christian she has falling but understands that her Savior allows her to repent and forgives the fact that she has and will make stupid mistakes. She is proud to say that she is taking strides to make sure she lives in His will by being an example to others around her.

She is not perfect and never said she was and those that know her very well except her for who she is and don't try to change or make her out to be someone she is not and never will be. As stated clearly by Mary J. Bliege..."take me as I am or have nothing at all"

This will end her introductory blog...hope you learned a little something about Her...

p.s. it's fun to talk about yourself in third person (lol)

My baby and My nephew