Last Week of Internet Resources Class

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, just so I have a nice record of what we did this week.  As a group, we looked into copyright issues on the Internet.  Looked at some of the things that are allowable to do and somethings that could get you into hot water.  We also learned about online privacy.  After looking into this information, I have noticed that I am very open when it comes to Internet personal information, but also I know that I protect myself with strong passwords and constant checking of my online financial information.  Also, as a team, we looked at safety for children on the Internet and the different products and laws that are set to help protect children from material they should not be looking at on the Internet. 

Week 3 of Internet Resources

This week I learned about a couple of different options for online collaboration.  Currently, I have been using Google docs for my documents, spreadsheets and presentations and have been using Eluminate for my online meeting space.  We were instructed to look at a few different types of products that do similar things.  I investigated Adobe Buzzword, which is an online word processor.  It seems to be user friendly and has a lot of the same options as Google docs.  I don't think I am going to use this though, because I have been getting used to Google docs and did not see any huge difference that would make me want to stray away from Google docs.  I also started a free trial for Adobe connect.  This is an alternative to the Eluminate room.  I have to say I didn't get the whole fee for it because I didn't run a class on it, but it seems to that it would be a good option if I every wanted to try something new or if I got a job in the future teaching online classes and the platform used is Adobe connect.  If anything, I think it was good to get a feel for this products, in case I ever encounter a time where I would be mandated to use them.  

What I did this week

This week, one of our assignments was to react to the usefulness of Wikipedia.  Basically, at this point in time, I do enjoy it and feel it is a good resource, but it shouldn't be the only resource you use for information.  It can be a great tool for getting a general idea about a topic, but if you really need specifics, you should have cross checks with other forms of information.  I also learned how to use a Google Alert this week.  Basically, in your Google Account, you can set up specific terms.  If those terms come up in the Internet, you will get an email informing you where it is from and directing you to the site where it came from.  This can be a really handy thing if you want to get a lot of knowledge about a certain topic.  Another thing I learned this week that I can see as very useful in my personal and professional life is noodletools.com.  This site has a really great way of helping you find what you need.  It asks you what type of search you are doing and then gives you a list of websites that would best help you get where you need to go. 

New class...new ideas for Blogging

During our first class session for "Internet Learning Resource"  the instructor asked us if we enjoy and thing that our blogs useful.  I do think that they can have some value to them, but I wish we had a different way of setting it up.  We were asked if we can think of some way to do our blogging differently.  I do like this site, but I wish I had more immediate feedback as well as the ability to see many of my peers posts at one time, rather than having to click on their link.  I know that clicking on a link isn't hard, but since there are ways of sharing information, such as Facebook, this way just seems to be a little "old fashion."  I am very use to going on Facebook and seeing the live feed of all of my friends.  If somehow our blogs could be intertwined with some presentation software like that, I think I would enjoy it more.  I really am not sure how this could be done, but if anyone out there has an idea, I would like to hear it.  It think a lot of my peers would like to hear it as well.

As for what I have learned this past week, I really liked being introduced to Wikis.  I have found it very easy to enter my assignments and the Wiki in general is easy to use.  If you are unsure of what a Wiki is, it's just a site that is set up that can be edited by many people.  You have an area that tells you what you need to type about and you just edit and post your ideas under it.  I have used Wikipedia before and understand that is how Wikipedia works, but I haven't actually ever changed anything on that site.  It's fun to experience something similar to that in class as well as getting to use something different in this program than the Angel program and Google docs.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy those two programs, but I do like learning about other options. 

Wrapping up "Using Productivity Tools Effectively"

We did a lot these past couple months, but a few things really stuck out and I will probably use them the most.  First of all, I learned how to set up a Google Calendar.  I think this is a great tool not just for me, but also for my students.  I would like to get my students set up to use Google products, and if I do, I think the Calendar can be a great function for them to stay organize and have a place to put their due dates for assignments or for other special things they need to remember in their lives. 

I also feel that I can analyze software more effectively now because of this class.  I never really thought about analyzing software, but now I have tools that I can use if I see something I like and I can share it with others if I think it is something that can be used in the school.

Finally, due to this class, I am going to be trying to do more production based projects with my students.  I don't think I will be able to do a lot right off of the bat, but I am going to try to incorporate some of those types of projects each year and eventually my students will have a significant amount of production based projects to work on throughout the school year.  I see a great benefit having students produce something from scratch and discovering what they should put into the project...having them be the main investigator , not the teacher.  I am currently doing a project like this with my Civics class.  The students have an outline for presenting about a specific president, but they have to produce something that is unique to them and looks different than the other students.  So far it's coming out pretty well! 

Anyway, off to another class.  And as always, I look forward to what awaits!  

The past week of productivity

Something that really stuck with me this week was a video we watched of Sir Ken Robinson.  I think a lot of what he said about education is totally true.  He basically says that school is great for a portion of the population that will be professors as adults.  For the rest of us, it limits our true potential.  He focuses on teaching not only the academic things we normally think of (science, math, etc)  but also teaching things such as art and dance with just as much rigor.  He feels that schooling is set up to kill creativity and ends up making students scared of failure.  I think a lot of that is true, but hard to change.  It think it would be very hard to change the system as it is.  Too many people feel school is supposed to be mainly for learning the core subjects.  If you want to watch the video I am talking about, here it is:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY&feature=player_embedded   .  Another thing that I learned about this week was using tools that evaluate software.  I have never really thought about evaluating software that I many use in the classroom, but now I have the know how to do so if I am in the position to get new software for my class. It's nice to know there are products out there that can help you focus on the benefits and down sides of software you may use in your class. 

The InTime Video I chose

The video that I found that I felt could be used in my Civics class is a state power point presentation.  Here is the link of the video: http://www.intime.uni.edu/video/030moue/8/  .  I typically set some time in my year to discuss the different states and the different types of state government.  Many of  my 9th grade LD students are still very unaware of what other states besides Wisconsin offer or how their government is set up.  This project would give them a great opportunity to investigate a state they have never traveled too and gather interesting facts about the population, geography, demographics and government in a different state.  I already do something similar to this regarding the United States presidents, so if I set up this project a little later in the year, students will have a sense of how to put the project together and how to make the slides visually appealing and interesting.  My students study state government in late April and May, so I will be looking to implement this project sometime during that time frame.