Reflections

My Wordle

I found the exercises we were given this summer to be both challenging and fun. I had never had a blog, or tweeted, or posted a picture or any number of other things we tried.

I can see value for the classroom in many of these applications and know I will make more use of 2.0 now that some of my initial hesitancy has been overcome. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to expose my thoughts and activites to the public, especially given the warnings from the media about identity theft. It was good to find out how to limit the audience and still make good use of the technology.

Thank you Lisa for offering this opportunity. I have enjoyed reading the posts from my fellow participants and have gained additional insights in how to make use of Web 2.0.

Filtering with Toast

This application would be useful for me. Oftentimes I try to explain how to do something and it is not understood. Many people are visual learners and the ability to quickly make a short video for them would be helpful.

I chose to show how to create a filter in CoeMail since that is a question I was asked this week. The demonstration is available here

I see many advantages to using this program in the classroom. Students could be asked to demonstrate understanding of a topic by creating a short video. Instructors could create videos, or refer students to videos that have already been created, to reinforce what was taught in class. A student could watch the video as many times as needed in order to grasp a concept. This appears to be a very useful tool.

Google Reader

I have used Google Reader for almost a year. It is extremely useful to gather sites in one place rather than to add a folder to favorites or make a tag bundle with delicious. I keep track of a number of blogs from Google since tips and upcoming additions to the Education edition are something I need to know for my work. I also subscribed to the Gazetteonline since I only receive the hard copy of the paper on Saturdays and Sundays.

The only real problem I have encountered is signing up for too many feeds. I see something I like and it is so easy to subscribe. I have over 30 feeds and if I read them all each day, there would not be time for anything else. I need to learn to be judicious in what I select.

I find Google Reader, or any program which allows one to collect RSS feeds, to be most useful because one is more likely to keep up with the latest trends in one's field if the new information is easy to find.

"Help Yourself" with Caveats

Creative Commons seems like a great idea. I, usually, extensively research a topic upon which I an expected to teach. I often find someone who has created exactly what I need and don't feel that I could do better. Do I write to the individual and ask permission to use the material? What if that person is on sabbatical, or doesn't have e-mail or has moved to another location? I have spent due diligence looking for permission; is it okay to use the material as long as I give proper attribution?

It appears that with Creative Commons a lot of these questions can be answered quickly. Why not take something that "mostly" fits your circumstances and rework it rather than starting from the beginning? There is so much information available, it is impossible to know what's out there, readily available. Creative Commons is another way to provide collaboration, hopefully for the betterment of an individual's teaching.

I don't know that students think much about copyright law. I always mention that just because you see something you like, doesn't mean you can use it with impunity. A discussion of what Creative Commons is could certainly help students understand what copyright means and why one needs to ask permission and/or provide attribution before using copyrighted material.

So Many Books, So Little Time

I LOVE to read. My mother was an English teacher and always made sure we went to the library a couple of times a week. There is rarely a time when I don't have a book that I'm anxious to finish so I can get on to the next one. If I could, I would have all my walls lined with bookshelves instead of lining them up the open staircase in my home.

I decided to use LibraryThing. It was very easy to sign up and begin adding books. I can see, like Ravelry, how you could spend a lot of time combing through choices and reviews. I like the ability to check which books I have read and whether I would recommend one to someone else to read. My username is knotthere2000.

In an educational setting one could using this to post a bibliography for a project or to check books in a field that is of interest. The ability to discuss the books online would also be helpful in forming one's point of view.

The only drawback, from my perspective, is the 200 book limit unless you join the paid version. For small projects, this limit is adequate; for cataloging my personal library, it would not.

Comparing Office 2007 and 2010

I have chosen a video that will fit well with my job: provide software inforrmation and support for faculty, students and staff.

Office 2007 was a "BIG" change from previous versions of this program. There were many complaints about the lack of a menu system and the reliance on the ribbon. Microsoft has attempted to remedy some of the complaints users had expressed. Watch this video for an introduction to the changes.




If you want to learn more about an individual application, type the name, e.g., PowerPoint 2010, into the Search box on the YouTube search page.

I do, and will continue, to use videos for training purposes. I do have a Flip camera and have made videos, but never posted anything. I would like to include some training videos that are applicable to our environment so that faculty, students and staff could get immediate, visual help when they are learning something new.

Social Bookmarking - Delicious!

I see Delicious as a very useful tool. I often find a bookmark at work that I want to follow-up at home and vice-versa. I carry by bookmarks back and forth on a flash drive but occasionlly forget to update at one site or the other and then lose my MOST IMPORTANT new find.

In a school setting I could see the teacher listing some sites that would be appropriate for research that students might be doing. Extra-curricular work could be listed from sites that are meaningful for the subject matter. A group or club may be making items for a charity and sites could be posted with suggestions for things to make. A suggested reading list could be posted by using the URLs for reviews in order to help the student select one that is of interest.

My Delicious name is knotthere2000

Sing Like a Birdie

Today I posted my first Tweet and Retweeted several times. (Excuse me, I need a drink to help clear my throat after all that tweeting!). My twitter name is knotthere2000.

I am following NY Times books, Google Books, The Yarn Harlot and work_matters by Bob Sutton. I love to read and enjoy finding "good" books that others think are worthwhile. The Yarn Harlot is humorous and talks about fiber arts, particularly knitting. Bob Sutton is a professor at Stanford and always has insightful comments on the world of work.

I'm not sure that I would tweet much but I certainly will enjoy reading what others have to say. I can see the value in getting quick responses to questions one might have. I was very impressed, a number of years ago on Usenet, when I asked a question about WordPerfect and received an answer from Israel. I think its a great way to keep up with new innovations in my field and provide opportunities to learn about topics of which I might be unaware.

Without this assignment, I don't think I would have ventured into Twitter.

Scamp

Scamp
Originally uploaded by knotthere2000

I am an inveterate lover of animals, but especially of cats. A neighbor knocked on my door to ask if this kitten belonged to me. He did not, then; but he does now.

His name is Scamp, both because he is one and because he scampers around. He loves to cuddle and sleeps on my laptop when I am working.

Saranne, my 13-year-old, is not sure what to make of this active little one who jumps on her and wants to play. She has been hiding under a chair and he respects her space. I suspect that she swatted him one time and he knows better than to get too close.

Online Photo Sharing

I do not have any experience sharing MY photos with others but quite a bit of experience looking at the knitting projects others have posted.

I can definitely see the value for both personal and work purposes. Families are all over the world and this is an easy way to post one picture for many people to view. For work purposes, a screen shot of some instructions could be posted as a solution to a common problem.

I think the main benefit of posting to such a site is that you don't have to worry about whether the viewer has the proper software or can receive an attachment of this size. Since you can decide who views it, there is still some control over privacy. This is becoming more important as prospective employers are checking out social media sites to get a better idea about the persons they are considering hiring.

Following Blogs

I found this assignment challenging -- figuring out how to comment and also getting the combination of letters right so that my comments could be posted.

I think commenting is important so that there is some actual communication taking place. In order to communicate you not only need to say what you have to say, but you need to make sure that your audience is understanding your meaning and can act on it.

Commenting lets one express your understanding of what is being said and gives you a new perspective on a topic, whether you agree with it or not.

I am following individuals whose blogs appeared to have something in common with my interests. I chose tags that I thought explained what my posts were attempting to explain.

The Truth about Pocahontas

I have not had a chance to use wikis but can see the usefulness of doing so. In my case, I could add some tips for using various software and ask others to contribute ways they make use of the program or different shortcuts that help them do things more quickly or efficiently.

Another option I see is family history. Right now I am working on the genealogy of my family and have several questions about the location of my ancestors and whether, or not, I really am related to Pocahontas. I could invite others to read what I had researched and they could add and correct the things I found.

By using Wikipedia I found that she never married John Smith and I appear to be related to her husband, John Rolfe.

Using Google in the Cloud

I have used Google Docs to begin work on a document at work and continue working on it at home instead of using a flash drive or making an attachment to an e-mail. (Since I have a dial-up connection at home, it is faster to work with Google Docs than to download an attachment.)

I use Google Reader extensively, both to keep up-to-date on the latest upgrades to Google and Microsoft products and to read more about other topics that interest me.

I also use Google Calendar for my personal appointments and to keep track of items that are important to our department.

Why Learn About Web 2.0

Wikipedia says:

The term "Web 2.0" is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

The emphasis on interactive and information sharing is the most interesting to me.

Reading a book is usually a singular activity. Then you join a class or a book club and you get to discuss why the characters did something or what the author was trying to convey. Now you have more insight into the characters than you had before, whether you agree with the other people in the discussion or not.

The same is true for setting up an agenda, creating a presentation or espousing an idea that is new to you. If you work in a vacuum, you may not see some possibilities that would improve your output. The ability to create and receive feedback from a variety of points of view broadens your understanding.

Another aspect that fascinates me is the user-centered design. Everyone learns things differently. The interactivity allows an individual to replay or redo something until it becomes part of his/her knowledge base. There is no one around to criticize the amount of time it takes to learn the particular subject.

New Ways to Communicate

Learning to communicate using different methods has always been an interest. In the beginning, we babbled and hoped someone understood our needs. Learning to talk was a significant improvement.

When I was young, smaller radio stations had to go off the air at sundown. "Clear Channel" stations could then be heard from both the East and West coasts. Sitting up until the early hours of the morning listening to new stations was a great thrill. Then came TV, shortwave radio, computers and mobile devices. Reading newspapers, magazines and books brought a whole new way of thinking about things and relating to others.

I love the idea of this exploration of Web 2.0 as a means of discovering new ways to learn.