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.