Although it means I'll have more time to cook dinner, I'm actually a little disappointed to be at Thing 23! I've really enjoyed learning about technology this way--the organization of the program made what seemed was initially overwhelming (the number of new things I had passively accepted ignorance about) simply fun. I won't attempt to answer the big question of what it all means definitively, but some "big ideas" I'll continue to think about are:
--how do we define community? how is it defined by our students?
--the speed of change: how do we keep up? how do our students keep up?
--equity & being left behind: if I get left behind, it's mainly my own fault. I have the resources. The stakes for not only being technologically-literate but also tech-efficient seem so high for our students, but I'm not sure that the urgency I often feel when I think about the flat world is widely shared.
--redefining "technology" from objects a teacher uses to enhance instruction to include intangible tools that facilitate student interaction and collaboration
Looking back at my initial post on Thing 1 & 2, I didn't have a radical shift in thought about the use of technology or the Internet in the classroom. I was open to it from the beginning on a personal level (I started using a computer when I was in preschool; some of my high school teachers were early adopters, so I've never questioned the place of the Internet in the classroom). I still have the same questions about how it might be applicable to my classroom given the subject I teach and the resources available, but I don't doubt for a minute that students' technological fluency is important. What has changed is my realization that many of things we explored have exciting possibilities for smoother collaboration and efficiency. I didn't think email attachments, for example, were particularly problematic, but actually using Google Docs (which I'd heard about and ignored), will change how I share information with my colleagues. I'm looking forward to having some additional time to spend on Flickr and plan to continue checking in with Bloglines.
As you might notice, these are all personal applications. Realistically, in the few weeks I have left before I go on maternity leave, I won't be incorporating anything new into my classroom. I'm more concerned that my sub will know where the mouthpiece puller is than with setting up a classroom blog. (Although it's not an entirely lost cause: I'm putting my files on Google Docs so that I can share them easier.) Completing the 23 Things project has given me some ideas about how I might incorporate more technology into some of the few non-musical projects we do as well as making me much more familiar with the world that students are growing up in, knowledge which has some value too.
I think that I'll make more of an effort to keep up. Some of the things I'd heard about but hadn't bothered to explore. It turned out that many of the new things were easy to do, and I think this experience will make me more likely to try them out and less likely to believe in the status quo. Of course, I'll want to know if RESA puts out a 23 Things version 2.0--this would be another great way to keep current!
Thanks to RESA and the facilitators for putting together such a great in-service opportunity. This has been tremendously interesting, much more so than many other professional development experiences I've attended. I'll definitely be recommending the next session to my colleagues!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Thing 22
My Wikispace is http://wagarmsbands.wikispaces.com/ but be forewarned: I don't like it. In fact, I wouldn't be making the site public unless requested to. Basically, it's the result of me playing around, learning the site, and it doesn't look like much compared to the websites I've created and maintained over the past five years. I found Wikispaces a little more difficult to use than I expected. The text formatting didn't turn out quite right and it seemed somewhat cumbersome to make changes. My district is currently using NexusBuilder for our teacher websites, which was easier for me to get a more professional-looking result upon first use. Prior to that, I used Publisher for my site, which was less flashy but again, seemingly easier to manage. More practice would likely make Wikispaces more intuitive; that, or a knowledge of html code, which might have helped me solve my design problems.
That said, I still struggle to find a purpose for a wiki space in my classroom. There just doesn't seem to be a pressing need for it. I can see it as a way to present info from our bio projects or comment on the process of preparing a piece for performance, but we're doing these things already in a lower-tech way and there doesn't seem to be a huge advantage to switch as of yet. Doing so would necessitate giving up a lot of rehearsal time since the only location everyone is guaranteed to have a computer is here at school.
In terms of how a wiki differs from a blog, it's more difficult for me to articulate how a wiki differs from a website except to say that there are multiple contributors. Blogs seem to usually (although not always) be the work of one person, as are traditional web pages. I think the choice of what to use depends on what the intended end result of the project is. A wiki seems like a great choice if it is a collaborative project, when many parts are added together to form a whole, and when contributors need a certain amount of independence to work on their parts from various places and at different times. A webpage would require the individuals to submit to a designated editor, who would then have the responsibility for publication. A blog seems more sequential; a wiki more flexible in terms of how to organize content. I'll be interested in what others say about this topic. Maybe that's it...with a wiki, we'd all be writing in the same spot!
That said, I still struggle to find a purpose for a wiki space in my classroom. There just doesn't seem to be a pressing need for it. I can see it as a way to present info from our bio projects or comment on the process of preparing a piece for performance, but we're doing these things already in a lower-tech way and there doesn't seem to be a huge advantage to switch as of yet. Doing so would necessitate giving up a lot of rehearsal time since the only location everyone is guaranteed to have a computer is here at school.
In terms of how a wiki differs from a blog, it's more difficult for me to articulate how a wiki differs from a website except to say that there are multiple contributors. Blogs seem to usually (although not always) be the work of one person, as are traditional web pages. I think the choice of what to use depends on what the intended end result of the project is. A wiki seems like a great choice if it is a collaborative project, when many parts are added together to form a whole, and when contributors need a certain amount of independence to work on their parts from various places and at different times. A webpage would require the individuals to submit to a designated editor, who would then have the responsibility for publication. A blog seems more sequential; a wiki more flexible in terms of how to organize content. I'll be interested in what others say about this topic. Maybe that's it...with a wiki, we'd all be writing in the same spot!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thing 20
I actually discovered Education Podcast Network while learning about Thing 19 since I was looking for ones related to music education. Searching it for such a broad subject was easy, although of course, the content it brought up was quite varied. Using Podcast Alley was a similar experience, although perhaps surprisingly, it was easier to find more specialized podcasts even though there were many more listed (and the podcasts were not necessarily education-related). I had no luck with Yahoo--I kept getting mp3 clips instead of podcasts. Perhaps if I spent more time with it I would have gotten it, but iTunes was so efficient it didn't seem worth it to work with Yahoo. It was interesting on iTunes to see what else people had subscribed to as well. Using iTunes, I subscribed to "This American Life" because I always enjoy it on the infrequent occasion that I catch it broadcast on the radio. I also found "Brass Band Podcast" through Podcast Alley, and subscribed to it through Bloglines. I like that Bloglines allows you to easily see updates but not necessarily download the program, thus taking up space on an iPod.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thing 21
Forgive the lapse in order... I didn't have iTunes at school yet had time to work on the 23 Things project, so out of order it is.
There wasn't a particular wiki that inspired me to go out and create my own, but browsing others' efforts expanded my understanding of what exactly a wiki is, and what it can potentially be. Prior to today, my definition of wiki was the prefix to wikipedia. I knew Wikipedia wasn't the only wiki out there, but hadn't seen many and thought of them as essentially a group-edited reference source (www.windrep.org is a particularly relevant example of this type). After visiting the suggested sites, I realized that online encyclopedia was too narrow a definition; they have a lot in common with traditional webpages too, with the advantage of multiple contributors (the Arbor Heights Elementary wiki seemed like a starting step to transform a webpage into a wiki). The sites done by students, and especially those that were collaborative projects between kids in different countries, were a cool way to demonstrate and share learning. The pen pal projects I remember from elementary school seem positively archaic in comparison.
I think it would be fairly simple to change my class website to a wiki, although I'm not sure the audience is really there to justify the effort. There are more significant challenges to creating a student-contributor/editor wiki. One is the familiar have/have not question: who has access to this technology? Confining the project to school hours only offers a solution, but the time involved would come at the expense of the main objective of my class--learning and experiencing music through playing an instrument. Copyright issues are also a consideration. Say we did do a wiki that was focused on analyzing and improving a set of repertoire for an upcoming performance: posting the audio file could potentially violate copyright. Lastly, it may be important to definine the scope of individual student responsibility. In the imaginary wiki above I can easily see certain students regularly contributing and others preferring not to...I can also see a discussion veering off into arguments about which sections messed up, a varient of the "too many cooks" problem. If everyone had their own specific task as well as guidelines for contributing and editing, I imagine this would be less of a problem.
At this point, I don't see a strong need or a simple way to authentically integrate a wiki into my classroom...but I see we'll be starting one for Thing 22, so I'll be giving it some additional thought!
There wasn't a particular wiki that inspired me to go out and create my own, but browsing others' efforts expanded my understanding of what exactly a wiki is, and what it can potentially be. Prior to today, my definition of wiki was the prefix to wikipedia. I knew Wikipedia wasn't the only wiki out there, but hadn't seen many and thought of them as essentially a group-edited reference source (www.windrep.org is a particularly relevant example of this type). After visiting the suggested sites, I realized that online encyclopedia was too narrow a definition; they have a lot in common with traditional webpages too, with the advantage of multiple contributors (the Arbor Heights Elementary wiki seemed like a starting step to transform a webpage into a wiki). The sites done by students, and especially those that were collaborative projects between kids in different countries, were a cool way to demonstrate and share learning. The pen pal projects I remember from elementary school seem positively archaic in comparison.
I think it would be fairly simple to change my class website to a wiki, although I'm not sure the audience is really there to justify the effort. There are more significant challenges to creating a student-contributor/editor wiki. One is the familiar have/have not question: who has access to this technology? Confining the project to school hours only offers a solution, but the time involved would come at the expense of the main objective of my class--learning and experiencing music through playing an instrument. Copyright issues are also a consideration. Say we did do a wiki that was focused on analyzing and improving a set of repertoire for an upcoming performance: posting the audio file could potentially violate copyright. Lastly, it may be important to definine the scope of individual student responsibility. In the imaginary wiki above I can easily see certain students regularly contributing and others preferring not to...I can also see a discussion veering off into arguments about which sections messed up, a varient of the "too many cooks" problem. If everyone had their own specific task as well as guidelines for contributing and editing, I imagine this would be less of a problem.
At this point, I don't see a strong need or a simple way to authentically integrate a wiki into my classroom...but I see we'll be starting one for Thing 22, so I'll be giving it some additional thought!
Thing 19
Compared to some of the programs and technologies we've been playing with, podcasting seems almost strangely normal. It's like the radio, on demand, except with a much wider variety of perspectives and producers. Never again will you have to hear the same Kid Rock song playing on three radio stations simultaneously.
Kids aren't supposed to have iPods or mp3-playing cell phones during the school day, and at present, we don't have the resources to produce our own podcasts (at least that I'm aware of). However, I found a couple of interesting programs and at the very least, can add them as links on my website. One is a series of podcasts that present middle school students' compositions. Created by Cranbrook students, the shows are posted at: http://www.cranbrookcomposers.com. We do listening and composition projects; I can easily see incorporating some of these students' podcasts as part of the lesson. I think it would be interesting for my students to hear what other kids their age have created.
Detroit JazzStage also has a series of podcasts featuring interviews and music highlighting the local jazz scene at http://www.jazzstageproductions.com. I'd have to surf more, but the existence of a podcast like this makes me wonder what other examples of professionally-played music might be out there for free listening besides radio streaming.
Lastly, I found a podcast called "Learn to Play the Digideroo" at http://echotree.tv. Without question, this is the most specialized podcast I discovered. The internet and the people who produce its content continue to amaze me...while it's not possible to have "seen it all;" the fat lady sung a long time ago (on YouTube, I'm sure...)!
Kids aren't supposed to have iPods or mp3-playing cell phones during the school day, and at present, we don't have the resources to produce our own podcasts (at least that I'm aware of). However, I found a couple of interesting programs and at the very least, can add them as links on my website. One is a series of podcasts that present middle school students' compositions. Created by Cranbrook students, the shows are posted at: http://www.cranbrookcomposers.com. We do listening and composition projects; I can easily see incorporating some of these students' podcasts as part of the lesson. I think it would be interesting for my students to hear what other kids their age have created.
Detroit JazzStage also has a series of podcasts featuring interviews and music highlighting the local jazz scene at http://www.jazzstageproductions.com. I'd have to surf more, but the existence of a podcast like this makes me wonder what other examples of professionally-played music might be out there for free listening besides radio streaming.
Lastly, I found a podcast called "Learn to Play the Digideroo" at http://echotree.tv. Without question, this is the most specialized podcast I discovered. The internet and the people who produce its content continue to amaze me...while it's not possible to have "seen it all;" the fat lady sung a long time ago (on YouTube, I'm sure...)!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Thing 18
Haven't we all sat through an interminable PowerPoint? One where you wonder what exactly the presenter was trying to communicate? Then in case you missed it, there's a handout with all the slides that weren't particularly informative duplicated in the unlikely event you might one day have a sudden need to refer to them. Trees in the forest hope for a better fate than to be used for slide show handouts. Besides the subject, I liked the sophisticated look of the presentation; mine look minor league in comparison!
I can see classroom uses in finding engaging presentations to use with students; I can also see using it as a way to share work, although since there isn't the collaborative editing capacity, it still seems that Google Docs or Zoho Show would be more beneficial for student-generated projects.
Thing 17
Truth be told, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of online communities there are. Why exactly is my calendar supposed to be a social network? (A PS after writing the entry: I can see using the calendar on my school website for upcoming band events.) Some of these tools, such as Remember the Milk and 30 Days, looked interesting yet more complicated than what I currently do. My husband's PDA syncs with our computer so we both have access to our calendar. If I need to remind myself to do something, I send myself an email. Of course, the time-honored post-it note method shouldn't be forgotten either! LibraryThing looked interesting, but not enough for me to invest time into using it instead of reading. Trailfire seemed a lot like Delicious; maybe I didn't fully understand it properly. Of the tools, Bubbl, Zoho and Knowtes seemed to have the most applications for the classroom, yet I kept wondering why I should have a Zoho account if Google Docs will do essentially the same thing? I was too young for the VHS/Betamax format war and didn't pay attention to the blue ray/whatever the other one was (!) high def DVD competition, but the sheer number of collaborative tools seem to have some similarities. I doubt that all of them will survive long-term; I'd expect one or two to become dominant. It also reminds me how important brand name and early brand loyalty is. I'd be less likely to switch from Google docs because I'm familiar with the Google name. Many people I know have Google accounts. Using the docs feature just seems like the next step, one that already has name-recongition and doesn't require yet another account to track.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thing 16
I just spent a couple hours today reviewing student biography projects that parents had emailed to me. I saved my comments, added a grade, and sent them back as a new version. I've collaborated on articles and papers with others through email and have always had trouble keeping track of which version was the latest, especially when we retitle the work. I'd heard about Google Docs but hadn't checked it out before tonight. This seems like another response to simplify problems created with previously advanced technology.
I like the idea of designated people accessing the documents online and external storage would offer some protection if your network goes down or your hard drive regresses to the complexity level of an average toaster. I also like that previous versions aren't erased but saved in shared space, since editing may require old parts be restored or used in a different paper or project. Students could more easily collaborate on projects--no worry about whether everyone can get together Thursday night at 6:00 to finish the project. Another advantage I see to school use is not worrying about which version of the program the document was created on. Our computers operate on Windows XP, but a few of my students have Vista at home, which means I usually can't read their projects unless they re-save them as older versions. This often requires a string of emails with directions, trial attempts and finally, a version I can open. Disadvantages might include the need for everyone to have a Google account and a functional email address; many times students email me from their parents' accounts, although this may be due to the age of the students I teach. There may also be some hurdles in adapting to a relatively new, unfamiliar technology. I have students who email me all their projects. Some bring them to me physically on a CD-RW or thumb drive. Other kids aren't comfortable typing yet and handwrite their work. As always, the issue of at-home computer and Internet access would be a factor as well. Finally, if this were something that parents ended up doing for their kids, children may need greater familiarity with this technology before being able to manage the exchange independently.
I like the idea of designated people accessing the documents online and external storage would offer some protection if your network goes down or your hard drive regresses to the complexity level of an average toaster. I also like that previous versions aren't erased but saved in shared space, since editing may require old parts be restored or used in a different paper or project. Students could more easily collaborate on projects--no worry about whether everyone can get together Thursday night at 6:00 to finish the project. Another advantage I see to school use is not worrying about which version of the program the document was created on. Our computers operate on Windows XP, but a few of my students have Vista at home, which means I usually can't read their projects unless they re-save them as older versions. This often requires a string of emails with directions, trial attempts and finally, a version I can open. Disadvantages might include the need for everyone to have a Google account and a functional email address; many times students email me from their parents' accounts, although this may be due to the age of the students I teach. There may also be some hurdles in adapting to a relatively new, unfamiliar technology. I have students who email me all their projects. Some bring them to me physically on a CD-RW or thumb drive. Other kids aren't comfortable typing yet and handwrite their work. As always, the issue of at-home computer and Internet access would be a factor as well. Finally, if this were something that parents ended up doing for their kids, children may need greater familiarity with this technology before being able to manage the exchange independently.
Thing 15
I don't have anything particularly insightful to say about Thing 15. As I stated earlier, RSS seems like a great way to bring a little organization and simplicity to the chaos of the web; that said, I typically don't view dozens of blogs or even dozens of sites daily, so using Bloglines hasn't become second-nature. Since I wasn't checking many of the sites routinely anyway, using Bloglines hasn't become a daily habit in any sense of the word just yet. I do, however, intend to keep the account after I complete this project and maybe over time it will become part of my Internet routine. If my family and friends suddenly became inveterate bloggers I would definitely check up, but as it is now, they're either on Facebook or email only, so there isn't anything to link to.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Thing 14
My Delicious username is StephanieMI. I'd heard about the site and the term social bookmarking but had only the vaguest idea of what it was. Like other things we've learned about, the organizational aspect appeals to me. I think that in terms of enhancing productivity, it has the potential to go either way. I can see how it could be a more efficient way of searching the web than Google--looking by tags, or checking out other users' lists who have a lot in common with your interests or search topic. I can also see the possibility of signifcant distraction. Unlike Google, where I usually find a relevant site in the first page of hits, this site has "YouTube potential." I'm not sure I've ever watched just one video on YouTube...sure, you search for a clip, but once found, related videos pop up. They're close enough to your original search to be interesting but probably not exactly what you were looking for. I can imagine sitting down to search Delicious and finding myself so interested by what others bookmarked that I'd be off on tangents in no time. However, this type of technology seems easily adapted to the classroom. Kids could share their bookmarks on a particular topic they're researching with each other, or search for experts' tags and lists to find reliable sources quickly.
Thing 13
I have similar thoughts on social bookmarking as I did on RSS. The web's size seems to have inspired many methods of organization to deal with such staggering amounts of information. Tagging seems useful--more useful, at any rate, than the independent list of bookmarks on both my home and work computers that are only "organized" in the chronological order in which they were added. Of the dozens saved, I only routinely look at a few, so labeling them seems like an efficient thing to do. After reading the last article though, it seems that tagging is only as effective as the person assigning the tag, so specificity and thoughtfulness are critical in creating organized information. Also interesting to me is the social aspect--what has everyone else called it?--and the process of developing group consensus for a particular label.
Thing 12
Hmm...this was frustrating. I don't have enough html experience to understand why I could post widgets to the blog page layout as a whole but not get one to work in this individual post. I tried a variety of sites, made sure I was in "edit html" mode, but no luck. I had no trouble embedding the video...not sure exactly what happened today. If I have time, I may try again from another computer.
My reflections for Thing 12 really came out in Thing 11. I enjoy being part of Facebook but as I noted, more for the initial curiosity of "hey, what's this person up to" rather than using it as a means to really keep up a friendship. I think though that many others get more out of it. Besides the cool factor of having some sort of online presence, sites like MySpace and Facebook allow you to express your identity, and I think this is especially important for kids, especially as they're trying to figure out who they are. Practically everything you do--from the friends you have, the groups you belong to, the photos you post and the applications you add to your page--tell something about who you are or want to be. Even as an adult, I'm conscious of my choices. However, since it's online, you have more flexibility to change your self-representation. Anything posted can be deleted; modifying who you are is easier to do and, I think, defend, online than in person. Finally I think kids do get a sense of connection from online profiles. The number of friends may matter to some. Others, who are more shy in real life, may appreciate the distance "online" allows in communication. At the same time, I wonder if most of my students who have online profiles are friends online with their real-life friends or acquaintances. If so, then MySpace and Facebook are likely a supplemental aspect of the friendship.
My reflections for Thing 12 really came out in Thing 11. I enjoy being part of Facebook but as I noted, more for the initial curiosity of "hey, what's this person up to" rather than using it as a means to really keep up a friendship. I think though that many others get more out of it. Besides the cool factor of having some sort of online presence, sites like MySpace and Facebook allow you to express your identity, and I think this is especially important for kids, especially as they're trying to figure out who they are. Practically everything you do--from the friends you have, the groups you belong to, the photos you post and the applications you add to your page--tell something about who you are or want to be. Even as an adult, I'm conscious of my choices. However, since it's online, you have more flexibility to change your self-representation. Anything posted can be deleted; modifying who you are is easier to do and, I think, defend, online than in person. Finally I think kids do get a sense of connection from online profiles. The number of friends may matter to some. Others, who are more shy in real life, may appreciate the distance "online" allows in communication. At the same time, I wonder if most of my students who have online profiles are friends online with their real-life friends or acquaintances. If so, then MySpace and Facebook are likely a supplemental aspect of the friendship.
Thing 11
The prompts for this thing have more to do with commenting, but I have some questions about online communities in general. So many of these new Web 2.0 technologies are designed with a social aspect in mind through sharing and commenting. I've wondered for a while about the qualitative depth of an online community. I know there are some people who find connections made online to be deeply satisfying, although for me I don't know that I can ever quite see them taking the place of "in person" interactions. In some ways they have the opposite effect. I enjoy hearing from old friends and acquaintances on Facebook, for example, but usually just once. We're no longer in touch, and once we've seen each other's profile, the interaction is essentially over, leaving me wistful for a time when, quite simply, I had more "real life" friends and interacted more regularly with people my age. How many online communities can a person authentically be a part of? Is it possible to even consider all registered users of say, YouTube, members of one "community?" How much time do people who do feel a genuine connection to a specific online community generally put in to creating and maintaining that sense of belonging daily? weekly? Do they feel other community members know who they really are or that they know others, since it's possible to emphasize various aspects of your personality online or even assume alternate identities?
That said, I enjoy receiving comments. It tells me someone besides myself read what I wrote, something that seems nearly miraculous when I think about what a miniscule place anything I'll ever publish on the web has in its larger context. I like commenting on others' writing for the sake of potential establishing a common connection, although as the above paragraph implies, I recognize that the connection may be ephemeral.
That said, I enjoy receiving comments. It tells me someone besides myself read what I wrote, something that seems nearly miraculous when I think about what a miniscule place anything I'll ever publish on the web has in its larger context. I like commenting on others' writing for the sake of potential establishing a common connection, although as the above paragraph implies, I recognize that the connection may be ephemeral.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Thing 10
I chose this video because I love how musical (and musically funny) the Muppets are. Some of my sixth grade students are currently studying Sousa; this version of "Stars and Stripes Forever" would go over well with them!
PS: I was also able to download a video clip. I can see this being a particularly helpful tool, especially if I had an InFocus machine or SmartBoard at school.
PS: I was also able to download a video clip. I can see this being a particularly helpful tool, especially if I had an InFocus machine or SmartBoard at school.
Thing 9
I was pretty familiar with YouTube before completing Thing 9. It's amazing how many clips are posted there and the breadth of topics. I like the democratic nature of the whole thing--videos that appeal to a very local or very specific audience, ones that would never be broadcast on TV, are easily accessible. But that variety could make it messy to use at school; in fact, YouTube is blocked in our district, as I assume it is in many districts. I think it has possibilities for educational use but that TeacherTube or SchoolTube may be a starting step. Like some of the other new technologies we've explored, it seems that part of using them with students will be teaching them how to use them in school, and the ways that may be different from use at home.
Correction: YouTube is not blocked on my computer. It may be on student computers.
Correction: YouTube is not blocked on my computer. It may be on student computers.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Thing 8
Yes, exactly: that's a sculpture of a balloon animal taken (by me) in Venice. The juxtaposition of historical tradition with modern impermanence seemed to lend itself well to 
the bead art photo treatment. The tools I tried were easy to use and the applications were simply fun. I can easily see students enjoying using these sorts of aps to enhance projects although again, I think the possibility exists to get caught up with the image itself at the expense of the intended content. At the same time, I think that fun is an important part of learning and that children and adults alike remember more when they're enjoying the process.
In terms of uses for images...I think some of these would at the very least make my school webpage more interesting!
the bead art photo treatment. The tools I tried were easy to use and the applications were simply fun. I can easily see students enjoying using these sorts of aps to enhance projects although again, I think the possibility exists to get caught up with the image itself at the expense of the intended content. At the same time, I think that fun is an important part of learning and that children and adults alike remember more when they're enjoying the process.In terms of uses for images...I think some of these would at the very least make my school webpage more interesting!
Thing 7
As a music teacher, I don't typically assign projects "away from instruments" but we do research on composers, some living and some long gone. Flickr seems like a giant version of ClipArt for photos--I have no doubt that with a little bit of searching, students would be able to find a relevant photo to complement just about any topic. I think one of the advantages is the copyright issue is taken care of for you--the definitions for what uses are acceptable for any given photo seem to be pretty clear. I think it's important for students to understand these guidelines too, that copyright isn't just about words but also other types of creations and intellectual property. I would expect the clarity of the labeling in Flickr would help develop that understanding.
I can also see a disadvantage to the sheer volume of choices available, which seems to be a common thread through many of these Web 2.0 technologies. I can easily imagine my students getting so excited about finding the best photo (ok, I can also see myself getting so excited about finding the best photo!) that it becomes a distraction away from the main project. Part of using this technology might also include a component on search techniques so as to help students get a smaller number of specific, relevant results.
I can also see a disadvantage to the sheer volume of choices available, which seems to be a common thread through many of these Web 2.0 technologies. I can easily imagine my students getting so excited about finding the best photo (ok, I can also see myself getting so excited about finding the best photo!) that it becomes a distraction away from the main project. Part of using this technology might also include a component on search techniques so as to help students get a smaller number of specific, relevant results.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Thing 6 con't.
It's a sousaphone bell, from Flickr, taken by peterhoneyman in Ann Arbor on October 7, 2007. I like instruments (I'm a band director), I like U of M (they did, after all, give me two degrees), plus the picture reminds me of the Jelly Bean in Chicago's Millenium Park (meaning, it's fun).
Thing 6
I thought I was fairly up-to-date on photos...yes, of course, I store them online. They're from a digital camera, after all, and editing them into cool photo books make us look like we're a lot more skilled at photography than we really are. But I wasn't using Flickr and had another lightbulb moment when watching the Common Craft video: you can tag them and sort in a non-chronological order. Amazing. There goes another non-challenged assumption based on pre-web 2.0. It seems like such a simple (and obvious) idea--to label and categorize photos for future sorting--but it honestly had not occurred to me. Up until now, I've treated online photo storage as the digital equivalent of a real life photo album.
Thing 5
I'm certainly clueless about the computer programming that makes RSS possible....but I think (unless proven otherwise) that I have a fairly good understanding of its purpose and possible uses. I can see it being tremendously helpful in tracking student blog assignments as well as keeping up with posts of a personal interest. I was able to subscribe to blogs easily except for the bookmarklet method, but I think that has more to do with my computer's security settings than anything else. Cutting and pasting the RSS subscribe link into Bloglines allowed me to get around the problem. Once again the questions is how much info is too much--I was surprised by the number of posts Bloglines generated, even though I didn't think I had subscribed to all that many blogs, and wonder again where my own limit for usefulness is. If there is too much info, I'll be inclined to tune it out. I think it will take some trial and error, but overall I'm glad to have more experience with this type of technology.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Thing 4
Thing 4
How do I handle information overload? Typically by running for the nearest rock large enough to hide under! More seriously, although technology like IM came out in my college years, I still have trouble multi-tasking and find I'm more productive when I can focus on one person or activity at a time. There is such a vast unknoweable amount of content on the web. I used to be overwhelmed simply thinking about all the possible books at the library I might be interested in reading. Then the Internet appeared. The amount of info available online is so many times that of a library collection--if I ever thought I could keep up, it was in the very early days of the Internet when I didn't fully grasp how huge it was. It wasn't a particularly long lasting delusion. There are a few websites I usually check daily; however, if there is no new content, I generally stop looking in favor of something else more reliably updated. Time is usually the limiting factor. The idea of looking at just one site and finding new content in one place sounds like a great idea, one of those "how did we live without it" types that in a simple way has the potential for big changes in how we get information. That said, I think there's a risk too of overpersonalization--if we only subscribe to those sites or even parts of sites that are congruent with our current interests and ideas, we may miss viewing or blindly stumbling across content that might change our thinking.
How do I handle information overload? Typically by running for the nearest rock large enough to hide under! More seriously, although technology like IM came out in my college years, I still have trouble multi-tasking and find I'm more productive when I can focus on one person or activity at a time. There is such a vast unknoweable amount of content on the web. I used to be overwhelmed simply thinking about all the possible books at the library I might be interested in reading. Then the Internet appeared. The amount of info available online is so many times that of a library collection--if I ever thought I could keep up, it was in the very early days of the Internet when I didn't fully grasp how huge it was. It wasn't a particularly long lasting delusion. There are a few websites I usually check daily; however, if there is no new content, I generally stop looking in favor of something else more reliably updated. Time is usually the limiting factor. The idea of looking at just one site and finding new content in one place sounds like a great idea, one of those "how did we live without it" types that in a simple way has the potential for big changes in how we get information. That said, I think there's a risk too of overpersonalization--if we only subscribe to those sites or even parts of sites that are congruent with our current interests and ideas, we may miss viewing or blindly stumbling across content that might change our thinking.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Thing 3
I love reading about teachers' experiences, their honest opinions and the best and worst about teaching kids. The hero teacher stories can be inspiring in small quantities, but more relevant interesting to me are the stories about good teachers doing the best job they can given their circumstances, those who aren't afraid to talk about their failures as well as their successes and the various small absurdities of what we do on a daily basis.
I'd enjoy doing something similar, but I'd be worried about my identity leaking. I'm pretty sure that even if teacher blogs include positive events, unvarnished reality is not the type of publicity that most district administrators are looking for. Protecting individual students' identities would also be a concern. I can think of a variety of happenings from the past week alone that were I to describe them, anyone who was present would know exactly who I was talking about. Pseudonyms or initials wouldn't be the telling characteristic; the entire story itself would practically shout out the name of the student or students involved. I wonder what guidelines these journaling teachers set for themselves to balance the need to honestly express their experiences and opinions and the concern for the privacy of all involved.
I think if my students were/are already into blogging, they'd be enthusiastic about a blogging assignment. If, however, it's not one of the Web 2.0 things they discovered on their own, blogging might just be another form of writing assignment--teacher-selected and directed. I can see using a blog in band as an extension of our classroom conversations about performance improvement--what we have to do when to prepare each piece of music on a concert. Blogging might allow students who hesitate to share their thoughts in front of the class a means to do so.
I'd enjoy doing something similar, but I'd be worried about my identity leaking. I'm pretty sure that even if teacher blogs include positive events, unvarnished reality is not the type of publicity that most district administrators are looking for. Protecting individual students' identities would also be a concern. I can think of a variety of happenings from the past week alone that were I to describe them, anyone who was present would know exactly who I was talking about. Pseudonyms or initials wouldn't be the telling characteristic; the entire story itself would practically shout out the name of the student or students involved. I wonder what guidelines these journaling teachers set for themselves to balance the need to honestly express their experiences and opinions and the concern for the privacy of all involved.
I think if my students were/are already into blogging, they'd be enthusiastic about a blogging assignment. If, however, it's not one of the Web 2.0 things they discovered on their own, blogging might just be another form of writing assignment--teacher-selected and directed. I can see using a blog in band as an extension of our classroom conversations about performance improvement--what we have to do when to prepare each piece of music on a concert. Blogging might allow students who hesitate to share their thoughts in front of the class a means to do so.
Introduction and Reflection on Things 1 and 2
Hi all,
My name is Stephanie Christensen and I teach fifth through eighth grade instrumental music. I'm writing this blog as part of an online learning course offered through Wayne County RESA called 23 Things. Although the words "music" and "technology" appear in the title of my blog, I teach band, quite possibly the least "tech-y" subject imaginable. If an instrument is considered to be "technology," then we're still not that far from the first person who blew into a conch shell and got what may or may not have been an appealing sound. And I'm not complaining about this--I love music and love teaching it. I love that it's a slow process in an increasingly fast world. I love that it's based in community--that each part matters and that we as a group can achieve something beyond what any of us could do individually. I love that what we do is a link back to hundreds of years of tradition, human endeavor, and joy.
(On good days. Of course, you have to have a sense of humor about it all, and you may wonder if the sound of a beginner on a saxophone was around in Bach's day if he'd have chosen an entirely alternate occupation.)
Yet the world we live in is full of technology, and contemplating the possibilities for future change is mind-boggling. It's also an exercise in humility--the world seems like such a large place, even though it is a much more accessible one due to the technological advances that, once amazing, are now so easy to take for granted. I don't think I will ever be able to keep up with the leading edge of change, but I was beginning to feel that I knew less than I should as someone under 30. In other words, I'm too young to check out and settle happily for my current level of knowledge, so my primary interest in taking this course is to educate myself. I'm really not sure how much of what I learn here will be directly applicable to my classroom, given the subject I teach and the resources my students have available to them, but I hope in better understanding web 2.0, I'll be better able to understand the ever-evolving world that they are growing up in.
(And in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit: 2 SB-CEUs for something I can do on my own time that I'm interested in--perfect!)
An interesting question was posed in the prompt: do I write differently knowing this is an exceptionally public forum? Well, yes. I feel a certain caution, knowing that anyone anywhere can read what I've written not to reveal too many personal details or even opinions I wouldn't want to become common knowledge. This won't be a diary by any stretch of the imagination. Yet at the same time I think we're becoming more "online" whether we want to or not--our reputations are expanding quickly into cyberspace. My mom called recently and said my neighbor liked my haircut. This wouldn't be notable except I haven't seen this neighbor in at least ten years. Someone had taken my picture over the weekend, and through an untraceable series of people, had sent the picture to her son, who was not even at the event. Interestingly enough, I haven't seen the picture myself, nor am I sure exactly who it originated with. So from this standpoint, I like the idea of blogging since I'm the direct source.
I'm not usually concise (nor is this an example), but I think I've about exhausted my thoughts for now and am ready to move on to the next Thing.
My name is Stephanie Christensen and I teach fifth through eighth grade instrumental music. I'm writing this blog as part of an online learning course offered through Wayne County RESA called 23 Things. Although the words "music" and "technology" appear in the title of my blog, I teach band, quite possibly the least "tech-y" subject imaginable. If an instrument is considered to be "technology," then we're still not that far from the first person who blew into a conch shell and got what may or may not have been an appealing sound. And I'm not complaining about this--I love music and love teaching it. I love that it's a slow process in an increasingly fast world. I love that it's based in community--that each part matters and that we as a group can achieve something beyond what any of us could do individually. I love that what we do is a link back to hundreds of years of tradition, human endeavor, and joy.
(On good days. Of course, you have to have a sense of humor about it all, and you may wonder if the sound of a beginner on a saxophone was around in Bach's day if he'd have chosen an entirely alternate occupation.)
Yet the world we live in is full of technology, and contemplating the possibilities for future change is mind-boggling. It's also an exercise in humility--the world seems like such a large place, even though it is a much more accessible one due to the technological advances that, once amazing, are now so easy to take for granted. I don't think I will ever be able to keep up with the leading edge of change, but I was beginning to feel that I knew less than I should as someone under 30. In other words, I'm too young to check out and settle happily for my current level of knowledge, so my primary interest in taking this course is to educate myself. I'm really not sure how much of what I learn here will be directly applicable to my classroom, given the subject I teach and the resources my students have available to them, but I hope in better understanding web 2.0, I'll be better able to understand the ever-evolving world that they are growing up in.
(And in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit: 2 SB-CEUs for something I can do on my own time that I'm interested in--perfect!)
An interesting question was posed in the prompt: do I write differently knowing this is an exceptionally public forum? Well, yes. I feel a certain caution, knowing that anyone anywhere can read what I've written not to reveal too many personal details or even opinions I wouldn't want to become common knowledge. This won't be a diary by any stretch of the imagination. Yet at the same time I think we're becoming more "online" whether we want to or not--our reputations are expanding quickly into cyberspace. My mom called recently and said my neighbor liked my haircut. This wouldn't be notable except I haven't seen this neighbor in at least ten years. Someone had taken my picture over the weekend, and through an untraceable series of people, had sent the picture to her son, who was not even at the event. Interestingly enough, I haven't seen the picture myself, nor am I sure exactly who it originated with. So from this standpoint, I like the idea of blogging since I'm the direct source.
I'm not usually concise (nor is this an example), but I think I've about exhausted my thoughts for now and am ready to move on to the next Thing.
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