Tech-flects

I have been on a mission, as I enter the 34th year of my life… to get my life organized.  Technology is a great tool to help do this… Maybe these should be in a different order, but here is what needs to be done -

• Organize my favorites - Using del.icio.us get all of the favorites off of my computers organized, tagged, and bundled on one site
• Upload digital photos, get them printed to place in photo albums and books, and back - up digital photos to put in safe storage (just in case)  - Will either use Snapfish or Shutterfly for this
• Put iTunes Libraries (on two computers) into one space and then back - up all of my iTunes music 
• Organize files on all of my computers and back - up - With five computers it really is sometimes difficult to find things, so time to get it in one place and get rid of the extra copies
• On Google Reader - weed out the feeds I really am no longer interested in or never get around to reading.  Recently at a session at MICCA, I attended a session by Will Richardson.  I loved his advice about Google Reader and feeds saying that whenever he puts a new feed into Google Reader, he takes one out.  (One in, One out)

I have quite a bit to do…

I don’t like - http://www.tiny.cc/ because it takes a while to redirect and it has some ads on it during redirection that look inappropriate for young kids.  However I do like the fact that you can put a nickname in the custom area, but don’t like the wait time to get to the site.  

Next is http://tinyurl.com/ Let’s give this one a try -

• I take a long address
• Put it into the site and I get a random number, letter combo at the end
• It redirects right away, but it doesn’t allow for a custom nickname

Ok, so after doing some more research, it seems that you should for the most part be very careful of sites that use tiny url’s because some may lead you to sites that may be offensive in nature or cause your computer to have issues.  MySpace actually banned and tiny URL’s in 2006. 

 So, I guess convenience is not always the best thing.  Tiny URL’s can be helpful, but can also lead you to a place you wouldn’t ever visit if not for the tiny URL.

Blogs…they are great tools for collaboration.  I have always thought this.  Years back when I had just started to see them being used in educational circles, I jumped head first and used blogs with my third graders.  I found blogging to be an amazing tool in which students could get immediate feedback from myself and their peers.  My students loved blogging and would even comment at home during the weekend and on vacations.  I have since archived this blog - http://runkles1.tblog.com/ .  It is nice to look back and see what prompts I used with my classes.  The comments are hidden at this point, but the structure is still there.  Those were precious days, and I sure do miss working with students on a daily basis.  I now train teachers on how to integrate technology with the curriculum.  I love my job, but I can’t help miss working with kids everyday. 

Back to blogging, I not only had a blog for students, but other professional blogs, and personal ones as well.  I spent almost every day posting, reading comments, commenting back… It was as if I was addicted to blogging.  I had to re-evaluate my life and think, is this what life is all about?  Why am I spending more time on the computer than with my family?  So I broke away for a few years…

 Well, people still blog a few years later, and here I am again.  This year wasn’t my best effort, I will never put in the time I once did to blogging, but I will use it a few times a week to reflect on what I have learned or comment on something that has intrigued me.  Let’s see how I do with this blog from this point on. 

A great way to learn a new program is to PRACTICE…. Video tutorials help as well.  Many teachers get overwhelmed with all of the programs and applications of technology. What they really need to do is relax and have fun with a software program or online application.  Yes, relax and have fun.  Don’t be nervous about making a mistake.  That is how we learn… we make mistakes and then learn from them. 

Some video tutorials I have found useful are -

• Audacity - Podcasting Video Tutorials by Jason Van Orden
• Photo Story 3 Video Tutorials by Dave from JakesOnline (A wonderful resource)
• Windows Movie Maker Tutorials with a side of advertisement by Marc Liron

Be patient, grab a snack and drink while the video loads, and come back and learn.

When using images, check the copyright policy to see if you have permission to use them.  Besides using UnitedStreaming there are many other resources available for teachers.  Some recommended sites are - 

Photo Story 3 is a free windows program that you can download and use with images to create a digital story.  

JakesOnline! has some great Photo Story 3 video tutorials. 

Photo Story 3 uses digital photos and other picture files to create video stories you can share with others.  Various effects integrated in the program such as zooming and panning make your digital storytelling more attractive than a basic slide show.  Besides being able to crop photos, reduce red-eye, and add other special effects to your photos, you can also record your voice, add titles and subtitles, and add your own music or use music that comes with the program.   

This program is helpful for teachers to create video stories about content area or for students to share what they have learned or experienced with others. 

Here are some good examples, in my opinion, of various educational applications -

• Student Project - Report about Quebec
• Personal Narrative - Cultural Differences
• Historical Events - Landing on the Moon
• Student History Examples using Photo Story 3
• Many educational examples made using Photo Story 3 and Windows Movie Maker

Some other ways you could use digital storytelling in the class include -

• Class Memories
• Historical Events
• Science Reports and Processes
• Famous Landmarks
• Features of Land and Water
• Personal Narratives

Here is another tip I came across… Use PowerPoint with images and text boxes, save the slides as jpegs, pick whether you would like to select every slide or just the current slide, and then insert them into Photostory. 

So why put a ClustrMap on your class website or blog?

Motivation - You can see that others are viewing your content and so your “voice” is being heard.  This is highly motivational for students - authentic audience.  Students can see that what they write or respond to can be seen by anyone in the world.  Then Google Earth is a great tool to tie in with geography. - Find out where all of those little red dots on the ClustrMap are from.   

How to add a ClustrMap to your Wordpress or Edublog.  I used these directions and had no problems.  Once you add a map to your blog you will need to wait a bit for the dots to start showing up since it starts data collection from the day you add the ClustrMap.