Multimedia Sharing AKA Social Media Mashups

Reflections on the Process of Learning about Mashups
Mashups?! Hmmm…
On Halloween? That brings to mind…the Monster Mash!




Here is my mashup song. Sing it to the tune of the Monster Mash:
(For catchy lyric purposes, mashup has been shortened to mash)

She made a mash
She made a VoiceThread mash
The VoiceThread mash
It was a web-based smash
She made a mash
It caught on in a flash
She made a mash
She made a VoiceThread mash


What is a Mashup? Here is an introductory video.
My good friend Wikipedia gave me these answers:
• Mashup (digital), a digital media file containing any or all of text, graphics, audio, video, and animation, which recombines and modifies existing digital works to create a derivative work.
• Mashup (web application hybrid), a web application that combines data and/or functionality from more than one source
There are also music and video mashups defined.

So haven't we been using mashups basically since we started this Web 2.0 course? Ahh connections! How I love you.

Further enlightenment came via Trailfire…

Social Media in Plain English - An introduction to Social Media via a story about a small town with many flavors of ice cream. So this is where the social and sharing aspects fit in.

ANIMOTO

Using Animoto you can create 30 second videos (about 15 pictures worth) for free. For longer videos in low resolution it will cost $3.00. The upgrade to high res will cost you another $5.00. If you are an avid user, there are packages available.
Animoto is an application that will allow you to input pictures and music, and create a custom slideshow from the result.
Animoto is so good it won a 2009 Webby Award. The Judges’ Choice and the People’s Voice awards for ‘Best Service & Application’ category to be exact. Here is the animoto blog celebrating their win. Some other positive reviews about Animoto were done by Joel Spolsky, Kim Hjortholm , AppApeal, Karthik Shankrila and The Tech Mag Blog.
I had already discovered Animoto while working on my videosharing blog. This was my original Animoto video:



I had so much fun making this one that I just made another! This video shows highlights of my trip to Whistler last month:



I clicked the '1-click remix' button three times to see what it would come up with. I was happy with this one.


VOICE THREAD

The video Whats a Voice Thread anyway? shows how to use voice thread with examples.
With a voice thread you can upload images into a media presentation with audio, video and text. You can even doodle right on there and it's interactive.
Now I'm excited to try out this threading of my voice!

Just have to sign up for Voice Thread - check
Take the tutorial - check
And start threading!

I loved how user-friendly this site was. Especially how easy it was to re-record each voice clip. Once I had all my clips recorded and saved I listened to the whole voice thread together...
What's this? Is that really me talking? Uh-oh. My voice sounds fake, like I'm reading a script or something. Yikes!
No need to panic. Voice Thread gave me the option to upload pictures from another voicethread. Perfect. No need to sift through the 2000 pictures again.
I deleted my initial attempt by clicking the little trash can icon on each picture.

Before I recorded for my second attempt, I told myself to just pretend I was showing pictures to a friend. Ok, that helped. Much closer to my real voice.



I like how Voice Thread gives the user the option to add multiple identities. This is useful for using with a group of students for example. Also I can have different photos for personal and professional voice thread identities.
I decided to change my identity photo but couldn't figure out how to do this so I turned to the help section. I found out that when adding multiple identities users are given the option to edit all identities. So I clicked on my photo icon and clicked 'create another identity.' From there I was able to edit my existing photo. Voila!
I also found that I can only create up to 3 voice threads for free. After that I will have to pay about $60 for either the Pro package or a year of the class subscription in the K-12 package.



Mashups for Professional Use

VOICE THREAD

The VoiceThread for Education wiki has information and examples of voicethreads created in educational contexts.

I found this voicethread of Web 2.0 Tools for the Classroom, which could use more comments and sites from Web 2.0 students...will have to get back to this.

I like this idea of using a voicethread for Literature Circles. This one is done by seventh and eighth grade students at a middle school:



I came across the K-7 Mathcasts 500 Project. The goal of this project is to create a library of 500+ mathcasts for K-7 math using many student & educator voices on voice thread. I added them up and it looks like they have met their goal – there are currently 514 mathcasts!

There are so many ways I am inspired to use voice threads professionally. Literature circles, story readings, projects, show and tell, math concepts, introducing any concept in any subject really...the list is endless.
I have several friends that are teaching overseas. I think it would be fun to have students use this tool to reach out to children from around the globe, showing and telling them what it is like here and vice versa.
I think my staff would be impressed with this tool and I would like to introduce it at meetings or professional development days.

Potential problems/risks?

Inappropriate comments - We need to ensure that we are teaching students how to comment on others work and how to accept comments on their work.

Students struggling with using formal language - One class worked on a novel study project using VoiceThread and "although the students were comfortable creating online content, they struggled to create content with an academic focus and tone appropriate for an academic task. The informality was particularly a problem when they recorded the narrative. The same students who regularly engaged in formal class presentations in other media struggled to record scholary presentations in VoiceThread." (Bomar, S. A Pre-Reading VoiceThread: Death Comes for the Archbishop. Knowledge Quest, Mar/Apr2009, Vol. 37 Issue 4, p26-27). - It is important to practice the proper use of the tool, especially considering voice, within the classroom.

Privacy - the same concerns here as with most other Web 2.0 tools I have blogged about. I would use cartoon faces instead of real photographs for student identities. Also first names only.

ANIMOTO

There is an Animoto for Education site where teachers can "bring (their) lessons to life."
Some bloggers are anti-Animoto as far as its educational value goes. However, one of our fave PhD bloggers, Joyce Valenza, disagrees. “Animoto is a magically-easy way to grab attention, produce professional-looking public relations products, archive an event, visually showcase our best, and create new visual contexts.” Go Joyce!
I concur. Also I think the 30 second time limit could be a good thing. Teaching students to keep it short with main ideas and only using what’s important is a valuable skill. One I am working on myself!

"For teachers and librarians who are looking to introduce instructional units, showcase ideas, or frame concepts with a musical element, Animoto will easily allow even the "technologically-challenged" to create high-tech productions that will amaze." (Brisco, S. Animoto. School Library Journal, Jul2008, Vol. 54 Issue 7, p64-64)

Lance Rougeux, the director of Discovery Education, is another fan of Animoto as an educational tool: “Animoto is one of the marvels of Web 2.0. It is a wonderful initiative and a true benefit to teachers and students.”

I can see using this for field trip photos, showing off books, viewing historic events, school-wide project or bulletin board displays, etc.

After browsing through multiple multimedia sites, I realized they all have some things in common. They all either allow for or ask for feedback from viewers. Viewers can leave comments or give a rating. What a great way for people to get feedback on their work.
Another thing these sites have in common is they all help to tell a story. Whether it be a slide show, music video, poster, timeline, scrapbook, online presentation or a comic strip. They all have a story to tell. And who doesn't love a good story?

Here are some of the sites to create your story:

Kerpoof Studio - make movies, cards, stories, etc.
Historic Tale Construction Kit - create a story with text and pictures, similar to a comic strip.
GoAnimate and Domo Animate - create your story with cartoons
PicLits - picture writing
Glogster - poster creating
Scrapblog - scrapbooking
Slide Rocket and Zentation - online presentations
PixelFish, YouTube and Animoto - videos
Xtimeline - timelines
Bit Strips,Mai'Nada comics sketch, Toondoo , Make Beliefs Comix , Strip Generator and Comiqs - creating comic strips

While searching for sites I stumbled across CogDogRoo. Here there is a list of more than 50 web-based story tools! Ok so much for my list - this one is better!
Check out Great Book Stories - educators using Voice Threads to introduce stories...great book stories in fact.


Mashups for Personal Use

My computer is jam packed full of my personal pictures and videos. I find that I no longer get my photos printed off. Just the other day my mom was asking to see my pictures from Whistler last month but I had nothing to show her. Any minute now my mom will be opening up her email to find not just pictures of my trip, oh no, but an animoto video of pictures! She will be so impressed at my creatively produced video...do you think I should tell her how easy it was to make it?
I've decided I will tell her to check out the site because I know she will love it. She's always making Windows Movie Maker slideshows and emailing pictures to people but now she can look really professional. Thanks to Animoto!
I also plan to show my best friend. She's a fashion designer - check out her website - and she is the most creative person I know. I just know she will come up with a way to use this tool, whether it be showing off designs on her website or in emails to contacts to grab their attention.

Voice thread will be a great tool for me also. I am also going to send my voicethread link to some of my friends and relatives overseas. This way they can not only see the pictures from my trip but hear my voice describe each one. Kind of like me being there in person showing them my pics. Very cool!



Now when I hear the word Mashup, there will be a lot more in my brain than thoughts of mashed potatoes or the lyrics to the Monster Mash.

Wikis

My Learning Process

In this cartoon, Crawford has a kite but no string for his kite. He collaborates with Harriet who provides the string. Just like this cartoon, with a wiki everyone brings something to the table to collaborate and make it work.



Let’s get those kites flying!

By working together on a wiki everyone can make a contribution, like the campers that each bring supplies to make the camping trip possible in the Wikis in Plain English video.

My first step in my wiki exploration was to find out the definition of a wiki...

What is a wiki you ask? A wiki is software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. These wiki websites are often also referred to as wikis. (Wikipedia - the most popular wiki out there)

Another wiki, WebTools4u2use, defines them further: “Wikis allow anyone to create or edit a website or webpages with little or no knowledge of hypertext markup language (html). Wikis and wiki pages can be password protected, however, to control who can edit. Wikis allow for collaboration on projects and promote ideas. A wiki is like a blank webpage you can write on with simple tools--text, photos, graphics, videos, links and more. Wikis store the history of page changes so you can see how a page has changed over time, and can revert to an older version if you'd like. Wikis can contain text, audio, video, photos, links and more. They can be edited by multiple people, making it a great collaborative tool.”
I appreciated how detailed this definition was.
Now I really know what a wiki is...but how do I make one?

There are several free programs to use to set up a wiki including:
PB Works
WikiSpaces
Wet Paint
Wikia

Ok, so now I have the definition and programs and am ready to find out how to start using this tool.
Rachel Boyd’s Slideshare The Wiki Way provided me with a great introduction to wikis.
On YouTube I found a video pb wiki-What Is A Wiki? which discusses what wikis are and their positive uses for education.

On our e-class trailfire was a wonderful resource - The Cool Cat Teacher Blog - for teachers or others wanting to know more about the process of creating a wiki. On the blog there are letters between Vicki and another teacher, Tom Harrison, who asks how to organize a wiki and associated templates: Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3 .

I wanted to use my new knowledge to create a book review wiki where students can go to post and read reviews about books in our library. I found another site, Children’s Books Wiki, that has a similar focus but is aimed toward parents looking for great books for their children or to read to their children. I wanted my site to be a place for students to go when they can’t find a book or would like to know what has been recommended.

HERE IS A LINK TO MY FIRST WIKI!

After choosing a URL for my wiki and starting to create it, I decided that I didn't like this wiki idea after all. My blog seemed much easier to create. It wasn't for me but I will create this site for the purposes of my EDES 501 class. I was comfortable using my blog so why did I need to be frustrated with something that I wouldn't be using. I created a talking VOKI avatar to introduce the students to our library wiki and tried to insert it as a plug-in but couldn't get it to work. I pasted the code VOKI gave me but at the last step, the 'preview' stage nothing happened. I tried several times to no avail. So I added it here to my blog (see the sidebar) until I can figure out how to get it onto my wiki.


Then I added my links to pages and URL's. That part I liked. And I realized it is great that the students can be a part of editing and adding to a wiki which I also liked. Ok, maybe I was wrong about wikis. I now see that I just needed time to figure out how to use them. Now that I know...watch out!

I chose to use PB Works because not only is it one of the most popular wiki creation sites but my school district has a PB Works wiki called Working Together which has great resources and teaching ideas added by teachers in my district.

Now that I have discovered the potential that wikis have to offer, my thinking has changed. I can see a lot of potential for their use personally and professionally. Most importantly to me, I am excited to implement them in my teaching. It is thrilling to realize the ways that children can display their learning using wikis. I have come to a turning point in transforming the way I teach by customizing learning for each child in the digital realm. Let me expand on this…


Wikis for Professional Learning

I now have a library wiki that students will be posting their book reviews on. This will be a great resource for students who would like book suggestions.

I would also use wikis with novel studies. In the article A Wiki Gives a Worthy Book New Life, Bowllan discusses her experience with using a wiki with the novel The Mzungu Boy: "Ideal for collaborative learning, a wiki allows students to engage the novel beyond the pages of the book... Students can use the wiki to research, outline, draft, and edit a collaborative project on the book. They could also organize articles, site links, video, and other resources there for students locally and even in Kenya!"
Just think of the collaborative potential for students to work with books. Kind of like an extensive, online literature circle!

As a librarian wikis will be useful not only to use with my students but also to use with my colleagues. We have monthly librarian meetings where we have a book share at the start of each meeting. The book share lists, with book titles, ISBN, theme, etc., are written down each meeting and emailed to all of the teacher-librarians. I have emails from the past couple of years in my inbox history which are difficult to find. This got me thinking...why not have a wiki where we can add our book share information and have everything all in one place!?

One of our major school goals for this year is improving writing. I would bring the idea of wikis to the staff as a way for students to enhance not only their writing skills but their communication and critical thinking skills too among others. I would also remind my staff that most kids enjoy being on the computer (at recess we always have a packed computer lab) and this could be a way to reach the reluctant writer.

I found a couple of wikis that will be very handy for me to refer to as a teacher. This wiki, Cool Tools for Schools, has every web 2.0 tool you can imagine that is useful for teachers! My new favourite site.
With Pikiwiki , I can take my pictures and add a story to them as a group (add audio/video captions/pictures/videos/comments). Kind of like a virtual scrapbook. I would use this as a way to collaborate our learnings from pictures taken at a field trip.

Here are some great examples of classroom wikis:

Mr.Boyer's 5th Grade Class Wiki - the most visually appealing wiki I've come across. He used Glogster to create a poster for his front page.

I also found Mrs. Shanahan's Wiki which also uses a Glogster poster as well as a Voki avatar. But the best part of this wiki was the class novel section. One of the novels they studied was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and they actually received a postcard from Kate DiCamillo which can be seen on thier wiki!

Ward's World Wiki - the organization of this teacher's wiki is unreal!

Mrs. Gay's Science Wiki - great for secondary biology.

I also found some wikis I will use as a librarian:

Teach Library – this wiki has a compilation of lesson plans for Teacher-Librarians.

Welcome to Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. This wiki was created to be a one-stop shop for great ideas and information for all types of librarians.

Teacher-Librarian Wiki - Joyce Valenza suggests: "Let's use this space to SHARE our best wisdom and our best instruction--the new understandings, lessons, units, handouts, rubrics, presentations, images, and teaching tips that have been either rotting in our file cabinets or posted and lonely on our individual sites."

The Slideshare presentation Wikis: Enabling Collaboration in Libraries : Meredith’s Presentations discusses advantages of wikis and how to use them.

Wikis and Libraries: Resources, Articles and Links Compiled by Darlene Fichter


Wikis for My Personal Learning

There are so many ways I will use wikis in my professional life. At first, I didn't think I would use wikis in my personal life though. Then it hit me!

Every summer, 8-10 of us girlfriends from high school come together for a girls reunion weekend. Last summer we rented a cabin at Cultus Lake and the year before we stayed up at Mt. Washington. We usually email each other back and forth up to six months before each trip to arrange possible locations, decide on food (we usually each bring a meal to make for the group), costs and what else to bring. We have always had one person in charge of organizing the trip.
However, we have come across problems like everyone wanting to bring a dinner and no one bringing a breakfast meal for example.
Having a wiki for us would make things easier. We could all contribute our ideas for locations, we could have a schedule for breakfasts, lunches and dinners and have everyone sign up for one. We could have a list of what to bring. Last year three people brought the same game, the game of Things, which is a really fun game but we don't need three of them!
We would be able to view everyone's contributions and work as a team rather than one person having to do all of the organizing. This seems like the answer to girl's reunion weekend!

I came across The Wiki Index which has a list of wikis categorized under topics such as lifestyle (including games, entertainment and television) as well as a chronological list of added wikis, including The Pet Wiki and the Gardening Wiki which lead you to other wikis with the same topic. Since I am currently training my puppy, I investigated the Pet Wiki and edited the dog training wiki to include information about teaching your dog the command “OFF.”

As always, we have to consider the pros and cons before we are completely convinced to implement the tool...

Pros

- anyone can edit the page
- emphasis on collaborative learning
- students can act as teacher and learner,
learning from and helping their peers
- consolidates all of the ideas in one location
- get instant access through links
- multi-dimensional form of learning which is more appealing to most students than a piece of paper
- the teacher can see which group members have contributed to the assignment and what their contributions were
- brings students together to communicate
- can be used to make announcements, share information, post assignments, and share useful links with students
- allows students to have input into their learning
- showcases work for others, such as parents, to view
- enhances communication and critical thinking skills
- easy to learn how to use
- simple formatting rules allow for a novice web 2.0 user to contribute
- wikis "could easily become a resource, a showcase for best practices, and an articulation tool as well...(students) could add graphics and links, annotations and reflections." (Richardson 2009 p.61)

In addition, Joyce Valenza has compiled a list of Top Ten Reasons why teachers, students, librarians and administrators should use wikis.


Cons

- anyone can edit the page
- there is no spell checker so students should check their spelling with a peer or adult before they post.
- lack of options for design so not as visually appealing or as much of a focus on presentation as blogs. *Note: I had this on my list of cons before I came across the sites with Glogster posters. Now I can see that wikis can be visually appealing.



As you can see, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. So I will give this new tool my 100% stamp of approval.




I will leave you with a couple of wiki-related quotes to consider.

A community is like a ship: everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.
—Henrik Ibsen

Please, grant me the serenity to accept the pages I cannot edit,
The courage to edit the pages I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference
—The Wiki Prayer

Podcasting

A WHOLE NEW WORLD


Reflections on the Process of Learning About the Tool




At this stage of my digital learning I feel like Jasmine must feel in this part of Aladdin. I have stepped out of the palace and am now seeing the world. There is a whole new web world out there that I did not know existed. My latest magic carpet ride took me to the wonder of podcasting...

For the purpose of testing out this new wonder, and because I am a librarian and reading is one of my favourite past times, I chose to read a story. The picture book is titled You Think It's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt. Before we jump ahead and take a listen, let's define podcasting and look at the process of creating a podcast.

What is a podcast? According to WikiPedia, a podcast is “a web feed of audio files (although increasingly people are applying the term to video and other media) that is placed on the Internet for anyone to download. It's usually possible to download the files directly from the website, just as one would normally do; however, special programs called podcatchers exist that let users subscribe to podcasts in order to automatically download and store the media files for later playback.”

To create my first ever podcast, I first did some research. I followed the course Trailfire including the video Podcasting In Plain English and read Chapter 6 in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson. Some of the other helpful introductory resources I found were the Podgrunt video , the video Integrating Podcasting into your Classroom and the article How To: Make Your Voice Heard! which all effectively familiarized me with the basics of podcasting. I followed Will Richardson's instructions and first downloaded the program Audacity. Audacity is a cross-platform and open-source software program for recording and editing which is suited for Mac users (PC users can use Garageband) and is ideal for classroom podcasting.

TESTING TESTING 1-2-3

I have always been weirded out by the sound of my own voice on recordings. This experience brought back memories of my 10-year old self recording my voice on my ghetto blaster. This was a completely new experience for me as I usually only hear my recorded voice on answering machines. I felt uncomfortable at first when I was doing my test podcast but after listening to it and trying again my confidence rose. I decided for my first shot at podcasting I would read a story. I recorded my story reading using a small microphone connected to my computer. It was basically as simple as hitting record and then stop. There are options for editing which I tested out with a test podcast and found it really handy to be able to go back and edit rather than re-recording.
I then downloaded LAME for Audacity so that I could export my recording to an MP3 file and saved it to my desktop.
From there I uploaded the file here, to Blogger.
Alternatively I could have uploaded my file to a podcast web server such as Odeo, Podomatic, or Podcast Pickle. My podcast could then be subscribed to using various RSS aggregator cataloguing programs like iTunes, Netvibes, Juice Receiver (formerly IPodder), or Podcast Alley.

I then followed the instructions on the Consuming Experience site for “Blogger: how to upload MP3 files to play in blog posts.” I used this method because I wanted to have an image of the book cover on the screen while my podcast was playing. The picture of the book cover uploaded fine into the video bar. However, when I uploaded the podcast audio file to the audio/music bar, an error message came up saying that my computer did not have the required codec.
Time for a second attempt…In Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Web Tools for Classrooms, Richardson suggests using OurMedia.org so I went there and…the link was broken. I googled “Our Media” and didn’t find a link that worked.
Third attempt…searched “MP3 file hosting” and found http://www.upload-mp3.com . Signed up for an account and it stated that a validation email would be sent to me with instructions. Nothing came. Tried several times but still no email.
Fourth attempt…searched the Help section of Blogger…found a link for adding an MP3 file to your blog which told me to use Google Pages . However when I went there, it said “Google Page Creator is no longer accepting new sign-ups.”
Fifth attempt…Googled “mp3 file hosting" again and found Web File Host. I uploaded my file and was given a quick search ID but could not get it to work.
Sixth attempt…I then tried Wiki Upload but was directed to another website to download the AVS Audio Converter…which leads me to my seventh attempt: I went to File Dropper

FileDropper Free File Hosting

but it resulted in this button that only allows users to download my podcast rather than linking directly to it.
5 hours later...I re-read p.119 in Richardon's book and he states that "if all this seems like too much work, you might want to check out a couple of Web-based podcasting services that make things even easier. Wish I had done this from the start!
So I created an account with Podomatic, clicked "my podcast," "new episode," and "upload media from computer." There was an option to "embed a player on your web page" but it wouldn't work for my file so I just uploaded to the site. I was able to name my podcast and upload an image (the cover of the book) for my podcast. Podomatic saved the day!




Now with all of my patience and the help of Podomatic I feel like I can do anything...I can now not only do it on my own but can teach my students how to podcast...I feel like Super Teacher! Here is my podcast.



Discussion of the Tool in Terms of My Own Personal Learning


Now that I can finally podcast properly I can say it has furthered my growth as a Web 2.0 learner. I have come across some great podcasting sites for my personal use such as the Women of Web 2.0 show. I enjoyed a recent show of theirs discussing what a 21st century library looks like.

I asked my best friend if she has ever heard of podcasting and coincidentally she is in the middle of listening to the Harry Potter books! She also listened to Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth podcast after discovering it on Oprah. I think podcasts would be great for me to listen to on my IPod, maybe while walking my new puppy around our local park.

My stepson's favourite TV show is The Discovery channel so I googled to see if they have any Discovery Channel podcasts and I was in luck! I think he will really enjoy listening to these on his Ipod while we are driving as he usually reads books in the car.



Discussion of the Tool in Terms of Teaching and Learning


Where do I start? There are so many implications for teaching! Here are some of the ways that I might use podcasting in the classroom:

A new way of presenting!

-sharing projects/oral presentations
-literature circles
-student news stories
-reader's theatre or dramatic plays
-poems created and read by students
-Meet the Author: students create to share info about their author
-oral histories

-recording class lectures for students that were away
-art critiques
-audio diaries: students are in role as the character from a novel or famous person in history
-science logs
-reading assessment: students are recorded reading a passage at beginning of each term
-language study
-singing songs
- free audio stories for kids at Storynory
- math podcasts (sorted by topic eg. Intro to probability)at Math Grad
- Writing tips at Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
- educational audio & video content at Kids.LearnOutLoud.com (Kids Audio Books, Free Learning Resources, MP3 Audio Book Downloads, and Podcasts for Kids.)

-book talks




I would also have student book reviews put on the library website. This makes it fun and is great for auditory learners or students who would prefer to listen to rather than read a book review.
I also see great potential for literature circles. Group members could record their thoughts/feelings/ideas which is not only useful for assessment but would also be accessible to interested listeners anywhere.

Here are some examples of classes using podcasting:
One of Will Richardson’s favourite class podcast sites is Radio Willow Web – is no longer found at the website he provided but I was able to track it down here.

Mr. Coley’s Room 34 Website (Coley Cast: The Official Podcast of Room 34)
This site is wonderful – it has podcasts of students sharing what they have learned in science, social studies, literature circle book reviews, special events, etc. There are also “StudyCasts” which are podcasts that assist students with reviewing for tests.

Mabry Middle School
This site has student project podcasts, school news, and teacher and parent podcasts. I like the idea of giving parents a voice (literally) on the school website.


Some great resources for implementing podcasting into your own classroom:

- Podcasting in the Classroom
provides a great overview on introducing and implementing podcasting with students.

- the YouTube video Integrating Podcasting into your Classroom introduces podcasting and explains how it can be used for educational purposes.
I would show this video to my staff to get them interested in using podcasting themselves.

- The Apple Video series Podcasting in Education - Shows how one teacher uses podcasting and how learning can be taken with students anywhere they go with podcasts on Ipods.

- the Slideshow Podcasting: Integration Ideas for the Classroom

- Kidcast: Podcasting in the Classroom Another great introductory site for classroom podcasting.

Some great resources for implementing podcasting in the library:- the article "Podcasting 101 for K-12 Librarians." This article is a great introduction to Podcasting for librarians who wish to implement podcasting in their teaching.
According to this article, “Podcasting supports efforts to differentiate instruction in the library in accordance with No Child Left Behind requirements. The podcast is a viable alternative for delivering research content or lessons to students who need re¬medial or extended support. While auditory learners particularly benefit when podcasts are incorporated into the teaching model, librarians can help all students and staff find ways to creatively use podcasting. Sometimes new formats are the key to igniting interest. While creating podcasts, students learn to research, write, develop vocabulary, speak effectively, manage time, solve problems, and grab attention.”

- the article You're on the Air! Podcasting with Teens at the Library by Nathan Jones (Voice of Youth Advocates 32 no3 200-3 Ag 2009). This article discusses how "podcasting is fun and will attract young patrons, but it can also be a serious learning tool. Podcasters need to research, write, use creativity, and practice presentation skills in order to create an interesting podcast episode.”

-This list of libraries that are currently podcasting and offering selected podcast resources service.

- Library 2.0 Ning’s discussion ‘Anyone Using Podcasts in the Library?’


Other podcast sites for teachers:

- The Education Podcast Network
A directory with student and class podcasts and podcasts listed by subjects.
“The Education Podcast Network is an effort to bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and learning in the 21st century.”


- Podcast Alley The Podcast Alley website claims to have "the most extensive listing of podcasts on the web." It ranks podcasts based on the number of votes they receive each month.

- Podcasts for Educators, Schools and Colleges – directory of hundreds of searchable podcasts


Why Podcast?

There are many advantages to podcasting. Some of the benefits of using them in the classroom include:
- Makes learning Fun
- They are a form of digital storytelling
- They are accessible/cheap – a microphone is the only piece of equipment required that schools may not have.
- Allows for interactions with a global audience
- Utilizes creativity
- They are an easy form of web publishing
- Shows off learning to others including parents
- Promotes leadership
- Develops reading, writing and speaking skills
- Builds vocab development
- Builds confidence with public speaking
- Enhances communication skills including use of expression and tone while speaking
- Podcasting involves few privacy concerns

I would like to elaborate on this last benefit. When publishing student video clips or photographs, privacy issues arise. However, with podcasting, we can still publish student work to the web but as long as we ensure that the student's full name or other personal information is not given, we dodge these issues. It is a good idea to request parental permission though and only use student's first names in the recordings.

To ensure that all bases are covered, teachers should also be familiar with the
Podcasting Legal Guide from Creative Commons. I noticed that in section 1.2.3., there are Special Rules For Librarians Or Teachers. In general, these rules allow for performance and display of certain copyrighted works in the on-site classroom situation.

After my research and practice with podcasting, I now feel that I am ready to introduce this whole new world to my staff and implement it in my school.

Social Bookmarking

To Tag or not to Tag?







Reflections on the Process of Learning About the Tool

Social Bookmarking? When I saw this on the assignment page I had no clue what it was and thought, how can I use a bookmark on a computer? and how can bookmarking be social?

Yes, I had no clue. And I wasn't alone. Friends and co-workers seemed to have no clue also which made me feel better. The Common Craft video Social Bookmarking in Plain English and the Social Bookmarking:Ideal Guide for Beginners helped to clear up the fog.


Basically, social bookmarking is an online method of storing, organizing, searching and sharing chosen web pages. It lets users store links they like and share them with others.
Did you know there are about 125 social bookmarking sites?! I found that Del.icio.us was the most frequently discussed social bookmarking site, discussed in several articles such as Tags Help Make Libraries Delicious and Cool Tools: Best of Social Bookmarking . Will Richardson discusses both Diigo and del.icio.us but claims that delicious is his personal favourite because it is simple to use and great for sharing links.
I also read about Webnotes as discussed in What's Next for Social Bookmarking but it seems to be specifically designed for libraries and I wanted to be able to use it for both personal and professional reasons. I like the broader aspects of delicious better.
So I chose to sign up with delicious and start bookmarking. The sign-up process was quick and painless and after installing it to my computer, I was directed to the Getting Started page with instructions about the add-on, how to save, browse, and use the toolbar. This page was really useful in helping me as a beginner. I like the cute little toolbar buttons that popped up on my computer, too.




Discussion of the Tool in Terms of My Own Personal Learning



May the bookmarking process begin!




I will admit, I became a little overexcited after I installed those cute little toolbar buttons. I love organization, which is part of the reason why being a librarian is my calling. This new knowledge was great. Instead of relying on my Favourites toolbar (which, believe me, is way too full), I could just click the button and easily store each site by KEYWORD and TAG! Very exciting for me. I have so many random websites in emails that I have saved or in files somewhere that I often want to access but can't remember where they are. I think social bookmarking must have been invented by a virgo, as we seem to be a little obsessive about organization. Anything that organizes the chaotic read/write web must be a good thing.
Websites such as Thunder Bay Public Library’s site (and this blog!) have delicious tag clouds so that topics can be accessed with a click.

While researching this new tool I came across 2 new words:
Metadata and Folksonomy. The first time I saw them I stared at them blankly but I now know what they mean:
Metadata is used to describe tags and descriptions of your websites in social bookmarking sites.
Folksonomy uses metadata to create a shared classification system, such as social bookmarking sites.

For those of you that like learning new words, here's one more:
Adjuvant(n): a person or thing that aids or helps. This was my Word of the Day.
I have to say, I have found social bookmarking to be an adjuvant in my personal learning!

Some of the advantages of social bookmarking that I have discovered are:

1) Making connections through the development of a collaborative community
2) Having access to other peoples resources in a shared setting
3) Learning other perspectives and insights around your topic
4) Developing organizational skills
5) Filtering research to include sites that are relevant to your topic
6) Easy to learn how to use and to access your bookmarks

7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking also discusses reasons to be involved with social bookmarking: "This process allows like-minded individuals to find one another and create new communities of users that continue to influence the ongoing evolution of folksonomies and common tags for resources. Using a folksonomy-based tool for research lets you take advantage of the insights of other users to find information related to the topic you are researching, even in areas that aren’t obviously connected to the primary topic."

Though it may not be for everyone, this tool is definitely for me at this stage in my life. I was able to begin to create a network of interesting and useful websites and will continue to add to my tags with many more sites of interest.



Discussion of the Tool in Terms of Teaching and Learning





TAG - You're it!






I have website addresses stored in files from Professional Development days, in emails from other librarians, and on scraps of paper on my bulletin board (not to mention my enormous, unorganized favourites folder on my computer).
Now, I can take all of these websites that are useful for teaching and tag them in my delicious account.

I have already started the process: I made a tag titled "authors" which has sites for children's authors and books, I have a "research" tag including useful research sites, a "teaching" tag for broader aspects of the profession, and more. I think I would mostly use social bookmarking (at least at first) for my own professional resources. My plan is to create a tag for every topic that I am teaching - I have started with "ecosystems" for now and have found some great sites with ideas to use with my class.

I would like to introduce this to my fellow staff members as I think some of them would really appreciate this concept of collaboration.
I would also like to introduce this to my grade 6/7 students. I would begin by bookmarking some sites for them to research. I like Will Richardson's idea of having the student's name as my tag and writing them a personal comment like he does: "Meredith, this is a great site to use in your research. Check out the site on Africa. Mr. R."
If I was using the tool this way, I would be sure to mark my bookmark privacy setting as 'private.' If I wasn't interested in the social aspect for some of my bookmarking, I could also set up some Google Bookmarks on my iGoogle page, which is another way to ensure privacy.

I could also set up groups for different grade levels (eg. grade 6 and grade 7) or different levels of learners. There is potential for struggling learners to be set up with highlighted, simplified sites and for gifted students to be able to search out and bookmark their own sites.
I think delicious could also be useful for novel studies, with tags set up by book titles.
Librarians could use it to tag by genre or type of book (eg. mystery or classics). They could even create a digital dewey decimal system for cataloguing books online.
I came across a site called librarything.com which is a site to connect socially around the books you read. I tested it out and it passed with flying colours. I like how you can search books by title (eg. Twilight) or keyword (eg. vampires) and there are book ratings, discussions and suggestions of similar books recommended by members. Also being able to see the book jacket itself was great for a visual person like me.

Overall, this has been a beneficial learning experience for me and will be very useful in my personal life and in my professional life. TAG - you're it! Now get tagging!

Video Sharing

Reflections on the Process of Learning About the Tool

The photo above symbolizes my journey into the videosharing world in two ways:

Firstly, for me, learning how to use this tool and what to use it for is like learning how to ride a bicycle. Practice is needed, you may need someone to hold the seat at first but once the confidence is built, you are on your way! The journey may have bumps along the way and you may be ready to give up several times but once you reach your destination, the success you feel is worth it. Nothing like crossing that finish line!

Secondly, the wheel is the main focus of the picture. I have come to realize that with the videosharing technologies available to us, there is no need to re-invent the wheel. There are a plethora of resources at our fingertips. We can access video clips on any topic we are teaching and bring them to the classroom.

Along my journey I explored three main videosharing sites: YouTube, TeacherTube and VideoTube. There are several other sites as well, some of them listed on John P.'s One Man's Blog . However, for the purpose of this blog, I will be mostly focussing on the most popular videosharing site, YouTube. Tune in to my YouTube channel.
Before getting in depth with YouTube, though, I first stopped off at Animoto. I used Animoto to create my own video, using short clips that I had downloaded. However, I tried to upload from my computer and could not find my video files. After several attempts and some research I discovered that the clips must each be five seconds or less or they will not be found. So I chose to create a short video clip instead using images from my trip to Fiji. It was easy to add music and create the video (it made me think this would be a great way for students to produce their own short videos). I then exported my video to YouTube.
I learned the hard way that you have to make sure that you are the last person to sign in to YouTube on your computer or else your videos created on Animoto will be uploaded to the other user’s account. In my case, it was my fiancé, TJ, who was the last user so according to YouTube he is now the creator of the video. However, I selected the video as a favourite so it can still be viewed on my account and is also embedded here:




I also tried uploading a video that I made directly from my computer to YouTube. It is a clip from the beach in Australia this summer:





Before this process, I had viewed a couple of videos on YouTube that were sent to me via email. However, I had never even searched for a particular topic before. Now I can search by subject, select videos as favourites, and make comments. Signing up and personalizing my account was easy.

On my journey I also learned about copyright guidelines and the idea of Fair Use which is the justification for copyright works. I discovered that if a video clip is for education (eg. showing in class or on a secure website) it is most likely considered to be Fair Use. If I am unsure, however, I now know that I can hop on the 'copyright metro' and check the guidelines using this interactive guide to using copyrighted media.

The idea of embedding was also new to me and it was surprising to learn how easy it is to just copy and paste the code into my blog. In the article The Incredible, Embeddable Web, Notess discusses embedding and sites such as SlideShare, where uploaded presentations can be embedded, commented on and rated. I discovered that a Power Point presentation could be embedded into my blog or wiki.


Discussion of the Tool in Terms of My Own Personal Learning










Standing at YouTube's front entrance (the most recent videos page) I was overwhelmed at first. Where will this door take me? I thought as I looked at each image and title. After viewing some random clips, I realized that I wanted and needed a purpose for my searching. It can be very distracting being lead through so many different doors. I needed to narrow down my search to include only the rooms that were useful to me.
So I went to visit Elizabeth Gilbert as she discussed her book Eat Pray Love, which I am currently reading for the second time.
I then opened a door that led to exercising the brain with faster thinking through coloured words.

With my stepson in tow I then paid a visit to JBugz, his future breakdance instructor. This eased any anxiety he had about going to his first class next week. Now he is eager to get started and wants to learn to dance just like JBugz!
As you can see from the videos I created and embedded in the previous section, I have discovered the realm of possibilities that are available to me as a Web 2.0 learner. I am excited to be opening so many new doors!


Discussion of the Tool in Terms of Teaching and Learning











There are many concerns around allowing students to have access to YouTube. Just like using a pencil, students can use it for good or for bad. They can use a pencil to write with or they can use it to poke someone with. We have to teach them the appropriate way to use the tool. Sometimes the pencil may be used for entertainment, doodling pictures or writing notes to friends and sometimes it is used for educational purposes, such as writing a story or a poem. Students must know how and when to use the pencil for learning.

There are endless opportunities for use in the classroom. Once they are taught media literacy standards, students could view and critique videos. Using videosharing is also creative way for students to display what they have learned. They could create interviews, online radio shows, presentations or book talks.
As a teacher, I could record important parts of my lessons for students as a review or for those students who missed a lesson.
The educational relevance of YouTube is discussed in an article I found called YouTube Comes to the Classroom. Adam and Mowers state that "YouTube provides a platform for students to be content creators, not just content viewers. Just knowing that someone out there is listening is enough motivation for them to speak out. It is our job to help students discover their voice. While YouTube does contain inappropriate material, it also offers real gems for educators."
I came across a site with some of these gems called 100 best YouTube videos for teachers, broken down into the headings of History, Science, Language Arts, Inspiration, Classroom Management, How-Tos and Guides, Technology and Humour. Also take a look at this article listing some useful YouTube clips for teachers to use in teaching history and social studies.

While exploring TeacherTube , I found a video clip that I can use with my grade 6/7 science class. I am currently teaching them about ecosystems and I found that this video clip (embedded below) effectively shows the interactions and interdependance of living and non-living things.



This process has allowed me to further my learning not only as a life long learner but as a parent and a teacher as well.


Sources

Adam, A., & Mowers, H. (2007, January). YouTube Comes to the Classroom. School Library Journal, 53(1), 22-22. Retrieved September 24, 2009, from Professional Development Collection database.

Notess, G.R. (2007, September/October). The Incredible, Embeddable Web. Online; School Library Journal, Vol.31 Issue 5, p.43-46.

Photo Sharing

Reflections on the Process of Learning About Photo Sharing

My experience with photo sharing before doing this assignment was limited to my Facebook account. I have added several photo albums so knew how to upload pictures. I had even been 'tagged' in some pictures from way back in elementary school! However this was as far as my photo sharing experience went...until now. The Common Craft video (Online Photo Sharing in Plain English) helped me see how putting photos online keeps them safe, organized and easy to find and share. It is a scary thought to think that I could lose all of my pictures to a fire or computer crash!
While doing some internet searching on online photo sharing, I discovered that some sites (such as http://www.toptenreviews.com/) claim that Photobucket is the most popular and most highly rated photo sharing site. However, I chose to use Flickr because this was the site discussed in the course textbooks, I had heard more about it and was not far behind in the ratings. Check out this link to my photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lkwillia

I found Flickr to be user friendly and easy to store, share, search and organize pictures. I identified where some of my photos were taken using geotagging which was a new concept to me. This feature allowed me to add tags to my photos that show coordinates from Google maps linked to Google Earth. This way people can see where in the world my pictures came from. I also discovered that I could link 'fd's Flickr Toys' to my Flickr account to create magazine covers, posters, frames, etc and was curious about this. However I found that part of their agreement states that by authorizing this link, you'll allow Flickr Toys to "upload, edit and replace photos and videos in your account." Therefore, I decided against adding this feature until I can be sure that my account will be safe. I also found out that by using 'Creative Commons,' you can add or search photos with various types of copyright licences.

I came across a website that provides an intro on how to use Flickr:

http://benbishop.me.uk/software/how-to-flickr-into/

Here is a blog site with uses for the classroom:

http://jakespeak.blogspot.com/2006/03/classroom-uses-of-flickr.html




Discussion of Photo Sharing in Terms of My Own Personal Learning

The process of using photo sharing has greatly enhanced my personal learning with the Web 2.0 tool. I now not only have my own Flickr account but can upload photos, tag them into subject areas, change account settings, geotag the photos, link to an RSS feed or blog, use search parameters and comment on other members' photos. These skills are valuable to me on my journey to become more literate with technology.

Photo sharing is important to me as a learner, a parent, a friend and a relative. To be able to share photos back and forth with loved ones is a useful and enjoyable way for me to keep in touch. It allows me to share my special events with others that perhaps live out of town and would not have the opportunity to see pictures in person. For example, this summer I went on a trip to Fiji and Australia and was also a bridesmaid in my sister's and my friend's weddings. Photo sharing has allowed me to share my photographs with others that were either a part of my summer experiences or are interested in seeing how amazing those places were. Best of all, it is free and easy to keep track of my pictures.

I think it is important for us to become comfortable using these online networking sites personally before we put them into use professionally. We need to have the confidence to use Flickr, for example, on our own before we use it with our students. By 'playing' on these sites we can not only become more efficient but we can find more and more opportunities for their use in our teaching.



Discussion of Photo Sharing in Terms of Teaching and Learning

I have come across many ideas for the use of photo sharing in the classroom. This tool could be useful in making learning relevant and fun for our students, who are increasingly becoming digital learners. Students could use Flickr to create visual stories, illustrate their work, make connections or interpretations, write a news story, or use the annotation tool to label parts of a diagram, map or model. They could create slideshows or presentations or document field trips, school-wide events and projects. Teachers can photostream pictures to the class homepage on their school website or teach how to use add-on tools to create book covers or posters.
There is opportunity to keep in touch with current events or supplement research. When a class or student is studying a particular topic, they can subscribe to an RSS feed and automatically receive new pictures about that topic and view recent comments made about the pictures. I would also like to use this feature in my own learning.

Another benefit is the potential for collaborative learning. There are groups on Flickr for teachers collaborating their ideas regarding the uses of Flickr in the classroom. One group called Gotham Schools has displayed artistic shots of their school and has documented some of the projects they have done:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/gothamschools/

Before using Flickr with our students, however, we need to consider privacy settings. The site allows us to decide the size of community we are involved with, allowing for public or private viewing. To allow for the highest level of security, we could restrict access to photos by creating a login for our class and selecting "invited" members only. We would also need to teach our students how to use the site effectively and appropriately. It is exciting to realize the potential of photo sharing and Flickr for enhancing both our teaching and our learning.

My Blog Intro...

Welcome to my very first blog!

I am excited to be entering into this whole new world of technology! Before this Web 2.0 course, I had an account on Facebook, had used YouTube and had heard of the photosharing site Flikr but didn't know anything about RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, nings, trailfires and the other new forms of digital literacy that we are encountering. It seems that there is so much to know and is somewhat overwhelming at first but I am learning as I go.
I think that I will find the learning to be relevant and useful to me both personally and professionally. Some questions that I am inquiring about are:
1) Would blogging be useful for teaching elementary students while considering security and ease of use?
2) How would I most effectively set up a wiki for an elementary class?
3) As a librarian, what effects should the shift toward digital literacy have on my practices?

I look forward to learning the answers to these and my many other questions. Also looking forward to blogging with you all!